Armor or suspension lift?

For someone with limited means, what would be a better investment to quickly make my truck better at off roading. I don't want a body lift or spacers on anything. I want a proper 2-3" suspension lift with all the necessities that go with it; new shocks, springs, new leafs, u-bolts, UCAs, bushings, carrier drop, etc. I want a. Other option was to simply increase approach and departure angles with lightweight alloy bumpers and protect body with rock sliders. What would be the cheaper option of the two? How big of tire could I get without lift compared to the lift I want? Would I need to do some removal/replacement of things in the wheel well to put in larger tires at stock height?

 

I think it really comes down to the type of off roading you are doing. If you are doing tight, technical trails, with a chance of bouncing off some stumps and rocks, get the armor. But if you are doing more open trails, or open desert high speed stuff, get the suspension. Without a lift most guys are running 265's with minimal to no fender well trimming, with 3" lift, 285's is common, and guys are doing minimal to moderate fender well trimming.

As to which option is cheaper, that's really up to you. The most basic of lift kits run around ~$400 all the way up to a few thousand for the hardcore stuff. Bilstein, OME along with ICON, Fox, and King are pretty popular around here. Alternatively, a decent plate bumper, rear bumper, and sliders could run around two grand and up. Add in full skid plates front to back and you're looking at closer to three thousand.

 

My vote is for the suspension first. Stock suspension was OK after adding sliders but once I started adding any additional armor/weight, it was a bit too much for the suspension to handle.