Not so sure anymore- Need guidance

[iamdub]

I've been all geared up (literally and figuratively) to lower my Tahoe. Plans were a 3/4 on 22s with new Autoride shocks or Bilstein 4600s. I have the spindles, coils, axle relocators, sway bar links, etc. Just need the shocks and coil relocators for the additional 1" front drop.

Lately, and more often than usual, I've been considering a 3-4" lift on taller tires (34s? 35s?). For my purposes, I've generally always been against lifting a 2WD because it's done more for looks than function and lowering has more of a function with better handling and aerodynamics since I never go off-road. I guess I'll list the pros and cons to better organize my thoughts:


Lowering pros:
Improved handling
Improved aerodynamics
Possibly improved fuel economy
Looks cool
Essentially stock loads on bushings, bearings and brakes
Stock size tires are relatively cheap


Lowering cons:
Always have to be more mindful of driving and environment (road debris, parking curbs, etc.)
More difficult to jack up for oil changes, tire rotations, repairs, etc.
May present minor but tedious issues with clearancing to prevent rubbing
Reduced rear travel may affect load capacity


Lifting pros:
Improved usability
Improved servicability
Possibly improved ride quality
Looks cool


Lifting cons:
Reduced handling
Reduced aerodynamics
Likely reduced fuel economy
Increased load on bushings, bearings and brakes
Possible need to re-gear
Tires are more expensive


I'm still pretty much 50/50 at this point. I won't be doing anything until next year when Jenn gets her own car, so I have time to plan. Your thoughts?

 

[HiHoeSilver]

I've been all geared up (literally and figuratively) to lower my Tahoe. Plans were a 3/4 on 22s with new Autoride shocks or Bilstein 4600s. I have the spindles, coils, axle relocators, sway bar links, etc. Just need the shocks and coil relocators for the additional 1" front drop.

Lately, and more often than usual, I've been considering a 3-4" lift on taller tires (34s? 35s?). For my purposes, I've generally always been against lifting a 2WD because it's done more for looks than function and lowering has more of a function with better handling and aerodynamics since I never go off-road. I guess I'll list the pros and cons to better organize my thoughts:


Lowering pros:
Improved handling
Improved aerodynamics
Possibly improved fuel economy
Looks cool
Essentially stock loads on bushings, bearings and brakes
Stock size tires are relatively cheap


Lowering cons:
Always have to be more mindful of driving and environment (road debris, parking curbs, etc.)
More difficult to jack up for oil changes, tire rotations, repairs, etc.
May present minor but tedious issues with clearancing to prevent rubbing
Reduced rear travel may affect load capacity


Lifting pros:
Improved usability
Improved servicability
Possibly improved ride quality
Looks cool


Lifting cons:
Reduced handling
Reduced aerodynamics
Likely reduced fuel economy
Increased load on bushings, bearings and brakes
Possible need to re-gear
Tires are more expensive


I'm still pretty much 50/50 at this point. I won't be doing anything until next year when Jenn gets her own car, so I have time to plan. Your thoughts?

I have also ridden this coaster. My conclusion is simple. You need 2 trucks.

 

[kbuskill]

I've been all geared up (literally and figuratively) to lower my Tahoe. Plans were a 3/4 on 22s with new Autoride shocks or Bilstein 4600s. I have the spindles, coils, axle relocators, sway bar links, etc. Just need the shocks and coil relocators for the additional 1" front drop.

Lately, and more often than usual, I've been considering a 3-4" lift on taller tires (34s? 35s?). For my purposes, I've generally always been against lifting a 2WD because it's done more for looks than function and lowering has more of a function with better handling and aerodynamics since I never go off-road. I guess I'll list the pros and cons to better organize my thoughts:


Lowering pros:
Improved handling
Improved aerodynamics
Possibly improved fuel economy
Looks cool
Essentially stock loads on bushings, bearings and brakes
Stock size tires are relatively cheap


Lowering cons:
Always have to be more mindful of driving and environment (road debris, parking curbs, etc.)
More difficult to jack up for oil changes, tire rotations, repairs, etc.
May present minor but tedious issues with clearancing to prevent rubbing
Reduced rear travel may affect load capacity


Lifting pros:
Improved usability
Improved servicability
Possibly improved ride quality
Looks cool


Lifting cons:
Reduced handling
Reduced aerodynamics
Likely reduced fuel economy
Increased load on bushings, bearings and brakes
Possible need to re-gear
Tires are more expensive


I'm still pretty much 50/50 at this point. I won't be doing anything until next year when Jenn gets her own car, so I have time to plan. Your thoughts?

I definitely think you should lift.... and since you won't be needing those lowering parts anymore you can just gift them to me and I will put them to good use.... maybe Santa will bring you the lifting bits you will need for being so nice and sending the drop kit to me.... he's always watching you know.

 

[techbiker]

I'd (mild) drop 1/2 for the best performance in most scenarios. My PPV's handling with new struts is great. I also like that it still has decent ground clearance.

A few questions if you choose to drop:

-If you install 22" wheels, are you going forged? If you can only afford cast wheels, I would avoid plus sizing. You can gain 7-8 lbs per inch in a cast wheel! This unsprung weight may cancel out nearly all performance gained from lowering.

-I am not an expert on the GMT900 chassis, however you need to make sure you can correct your alignment after any ride height change. Crap alignment = crap performance.

Are your stock wheels 18"? You can always upgrade to a forged 18" wheel to drop significant unsprung weight. I upgraded to a rotary forged wheel on my 300zx and the difference was clear. I had to make the move because my brake calipers would not fit in a 17" wheel.

 

[swathdiver]

I think yours would look great slightly lowered on those wheels and tires. Then there's them things we see every year or so called hurricanes and sometimes you cannot get the truck high enough to get around with after they pass us on by! Then I'd just level it and call it a day. My youngest daughter however would say a six inch lift is barely enough! Like Nate said, go ahead and lower this one and get a 4x4 and lift that one! And don't let your loved ones drive them little 4 wheelers with alll the lunatics on the road.

 

[iamdub]

I'd (mild) drop 1/2 for the best performance in most scenarios. My PPV's handling with new struts is great. I also like that it still has decent ground clearance.

A few questions if you choose to drop:

-If you install 22" wheels, are you going forged? If you can only afford cast wheels, I would avoid plus sizing. You can gain 7-8 lbs per inch in a cast wheel! This unsprung weight may cancel out nearly all performance gained from lowering.

-I am not an expert on the GMT900 chassis, however you need to make sure you can correct your alignment after any ride height change. Crap alignment = crap performance.

Are your stock wheels 18"? You can always upgrade to a forged 18" wheel to drop significant unsprung weight. I upgraded to a rotary forged wheel on my 300zx and the difference was clear. I had to make the move because my brake calipers would not fit in a 17" wheel.

-If I could afford forged 22s, I wouldn't be having this conundrum because, as Nate suggested, I'd have two vehicles- one lifted and one lowered. The 22s I have in mind are OEM take-offs or their reproduction counterparts. The OEM 22s weigh close enough to my stock 20" setup and the repros weigh the same. The OEM stuff is heavy (as expected), but it all passed GM engineering, testing and millions of miles of road use and I'm not deviating from that. While I'd love to reduce any weight, unsprung or not, I'll have to be satisfied with at least not increasing it beyond any factory design.

-I totally agree. For my methods of lowering or lifting, alignment should not be a problem. Most of the drop or lift will be with spindles, so the suspension geometry will only "see" an inch or two of change. The PPVs/SSVs are lowered at least an inch with coils from the factory and they align just fine with all other pertinent components being the same as what I have. The suspension seeing an inch of lift will be negligible as well.

-My stock wheels are 20". If I were to lower it, it wouldn't be in efforts to gain maximum suspension performance. It's still a daily-driven, family-road-trippin', comfy-ridin', heavy ass full-sized SUV. If I was diving down the wormhole to try to make this loaf pull a lateral G, then lifting wouldn't even be a question. My purposes for lowering, if I do, are for the looks, better aerodynamics at highway speed (lower drag for better MPG) and increased handling (however minimal- but still lower roll center at least). In addition to the lowered stance for looks, I'd have to increase the wheels size. So, downsizing to 18s isn't gonna happen, but I'm also not donking it out on 28s+. I'm keeping it all as close as possible to the OEM design.

 

[iamdub]

I think yours would look great slightly lowered on those wheels and tires. Then there's them things we see every year or so called hurricanes and sometimes you cannot get the truck high enough to get around with after they pass us on by! Then I'd just level it and call it a day. My youngest daughter however would say a six inch lift is barely enough! Like Nate said, go ahead and lower this one and get a 4x4 and lift that one! And don't let your loved ones drive them little 4 wheelers with alll the lunatics on the road.

I've seen pics, and a "slight" drop on my stock wheels isn't gonna cut it. To me, it'll look like it has a clapped-out stock suspension and is just sagging on it's stock wheels. I feel that a 3/4 drop is the minimum for looks but maximum for avoiding issues resulting from dropping. Just leveling isn't gonna be enough, either. I'd still end up wishing I had done more so I'm not even gonna pop off the wheels until I have my end goal planned out.

*sigh* I wish I could just leave it as-is or keep the changes very minimal and be satisfied.

 

[swathdiver]

Check with @badandyturbo he has similar plans for lowering his Tahoe. I think it looks great as is in your signature.

 

[iamdub]

Check with @badandyturbo he has similar plans for lowering his Tahoe. I think it looks great as is in your signature.

I appreciate the compliment, and I as well think that it looks pretty good as-is. But it blends in with the sea of other '07-'14 Graystone Metallic Tahoes and this is just something that I can't let go forever.

 

[08HoeCD]

It's a truly personal and subjective decision, but in my mind a lowered NNBS looks baller. "Baller" is cool if you're running it and you're under age 40, but it begins to seem kinda not cool when you're over that age.

A leveled (not lifted) NNBS looks purposeful and rugged, and more like what the factory probably should have set as the stance for a full-size body-on-frame truck.

A lifted NNBS looks kinda cool....but again, in my mind it's driver age-specific.

As I said, it's personal and subjective.

 

[swathdiver]

Drop it down just enough to close up the big gap in the wheel wells, matched with your new wheels and tires. Then go buy a regular length truck and lift it the opposite amount!

 

[iamdub]

Drop it down just enough to close up the big gap in the wheel wells, matched with your new wheels and tires. Then go buy a regular length truck and lift it the opposite amount!

That's pretty much why I want to drop it 3/4. I'm not trying to make it tuck sidewall. I just don't like a huge wheel well gap. I like the idea of getting a "cheap beater" truck and lifting it. I've been eyeing my neighbor's truck. I really dislike the '03-'07 Silverado front. But if I can get it cheap enough, it'd be a solid runner.

 

[lowh07]

I liked the look of mine on the factory 20s. One of the best looking factory wheels IMO.

 

[07 black beauty]

Check with @badandyturbo he has similar plans for lowering his Tahoe. I think it looks great as is in your signature.

I second that iamdub ! with that being said, if you want to change something I would lower it.

 

[Nashoba]

Being an old guy who grew up in the sixties, my preference is to do nothing but level my trucks by lowering the butt an inch and a half to two inches, and that is about it. But that small change always makes the vehicle handle better on the road, though not necessarily in town. Your pros for lowering are far more desirable than the pros for lifting as far as I am concerned. Since you don't plan on going off-road, why lift? But I traded off my 2004 Vette with only 40,000 on the clock because our streets here in town are so bad I was tearing it up bottoming out all the time and I just could not stand doing that to such a nice ride. So don't go too low it becomes an issue. Just sayin'.

 

[iamdub]

I liked the look of mine on the factory 20s. One of the best looking factory wheels IMO.

View attachment 188639

That DOES look good! What's the drop? I hope 3/4!

 

[iamdub]

Being an old guy who grew up in the sixties, my preference is to do nothing but level my trucks by lowering the butt an inch and a half to two inches, and that is about it. But that small change always makes the vehicle handle better on the road, though not necessarily in town. Your pros for lowering are far more desirable than the pros for lifting as far as I am concerned. Since you don't plan on going off-road, why lift? But I traded off my 2004 Vette with only 40,000 on the clock because our streets here in town are so bad I was tearing it up bottoming out all the time and I just could not stand doing that to such a nice ride. So don't go too low it becomes an issue. Just sayin'.

Valid points, to which I agree. It's true that I don't plan on going off-road and I can't foresee any situation changing that. I've always tried to make any mod have just as much function as it does form. I'm having this problem because, in my eyes, both have almost equal pros and cons. I think I've settled on a decision, though...

My Tahoe will never be so low that it'll become a burden to drive. Sure, it'll require being mindful of road conditions, etc. But, I daily'ed a slammed S10 from '03-'16. It was an Xtreme so it had the deeper front air dam and side skirts. I was careful of parking curbs, but that was about all I needed to watch. Other than that, I beat the snot out of it- throwing it into corners at high speeds, hard chicanes, drifts, donuts, you name it. With as low as I would ever want my Tahoe, it would still be higher than that S10.

Speaking of 'Vette, I read recently about how a small crack totaled a C7. The owner hit a rock (loose chunk of road?) or something and it struck and cracked a main structural area of the underside of the body shell and it was irreparable. The car was essentially mint otherwise.

 

[iamdub]

I think I've settled on a decision: I'm gonna lift it, but probably lower it afterwards. Since I'm leaning towards lowering as my end-goal but wanna try it lifted, I'll lift it while it's Jenn's daily driver. I have 1" coil spacers for the rear so I'll just toss in 2" front spacers. This will lift it while ending with a 1/2" front-to-back rake. Front spacers are cheap and easy. I think it'll look ok with stock-sized tires. I already have some 12K-mile take-off Goodyear all-seasons that have a slightly aggressive look to them compared to the current Eagle LS2s that are on it. I'll just get some 1.5" spacers to widen the stance a little to compliment the mild lift, keeping everything in proportion. It'd be a cheap, easy and non-permanent way to play with it. Once it's "my" car again, I can easily lower it if I decide to go that route.

I think leveling it with even a such a mild lift would give me an idea of how I like it being higher. It'll suit Jenn better since she needs all the height she can get to see around her. It also won't put the Tahoe at risk with er driving it like lowering would.

Thank you guys for your input.

 

[techbiker]

Being an old guy who grew up in the sixties, my preference is to do nothing but level my trucks by lowering the butt an inch and a half to two inches, and that is about it. But that small change always makes the vehicle handle better on the road, though not necessarily in town. Your pros for lowering are far more desirable than the pros for lifting as far as I am concerned. Since you don't plan on going off-road, why lift? But I traded off my 2004 Vette with only 40,000 on the clock because our streets here in town are so bad I was tearing it up bottoming out all the time and I just could not stand doing that to such a nice ride. So don't go too low it becomes an issue. Just sayin'.

Agree 100%. After dropping my 300zx about half an inch too much, my cross-brace hung up on my bank's speed bump. Fortunately the speed bump was made of rubber and I powered out of it in reverse (RWD). What do you expect with 3.5" of clearance though??

iamdub, good luck on the lift! Let us know how she handles.

 

[swathdiver]

Since Jen drives it, what is her preference?