Rough Country 7.5 lift Problems

[81malibu350]

Mike Barabash
1 hr
Hi Everybody! I have a question about my lifted 07 Avalanche It has a 7.5 Rough Country lift.. My problem is that the rear of the truck feels real loose/Sway and like it wants to turn before the front of the truck does. It's scary driving on the parkway. the R/C lift i went with i added R/C front struts and Rancho rear shocks i also added 2 inch wheel spacers for the rear and a helwig rear adjustable rear sway bar. I have called R/C twice and they have no clue of what it is. i am almost at the point on bringing it back down to stock ride height..

I love the way the Avalanche looks but feels very dangerous at highway speeds. Any help would be Appreciated..

 

[drakon543]

rough country sells some pretty sturdy lift kits however thier general lower price tag is also a fault. the kit doesnt always position parts for the best angles for a smooth controlled ride. your best bet is to find a local 4wd shop that does this work and ask them what extra kit you need to get what you want.

 

[Matt_]

Is the sway bar setup correctly? And have any pics of the rear suspension?

Also jump on the back bumper to make sure you didn't get bad shocks.

 

[81malibu350]

The Lift has been on the truck since March 2018. everything has settled by now

rough country sells some pretty sturdy lift kits however thier general lower price tag is also a fault. the kit doesnt always position parts for the best angles for a smooth controlled ride. your best bet is to find a local 4wd shop that does this work and ask them what extra kit you need to get what you want.

Thanks

 

[drakon543]

ive run rough country myself a few times and usually have the same bugs to work out after everything is settled. bump steer or harsh ride or a floating feeling. definitely check your sway bar and recheck your unbolts in the rear. take a look at your rear sway bar vs what a stock one looks like. if the angle is visibly different that might need corrected.

 

[01Konvict]

Get pro comp rear drop brackets so the trailing arms are level and not maxed out. Also centers the axle in the fender instead of swinging forward as it currently sits. Otherwise you’ve done the right steps. Maybe stiffer springs or adjustable dampening shocks

 

[nadthomas]

Also, if the wheel/tire setup is new then check your tire pressure as well. With bigger tires you will often times want to run slightly lower pressure. It does look great though.

 

[81malibu350]

Get pro computer rear drop brackets so the trailing arms are level and not maxed out. Also centers the axle in the fender instead of swinging forward as it currently sits. Otherwise you’ve done the right steps. Maybe stiffer springs or adjustable dampening shocks

Thanks 01Konvict

I ordered the Pro Comp Rear bracket should have them Thursday. I have my fingers crossed that it fixes my problem..

 

[01Konvict]

Thanks 01Konvict

I ordered the Pro Comp Rear bracket should have them Thursday. I have my fingers crossed that it fixes my problem..

Good deal! Last guy with same kit did it and said it improved the feel vastly. Really hope it turns out the same for you. Only other option I would try after that is z71 spring swap and 5160s.

 

[81malibu350]

Good deal! Last guy with same kit did it and said it improved the feel vastly. Really hope it turns out the same for you. Only other option I would try after that is z71 spring swap and 5160s.

I hope so too!!!! I think if this does not help my problem i'll be bringing back to stock height!!

 

[00'BlueSteel]

My 7-9” Cognito was like that at first, the rear kit was setup so it would be even with the front at 9”. I only wanted the front at 7”, so the rear was towering over the front when we got done. We also found out we had shocks that worked but not well, they needed to be a few inches longer to allow the back end the proper amount of droop, I removed the 7” rear coil spring spacer and got a full 6” lift spring instead. This drastically changed the feel, stance, and now it is planted in the rear and feels stable at all speeds. It use to feel like the back was a looming over the front and it would sway back and forth pulling the front in which ever direction it was swaying. Felt dangerous just like you are describing.

I attributed it to the back being so much higher than the front, the suspension not being able to move freely like it should, and the fact that coil spring spacers greater than 2-3” are never the best solution, its a cheap solution for the manufactures, full lift springs are always going to have better control and feel on the road. Looks like the RC 7.5 kit comes with a new spring and spacers? Not sure what that’s all about, but your problem could lay in the springs and shocks.

I would think if you add the ProComp rear brackets and make sure the shocks are long enough and the right rate for the vehilce then it should get better. You could always try taking one of the RC coil spring spacers out since it looks like it comes with 2 spacers for each side? Lower the rear a little and reduce the leverage your vehicles body has over the suspension.

 

[992dr]

I hope so too!!!! I think if this does not help my problem i'll be bringing back to stock height!!

Did it work out for you?
I hope it did. Looks great lifted.

 

[81malibu350]

Did it work out for you?
I hope it did. Looks great lifted.

I

The brackets where delivered last Thursday but i haven't had time to have the installed. Thanks!!

 

[81malibu350]

My 7-9” Cognito was like that at first, the rear kit was setup so it would be even with the front at 9”. I only wanted the front at 7”, so the rear was towering over the front when we got done. We also found out we had shocks that worked but not well, they needed to be a few inches longer to allow the back end the proper amount of droop, I removed the 7” rear coil spring spacer and got a full 6” lift spring instead. This drastically changed the feel, stance, and now it is planted in the rear and feels stable at all speeds. It use to feel like the back was a looming over the front and it would sway back and forth pulling the front in which ever direction it was swaying. Felt dangerous just like you are describing.

I attributed it to the back being so much higher than the front, the suspension not being able to move freely like it should, and the fact that coil spring spacers greater than 2-3” are never the best solution, its a cheap solution for the manufactures, full lift springs are always going to have better control and feel on the road. Looks like the RC 7.5 kit comes with a new spring and spacers? Not sure what that’s all about, but your problem could lay in the springs and shocks.

I would think if you add the ProComp rear brackets and make sure the shocks are long enough and the right rate for the vehilce then it should get better. You could always try taking one of the RC coil spring spacers out since it looks like it comes with 2 spacers for each side? Lower the rear a little and reduce the leverage your vehicles body has over the suspension.

The RC 7.5 lift doesn't come with spacers

 

[81malibu350]

Good deal! Last guy with same kit did it and said it improved the feel vastly. Really hope it turns out the same for you. Only other option I would try after that is z71 spring swap and 5160s.

Do you know what the spring rate of the Z71 spring are? When i called Rough Country they said their rear spring rate where about 200lbs

 

[00'BlueSteel]

The RC 7.5 lift doesn't come with spacers

My bad, I see now I got the strut spacers mixed up.

 

[992dr]

I

The brackets where delivered last Thursday but i haven't had time to have the installed. Thanks!!

Well, what're you waiting for haha

Lookin forward to them being installed.

 

[01Konvict]

Do you know what the spring rate of the Z71 spring are? When i called Rough Country they said their rear spring rate where about 200lbs

No sure don't but maybe a call to moog about 81069 could give you the info

 

[81malibu350]

Well, what're you waiting for haha

Lookin forward to them being installed.

That's what i keep telling my self.. But then work gets in the way!! LOL

 

[992dr]

That's what i keep telling my self.. But then work gets in the way!! LOL

Any luck

Just noticed your name, do you happen to have an 81 Malibu w/a 350? My first car was a 78 Malibu. Love them, especially 2drs.