For those considering lowering struts, what you need to know

[Sweet_N_Low]

I lowered my Avalanche 2/4 as alot of members on here have. I was encouraged and it was HIGHLY recommended (by a well known vendor here)that I use the Belltech lowering struts up front. I asked all the standard questions, why struts vs spindles? OE struts are good for 30,0000, I was at 29000. Any geometry changes or issues? Nope! Just changing struts.

********!! I have put 3500 miles on this truck since I lowered it and accidently parked my truck with the front tires close to full lock right. Good F'in thing I did. The inside of both front tires is eaten to the warning strings. These wheels and tires have a total of 8000 miles on them and now the front tires are trashed. I took the truck to shop this morning and the lowering struts threw the camber out to the point they can't adjust enough to align, need a camber kit.

I know alot of people think highly of this vendor and I have high praises for his help also but warning......

DON'T RELY ON ONE PERSONS ADVISE

Ask others opinions and experiences. This isn't the first thread on here regarding this vendor holding out relevant information regarding lowering kits. Since you are reading this, if you lower the rear of your truck 4" you HAVE to do the free travel mod or you will be very unhappy(another bit of info left out by this vendor)

Damn am I pissed!!!

 

[THE YETI]

You lowered it without aligning it afterwards? Or am I missing something?

 

[sumo]

There is no way of camber of staying genomically true without a camber kit. Since the struts are shorter, it going to make the tires lean on the inside edge. Just think of it like a old bookcase. As the shelf bends in the middle because of the weight., the sides start to lean in. More at the top. Same idea of your tires. I suggest you get a camber kit if they make one or remove and sell it and get spindles

 

[NORCAL SS]

I lowered my Avalanche 2/4 as alot of members on here have. I was encouraged and it was HIGHLY recommended (by a well known vendor here)that I use the Belltech lowering struts up front. I asked all the standard questions, why struts vs spindles? OE struts are good for 30,0000, I was at 29000. Any geometry changes or issues? Nope! Just changing struts.

********!! I have put 3500 miles on this truck since I lowered it and accidently parked my truck with the front tires close to full lock right. Good F'in thing I did. The inside of both front tires is eaten to the warning strings. These wheels and tires have a total of 8000 miles on them and now the front tires are trashed. I took the truck to shop this morning and the lowering struts threw the camber out to the point they can't adjust enough to align, need a camber kit.

I know alot of people think highly of this vendor and I have high praises for his help also but warning......

DON'T RELY ON ONE PERSONS ADVISE

Ask others opinions and experiences. This isn't the first thread on here regarding this vendor holding out relevant information regarding lowering kits. Since you are reading this, if you lower the rear of your truck 4" you HAVE to do the free travel mod or you will be very unhappy(another bit of info left out by this vendor)

Damn am I pissed!!!

hold on ive used these many times and posted members truck and with 3500 miles there is no metal showing granted IF YOU DID ALIGNMENT. Anytime you do spindles/springs any front end lowering you need to align it. I had a customer that went thru front set of tires in 1200 miles after he put on the belltech spindles becuase he never aligned it.

Ss for free travel mod whenever I do 4 or more inches i always do it and said that here on the site many times but I will make sure to bring that up to the customers because I tell them take the truck for a ride if you dont like the ride then cut them off. Some people have done 4 inches and said its fine and other said ill drive it at 4 if i dont like it then ill cut the brackets off.

If you did a alignment at the shop and they said it went into spec there is NO WAY it should have gone out in 3500 miles. Also if your tires are worn out from camber and then they try to get it to align it with used trucks on the tires it throws it off even more. No camber kit is needed with the struts set at 2 inches. Just like springs at 2 inches still works.

I'm here 24/7 if you would have called me I could have gone over this thru the phone with you instead of not even giving me a chance to speak to you and throwing me under the bus. I've done more than enough of these truck to answer all the questions with you. Shoot me the name of the shop that did the original alignment on the truck I'd like to talk to them.

 

[soulsea]

I don't have any experience with this kit, but I'm surprised you didn't get the truck aligned right after you first installed it SnL. The day I picked up my truck after installing the more basic bt 2/3-4 kit I didn't have time to get it aligned ... in the two days that passed until I did the truck's steering was all over the place almost to the point of undrivable, it was certainly noticeable that it needed alignment.

Tbh, you should have been told by Tony that you would need a camber kit anyway, but at least if you had aligned as soon as you installed the lowering kit, the shop would have told you as much and it would have saved you the cost of two new tires.

 

[NORCAL SS]

I don't have any experience with this kit, but I'm surprised you didn't get the truck aligned right after you first installed it SnL. The day I picked up my truck after installing the more basic bt 2/3-4 kit I didn't have time to get it aligned ... in the two days that passed until I did the truck's steering was all over the place almost to the point of undrivable, it was certainly noticeable that it needed alignment.

Tbh, you should have been told by Tony that you would need a camber kit anyway, but at least if you had aligned as soon as you installed the lowering kit, the shop would have told you as much and it would have saved you the cost of two new tires.

with the struts set at 2 inches ive never needed a camber kit. When he first put the kit on and went to get it aligned if it was off they should have told him which would be a first. Right now with bald tires and trying to get it to align there is no way it will because tires are gone.

I posted a black truck not to long ago and did the same set up NO PROBLEMS at all at 2 inch level as others. If he needed a camber kit I would have told him.

When he first put the kit on going to the alignment shop if it was off like hes saying they are telling him now why did they align it and tell him its fine?? in 3500 miles tires gone I don't think he aligned it when the kit was put in and in turn killing the tires.

My number is here listed feel free to call me so we can go over this and get to the bottom.

 

[soulsea]

I see, so the difference in the inner tire wear is the reason he can't get it aligned now?
Can that little bit of tire wear make that much of a difference that the truck can be aligned when the tires are worn evenly but can't if they're worn on the inside?

 

[NORCAL SS]

I see, so the difference in the inner tire wear is the reason he can't get it aligned now?
Can that little bit of tire wear make that much of a difference that the truck can be aligned when the tires are worn evenly but can't if they're worn on the inside?

yes with inner tires gone it throws it off so much more it won't align because tire is not true. Its so worn on one side cambers even more. On all the 07 up trucks with 2 inch drop springs or struts at 2 inches ive never had one not align so hearing this is a first so I'm interested in getting the entire story down. I drop these trucks all the time I don't just sell parts so hearing after over 5 years of selling the drop struts for the 07 up trucks that one set at 2 inches doesn't align or has issues I want to find out the entire story.

also ive had shops say oh it cant align to sell a customer a camber kit to get more money then after I called them and talked to them suddenly it aligns fine.

 

[soulsea]

I see ... well it does make sense ...

I don't know what is the difference in camber effect between dropping the front 2 inches with spindles and doing it with lowering struts, but my own experience (for what it is worth) is that my truck aligned fine with the 2" spindles and evenly worn 295/35/24 tires.

 

[NORCAL SS]

I see ... well it does make sense ...

I don't know what is the difference in camber effect between dropping the front 2 inches with spindles and doing it with lowering struts, but my own experience (for what it is worth) is that my truck aligned fine with the 2" spindles and evenly worn 295/35/24 tires.

and in my case over 5 plus years drop struts and belltech spindles aligned perfectly fine at the 2 inch level.

I want to make this situation right and there is no way I can unless I know how the truck aligned when he first installed the kit and brought it to them. I have no camber numbers to go off of. How much was it off by when the tires were good?

I sent a pm to him also and put my number there. I'm trying to resolve this asap.

 

[Sweet_N_Low]

So to clear this up, I never had an alignment done because I was told "I didn't need one with just struts." This isn't my first experience with lowering, the reason I asked questions before purchasing. The tires are GONE!! The idiots at the shop tried to align it with the trashed tires and then wanted to charge me for an alignment they couldn't complete. When I told them it was their ignorance for trying to align it with those tires they back off of the charge. Now I just have to order $400 worth of tires and get an alignment as I wish I would have been advised from the beginning. Lesson learned!! Done with my rant, hope others learn from my misfortune

 

[NORCAL SS]

you asked me if it will align I said yes. I would never say you don't need a alignment after lowering your vehicle 2 inches and I've said many times on the board the same thing. You have been lowering cars for years also I'm sure after you did spring or any suspension work you got alignments also correct?

Also once you lowered the truck and saw the camber on the front and the truck not riding good you didn't think about alignment at all or to call me??

I guess now I will put on my store section on the items alignment is needed after any suspension adjustment.

 

[Modded]

Yeah Eric anytime a vehicle with a strut assembly is dropped it is always wise to get an alignment afterwards!!
I dropped my Tahoe with the struts in front but I only used it for a .5" drop, so an alignment was not necessary for me. For a 2" drop an alignment is a must!

 

[AZSCTACO]

I'm finding it hard that someone who is experienced with lowering vehicles, thought it would be ok to not get an alignment. I suggest not trashing Tony.....blame yourself and the shop who installed it. I have the lowering struts and all is good with my ****.

 

[THE YETI]

I even align my vehicle every time when I put my stocks on. Lol.

 

[B.G.]

Sorry man, I kinda have to agree with everyone else.. Whenever ive lowered a vehicle, I have followed it up with an alignment...GL fixing the problem though!

 

[sumo]

Shoot one good size pot hole here in new england and it's time for alignment again.

 

[Sweet_N_Low]

I'm finding it hard that someone who is experienced with lowering vehicles, thought it would be ok to not get an alignment. I suggest not trashing Tony.....blame yourself and the shop who installed it. I have the lowering struts and all is good with my ****.

Say what you think but only Tony and I will know what the conversation entailed and I think I can understand "no" when asking, "do I need to get an alignment after the struts?" Don't "blame Tony?" I give credit when credit is due and blame the same way

 

[cdubbs1]

SnL, i can understand you being upset, but being experienced with lowering, i wouldn't care what Tony say's. I guess i over do it, once i change any suspension parts i get an alignment. There is just some things you do without being told.

 

[NORCAL SS]

You say you asked that question and I said no alignment necessary while I remember you asked me will it align and I said yes. Reguardless you told me you do suspension work for a while now and you put the kit in.

Didn't you see the front end cambered like crazy?

Did you think maybe you should call me to see if that's normal because with that much camber its VERY visable?


Doing suspension work and seeing people here get alignments all the time after any suspension work nothing said to you maybe I should call around to see if this is right.