02 Tahoe Z71 Suspension

[fernandodagoat]

I have a 02 Tahoe Z71 4WD.

I need to do my front suspension as it's gone bad. I bought parts from RockAuto last year but they didn't last at all.

I'm thinking of doing the entire suspension, front and back.

What are some good brands for suspension parts and could I convert to air or coilovers if wanted to?

 

[Marky Dissod]

Besides the zombie chant of AC Delco,

GM 1500 6-Lug Truck Suspension & Steering Parts 99-06

Discover high-performance steering and suspension parts for your 1999-2006 GM 1500 6-lug truck or SUV. These heavy-duty components are engineered for extreme demands, ensuring superior durability and control.

kryptoniteproducts.com

and

2000-2006 Tahoe/Suburban

2000-2006 Chevy/Tahoe Suburban lift kits, leveling kits, accessories, steering, suspension components, and replacement parts.

cognitomotorsports.com

come to mind. There may be others?

 

[OR VietVet]

Zombie checking in. Use Genuine GM or AC Delco. You did not say what parts you bought and who made them. Partial suspension or steering work gives you partial results. Did you align after? Why do you want coil overs or air?

Welcome to the forum from Oregon.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Pics of the truck, please.

You are already receiving clarifying questions from the knowledgeable folks on this Forum.

I replaced my entire front suspension and most of my rear suspension, and I used GM OEM parts. More expensive than aftermarket brands, but you get what you pay for, at best.

Go to GMPartsDirect.com and enter your VIN. Prices are much better than the local dealership.

 

[fernandodagoat]

Zombie checking in. Use Genuine GM or AC Delco. You did not say what parts you bought and who made them. Partial suspension or steering work gives you partial results. Did you align after? Why do you want coil overs or air?

Welcome to the forum from Oregon.

It was pretty much the entire front suspension.

Control arms, tie rods, sway bar, etc..

I was just saying would it be better to upgrade the suspension rather than doing oem. I've got like 340k miles on it right now.

 

[fernandodagoat]

It was pretty much the entire front suspension.

Control arms, tie rods, sway bar, etc..

I was just saying would it be better to upgrade the suspension rather than doing oem. I've got like 340k miles on it right now.

I forgot to mention that I don't remember the brand of parts that I bought but it was those basic ones you see on RockAuto.

 

[OR VietVet]

There are several basic ones. Control arms-upper and lower containing bushings and ball joints on both sides, inner and outer tie rods on both sides, sway bar frame bushings and end links, steering shaft, steering gear and p/s pump, pitman arm, idler arm and bracket, center link, both hubs and bearing assemblies and complete inspection of frame for any cracks or rust through. Finish up with alignment.

 

[Trey Hardy]

I have a 02 Tahoe Z71 4WD.

I need to do my front suspension as it's gone bad. I bought parts from RockAuto last year but they didn't last at all.

I'm thinking of doing the entire suspension, front and back.

What are some good brands for suspension parts and could I convert to air or coilovers if wanted to?

Atomic fab makes a nice torsion bar to coil over conversions for these 99-06’s
I personally run kryptonite products on everything I own and I’ve had no issues at all with any of their stuff.
I wanted to be one and done for awhile as far as the front end goes so I opted for the beefier kryptonite stuff and locking alignment cam plates from dirt king fab to hold it all together
Even if you plan to stay stock height kryptonite is about the beefiest suspension you can get for these rigs before stepping into fabricated pre runner suspension with heimjoints and what not
Note if you do switch to coil overs up front it would be beneficial to upgrade the upper control arms and if money allows it a set of uniball uca to allow for more down travel as it’ll give you a smoother ride and your suspension won’t “bottom out” like it does on the stock suspension

 

[Trey Hardy]

It was pretty much the entire front suspension.

Control arms, tie rods, sway bar, etc..

I was just saying would it be better to upgrade the suspension rather than doing oem. I've got like 340k miles on it right now.

I did my kryptonite suspension at around 250,000 miles or so
I now have over 400,000 miles on the Tahoe in my profile pic
So my front suspension has lasted the abuse of a 9” lift and 24x14’s and 35/15.50s on 2” wheel spacers for almost 150,000 miles now and it still drives like I just put it on!

 

[fernandodagoat]

I did my kryptonite suspension at around 250,000 miles or so
I now have over 400,000 miles on the Tahoe in my profile pic
So my front suspension has lasted the abuse of a 9” lift and 24x14’s and 35/15.50s on 2” wheel spacers for almost 150,000 miles now and it still drives like I just put it on!

I was looking at Kryptonite.

They don't have a complete kit for suspension?

Atomic fab makes a nice torsion bar to coil over conversions for these 99-06’s
I personally run kryptonite products on everything I own and I’ve had no issues at all with any of their stuff.
I wanted to be one and done for awhile as far as the front end goes so I opted for the beefier kryptonite stuff and locking alignment cam plates from dirt king fab to hold it all together
Even if you plan to stay stock height kryptonite is about the beefiest suspension you can get for these rigs before stepping into fabricated pre runner suspension with heimjoints and what not
Note if you do switch to coil overs up front it would be beneficial to upgrade the upper control arms and if money allows it a set of uniball uca to allow for more down travel as it’ll give you a smoother ride and your suspension won’t “bottom out” like it does on the stock suspension

It looks like Kryptonite doesn't sell all suspension parts. What other brands could I pair with Kryptonite for the rest of the suspension if I do go with them?

Money isn't really an issue but I also don't wanna spend a stupid amount

I just want a smooth ride that'll last me a long time, not like the cheap parts I bought.

 

[Trey Hardy]

I was looking at Kryptonite.

They don't have a complete kit for suspension?

It looks like Kryptonite doesn't sell all suspension parts. What other brands could I pair with Kryptonite for the rest of the suspension if I do go with them?

Money isn't really an issue but I also don't wanna spend a stupid amount

I just want a smooth ride that'll last me a long time, not like the cheap parts I bought.

Kryptonite should have
Uca, upgraded tie rods, heavy duty lower ball joints, sway bar links, and wheel bearings
They also have idler and pitman arms for the 99-06
Not sure what else you would be missing
On my trucks(07-13) I have everything kryptonite minus the upper control arms which I devoted to run fabtech uniball control arms and dirt king locking alignment cam plates besides that it’s all kryptonite stuff

 

[fernandodagoat]

Kryptonite should have
Uca, upgraded tie rods, heavy duty lower ball joints, sway bar links, and wheel bearings
They also have idler and pitman arms for the 99-06
Not sure what else you would be missing
On my trucks(07-13) I have everything kryptonite minus the upper control arms which I devoted to run fabtech uniball control arms and dirt king locking alignment cam plates besides that it’s all kryptonite stuff

Maybe I missed it. I'll check it out again after work.

 

[Trey Hardy]

Maybe I missed it. I'll check it out again after work.

Just got my mixture of parts today for my Silverado
Got kryptonite uca bushings
Kryptonite lower ball joints
Kryptonite tie rod sleeves which I will have to cut in half for these apex tie rods
Apex hummer style inner tie rods
Dirt king locking alignment cams
And twisted metal fab tie rod ends

 

[Trey Hardy]

GM 1500 6-Lug Truck Suspension & Steering Parts 99-06

Discover high-performance steering and suspension parts for your 1999-2006 GM 1500 6-lug truck or SUV. These heavy-duty components are engineered for extreme demands, ensuring superior durability and control.

kryptoniteproducts.com

 

[fernandodagoat]

GM 1500 6-Lug Truck Suspension & Steering Parts 99-06

Discover high-performance steering and suspension parts for your 1999-2006 GM 1500 6-lug truck or SUV. These heavy-duty components are engineered for extreme demands, ensuring superior durability and control.

kryptoniteproducts.com

Have you had any experience with RoughCountry?

 

[fernandodagoat]

Atomic fab makes a nice torsion bar to coil over conversions for these 99-06’s
I personally run kryptonite products on everything I own and I’ve had no issues at all with any of their stuff.
I wanted to be one and done for awhile as far as the front end goes so I opted for the beefier kryptonite stuff and locking alignment cam plates from dirt king fab to hold it all together
Even if you plan to stay stock height kryptonite is about the beefiest suspension you can get for these rigs before stepping into fabricated pre runner suspension with heimjoints and what not
Note if you do switch to coil overs up front it would be beneficial to upgrade the upper control arms and if money allows it a set of uniball uca to allow for more down travel as it’ll give you a smoother ride and your suspension won’t “bottom out” like it does on the stock suspension

Who makes good uniball ucas?

 

[Trey Hardy]

Who makes good uniball ucas?

I’ve had good luck with my fabtech uniballs but if you can’t find a set for the 99-06 then cognitos are good or any of the dirt king fab camburg mozzi off-road are all good I just got the fabtech arms cheap on sale on amazon for like 500 or so at the time vs 750$ normally
And yes I’ve had experience with rough country and my honest opinion I hated their shocks I hated their control arms it was a night and day difference when I put quality coil overs and rear shocks in paired with the uniball uca it completely transformed my ride and handling

I’ve got uniballs on both my truck and my Tahoe
Tahoe rides a lot better because of the coil overs
I’ll be putting coil overs on the truck when I rebuild the front end this week so I’ll keep you posted on the ride quality and handling with the new setup

 

[Trey Hardy]

Who makes good uniball ucas?

Looks like fabtech don’t make em for the 99-06 anymore I found a similar set made by cst I’ll look and see if I can find a set any cheaper for you

99-07 Chevy / GMC 1500 2wd DIRT Series Uniball Upper Control Arms – California Supertrucks Inc

CSS-C2-16 | CST DIRT-SERIES EXTENDED TRAVEL UPPER ARMS WITH LARGE TAPERS (CST TAPERED SPINDLES) / INCLUDES ARMS W/ BUSHINGS, UNI-BALLS AND CST DROOP STOP BRACKETS W/ DROOP STOPS.

cstsuspension.com

 

[Trey Hardy]

Looks like CST full throttle suspension and cognito are the only main ones who still makes uniball control arms for the 99-06 cst being the cheapest
cognito uca i found on eBay for 600$ for ball joint style and 700$ for the uniball ones but i like how cst has the gussets and brace on their arms and they have caps over the joints too I believe.
My buddy’s daily driven his uniballs for 5-6 years no problems I’ve had mine for maybe 4 years or so and no issue I just keep em clean and spray some teflon types crc lube on em I got them because I was tired of replacing ball joints and scalloped out tires

 

[fernandodagoat]

Looks like CST full throttle suspension and cognito are the only main ones who still makes uniball control arms for the 99-06 cst being the cheapest
cognito uca i found on eBay for 600$ for ball joint style and 700$ for the uniball ones but i like how cst has the gussets and brace on their arms and they have caps over the joints too I believe.
My buddy’s daily driven his uniballs for 5-6 years no problems I’ve had mine for maybe 4 years or so and no issue I just keep em clean and spray some teflon types crc lube on em I got them because I was tired of replacing ball joints and scalloped out tires

I looked at the CST site and says it only fits 2WD models and will not fit torsion bar front ends. (I'm pretty sure I have torsion bar.)