2/3" Lowering drop help 07 Escalade

[breds2k]

Hey folks, I have a 2007 Escalade that needs a suspension rebuild and there are so many different options i need some help. Escalade forums are not very active and theres just too much information on the facebook pages.

Current setup:
Front :
Previous owner used quick struts and resistors in the front so it sits 2" higher than normal. (hard to see in the picture)

Rear:
Factory with leaking air bags

I want a 2/3" F/R drop respectively but need to figure out the best way to do so seeing as the front suspension is sort of a throw away right now.

So is it worth it to go back to oem springs/struts and reactivated the Z55 harness? Then get the desired drop through a 2" spindle? Or should i try belltech drop shocks and oem springs? Or a tighter handling lowering spring?

And in the rear if i dont tow should i just replace the air struts with belltechs? BUDGET is the best to keep in mind here as its a 2007 with 150k and not worth too much but it is AFM and rust free truck.

Appreciate any tips, thanks.

 

[iamdub]

Hey folks, I have a 2007 Escalade that needs a suspension rebuild and there are so many different options i need some help. Escalade forums are not very active and theres just too much information on the facebook pages.

Current setup:
Front :
Previous owner used quick struts and resistors in the front so it sits 2" higher than normal. (hard to see in the picture)

Rear:
Factory with leaking air bags

I want a 2/3" F/R drop respectively but need to figure out the best way to do so seeing as the front suspension is sort of a throw away right now.

So is it worth it to go back to oem springs/struts and reactivated the Z55 harness? Then get the desired drop through a 2" spindle? Or should i try belltech drop shocks and oem springs? Or a tighter handling lowering spring?

And in the rear if i dont tow should i just replace the air struts with belltechs? BUDGET is the best to keep in mind here as its a 2007 with 150k and not worth too much but it is AFM and rust free truck.

Appreciate any tips, thanks.

Budget... You might can save more money than you think. Let's start with:

1. How do you feel about the way it rides, handles, etc. just as it sits now?

2. Do you want the front 2" lower from where it currently is or, if it's 2" higher than stock (sounds odd, but we'll go with it), do you want it 4" lower to negate the current "2 inch lift" and give it a 2" drop from where it should sit?

 

[breds2k]

Budget... You might can save more money than you think. Let's start with:

1. How do you feel about the way it rides, handles, etc. just as it sits now?

2. Do you want the front 2" lower from where it currently is or, if it's 2" higher than stock (sounds odd, but we'll go with it), do you want it 4" lower to negate the current "2 inch lift" and give it a 2" drop from where it should sit?

I want to look like every other 2/3 drop out there and thats why i figured id get rid of my quick struts, the truck currently rides like an older tahoe.

 

[iamdub]

I want to look like every other 2/3 drop out there and thats why i figured id get rid of my quick struts, the truck currently rides like an older tahoe.

Right. But you said it sits 2" higher than normal. 2" is a LOT and I'm understanding it that it's like it has a 2" lift. Can you post up a good side pic? If you have a pic in your signature, it's just showing as a red X for me.

My point in asking what you thought of the ride and if you'd be happy with the front being 2" lower from how it sits now is that you can get that drop by bolting the strut to the underside of the lower control arm. Total investment would be about $40 and a couple of hours of work. If by "rides like an older tahoe", you mean sloppy/wallowy, then you probably have a few more items that need attention than just a spring and strut replacement. Regardless of height, you gotta have good control arm and sway bar bushings and and end links. If you mean it rides stiff/harsh, then you're gonna need to replace them Quick Struts. I don't know if it's the spring or the strut valving that is to blame for their dislike. You don't have to have any of the electronic, etc. shocks if you don't need or want them. The rear will need springs to lower it, there's no way around that.

I can't advise for or against any particular brand of 3" rear drop coil. I have experience with the 3" ones from McGaughy and I thought they rode fine for the very limited time I ran them. I didn't get the full 3" drop from them, but I also probably didn't have them in long enough to settle. I was experimenting. If you want cheap, get some rear coils from a Jeep Wrangler. They can be had for free (Take-offs for a lift? Go dumpster-diving at 4 Wheel Parts?) or very cheap. I have TJ ('97-'06 Wrangler) coils which dropped it 4.5". You could get those and use a spacer to lift it back up if the drop is too much. JK ('07-'17 Wrangler) coils would yield less drop than the TJs and might be perfect for you. I can say that you'll need to do the Free Travel Mod. Also, stock-replacement shocks with 2" extenders will be fine. You don't necessarily need shorter shocks with a 3" drop. This makes selecting new rear shocks easy. But, the Belltech 2410FF would be fine if you wanted shorter ones and extenders wouldn't be necessary.

 

[breds2k]

Its tough to see but the front is just slightly higher than the rear, and all the factory suspension 07-14 escalades ive seen have a front rake, meaning the front suspension is 1-2" lower than the rear, this is the opposite. I did confirm they are universal chevy quick struts and they are for sure blown. Both are are leaking and pojo sticking over speed bumps lately. Sounds like i need to find a good spring to use as i dont trust these and im going to go with Bilstiens i think. Also, ive gone through the whole truck and there is no lift for sure, no signs, spacers or anything in the front. In fact, the rear actually has control arm relocates and the fenders were rolled/trimmed suggesting the previous owner actually might have had it lowered. It did have 33x12.5's on stock wheels that were loud so i replaced them, meant to do 305/40R22 but actually did 305/45R22 so they are still approx 33".