2/4 drop installed....trucks sounds horrible

[PHILLYTONE]

I have an 07 tahoe ls. Installed a belltech 2/4 drop about 2 months ago. I have springs, shocks, shock extenders, a arm brackets and sway bar end links. Basically everything you can get for the rear. I cut the bumpstops as short as possible. Everything is installed properly and tight. The ride quality is great, almost feels like stock but you can hear my truck from a block away. Even when i hit the smallest potholes, my truck sounds like its about to fall apart. I constantly hear rattling and clinking sounds. Sounds like metal on metal. It makes my tahoe sound horrible! Is this normal? When i drive on highways or smooth streets, it is perfectly fine but i live in philadelphia and 8 out of 10 of the city streets are ****** as far as potholes and uneven street. Does anyone else have this problem? Is there anything i can do? I cant tell where the noise is coming from. Any suggestions? Please help. I almost want to remove the drop but i love the way it looks. Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[NORCAL SS]

are you using springs up front or spindles?

 

[PHILLYTONE]

im using 2" drop spindles up front. i have no problems with the front. it rides great, just like stock, no noise, no shuttering. my problem is the rear.

 

[NORCAL SS]

whose trailing arm brackets and endlinks are you using?

and in rear your using the belltech street performance shocks correct?

 

[PHILLYTONE]

yea im using the belltech street performance shocks with the 4" belltech springs and short bumpstops. i am also using djm's rear hardware kit which includes the sway bar end links, shock extenders and arm brackets. just about everything i can use on the rear. rides great but sounds like shit. any ideas??

 

[NORCAL SS]

if you went thru and everything is tight id start with endlinks

 

[Modded]

I had that isseue when I had the blue 5" rear drop coils.
Issue is long gone now with the belltech coils, but I did notice that the rear Bellteech SP shocks do not have an excat eye fitment on the 07-Up SUVs. So that used to cause them to wiggle around a bitand make noise in there, after I removed them that problem went away.
If I were you, put a small washer in between one side on the shocks eye and the frame mount on ever eye for the shock. So basically ou will need 4 of them that are wide enough to fit around the bolt for the shocks.

FOR a quick check to ensure its them making noise, unbolt the bottom of the Street shocks then stand and jump on the rear step pad multiple times ti check if the noise is still there. Also do the jump before you remove the lower bolts and see if you hear that metal on metal like contact noise.

 

[PHILLYTONE]

is it possible that the sway bar is hitting something? when i did the install on the djm sway bar end links, they advised me to move the sway bar about an inch and a half to the passenger side by drilling new holes and moving the u-bolts over. when i removed the end links, i sprayed the sway bar with some lithium grease and it slid over by itself exactly enough to mount the new end links. i dont think its really a problem.
i will definetly check out the shocks though. thanks modded. i will keep you guys updated

---------- Post added at 07:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:25 PM ----------

just went out and got under the tahoe. i see what you mean about the shocks and the bottom is mounted pretty tight. the top on both shocks actually has enough play in it to move side to side about a quarter of an inch BY HAND. when i move it back and forth it sounds similar to the clinking sound i hear but i dont think it would be the shocks making such a loud noise...or could it be? i also jumped on the back step panel like you said but i didnt hear anything... my body weight isnt enough to make the noise. i guess i will try to find some washers to put in the space at the top of the shocks for now. hope it helps. thanks for your help. any other ideas or suggestions, please post them up.

 

[Modded]

I doubt its the sway bar but I won't rule it out.

 

[PHILLYTONE]

Modded--when you got rid of the belltech shocks, what shocks did you replace them with?

 

[NORCAL SS]

pull the rear shocks off see if it makes the noise takes bout 5 mintues t od o. The belltech street performance (silver) shocks are great your better off getting washers then spending money on other shocks.

 

[Modded]

Yeah the SP shocks are good shocks.
I went with a seet of Monroes which are too soft, so now I am installing Bilstein 5125s tomorrow and hope it goes well.

Yeah and my shocks were pretty tight at the bottom, the noised came from the top. With my noise, it was onyl audible to people outsside the car when I dorve by, and to me when the windows were down.
YOu can also disconnect the sway bar from the end links before you do the shock disconnect, and take a spin to check for noise before moving onto disconnecting the shocks.

---------- Post added at 08:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:03 PM ----------

For what it counts, my noise sounded more like what a 1000watt system sounds like in the truck of a civic. Kind of like license plate noise and metal clinking or something.