2 Issues After Leveling Kit (04 Tahoe)

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Sausey

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2004 Tahoe LT AWD.
So about 2 months ago, I decided in order to clear some larger tires, I'd raise my Tahoe a bit. I went with some Discoverer AT3s 285/70R17. I also installed:

1. Rough Country leveling keys
2. Bilstein 5100 shocks all around
3. Stiffer Bilstein coil springs, as my Tahoe was originally equipped with the Premium Smooth Ride package and self-leveling shocks
4. 1.5 inch coil spring spacers

I then went straight to an allignment shop. Since then, I've had 2 major issues.

Firstly, when accelerating, the steering is dangerously unstable. Under light acceleration, the truck wants to wander to the left, forcing me to turn the wheel almost 45° to the right to keep it going straight. Under heavier acceleration, the truck snaps from side to side, almost like I was driving on ice even when the pavement is bone dry. It's impossible to stay in my lane when trying to pass or merge.

Secondly, my traction control is on the fritz. Almost everytime I start forward from a stop sign or red light, "Traction Active" will appear on my dash and cut my throttle. This also happens when going around turns, but usually only when starting from a stop. I'm not mashing the throttle at every stoplight either, even at a crawl traction control wants to kick in.

I've also noticed a lot of uneven wear on the outer edges of my front tires, way beyond what you'd expect to see after only 2 months or so.

So what's going on? I figure the traction control issue could just be that the computer is programmed with the factory tire size, but the steering issue has been making the truck almost un-driveable. Is this just a matter of the allignment shop not properly alligning the tires? Would a steering stablizer remedy this? (I'm planning on installing one anyway.) Did I not install these parts correctly, or is this an issue with the suspension that was brought to light when I upsized my tires?

Any help is hugely appreciated.
 

BourbonNcigars

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You said you had it aligned. Do you happen to have a readout or numbers from the shop?
 
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Sausey

Sausey

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You said you had it aligned. Do you happen to have a readout or numbers from the shop?

I don't, no. But I made an appointment a week ago to have a different shop take a look at it. It's due in there tomorrow morning, what should I ask them for?
 

BourbonNcigars

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Camber, Caster, and Toe. You need numbers so you know exactly where you are.

How does it ride after the keys, shocks, and springs? I know that's a subjective "non-numbers" based question, but it can matter.
 
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Sausey

Sausey

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Camber, Caster, and Toe. You need numbers so you know exactly where you are.

How does it ride after the keys, shocks, and springs? I know that's a subjective "non-numbers" based question, but it can matter.

I live in PA, even the nicest roads have horrendous potholes. When I'm on a really bumpy road, the wheel has a tendency to jutter back an forth a bit, but I figured this was just because of the larger tires. It's really only when I'm giving it gas that the steering wheel wants to fight me. Doesn't seem overly stiff or soft, it takes bumps pretty smoothly and it's not rattling my teeth or anything.
 
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Sausey

Sausey

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Camber, Caster, and Toe. You need numbers so you know exactly where you are.

How does it ride after the keys, shocks, and springs? I know that's a subjective "non-numbers" based question, but it can matter.
I noticed that the front and will hop up for a split second, but only if you absolutely floor it.
 

BourbonNcigars

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I noticed that the front and will hop up for a split second, but only if you absolutely floor it.
Under normal acceleration, does the traction control light come on? And did the traction light only come on after the mods? I recall my 2002 Z71 having inherently flighty steering...
 
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Sausey

Sausey

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Under normal acceleration, does the traction control light come on? And did the traction light only come on after the mods? I recall my 2002 Z71 having inherently flighty steering...
The traction control only comes on from a stop. If you're cruising at 40mph and you accelerate to 60mph the light won't come on. This traction control problem started after the mods, namely the tires.
 

BourbonNcigars

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Since I no longer have the same body style Tahoe that you do, I'm going off memory and knowledge of other vehicles so bear with me.

Generally, a steering issue is related to caster. Namely, lower caster. That can happen when you lift the front end, which can also set off traction control sensors (in a Jeep, a steering wheel that's not centered can do it too). Again, I'm assuming. I'm not terribly familiar with the GMT800 steering setup and geometry. I really want someone with the same ride as you to chime in.
 
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Sausey

Sausey

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Picked the Hoe up from the shop yesterday, the alignment was definitely out. Control arm adjustment bolts were seized. Had them replaced and I the shop was able to get the wheels properly aligned. Also had the driver's side wheel bearing replaced as well as the ABS sensor (evidently this was what was causing my issues with the traction and stability control.) Hopefully all my issues are solved.
 
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