2002 Tahoe LT 2wd

[02TahoeTX]

Hey everyone! My name is Rob and I'm a newbie around here. I have a clean 02' Tahoe and I'm considering putting a front-end leveling kit (torsion key type), along with new shocks and upgrading the tire size from 265/70R16 to 265/75R16. It needs new tires and shocks anyway, and I don't particularly like how the vehicle has a pronounced nose down posture... makes me think of a blood hound hot on a trail.

I also would like the extra ground clearance. Anyway, has anyone here done something similar with the stock rims and have advice or pics to share? Will I expect to get rubbing on tight turns?

Also, can anyone tell me how to find out if the rear shocks were originally Autoride units? I have a hunch this Tahoe originally had that as an option and the PO "cheaped out" when it was time to change shocks... it wouldn't surprise me.

 

[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.

Nice find!

I cannot personally help you with your question; however, other members on this Forum that are much more knowledgeable than me in this area will chime in.

 

[vinbart]

Welcome from SoCal. I dig the front bumper!

 

[02TahoeTX]

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.

Nice find!

I cannot personally help you with your question; however, other members on this Forum that are much more knowledgeable than me in this area will chime in.

Hi Joseph! Thanks for the welcome! I definitely look forward to being active in the forum. I’ve learned and shared allot in forums for my other vehicles.

 

[02TahoeTX]

Welcome from SoCal. I dig the front bumper!

Thanks vinvart! I like the grill guard myself.

 

[02TahoeTX]

Oooos. I misspelled your handle. I’m on a phone and have fat fingers.

 

[Mudsport96]

I fat finger the phone all the time.

Welcome

 

[02TahoeTX]

I fat finger the phone all the time.

Welcome

Hahahaha! Yeah, and I’ve also had some rather embarrassing and unintentionally raunchy words go out on texts to clients. I’m convinced that the autocorrect programmers did that on purpose.

 

[DirtDigler]

If you remove that cattle prod off your front end it might level out! Ha ha, just messing with you.

 

[02TahoeTX]

If you remove that cattle prod off your front end it might level out! Ha ha, just messing with you.

LOL. I had that same thought… but Ive grown fond of it. With my luck, the day I take it off is the day I hit a deer.

Sweet rig pic… that’s a nicely integrated winch. I enjoy wheeling in the great outdoors myself… my other truck is a 4x4 Ram, but these days I mostly go on my ATV.

 

[Marky Dissod]

can anyone tell me how to find out if the rear shocks were originally Autoride units?
I have a hunch this Tahoe originally had that as an option and the PO "cheaped out" when it was time to change shocks ...

Your SPID sticker in the glovebox answers this question.

 

[02TahoeTX]

Your SPID sticker in the glovebox answers this question.

Nice! Thank you sir!

 

[02TahoeTX]

Well it looks like my tire decision timeline has abruptly changed. Had a blow out on the highway today (drivers side rear). Funny thing is the back tires didn’t appear all that bad. It’s the fronts that are worn on the outside. Sooooo, I’ll be getting new tires and an alignment this next week. I have a day to decide whether to stick with the the 265/70R16 or try the 75 series.

 

[Marky Dissod]

I have a day to decide whether to stick with the the 265/70R16, or try 265/75R16.

Until you adjust the tire constants in your pcm, your speedo will read 3.4% too SLOW.

When speedo says 85MpH, actual = 88MpH
When speedo says 55MpH, actual = 57MpH
When speedo says 25MpH, actual = 26MpH

 

[02TahoeTX]

Until you adjust the tire constants in your pcm, your speedo will read 3.4% too SLOW.

When speedo says 85MpH, actual = 88MpH
When speedo says 55MpH, actual = 57MpH
When speedo says 25MpH, actual = 26MpH

Thanks Marky! Yeah, I’ve dealt with that before… back in the old days before PCMs and computers. Reprogramming the PCM is outside my wheelhouse. I guess I can either find someone who can do it or do the math.

 

[02TahoeTX]

I messed that up. Not sure how I made it look like it was your response. Further proof that I’m not a digital warrior.

 

[Marky Dissod]

I personally recommend pcmperformance.com.
That said, you don't need a tuner who's been tuning since '05 to improve your powertrain's durability and performance.
Plenty of other tuners with solid reputations.
If you are close enough to one, meet them halfway, have them tune your pcm in person in realtime. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.

 

[02TahoeTX]

I personally recommend pcmperformance.com.
That said, you don't need a tuner who's been tuning since '05 to improve your powertrain's durability and performance.
Plenty of other tuners with solid reputations.
If you are close enough to one, meet them halfway, have them tune your pcm in person in realtime. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.

Thanks for the advice Marky! I’d be surprised if I can’t find resources locally. I’m in Austin TX, which is a very tech savvy city. It’s just I’m an old dog.

 

[TahoeRestore]

Welcome to the forum. I recently finished a complete steering and suspension (except springs and torsion bars) restoration on my 2003 Tahoe which has 160 K miles and the ZW7 Premium Smooth Ride option. My steering was getting really loose and one of my rear shocks (Nivomats) was leaking. I replaced both with Nivomats (SACHS 030239 @ $280 each). The job totaled $2K for quality parts (mostly Moog) and 5 days in my garage. You can also view my exterior (paint & lighting) restoration in another post. Let me know if I can help with any information.

 

[02TahoeTX]

Welcome to the forum. I recently finished a complete steering and suspension (except springs and torsion bars) restoration on my 2003 Tahoe which has 160 K miles and the ZW7 Premium Smooth Ride option. My steering was getting really loose and one of my rear shocks (Nivomats) was leaking. I replaced both with Nivomats (SACHS 030239 @ $280 each). The job totaled $2K for quality parts (mostly Moog) and 5 days in my garage. You can also view my exterior (paint & lighting) restoration in another post. Let me know if I can help with any information.

Thanks for your comment TahoeRestore! I checked out your posts. Nice job on documenting your restoration. Your pics remind me of when I’ve gone through the same process with muscle cars. I don’t foresee a restoration in my vehicles near future. I travel on unpaved roads way too often and I’d be paranoid of stone chips and scratches.

Mine has just about the same mileage as yours. The steering is not too sloppy, but could be tighter. Today I had the 265/75r16 tires installed and they do not rub at full lock. I will still likely be ordering that leveling torsion key to get the nose up somewhat… and I’ll then need to get the front end aligned. If there is any steering slop I’ll probably try tightening those tilt set screws that lyncht1967 documented in his post you commented on. I did replace the intermediate shaft as the clunking was driving me crazy.