Anyone have a lowered tahoe.

[NORCAL SS]

keys in front and rear 4 inch djm kit would work also.

 

[TOWRIGG]

that sounds like what im looking for....as long as its a shackle/hanger kit. not really crazy about flipping the rear. DJM whats the damage for that kit and can i get it directly from you? thanx for all your help...

 

[Riocool]

Here's mine, 99 2wd with a 2/3 drop on springs up front, 255-50-17 up front and 255-60-17 out back. Just bought it last month and the ride is pretty rough, not happy with it now need to research smoothing it out. 2" is not enough up front with 17, too much of a gap.

 

[AtomicHoe094]

Riocool- any issue with the front tires hitting the fenders? whats done with the back end? and what kind of springs are those?

Hey DJM- could you give me a quote on something for my truck? i wanna lower it more then what it is now. thanks

 

[Riocool]

No issues with the tires rubbing at all. Im not sure what brand stuff is in there since i purchased it that way, the back has shackle kit and shock extenders, I noticed that the rear has some kind of air shocks with manual fill inside the fuel door but they look empty right now, but the problem is in front it seems to be light when your on the freeway you feel every bump, like a 1000 lbs weight is in the back? So Im going to have the alignment checked and the shocks they are monroes but dont look like lowered shocks? My pick up rides like a caddy compared to this and I have 2" springs and 4" drop in back. I'm sure we will figure it out.

 

[TigerEyz3]

If the shocks aren't drop shocks up front, your travel is probably limited, which would explain the "light front end" feel you described. Could be the shocks are just worn out, too. Hard to tell without being there.

Have you checked the shocks? A bounce test will typically let you know if they are worn out - should settle in less than three cycles. If the travel is compromised (not much compression travel available), you will likely be able to tell that during the bounce test as well.

 

[AtomicHoe094]

good call. i need new shocks speaking of that. I blew one up going to fast over a huge dip in the road, bottomed out and scrapped the shit outta my fenders. lol

 

[imtbear69]

I am so glad i don't have suspension issues

 

[Riocool]

No I have not yet really gotten a good look at the shocks but they were not leaking from what I could see when I took a quick look,but I'm thinking something along those lines, I forgot to mention that the truck has 109,000 miles but don't know the history of how long the shocks have been installed, I will try the bounce test, but I would like to add some spindles and maybe a 1" spring or leaving the existing 2" spring in but the ol' lady is going to be driving it more, so don't want her leaving parts all over the road, but she's on board with lowering it abit to get rid of the rough ride, I least that's what I'm telling her. Then I will definitely go with some good lowered shocks.

 

[TigerEyz3]

Lowering in and of itself will not make the rough ride smooth... that's more a product of the shocks and tires, assuming the springs are actually performing their tasks. Shocks can be worn without external leaking... If you've got 109k on the factory shocks, you've definitely gone past the "comfort zone" of them. Depending on the ride you're going for will determine what kind of shocks would be the best match for replacement. I wanted good handling foremost with comfort a close second. That said, I purchased Edelbrock IAS shocks and have been very happy with them - firm road feel, with good road manners.

I've read many comments on how the lowering springs changed the ride quality - some thought they were too harsh, others that they were not firm enough. I guess it's all a matter of personal preference.

To address your height concerns... Going with a 3" front drop shouldn't leave parts on the road at all - assuming you've got the proper wheel/tire setup for the ride height. I'm slowly working my way there - currently have a 2" spindle drop, looking to replace my leaves and drop the rear 2" with shackles and the front another inch with Eibach coils. I will have to replace my shocks when I do that - trying to figure out which ones I want to use (go with lowered IAS shocks or some other brand). Any suggestions?

 

[NORCAL SS]

i like the belltech street performance. also since 95 when i started lowering these tahoes my preference for springs has been belltech or djm followed by ground force then so on. Now most of my customers are in their 40-50s and want a good ride. the djm springs with the belltech street performance shocks hands down is the winner

 

[TigerEyz3]

DJMDirect... Thanks for the shock info. I've been doing some reading on them as well as others.

Curious about your statement regarding springs.... I'm looking for better/best performance more than outright lowering. Not knocking quality of anyone's product, but seems to me that the performance springs (Eibach and Hotchkis primarily) would outperform the lowering springs (BellTech, DJM, GroundForce, etc). Have you found this to be the case or no?

 

[NORCAL SS]

if you want handling the belltech 3 inch drop springs handle the best due to the increased spring rate and also they are adjustable to 2 inches due to the lifting spacers they offer now.

on the trucks I do over the years that tell me they want it to handle great i just do
spindles
front drop springs either djm or belltech

BELLTECH FRONT/REAR SWAYBARS

Hands down the swaybars are bad ass on cornering. esp with the djm drop springs. I never liked hotchkis and eibach not that great of a ride at all and dont think they handle as well as belltechs or djm at all. and this is not because i sell djm or belltech this comes from years of lowering them. I have customers that bring me hotchkis or eibachs ill install them no problem just overall result I feel you cant go wrong with belltech or djm mated up to the belltech swaybars

 

[TigerEyz3]

Tony, thanks again for the info... I've been happy with the performance of my BellTech swaybars (would have liked a different end link setup than what they supplied for the rear).

What are your thoughts regarding leaves? I'm considering drop leaves, but I tow with my rig (6.5x12 dual axle trailer) regularly and don't want to loose capacity. As is, I think my leaves are a bit tired and need replacing - am thinking of either going with an OE replacement and installing shackles (already have 'em) or going with 2" drop leaves. Just not crazy about adding bags to the mix. As is, I bottom out when going over speed bumps (no load). Trying to think through my options.....

What kind of pricing to you have including shipping to 37167?

 

[NORCAL SS]

belltech only has 4 inch drop leaf springs.

have you cut your rear bumpstops

 

[TigerEyz3]

I haven't cut anything on my truck other than the lip on the LCAs when I installed the spindles. I figured I was hitting the bumpstops due to sagging leaf springs (don't remember if they did that originally or not - assuming not, but could easily be mistaken).

I think 4" drop springs would be too much - at least from a towing perspective. I still want to be able to get into my driveway/garage.

 

[NORCAL SS]

with a 2/2 drop the rear should be 1.25 to 1.5 inches higher than the front.

you need to cut the bumpstops down. no biggie

 

[TigerEyz3]

Would it be better to replace them with the "buttons" instead? Though more involved, would it better still to install a notch? I'm thinking about it from a towing perspective...

 

[NORCAL SS]

if you use the buttons will leave more clearance. energy suspension 1/2 inch tall ones is what i use on customers cars.

 

[1defyag]

Anyone have any suggestions or advice.

I dropped the back of mine with drop shackels, and a buddy raised the front up with keys. It rides fine, I just wish I knew where the hell he was so I could drop the front back down.lol