Budget Pavement PreRunner: Ground Clearance Vs. Wheel Travel Vs. Suspension Geometry

[Dustin Jackson]

Current goal: budget pavement "prerunner".

Hello everyone, I have decided to set my Tahoe up to be a pavement prerunner of sorts since it is clean and I have a Cherokee that I do all my off-roading in.

With my tahoe I will be mobbing over speed bumps, dips, humps, rail road tracks, and shit roads while being comfortable and without having to worrying about bottoming out.

In getting my Tahoe to a budget pavement "prerunner" I am attempting to maximize my ground clearance and wheel travel while also not absolutely destroying my suspension geometry.

In a pavement budget prerunner how does one find a balance of Ground Clearance, Wheel Travel, and Suspension Geometry?

So far I have pushed my lower control arm to a point where the angle isn't perfect but the ball joint isn't stressed. The tie rod angle could be better. The upper ball joint is perfect, not stressed a bit (good job RC on these arms they are great). The CV axle looks a little stressed but I have been thinking of removing them.

Down the road I will be moving to Fox coilovers for more wheel travel and articulation but for now I am wondering if there is anything I can do to my current setup to improve it.

How does this look? And do you have any recommendations on how I could better achieve my goal?

This is my front setup:
Rough Country Forged Upper Control Arms
Cut upper control arm bump stops
Factory height Bilstein 5100 shocks with Moog 81244 HD springs + a 2.5 inch spacer.

Here is my Tahoe:

 

[Tozan]

I would consider the Baja kit control arms and King struts with extra travel. You can lift it about 3 inches and get 9 inches of wheel travel.

I think you know I went about it a little differently but, my option is not an option you can take. Check out the difference in control arm and drive shaft angles between yours and mine.

 

[Dustin Jackson]

I would consider the Baja kit control arms and King struts with extra travel. You can lift it about 3 inches and get 9 inches of wheel travel.

I think you know I went about it a little differently but, my option is not an option you can take. Check out the difference in control arm and drive shaft angles between yours and mine.


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@Tozan After seeing your setup I can agree that your angles are much more ideal. With a lot of research I can see that the Rancho lift you have is superior to any other 4 inch lift on the market. It includes rear control arm relocation brackets which nobody else offers and I think they are very valuable.

I think I will have to reconsider my opinion of the crossmember drop, the BDS crossmember drop is high clearance so that might be ideal.

 

[Bill 1960]

Dropping the A arms and diff is the only way to get correct (lifted) geometry.

Levels and small lifts mostly position the suspension components near the drooping position at static load. Consequently there’s little down travel left to react to surface irregularities and the ride suffers.

The best ride and the most capable suspension result from a static position in mid stroke, with arms parallel to the ground, so the wheel can travel equally up or down to follow the terrain.

That’s the beauty of the 4” lifts with 4” drop brackets and spindles. I believe only BDS offers one now.

The 6” commonly available lifts use 4” brackets and 6” coil spacers or coilovers, so it’ll have 2” of droop at static load. Less ideal than the 4”.

 

[Tozan]

Mine has about 3.5 inches droop and about 6.5 inches to full compression. It rides great.

 

[T-Bubba]

Skyjacker offers a lift like that old rancho. You can buy just the front lift box.

 

[Tozan]

Skyjacker offers a lift like that old rancho. You can buy just the front lift box.

I wonder if I can get just their coil spring? I need a spring with a heavier weight and longer travel with no spacer. I am hoping to get 12 to 15 inches of travel in the back.

 

[Dustin Jackson]

@T-Bubba The skyjacker kit looks good but it doesn't have the rear control arm brackets or the single piece crossmember drop that the Rancho uses.