First hand experience with lowering Sub and Yukon XL

[skyhighsami]

I did a lot of research and tried what people said works on Tahoes and Yukons. Well it doesn't work the same way on a Suburban or Yukon XL. I have tried 2-3 with keys and coils with stock shocks....fail. Tried Doetch Tech with same kit....fail. DJM 3-5 with DT shocks....fail. DJM 3-5 with DJM shocks....fail. DJM front control arms with Bilstein HD shocks and 5305....fail. Finally, Belltech spindles stock control arms to replace that BS DJM crap with Belltech 5305s and helper bags and Bilstein shocks......FINALLY. The truck hasn't been aligned but is riding much better and is actually about 4" dropped in the front. The tires are a 305/40/22 and it is close to tucking front tire. Everything I took off my truck I sold and installed on a Tahoe or Yukon.....they rode incredible. Be it wheelbase or weight the bigger trucks don't ride as well as the smaller trucks with the same stuff. I thought I would share my first hand experience with this and not what I think I thought I might have heard would or should work.

 

[PUNKYOU007]

so your just saying the ride comfort wasnt that good or the equipment wont work on the bigger trucks?

 

[NORCAL SS]

FAIL you didnt try the djm rear trailblazer 4 inch drop spring with djm shocks hands down you want a better ride then what you have now and lower thats the way to go. the djm 5 inch sub. rear springs ride horrible.

 

[skyhighsami]

No I didn't fail.....DJM in my opinion failed with putting something this horrid on the market. My problem with running the DJM Trailblazer stuff was no first hand feedback on those springs on a Sub/XL. If you want to send me a set to try versus the 5305s since I have tried everything and have a lot of experience with this truck I will be glad to give my first hand experience.


The components work, the ride quality was awful. If I was doing it all over again I would do spindles, Belltech coils, Airlift bags, DJM rear hardware kit (only thing they got right), and whatever shocks you decide. The Bilstein are nice but a touch too stiff for my wife but perfect for me.

 

[NORCAL SS]

ive installed them on many since 2001 when the tbs came out. it gives 5/16 more drop over a regular tahoe and rides much better. Ive tested it many times allready but appreciate your offer with the helper bags and wireless airlift part number 72000 that is what I do for the guys that tow boats or the street racing customers i have and its fine.

 

[skyhighsami]

You keep saying Tahoe. I've stated in my experience what works on a Tahoe doesn't work on the Suburban and Yukon XL. I took stuff off my truck because it rode like crap and installed it on a Tahoe and it rode like a dream.

 

[NORCAL SS]

and like i stated above ive done it it will lower 5/16 more over a regular tahoe and rides great.

and ive done them many times now since 2001-02 when i first started doing it and with the airlift helper bags its been no problem but for about a year and a half ive been using the airlift pn 72000 with the airlift springs on the xls and the regular tahoes and that set up is the best around with the trailblazer 4 inch drop springs if you want to tow.

 

[Modded]

Im just waiting to see someone go from the Bell 5303 coils, to the DJM TB 4" coils, and say the ride is better. Because as of now, nobody has done that exact switch yet.

 

[NORCAL SS]

lol ive done it many times. I guess since i sell the stuff and install it no one belives me even though ive been doing the swaps for over 8 years.

 

[Modded]

Well I am referring to members on here that can testify to having a better ride.

 

[NORCAL SS]

not many people are internet typers here. Ive sold a lot of kits and only a few post. you can ask matt14 here his buddy has seen many trucks ive lowered yet not many of them post.

it is what it is. I sell both belltech and djm springs and hands down for a better ride the rear djm complete set up autoride or no autoride rides great. Now if you only want a 4 inch drop in rear then belltechs do ride bette then other springs out there but if you want a lower drop and a great ride the djm rear set up with the tb 4 inch spring rides better than the belltech 4 inch set up. sooner or later someone will switch but you can see the people who posted here that bought the rear set up from me love the ride wih the tb 4 inch spring.

i cant wait till the front coilovers come out that will be a sweet set up.

 

[skyhighsami]

Tony my point was what Modded said. I obviously wanted something that rode better than what I had used in the past and the Belltech had the most first hand positive feedback. I wanted my wife's truck lowered but my thought was ride and comfort first the drop second. Everything I saw about the trailblazer stuff was people wanting to go lower. IMO their goals and my goals didn't seem to match up. Also there was very little info on the bigger trucks. The only other Sub/XL I've seen on here like mine was one Max did. Tony my offer stands, if you send me some of the coils you swear by I will try them, if I like them I will buy them and do a full write up with my experience. My problem with the mindset of people giving opinions about what rides good are the same people taking out body bushings to be lower. Their idea of comfort and tastefully done mods and mine are 100000000% different. I asked in one of your vendor threads about one of your coils and you said they wouldn't ride as soon. Maybe they were different coils.

 

[NORCAL SS]

If you pay for shipping to you and back no problem ill take you up on that offer.

But rear kit has to be all djm ie shocks and hardware.

right now if you dont have a 3.5 drop in front the rear djm set up will sit lower in rear then front. ive done this swap on many xls and suburbans

 

[ILLEGAL REGAL]

skyhigh when you figure it out lemme know, mine rides like ass too with the mcgaughy's 5" springs and am not sold yet on the tb springs and spending $200 just to try them.
Been looking into getting air as its gotta ride better than anybodies spring but it's the wifes and I'm nervous about bagging her truck

if I could get a spring rate for the factory 14" spring I can get a spring that'd give the drop and ride like factory but nobody has any info on factory spring rates. I need the rate, installed height and go from there

---------- Post added at 05:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:08 PM ----------

Tony can you give me a spring rate, install height and free height on the 4" tb spring, and same for the 5" sub spring???

 

[NORCAL SS]

sorry spring rates arent listed and most time people dont even understand them.


I really dont understand ive done this swap on suburban/tahoes/etc since 2002 and never had one issue dont know what else to say here. if i was bsing people would have heard something by now.


Like i said ill send you a set just pay for shipping to you and back to me. If you dont like them just return it to me. Shipping to you and back to me will cost you $45 bucks around. If you like the spring when you put it in then you can buy it but like I said wiht the djm rear kit and djm rear shocks and the tb 4 inch drop springs in a suburban ride is great. If your running any other set up then I cant do it. Especially if your not running djm shocks since the valving make the tb spring ride great on tahoes and burbs.

extended height is 12 inches about on the djm trailblazer rear spring.


i also offer the german kw springs they go for $180 shipped

will give about 1/2 inch less than the djm 4 inch tb springs and ride pretty dam good. The german ones do handle better but ride is a little stiffer but no where close to the stiff ride of mcgaughys or djm 5 inch tahoe/suburban drop springs.

 

[ohiokon]

Hey guys Tony is not BSing about the TB springs. I roll an 06 denali and switched out my McG rear springs for the TB springs because the ride was horrible. I used the rear DJM hardware kit, and I have run the springs with and without the helper bags in the springs. It doesnt change the ride, still rides in my opinion better than stock. You can call BS but if you ever make it to Ohio I will take you for a ride on our lovely Ohio roadways!! I am running the factory autoride too. The ride would probably improve with some Belltech street performance shocks. I didnt drop the coin I did for the truck to drop it and destroy it in 6 months and have every interior piece rattle. Im not running any spring isolators either (which I was hesistant to do) and Im squeak free. Once again Tony IS THE MAN when it comes to suspension! Thanks again Tony for the great customer service too!

 

[thehoe92]

haha!! if you are referring to me as the guy that takes out body bushings and says the ride is great you are wrong..
I have tried the DJM coils and they rode to stiff for me and did not get as low as the Belltech 5305's
there is a guy local that has been talking to Tony about lowering his hoe and Tony insists on the TB springs but the guy wanted Belltechs.. I told him if he did not like the ride of the TB to give them to me and I would give him my 5305's

if that goes through I can be the guy to tell you the difference in ride quality on the springs
so far Belltech wins because it is as close as you can get to stock ride

I have the DJM rear shocks and Belltech Drop II shocks and all around rides decent

if I had some separation between the body mounts so it wasn't metal on metal I could give a better review but for right now it definitely doesn't feel like a lowered truck it still rides great and I've had multiple witness on the fact.. from someone who rode in my truck at stock height and went through all the stages of being lowered on Belltechs with bump stops still in to DJM's with no shocks to have shocks again and all over the place and the Belltech springs have rode the best so far!

 

[ILLEGAL REGAL]

just curious how any company can sell a lowering spring and not know the specs of what they sell?
I've called DJM and they told me they dont know anything but they're 17% stiffer than stock. Really??? What did they base the 17% off?

Who supplies their springs so I can contact them for answers?

 

[NORCAL SS]

Hey guys Tony is not BSing about the TB springs. I roll an 06 denali and switched out my McG rear springs for the TB springs because the ride was horrible. I used the rear DJM hardware kit, and I have run the springs with and without the helper bags in the springs. It doesnt change the ride, still rides in my opinion better than stock. You can call BS but if you ever make it to Ohio I will take you for a ride on our lovely Ohio roadways!! I am running the factory autoride too. The ride would probably improve with some Belltech street performance shocks. I didnt drop the coin I did for the truck to drop it and destroy it in 6 months and have every interior piece rattle. Im not running any spring isolators either (which I was hesistant to do) and Im squeak free. Once again Tony IS THE MAN when it comes to suspension! Thanks again Tony for the great customer service too!

no prob ive sold to many people on here and the djm springs win hands down. Also many here have switched from the 5305 springs to the trailblazer 4 inch drop spring and its a improved ride and sits lower.

THE DJM 5 INCH TAHOE SPRINGS RIDE 10X WORSE THAN THE DJM TRAILBLAZER 4 INCH DROP SPRINGS.

Ive been lowering these tahoes since late 99 guys and started doing the tb 4 inch springs in late 02 when djm came out with the kit. in 8 plus years its a proven combo that ive done on many trucks and now many trucks here use.

 

[bigrhino]

have a 2002 Tahoe,2/3 mcgaughy's drop,305-40-22 tires,shock extenders and Billstein shocks and the rear rides like crap. I purchased Belltech Street performers but there to short so should I remove the shock extenders and put on the Street performers and change the springs also. Any help would be greatl. Thanks. Oh by the way I live in NYC so you know these streets are the worst!