Xineering Z95 Delete

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5.3SLT

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With roughly 80k on the clock our 2015 Tahoe Magneride struts were absolutely shot. Actually around 70k some mileage we noticed lousy performance.

Considering the ridiculous Z95 replacement costs I purchased the half kit from Xineering and replaced the Z95s with a regular strut assembly an LS or LT would take.

While the new struts were a bit of a handful to wrestle (longer than Z95 units) I was able to complete the job within a few hours by myself.

The Xineering Kit worked flawlessly and the new struts are providing a taller (didn’t need to reuse leveling kit) and smoother ride at a fraction of the Z95 replacement cost. Win - win - win!!

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No suspension codes thrown!!!

http://www.xineering.com/shocksims.html




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olyelr

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Heck yea!

Im in route to do this same thing with my wifes denali... maybe later this week. Got the fox 0-2” struts already, just waiting on the xineering kit to show up (should be here today).

I was hoping to knock this out in a long evening by myself... you have given me a bit more confidence than I originally had, thanks!

Oh, and the ****** performance from the denali’s shocks was right on cue with yours... right around 75k miles. Its at just over 80k now, and it has been an extremely bumpy last several thousand miles lol!
 
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5.3SLT

5.3SLT

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Heck yea!

Im in route to do this same thing with my wifes denali... maybe later this week. Got the fox 0-2” struts already, just waiting on the xineering kit to show up (should be here today).

I was hoping to knock this out in a long evening by myself... you have given me a bit more confidence than I originally had, thanks!

Oh, and the ****** performance from the denali’s shocks was right on cue with yours... right around 75k miles. Its at just over 80k now, and it has been an extremely bumpy last several thousand miles lol!

Great! Those Fox units will be darn nice. The only pain was that I had to trim the studs on top of one strut assembly just a bit to get the to fit as they’re 2” taller than the Z95 assemblies. Also passenger side top strut mount is slightly more tricky to access due to AC lines, etc.

All-in-all not too bad. Give yourself plenty of time, a decent impact wrench, (few brews) and you’ll be fine!

258655608b2f87624229b4d455ada9f6.jpg



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olyelr

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Great! Those Fox units will be darn nice. The only pain was that I had to trim the studs on top of one strut assembly just a bit to get the to fit as they’re 2” taller than the Z95 assemblies. Also passenger side top strut mount is slightly more tricky to access due to AC lines, etc.

All-in-all not too bad. Give yourself plenty of time, a decent impact wrench, (few brews) and you’ll be fine!

258655608b2f87624229b4d455ada9f6.jpg



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Holy shit, those are waaaaaay longer! Are they supposed to be factory replacements?!

The fox units can apparently be adjusted down to no lift. I would like to run them up around 1.5” of lift. I currently have a suspension max 1.5” spacer kit under the struts now. Rather it not be any taller than it currently is, otherwise I will have to put a small spacer out back.

If its anything like sneaking the leveling spacer in there, it will be a bit of a *****!
 
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5.3SLT

5.3SLT

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Yeah I had a Suspension Maxx leveling kit on there with the Z95s that I obviously didn’t reuse!


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bdbull

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Holy shit, those are waaaaaay longer! Are they supposed to be factory replacements?!

The fox units can apparently be adjusted down to no lift. I would like to run them up around 1.5” of lift. I currently have a suspension max 1.5” spacer kit under the struts now. Rather it not be any taller than it currently is, otherwise I will have to put a small spacer out back.

If its anything like sneaking the leveling spacer in there, it will be a bit of a *****!
I did the same for my wife's LTZ and she hates the level ride. It had 3 inches of rake in it before I did the work and now it is completely level. Trying to find a way to lower the front or raise the rear by about 2 inches. Pucks in the back would probably be the cheapest option but then I'm concerned about over extending the shocks.

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olyelr

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I did the same for my wife's LTZ and she hates the level ride. It had 3 inches of rake in it before I did the work and now it is completely level. Trying to find a way to lower the front or raise the rear by about 2 inches. Pucks in the back would probably be the cheapest option but then I'm concerned about over extending the shocks.

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so you installed the fox units? They are adjustable. You have to remove them, fully compress the coil, then adjust the lower nut down.

We got nearly 3” of lift when i originally put the fox units in. That was where they were preset. I have since adjusted them down.

another option would be a rear coil spacer, which you could add in a shock relocation bracket to reuse the factory shocks. But, imo 3” is just way to much added height up front for an otherwise “stock” suspension.
 

bdbull

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so you installed the fox units? They are adjustable. You have to remove them, fully compress the coil, then adjust the lower nut down.

We got nearly 3” of lift when i originally put the fox units in. That was where they were preset. I have since adjusted them down.

another option would be a rear coil spacer, which you could add in a shock relocation bracket to reuse the factory shocks. But, imo 3” is just way to much added height up front for an otherwise “stock” suspension.
My bad, I didn't mention I installed Monroe 139104's in the front (not Fox) and it raised the front by 3 inches. I'm thinking about putting a spacer in the back now. A rear spacer would solve it and keep me from hitting my head when the lift gate is open too. :)

What kind of shock relocation brackets can be used? I see all kinds of brackets for lowered vehicles, but the only ones I've ever seen for lifted vehicles look like they require the shocks to be mounted differently, spun 90 degrees. Something like this is all I ever find: https://supremesuspensions.com/coll...tender-bracket-2wd-4wd?variant=21391373598800
 

olyelr

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My bad, I didn't mention I installed Monroe 139104's in the front (not Fox) and it raised the front by 3 inches. I'm thinking about putting a spacer in the back now. A rear spacer would solve it and keep me from hitting my head when the lift gate is open too. :)

What kind of shock relocation brackets can be used? I see all kinds of brackets for lowered vehicles, but the only ones I've ever seen for lifted vehicles look like they require the shocks to be mounted differently, spun 90 degrees. Something like this is all I ever find: https://supremesuspensions.com/coll...tender-bracket-2wd-4wd?variant=21391373598800

gotchya.

yea, why cant you use those?
 

bdbull

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gotchya.

yea, why cant you use those?
I'm just not fond of rotating the shock to a different position from its intended use. I also don't have much confidence with the way it is oriented. Feels like the extender could rotate on the bolt if the shock failed to compress.

The extenders made for lowering always look to have much better mounting orientations that almost appear to lock into the stock mounting bracket.

Maybe finding an example of someone using them would give me more confidence, but I can't seem to find any. Saw a review on Amazon for a pair like the ones I linked to where a guy said they didn't work for him because of the rotation of the shock. He said he got a set from BellTech that had a better mount, but I can't find any on their site.
 

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