I finally had time to finish my Cognito Leveling Kit install. Overall it's not a bad install. Everything comes apart easy when the truck only has 400 miles on the odometer. The wheelwells of the new trucks are different than the OBS trucks. You can't easily get to the nut on top of the front shocks. 18-24" of extensions are needed to zap them with air tools from the engine compartment. Try doing it by hand and you'll be there for awhile.


http://www.tbyrne.com/Sierra/leveling2.jpg (http://www.tbyrne.com/Sierra/leveling2.jpg)
(Image has been resized. Click it for full size.)


I cranked the tosrion bars as much as I could. There is no threads left on those bolts! Stock height to the center of the fender was about 38.75". I now have 42" on the passenger's side and 41.5" on the driver's side. Seeing that I can't crank the driver's side anymore I'm going to have to back the passenger's side off a little.


http://www.tbyrne.com/Sierra/leveling1.jpg (http://www.tbyrne.com/Sierra/leveling1.jpg)
(Image has been resized. Click it for full size.)


I can get 1.5 fingers in here so I wouldn't want to crank any higher. I have 1.5" blocks for the rear. I'll probably slide them in tomorrow. Some of you might have read about me thinking about going with a lift before I bought the trucks. I won't say that I've ruled that out yet. I have the Mother's Powerball out and an working on cleaning my 22s. I'll bolt them on and see how it rides/looks. I'll then decide on if I'll keep it street or go with a lift and hope that the local law doesn't take much notice. That might be a good reason to go with legal window tint too :)

I'll have much better pics after the other wheels/tires are on.

Tom

lookin good, are you going with a taller tire then your previous truck with your 22s. the wheel arches look a bit bigger then the classics.

I'd like to go a little taller either way. Measured height of the 305/45/22 tires is 32.25". 33s would look good. I saw that someone fit 35s with cutting but I think they would be a really tight fit.

If I could forget the lift laws in this state I'd go with a 7-9" Cognito, probably have it set at 7", run 6" Deaver springs in 37s. That's the look I'm always drawn to. Oh yeah, fuel mileage reduction with big tires, I'd have to forget about that too.

Wow, you have plenty of room to crank some more...1/2-3/4" between UCA and the droop stop is all thats needed to get a great ride...your's should ride pretty damn good...although you could always trade the 1.5" block for a 2.5" one and throw some green keys on there for an easy extra inch....you know if need be and all...LOL

Is the finished picture of the truck at ride height or with the truck in the air and suspension dropped?

That is at ride height with the stock wheels and torsion bars cranked all the way. I'll be installing the rear shocks and 1.5" blocks shortly.

will 33's fit without any cutting now?

How long did it take to put the kit on?

That is at ride height with the stock wheels and torsion bars cranked all the way. I'll be installing the rear shocks and 1.5" blocks shortly.

The blocks are going to make it look sick. I just did a 1" block and now I'm wishing I did 1.5", looks MUCH better than totally leveled IMO!

whats the lift law in ma exactly? ive tried looking but have found nothing concrete. i hear its 2 inches but is that 2 inchs of change in frame height or what? i just put on a 6 inch so just wondering what the deal is. i dont drive like a jerk anyway so i dont attract too much attention to myself.

Rear shocks are on along with the 1.5" spacers. The rear sat at about 43.75" with the stock tires. I now have the 22s in the rear and it's at just under 44.5". They look pretty damn good back there! :) Just need to finish cleaning the fronts with the Mothers Power Ball and bolt them on. I'll take good pics outside if it doesn't rain.

The 305/45/22 measure 32" on the truck. I'll let you know about 33s after I get the front on. I think that or a 34" tire would look pretty good with that size wheel. I broke the install up over a few days. The stock arms came off very easy but I had to convince the Cognito arms to go on. I ended up "massageing the brackets a little to they would slide in. A 2x4 and 3" mallet took over when the massaging was done. I also go hung up on the lower bolt for the front shocks. The factory puts it in from the front but the shafts are in the way when trying to put it into the new shock mount. Fought with that for awhile and then figured I'd put it in from the back. Plenty of room for that. If I was to install another one I could do it in about 2 hours.

Can't wait to see the picks... Will the green keys add additional height. I think I am going to run 285/50/22 (33.17 tall) or 285/55/22 (34.23 tall). I want to see how yours turns out first:D

tbyrne did you drive your truck after you did this ! We spoke some time back and i did the keys and the truck rides like a brick! I dropped the front air pressure to 50psi and backed the t-bars down 1 turn much improved but not nearly the ride I had on my 04'. I also noticed you installed 5100's did that make any difrence in the ride and if so were did you find the part #'s. I called Bilstien and I was told they didn;t have any part #s as of yet for the front key's. Any help would be GREAT!!

There is some odd formular that needs to be done to figure the lift law in MA. I think it comes out to be between 2 and 4". Shouldn't be bothered with 6". Some officers might enforce it while others won't bother you unless they want a reason to.

The rain held off so I backed into my driveway for a photoshoot :)

http://www.tbyrne.com/Sierra/0722a.jpg

I took alot of pictures all around the truck. They are now listed in My Garage to the left <------.

Am I happy with the results? Hell Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm really, really satisfied with how the truck looks so I don't think I'll be going with a lift. The tires are tucked in just how I like them, the ride is good and it's a very noticeable truck. I can feel the road more with the 22s but it's not bad. I'm probably going to go with a 33 or 34" tire when I replace these wheels. They will probably be sold with my '05 (it's time to sell if anyone is interested in that).

Will Green Keys hurt the ride quality at all? My torsion bar bolts are bottomed out now.

Truck looks awesome. I am also going with the leveling kit and blocks. Do you know what the offset is on the wheels. I really like the look of that truck with the height and everything. Good work!!!

Do you think you can fit the 34" tires without trimming? I would guess that the 33's would fit no problem.

I'm going to see if I can locate the specs for these wheels. I believe the BS is a little over 6". 33s should fit (getting tight), 34s would probably require trimming.

More rubber and you're there! Everytime I drive by the shop, I look for the new red rig...

I said the same on your '05... I don't like Red, or 22's, but your truck looks good with it! Now get your mirrors painted, for crying out loud...

looks great man! mayb a little bigger tire to fill the wheelwells up.

you can add green keys and not affect your ride. altho i wouldnt go any further on height than 42", that way ur only at alittle over 3" of total lift. you probably have a pretty steep cv angle as you are.

one idea tho, is you could add a longer bolt on the driverside to match your passenger side of 42". i did this on my old z71, i found out theres a gap between the key and torsion bar bracket and that with a longer bolt it would crank it just alittle more. mayb just the little more will get you where u want to be.

got any pics of your cv angles?

I painted the mirrors on my '05 but I think I'm going to keep these body color. The truck is really clean right now. It's going to be hard to take it out of the garage for the first time on a rainy day :) I probably won't be able to get it aligned until the end of the week.

I'm going to check into larger tire options tomorrow. Now that I know that I won't be going with a lift I can order the new wheels and tires. Just checked the CVs and stop -

http://www.tbyrne.com/Sierra/0722cv.jpg

http://www.tbyrne.com/Sierra/0722stop.jpg

I didn't think about the longer bolt. Good idea!

Tom

Can't wait to see the picks... Will the green keys add additional height. I think I am going to run 285/50/22 (33.17 tall) or 285/55/22 (34.23 tall). I want to see how yours turns out first:D


What brands are you looking at? I've checked Nitto and Toyo. The only tire that I can find in those sizes is the Terra Grappler. These sizes are narrower than the 305s so the tallness might not matter as much.

your cv doesnt look to bad, but i wouldnt go much further, i think either do the longer bolts to gain a 1/4" mayb a little more and your good, any more and your going to have a bad angle, so green keys shouldnt be needed.

i kinda looked around at a few tires in 22" sizes and didnt find much, most were in a 35" or 37" or the size you have now, a few in the 285 size that is a 33" but kinda narrow. i think i would consider some 20s with some 305/55/20s, which is a very popular size so u have a good selection on brands in an all terrain style and it would look really good.

you havent installed your hids yet have you?

Tom .... Your truck looks great !!!

Good job.

I would not put a set of "green keys" to lift the truck anymore as your ride will start getting worsh because you will loose the gap between the UCA and frame stop.


Nor-Cal Nick

Alot of trucks come with 20s from the factory or the owners upgrade to that size. I like the 22s because they are alittle different for a full size pick-up. Especially an diesel :) My Winter wheels are 305/50. I'll probably step up their size.

The HIDs are installed. I have a few pics where you can see the color difference. I tried take a pic with the highs and lows on but the highs were to bright.

Thanks Nick!

Tom

does your truck set level now with the 1.5" blocks in the back and keys turned up?

The back of the truck sits about 1 3/4" higher. My driveway is pitched so you can't see that as much in the pictures.

Looks great Tom!

If you don't mind me asking, how much did the leveling kit cost you in the end?

the 22s do look cool and you dont see them on many diesels, too bad there isnt more selection on sizes. but i found the pics of the hids. wat brand did you go with on them? im trying to decide who to get some from and if i want 4300k or 6000k.

If you don't mind me asking, how much did the leveling kit cost you in the end?

I don't remember how much I paid for everything. It came from Nick @ Nor-Cal.

I looked into tires some more today. The Terra Grapplers are the only "truck tires" that I found in 33 and 34" sizes. Or, there is the Nitto 420S. They are light truck tires like the Nitto 404s that are on the truck now. The tallest size is the same that I'm running. Specs for the two is -

285/55/22 Terra Grapplers 34.37" Max load rating 3525 lbs @ 80psi
305/45/22 420S 32.60" Max load rating - 2910 lbs @ 50psi

The HID kit that I'm using has Phillip's ballasts and 6000k bulbs.

I think you should try the 285/55R22's... that's what I would like to run:D

Do you think they would fit?

An extra inch either would will be tight but should be ok. Maybe, just maybe a little massaging. I think 2" more will require a little more work. But, being 20mm narrower might help.

I found that these tires rub a little in the rear when the wheel is cranked all the way and I'm backing up.

Nice Look. The leveling kit is what I want to do. I think it is the perfect height. Nice Truck. :D Mike

Looks good. Can't wait to do one.. What is the part number for the 5100's you used?

What brands are you looking at? I've checked Nitto and Toyo. The only tire that I can find in those sizes is the Terra Grappler. These sizes are narrower than the 305s so the tallness might not matter as much.

Toyo and nitto

Tbyrne,
When are you thinking about tires? I can't decide between the 4" and the leveling kit. I would like to do something soon. Alot of tire places around here will mount a tire like a 285/55/22 or a 285/50/22 terra's and see if it fits as long as you are buying tires from them. I saw a ford with the 22's and the 305/40/22 nitto terras and they were just too small for a diesel.

I'll probably take one of the 305/50/20 Terras off of my '05 and put it on the truck this weekend to see how I like the look. New wheels and tires should be on when I return from an exotic car event in 2 weeks. One thing that I noticed is more rubbing on the driver's side over the passenger's side. The drive's side sits 1/2" lower than the passenger's side so maybe the idea of going with a slightly longer bolt will work to balance then eliminate the rubbing. Just need 1/2 an inch.

I just have the part # for one set of Bilsteins - F4-BE5-D-146-HO.

The HID kit that I'm using has Phillip's ballasts and 6000k bulbs.

Where did you find these??

Tom,

Your truck looks really great. Thank you for all the insight and info sharing.

I was hoping I could run the leveling kit and crank the t-bars like you have. It was great to see that you have a nice gap between the UCA and stop, I was worried about that.

I think I'm going to go with the either the MotoMetal 951 or Incubus Recoil and the Toyo Open country 305/55R20. That tire is listed at 33.2 inches Overall diameter.

From what I've read from you that should fit okay, what do you think?

Did you have to get longer bolt for the rear end when you put the blocks in or is there enough threads?

Thanks and Nice Job !!

Dang looks nice , hows the ride on that

copter: I own a company that sells them. Shoot me a PM if you need pricing.

dlewis1340: The blocks come with longer U-bolts so you'll be all set back there. I brought the truck to work and will be putting it through the paces with the steering to full lock in each direction so I can see what will need to be trimmed for larger tires. The 32" barely run at full lock backing up. This is mainly in the back on the driver's side. I think this is because that side is 1/2" lower. I'm going to see about getting a longer bolt to make the sides even.

The ride is very good. I can feel bumps a little more with the 22s but not bad.

I took one of my 20s wrapped with a Terra Grappler and put it on the truck last night -

http://www.tbyrne.com/Sierra/20221.jpg

and the two next to each -

http://www.tbyrne.com/Sierra/20222.jpg

The looks even bigger because it's closer to the camera.

I'm still torn. I like the smooth street look in the Summer but I can get something taller and more load capacty from a Terra Grappler.

Tom