Hi,

I've been considering a lift for a few months now and need last minute input (more like convincing to go for it ;) from those who run a similar setup. I've attached a pic of the look I like.

I commute with my 05-LLY-CC-SB 2 hours each day and tow a 9,000lbs 32ft travel trailer (w\Reese Dual Cam HP) 10x a year. So far I've narrowed it to the RCD 5-6 inch lift and 35's with 18's.

Rims:
What width do you recommend for a 325\65 tire? 9 or 10 inch? I like the Welds but may go with an Eagle to save $
Any backspacing considerations?

Tires:
From what I've read the Nitto Terra Grappler seem to be a good all around tire. Any other recommendations? The tire in the pic is Pro Comp Xterrain. How does that tire wear & ride - has a nice rugged look. Is it too wide?

Lift: (5 inch RCD)
Are the Bilstiens adequate?
Will I need to add green keys? Can I avoid tuning the torsion bars?
With the lift do the front tires stick out more than the rear? If so, does it affect the handling?
Will I need Airbags? I want it to be level when towing. Currently it drops 2 inches making it level to slightly lower in the rear.
Should I not completely level it? I don't mind a slight rake
What's the main diff between the RCD & CST?

What I want to avoid:
Rougher ride
Excessive tracking (when truck pulls from groves on the road)
Sway while towing or any other type of towing issue
Power or n other performance related issues (I heard with a Hypertech on Stage II there's little power loss)
Seriously killing gas mileage (I know there will be some - price you pay for some mods)
Noisy tire
Sagging in rear while towing TT

Other questions:
What do you do if you have a flat? Can you replace the stock spare with a taller tire? Will it fit under the truck?
What if I completely hate the lift? Besides the $ any issues going back to stock?
How much trimming will be needed to avoid rubbing?

I know for some of you this is not a big lift or radical upgrade but I'm conservative. I know it sounds crazy since I do not off-road - mainly doing this for the looks. For those of you with a similar set up pics are welcome.

Sorry for all the questions.

http://image30.webshots.com/30/5/19/34/251351934mFtkIL_ph.jpg

I researched a lot before buying. Check out www.timbren.com (http://www.timbren.com)

They will prevent your bed from sagging.

This does not answer all of your questions nor does it apply directlly to a chevy but I am new here and just bought a dmax yesterday. Anyway my previous truck was a 2500 dodge diesel with a 6" lift and 37" tires. I pulled lots of trailers from 6000 lb tongue pulls to 12,000lb goosenecks. I live in west texas and have hauled big heavy trailers with the dodge to Canada and back and to Mississippi and back with zero problems or strange handling characteristics. The only problem I ran into was getting the ball height corrected. For the tongue pulls I had to order a special big drop receiver and on the goosnecks it was a pita beause I had to move the springs on top of the axle effectively lifting the trailer to make it sit level with the truck.

One other word of caution. I had goodyear mtrs that were E rated and never had any issues. Many oversize tires are c or d rated and can not handle our big trucks and loads.

I have an 05 CC LB , 6" RCD 315/17's, I pull a 28' fifth wheel, no problems, had to flip the axles on the 5'r but no big deal. Go with BFG or something other than the terracraplers, had them on my last truck, got about 15000 out of them, and they suck in the mud. Backspacing with the RCD 16 no more than 4.5, 17's you can go a little more. E-mail RCD they respond quick with any questions you might have. Good luck.

I have a 2004.5 CCLB on 37" BFG Muds on 17" Chrome Mazzi's. No gear change, just the Hypertech on 2(Soon to be changed to the predator) and my K&N insert. A 6" RCD lift will accomodate 35" tires without having to crank your torsions. If you crank your torsions too much, you'll have a bunch of alignment issues. As for trimming, you'll have some but not anything you can't make look clean(mostly plastic). I wouldn't go anything larger than a 17" rim with 35" tires, IMHO I think it looks a little unproportional. BFG's all the way!
Don't worry changing your truck back to stock. Once you lift your truck, heads will turn! Especially when you romp on the throttle and smoke another car on a onramp or at a light. Have fun with your duramax!

I have had 3 modified trucks and have learned from the past.

FIRST THING FIRST....LIST OR NO LIFT

1) You wish to spend $130.00 and change your factory front sway bar to a HELWIG ANTI-SWAY BAR. Its the same thing, but slightly thicker, my truck handles like a car.....no really.

2) I chose to go with the Rancho 3 1/2 inch lift kit for several reasons. Rancho is designed to OEM Specs, meaning you can take it to any chevy dealer and have it aligned, 2nd it has a lifetime warranty on the parts, 3rd it comes in black or red.

3) I have a chevy z71 1500 among other trucks, but any way, runnung 33's and no rubbing, none :exactly:

www.gorancho.com

"I'm the Devils Advocate!" LIFT IT! Who cares if it rubs. It's all about the heads turning. J/K Rancho makes a good lift!

Make sure you check the ratings on the tires and rim combos, they can vary greatly between rim sizes, tire sizes and manufacturer I know this was mentioned earlier, but can be over looked easily when looks become a primary concern, you don’t want to be towing on that 1 in 10 times a year and have a tire fail due to over loading. I was going to do a 6" lift as well as 35's but I decided to stay a little lower due to towing a gooseneck on occasion, many have flipped axels and other modifications to trailers to make it work, but I decided this would not work for me. Currently awaiting my Cognito leveling kit and rear blocks. Good luck with your mods, due as much research as you can before you buy and you wont be sorry.

LIFT IT!!! :Grd: Heads turn for a lifted truck whistlin' down the road just like they do for a '32 ford hotrod :whoa: And CHICKS DIG IT! :pimp: Just make sure that whatever lift you choose.... have it professionally installed! My truck is UP THERE.... it rides like a BENZ, and can tow a half dozen of 'em. I'm not sure where you live, but I reccomend that you Look up Russell White at (951)324-8242. He and his crew have alot of experience and can make suggestions based upon professional experience and your particular application. From wheel offsets and lift to get the look you are going for all the way to shock and tire choice to get your ride dialed. These guys have done 2 trucks for me now, and I can't say enough good things about them. :thumb:

PS. My last truck had the RCD 6" lift on it with BFG 35's... It's Great! Solid as a rock, and rides like stock but better due to the better shock package installed. You won't be sorry.

I agree with DEEZL72. Definately get it installed by a pro. I have the Fabtech 8", it rides really nice however you have to rotate and balance your tires as often as possible to ensure your rides remains smooth. I'm looking to double shock the front to eliminate the little body roll that I have. 6 inches+ anything less is a waste.

Thanks for your advise. So it looks like I'm going with the RCD and 18x10's. I see many of you are running 325/65/18 but the shop recommended 355/65/18's - better load rating (see below). Are any of you running this size? Pro's or Con's? Thinking of the Terra Grapplers vs Muds. Also, have any of you herd of a new wheel by Weld called Rubicon RB4. Apparently they came our with a lower priced line and it's a duplicate of the Cheyenne for half the price.

My only concern at this point is do your rigs with wide tires "track" while driving on uneven pavement or pull towards grooves on the road?

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=520 border=0><TBODY><TR bgColor=#f2f2f2><TD align=middle>LT325/65 R18 121R</TD><TD align=middle>16.5</TD><TD align=middle>34.88</TD><TD align=middle>12.99</TD><TD align=middle>9.0-(9.5)-10.0</TD><TD align=middle>3195@50</TD><TD align=middle>596</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=520 border=0><TBODY><TR bgColor=#f2f2f2><TD align=middle>LT355/65 R18 125R</TD><TD align=middle>16.5</TD><TD align=middle>36.69</TD><TD align=middle>14.02</TD><TD align=middle>10.0-(10.5)-11.0</TD><TD align=middle>3640@50</TD><TD align=middle>566</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Also, given I'm not going radical on the lift I should be able to find a shank drop to accommodate?

how much of a lift are you running. Unless it's more than a 6" lift, most say that 12.5" is the widest tire you can safely run. over 6" i'm not sure about. So you might want to check to make sure the 355mm (13.97") width will clear.

Unless you crank the torsions pretty good I think you will have some rubbing issues, I am running 17 x 10's & 315 17 BFG's with an RCD lift and I can hit at full turn backing out of the driveway or on a hard bump off roading.

Not that you might care since you're gonna put a big tire on anyway, but the even wider tire will further hamper your fuel mileage.

I haven't heard anything about the new weld wheels you mention but make sure their load rating is up to par with what these trucks need to have. Our trucks weigh a lot on their own and when you start hooking things up to them or putting stuff in the bed it's just that much more the wheel has to hold. Also if the cheaper welds aren't forged, meaning if they are cast alu, they'll be even more of a PIA to keep shiny unless they're chromed.


Edit: I searched around a little bit for you and found this on the Weld Distribution website.

"GET SET?
In addition to our expanded Weld and EVO products, Weld Distribution also offers you Rubicon Offroad, Sovereign Alloys, & AFX. You've never seen cast wheels like this before! Standing behind a 3 year chrome warranty, 100% CNC machined finishes for that precision look and feel.

Offered to you exclusively by Weld Distribution."

You'll have to contact them for a weight rating though, I can't find one on the site.

Edit2: Ok so I'm bored and found myself looking at the weld ditr. catalog. Found the specs on the wheels I think you're looking at. They call them the Rubicon Volt-8lug though.

Wheel size:18x10
Bolt Cirlce: 8x6.5
Back Space: 4.5
mm Offset: -25
Center Bore: 4.930
Load Rating: 3200
Part #: RB04-810956
MSRP: $425.00

Hope that helps.

Thanks All!


WAskier - I've been looking on the web and haven't been able to find any info on the Rubicon RB4's (they only have two out so you prob referred to the other wheel- saw the brochure at shop) which look like the Velocity 8. I decided to go with 35x12.5 so the width should be ok from rubbing (though need to cut bumper) and CST lift since the knuckles don't make the front end stick out further like the RCD. Is 3200lb wheel rating enough?

Edit 1 - Actaully thanks to you finding the real name of the wheel I was able to find a pic!! Thanks

Hey no problem, glad I could be of help.

Well, figure that's 6400pounds of weight that your rear end could support assuming that everything else matches or exceeds that number (including the weight of the truck itself axle, bed, frame, etc.) Your tires will probably be the weak link though, better check that too. Now this is not to say that you should overload it but who the h311 listens anyway ;).

You need to figure out what the rear of your truck weighs and what kinds of loads you'll have in there then you can figure that out from there.

I've got weld sidewinders with the same load rating but I hardly ever have stuff in my truck so I haven't worried about it too much.

I still tow with mine, and i love the height and ride of the lift, imo, i think cogniot is one of the best lifts on the market as far as quality, and i have the 7-9 kit, tubular upper control arms, and dual shock hoops, and getting ready to buy the heim jointed tie rods for it, i would for sure lift it if it was my truck, go big or go home imo

Go big or go home j/k Lift it!!!! http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/images/smilies/rockon.gif