[3500dmax]

I mentioned in another thread that I like the look and will either be going with a 6" lift a 35s or the torsion key method. I have read numerous posts about people running the torsion keys and 33-35s but I haven't gotten much feedback on the ride.

1. Have most of you upgraded your shocks?
2. Did you lift the rear at all, if so what size blocks?
3. Besides the airdam what other modifications did you have to make to the bumper/body/fenders?
4. How is the ride now that the LCAs are sitting in the bumpstops? Some have described it as "bouncy" is this true?
5. How many have actually tested the new setup offroad? Do the tires rub? If so what size are you running.
6. Anyone with CV binding issues, on or offroad?

 

[1BADHD]

Is this THE Y2KBOTI? Long time no see man. Lets see if I can answer some questions for you.


1. I ran for about 15000 miles without upgrading shocks. But I did notice that they would top out on some rough terrain. So I did upgrade to Rancho RS9000 and man that made a difference. So you dont have to, but it does help.


2. I did not lift the rear.


3. I trimmed the air dam and had to pull the inner liner back with some zip ties on the drivers side in the rear.


4. It is a little firmer, but its not unbarable. You will notice a ride difference.


5. I have went off road and it only rubbed at full lock on the driver side. If I were to trim a bit of metal and tie back the inner liner some more, there would have been no problems. I was running 33's.


6. No binding issues.


Note: You can only run 35's with a stock or very close to stock BS. I have evolved from the T-bar key lift to a full lift. Dont beat around the bush. If you want more height, do it right the first time. Later.

 

[3500dmax]

Is this THE Y2KBOTI? Long time no see man. Lets see if I can answer some questions for you.

...Dont beat around the bush. If you want more height, do it right the first time.

Yours truly. I been around and it’s good to see some familiar faces.

Thanks for the info. You know me there is NO beating around the bush when it comes to lifts. I appreciate the info so far. Did the tires rub on the street, say if you hit a driveway with enough speed or did they only rub off-road? What about going with a 33” instead of 35s? This is all research at this point, there are some things I cannot do with my lifted truck so I’m not sure a lift is in order next time around but neither is stock!

 

[1BADHD]

Never rubbed on the street with 33's. Only when flexed out with the wheels cut to the left. But..that is with the air dam trimmed and fender liner tied back.

 

[DMAX2DAMAX]

I mentioned in another thread that I like the look and will either be going with a 6" lift a 35s or the torsion key method. I have read numerous posts about people running the torsion keys and 33-35s but I haven't gotten much feedback on the ride.

1. Have most of you upgraded your shocks?


Not yet, I have only 3600 miles on mine plus Bilsteins seem tough to get right now. I will replace with Bilsteins sooner than later though. My wife says that she can't detect any difference in the ride at all and I'm sure she is much more objective than I am. She refused to let me buy the Furd PS cause the ride was too stiff (this was b4 the Dmax came out).



2. Did you lift the rear at all, if so what size blocks?


No, in fact as I was raising the front 1 3/4" by cranking the TB's, the rear went down 1/2". Now my truck looks pretty level or perhaps looks (may not be actually) higher in front which is exactly what I was wanting.



3. Besides the airdam what other modifications did you have to make to the bumper/body/fenders?


I tyed the emergency brake cable back about 1/2" to allow more clearance of the inner fender well driver's side. Also, on both sides, I tapped the bottom of the fender sheet metal rearward about 3/8" where the bottom most inner fender is connected. I have the Husky splash guards and had to trim the inner most portion for them to clear. I also tied the front inner fender driver's side forward a bit near the winshiled wash bottle.



4. How is the ride now that the LCAs are sitting in the bumpstops? Some have described it as "bouncy" is this true?


My wife says that she can't detect any difference in the ride at all and I'm sure she is much more objective than I am.



5. How many have actually tested the new setup offroad? Do the tires rub? If so what size are you running.


I have the 315/17's and do not off road my truck yet. The newness will have to wear off an awful lot fo me to do that. The only rubbing I have experienced is when I back in across my driveway which is on a steep angle as well as having a curb. I suspect I would have more rubbing in many off road situations but that's not what I intend to do with this truck. For me, it's all about how different it makes the truck look. Especially the new Chevy front. I actually preferred the GMC look until I saw the chevy lifeted about 4". Now the chevy is my clear and overwhelming preference, even if you lift the GMC. It's like how some colors make certain vehicles look a world of difference. A slight lift of the new Avalanche look makes a world of difference IMNTBHO!



6. Anyone with CV binding issues, on or offroad?


I have had no cv binding issues. I stayed below 2" (1 3/4" actually) because of many posts that stated the concern for this. I plan on keeping an eye on them but they don't appera far from stock. I got more lift from the 315's than the tb's. It was either 4 1/4" or 4 1/2" I forget and can't find the bow I wrote it on.


I have pictures of all I've mentioned in my link below.

Edited by: DMAX2DAMAX

 

[bybycop]

y2kboti,


Thanks for the P.M.!


I am not familiar with the green key term? When shopping for tires the shops would tell me that all they had to do was "turn" or "Crank" on the torsion bars. Never said anything about keys. Is there a difference?


I absolutely love the way the truck sits and looks since I leveled it and put bigger tires on! You can feel a diference in the ride. It rides like a truck now. There is also a little bounce when going over speed bumps and curbs.


As for rubbing, if I am cranked all the way to the right and backing up it rubbs sometimes! While going forward, never had it rub! Im with dmax2damax when it comes to off roading. Been down a few dirt roads at a pretty good clip and no rubbing. Now if I was rock crawling maybe.


You asked about the Nitto Terra Grapplers, I love them. They ride very smooth, look agressive and hum just the right amount. They are a lot quieter than the BFG M/Ts. or the big-o X/Ts. On the high way with the windows up you wont even know they are there. Sorry I dont know what my back spacing is though. He did say that when I go to lift my truck my fronts will have the right back spacing. The rims are 18 x 9.


Feel free to ask any other questions. If you need I can take some pics of my fenders and what i had to cut. I did have to cut some of the inner fender and a litte bit of metal on the body. The tire shop did all if it for me at no extra charge.


Mike

 

[3500dmax]

Mike as I said I love the way your HD sits and I appreciate you responding. I'm undecided on which front end I want, I've been a Bowtie guy as far back as I can remember but we all know they are the same at heart. It's great to have DMAX2DMAX and yourself to compare only difference is I'll be going with a long bed. If you are not have any rubbing problems that is excellent new espically with a 9" wide wheel, most guys here are running anywhere between 6.5-8" wide wheels. If you could snap some pictures of the front wheel wells, along with the trimming job as well as the back tires. A little trimming doesn't scare me, I did the same thing with my current truck but if you have to hack it then its not worth it. Please email me those pictures and if you have any high res shots of the entire truck(front, back, sides) I would like those as well. Thanks again.Edited by: y2kboti

 

[Jeli]

DMAX2DAMAX, I'm curious what your wheelwell heights are. I'm running green keys and blocks. I think my truck sat a little lower than most stock. I ended up 4 1/2" higher in the front and 4 1/4" in the back. Thanx.

 

[DMAX2DAMAX]

Jeli,


I'm not clear on what you mean by wheelwell height. I can tell you that I raised my front 1 3/4" with cranking the stock keys and I still have 5/8" of threads left. The rear went down 1/2" when I raised the front. The tires added another 2 1/2" all around so I actually gained 4 1/4" up front and a net of 2" in the rear.





I'll be happy to make any other measurement and post it if this doesn't answer your question.



2DAMAX

 

[Jeli]

DMAX2DAMAX, to level side to side I take a tape measure and measure from the ground to the bottom of the wheel well with the tape centered on the wheel. My measurements are at home but my front was 41 something and back was 42+.


When stock I leveled the front side to side and had to crank my left T bar at least 7 turns. That is part of the reason I went straight to the green keys. I understand your comment about not going over 2" because of the CV's but due to differences between trucks there is no rock solid starting point to measure from. It seems like you have very little rubbing which makes me think your truck may have sat higher to begin with and since we have the same W&T the wheel well height is an equal comparison.


Thanx, Steve

 

[DMAX2DAMAX]

Jeli,


I think I understand now. I measured front and rear at the point shown by the arrow on this picture of the front. If it matters, I have the fender flares. Front 41", raer 41 1/2".


2DAMAX

 

[3500dmax]

Fender heights were my next question. 41" is how these trucks should sit from the factory. Anyone out there with a long bed??? Seems like everyone with this setup has a short bed.

There is another way to measure how your torsion bars are set. On my 1500 it's called Z-height, not sure what they call it on the HD trucks but it's all the same.

Z-height is obtained by measuring from the from lower control arm(LCA) bolt to the floor=Measurement A

Then measure from the inside edge of the steering knuckle(lower ball joint) to the floor=Measurement B

Subtract "B" from "A" and this is your Z-height. It may or may not say what they recommended Z-height is in your vehicle manual but I believe it is mentioned in the Haynes Manuals.

 

[bybycop]

http://www.cardomain.com/member_pages/view_page.pl?page_id=409689&page=4


I posted some pics of what was cut out. Sorry I was hurry, Ill give more details when I get back. Let me know if you have any more questions.


Mike

Edited by: bybycop

 

[bybycop]

Since Im retarded, and cant figure out how to make the link work, just visit my www and go to the fourth page. I put some pis on there for ya! Ill add more when I get a moment.


Mike

 

[Max Power]

bybycop, there is an extra http:// in there. Remove one.

 

[bybycop]

Thanks Maxpower! I guess if i wouldnt have been in such a hurry and actually look at my post.... Should work now.





Mike

 

[DMAX2DAMAX]

bybycop


Rather than trim in the area I see in your pics I was able to tap the sheet metal back about 3/8" which than allowed the inner fenders to clear. Then I had to trim that area from the Husky splash guards so I didn't loose what I gained.

 

[Denial]

DMAX2DAMAX,


Your truck pics look great!


I notice you are running Quad Stealth & H2/315 combination. Are you happy with the day to day driving performance with the much taller tire? I suppose Quad Stealth helped restore any perceived power loss resulting the taller tire. Can you comment on any MPG and/or driveability changes you have noticed with this combination?


I'm about to pull the trigger on the same setup, I just need to make sure it doesn't ruin the decent economy and driveability I enjoy now.


Thanks,


-Ken

 

[JimWilson]

1. Have most of you upgraded your shocks?

I swapped the OEM garbage for Rancho 9000x.

2. Did you lift the rear at all, if so what size blocks?

2 inches. Well, the blocks should be here today or tomorrow, so by the end of the weekend (if it ain't raining

) I will have raised the rear 2 inches.

3. Besides the airdam what other modifications did you have to make to the bumper/body/fenders?

I made no mods -- my tires fit from the beginning. But mine are 285/75/16's, which aren't quite 33's (they're only about 1/2 an inch smaller, so you could call them 33's).

4. How is the ride now that the LCAs are sitting in the bumpstops? Some have described it as "bouncy" is this true?

Actually, my truck USED to ride bouncy, when the stock keys were almost maxed. Now, with the green keys in it's taller in the front AND it rides better.

5. How many have actually tested the new setup offroad? Do the tires rub? If so what size are you running.

Not me.

6. Anyone with CV binding issues, on or offroad?

Looking at my CV's I don't see them as having a bad angle. If I raised the front another inch -- which I could easily do, because I have enough bolt left -- then I might start to get worried. But right now, they look okay to me.

 

[DMAX2DAMAX]

DMAX2DAMAX,


Your truck pics look great!


I notice you are running Quad Stealth & H2/315 combination. Are you happy with the day to day driving performance with the much taller tire? I suppose Quad Stealth helped restore any perceived power loss resulting the taller tire. Can you comment on any MPG and/or driveability changes you have noticed with this combination?


I'm about to pull the trigger on the same setup, I just need to make sure it doesn't ruin the decent economy and driveability I enjoy now.


Thanks,


-Ken

I did not really notice any real power loss due to the 315's but I suppose that's because I was at low miles and was not really feeling all the power yet. I can really notice the difference with the Quad tunes though, it's awesome. Driveabilty has been perfect IMO. With the speedo recal I show I'm getting a minimum of 18.5mpg with only 3400 miles on the truck.


The best test of overall difference is my wife's opinion as I may be a bit biased because I so love the look. She on the otherhand could care less and won't accept any less ride quality. I deserve her scrunity as I took her on a 300 mile trip in a Cab Over tractor bobtail and she was beat to death. I also took her on a test drive in a F250SP and she put it in the same category as that cab over. She has commented numerous times, unsolicited, just how well this truck rides. Just last week we spent 2000 miles in it and she kept saying how great it rides!!


IMO, pull the trigger!!!


2DAMAX





Edited by: DMAX2DAMAX