The Stupid Lowered Questions Thread

[dropped93]

ok so ive been rolling around on the new rims for a couple weeks now and the ride is def a lot rougher with 35's.... but not as bad as i thought it was going to be. but now that i took the stupid spacers out, the spring rate is...less right??? since they are able to compress more and easier??? anyway, if i hit a hard dip, something hits. idk for sure since im not actually outside the truck while im driving, but i think its the bump stops on the lower arms. and if i hit one of those drop offs on the freeway, the tire hits somewhere.... its not a HUGE deal cuz it doesnt happen too often, but id like for that not to happen... lol are there any springs that will give the same stance but are a lil stiffer or do i have to get stockers and cut them like ccredell said on the previous page? or are there shocks that are stiffer that will do the same thing? thanks!

Stiffer shocks. Also either bump stops or tires rubbin inner fenders on hard dips. I had that problem with mine. Look at your tires and see if there's any places in the tread that look chewed up.

 

[kyle's sierra]

How hard is a body drop to do on these trucks? I like my suspension setup right now it rides good. Just curious what a 1-2'' body drop would be to do? I'd like to see at least 1 more inch all the way around on my truck. With it being 4wd it kinda makes it more of a PITA to do. It has shackles/hangers and drop keys on the front.

 

[2003Xtreme]

check my build thread man I love my 295s

I actually did check out your build thread haha. I seen you were running the 295s on the back on a 5/7. It is all about the offset that makes a difference of a tire/ rim tucking or not. I just went and bout them 275/60/15s on the fly because my tires were bad.. and after I got it lowered to the stance I want.. the tires are too tall and dont like them really. Maybe I should get some shackles to throw on my 4/6 drop to get the rear down to a 4/7 to make the rake on it not so bad.

 

[kewljay223]

Stiffer shocks. Also either bump stops or tires rubbin inner fenders on hard dips. I had that problem with mine. Look at your tires and see if there's any places in the tread that look chewed up.

ok. i like this option cuz it obviously requires less work... lol but idk what my shocks are "rated" at??? what should i be looking for?

 

[dropped93]

ok. i like this option cuz it obviously requires less work... lol but idk what my shocks are "rated" at??? what should i be looking for?

Well if you have stock shocks, there obviously going to be to soft, it's kind of just a guessing game. Everyone has there own shock preference. As far as what I mentioned about the tires, if you're tires are rubbing the inner fenders, there is a bolt directly above the left front tire in the middle, you're gonna want to take out so it doesn't eat up the tire

 

[ccreddell]

ok so ive been rolling around on the new rims for a couple weeks now and the ride is def a lot rougher with 35's.... but not as bad as i thought it was going to be. but now that i took the stupid spacers out, the spring rate is...less right??? since they are able to compress more and easier??? anyway, if i hit a hard dip, something hits. idk for sure since im not actually outside the truck while im driving, but i think its the bump stops on the lower arms. and if i hit one of those drop offs on the freeway, the tire hits somewhere.... its not a HUGE deal cuz it doesnt happen too often, but id like for that not to happen... lol are there any springs that will give the same stance but are a lil stiffer or do i have to get stockers and cut them like ccredell said on the previous page? or are there shocks that are stiffer that will do the same thing? thanks!

This is one of the reasons I recommend cutting stock springs-that, and its cheaper. There are stiffer lowering springs available if you want to do the aftermarket thing. As already mentioned, shocks with a more performance oriented valving may help-not necessarily stiffer, just better valving. I like KYB Gas-A-Just. But Edelbrock also has a velocity sensing valve in their shocks. And if you have the coin, adjustable shocks are the way to go. That way you can tailor your ride to suit your combination.

As for the body drop, in your case of only needing 1-2" of drop, I would do a stock floor body drop. Just get some 2x4 tubing and replace your frame rails under your cab. Its a lot more complicated than that, but a google search will turn up all kinds of info and tutorials.

 

[new2this]

can i just get shackles and springs and lower it that way? seems pretty cheap that way to me

 

[Z71Sierra]

I wouldn't see why not, but it isn't going to get you very much drop.

 

[sewlow]

Maybe I should get some shackles to throw on my 4/6 drop to get the rear down to a 4/7 to make the rake on it not so bad.

If you do this, make sure to check the pinion angle. You may have to add a small wedge between the spring perches & axle housing.

 

[ccreddell]

I wouldn't see why not, but it isn't going to get you very much drop.

Keep in mind this is more work than a flip kit (IMO). Drilling out the rivets on the stock front hangers, and removing (or dropping) the gas tank so you can reach everything, and notching the frame of the bed to accommodate the shackle, seems a lot of work for the amount of drop youre going to get. And it gets worse when you realize you want more drop. Because you have to go all the way back and start over to re-install the stock front hanger, and re-install the rear shackle. A flip kit does require a notch, but that and the bed rail cut can be installed/done while youre still driving the truck so that when you do the flip (which is stupid easy, BTW) all you have to do is put the axle on top of the springs and tighten it down.