Let's sift through every square inch of a 2013 Tahoe PPV

Caddylack said:

Okay... On the subject of lowering...

I am probably okay with dropping 2-3" from the current ride height. Given that the PPV is already 1" lower than normal, then I have to be careful about the parts that I use.

In the rear, I'll be making the adjustment by replacing the coil springs with lowering springs. If I want to drop by 2-3", then what I actually need are springs listed as 3-4".

In the front, there are more options for adjusting ride height in addition to lowering springs.

You can drop the front strut down slightly by bolting it to the bottom of the control arm rather than the top.

You can use DJM control arms to drop 2-3" with OEM struts. In this case, the advertised drop would be the same with a PPV.

Then there are drop spindles. Again, the drop is the same for a PPV and a civilian model.

Adjustable coilovers will be out of budget for me.

DJM has their 3" rear coil springs on sale, so I might do that and then get their shocks to go with them. They have a rear hardware kit with end links and relocation brackets for both the shocks and the lower trailing arms.

I'm not sure what I should do in the front. I really like the DJM control arms, but I'm hesitant to replace the aluminum LCAs that the PPV comes with.

I'm leaning towards drop spindles with OEM springs and OEM-replacement struts.

Click to expand...

kbuskill said:

Struts are a solid option but not the cheapest.

Rough Country sells a 2" drop kit for the front which is a 1/4" spacer and Grade 9 hardware to bolt the struts under the control arm.

I contacted them and bought just the hardware without the spacer for around $20, although that was several years ago, so now with inflation it is probably closer to $500.... lol

Anyway, it is the cheapest/easiest way to get 2" and the ride is the same since you aren't losing any strut travel like with springs.

Click to expand...

89Suburban said:

I didn't think they sold them anymore. I had to make my own kit.

Click to expand...

Caddylack said:

They sell grade 12 at Farm and Fleet, so, yeah.

I got impatient and placed a couple of orders. One from DJM and the other from Rock Auto.

DJM:

2" drop front springs
3" drop rear springs
Rear hardware kit
Rear shocks

Rock Auto:

Bilstein B6 front struts
Moog UCAs
Dorman "Rugged Duty" tie rod ends
Moog front poly end links

I still plan to mount the front strut from the bottom. The 3" rear springs should be a 2" drop for a PPV. The 2" front springs should be a 1" drop. I don't like the "leveled" look; I would rather have the rear just slightly higher than the front. This is a "sport truck", and I haul stuff sometimes.

I'm still kind of uncertain about the front. I'm not sure if springs + mounting from the bottom is a better option than doing drop spindles, mounting the strut normally, and keeping the PPV springs.

Do drop spindles change the angle of the sway bar, or no?

Click to expand...

kbuskill said:

No, drop spindles don't change the front-end geometry, which is the big selling point. No negative camber to worry about because everything else remains in stock location.

Click to expand...

Caddylack said:

So these "drop struts" that are sold by Belltech, McGaughy's, etc.... Am I understanding correctly that they lower the front end up to 3" without any other mods? It says to use factory coils only.

Since my struts and shocks are at the end of their life anyway, that might be cheaper for ME in this particular situation.

Of course, I already bought stuff, because I'm impulsive.

Click to expand...