Mitchell0827
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- Sep 22, 2021
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Hello Everyone,I just wanted to post some information pertaining to lifting my 2015 GMC Yukon Denali with autoride and magnetic ride.
This is my first 4X4 SUV with this suspension setup. It was EXTREMELY frustrating for me to pick a lift kit that minimized the amount of cutting I would need to do to the vehicle.
After about 3 weeks of reading every forum post imaginable, and calling every company under the sun. I finally ended up going with the ReadyLift 4”SST kit. I couldn’t be happier with the results and the only cutting that was required was to the underbody splash shield around the transfer case. (Plastic so me biggie).
That being said the reason I am writing this post is to help any individual who may not be clear on what needs to be done to achieve this and retain you factory ride. There are sooo many videos and posts around this subject, but I haven’t found any that mention the rear autoride shock extensions. ( maybe I missed something).
In either case, after speaking with every company that sells lift kits, it seems that you have 2 choices… either modify your truck by way of cutting and grinding for the less expensive lift kits. Or spend double, triple, quadruple, the amount on a kit that has less modification required. Again, this has just been my experience thus far.
So, when I chose to purchase the 4”ReadyLift SST for the Denali…. I quickly realized AFTER purchase that the rear autoride shocks are not supported by this lift, or the majority of the other lifts on the market.
Back to the drawing board, or so I thought. I was/am still very happy with this lift kit. As I mentioned, I really didn’t want to make any permanent modifications to my truck, and this lift provided that for me. After installing the lift kit, the rear shock extension brackets won’t work because they are not “eye to eye” configuration. Meaning the bolt holes to the frame need to be in the same orientation to the shock, as autoride shocks will not twist or spin to bolt up to the “cross eyed” shock extension provided in MOST lift kits. So I had to over extend them and the truck rode like a 60s low rider LIKE A BRICK ON WHEELS.
Now, the solution that worked for me.
I spent the better part of last week researching rear shock extension brackets for this suspension system. All while driving the vehicle daily back and forth to work (a literal pain in the A$$).
I called belltech, suspensionmaxx, custom offsets, and every other vendor/ manufacturer that I could find online. NOBODY had an option for me to purchase. The majority said that I should try lowering brackets and just flip them upside down, I didn’t like that option. Others told me to weld my own brackets, I didn’t want to do that either. Some even said Flat out “you need to change your factory shocks for aftermarket shocks period”, also didn’t want to do that due to the amount of further research and work it would take to override the sensitive electronic system and I don’t like lights on the dash.
So, a few nights ago while endlessly scrolling, I randomly clicked on a cheaper kit that I had considered before my purchase, but I didn’t buy because of the amount of cutting I would’ve had to do.
To my excitement, the brackets that I needed were in that kit!
The RC 3.5 inch lift kit for Chevy/Gmc 2wd/ 4wd 07-20. SKU# 19331.
I immediately called Rough Country, and spoke with a rep who didn’t really seem to enjoy his job that much. I asked him if there was any way to sell me the brackets separately without the purchase of the kit. He said “no you must purchase the entire kit to get the brackets as there is no separate SKU for them”. He absolutely would not sell them to me. Disappointed, I said thanks and ended the call.
I thought about it overnight and researched even more, realizing those darn brackets were my only “Good Choice” by my standards anyway. The following morning, I made a call to RC again and asked if there was a return department. I figured there must be a whole bunch of spare parts from kits returned incomplete, as every retailer experiences from time to time.
Ended up speaking with a very nice representative, who seemed to absolutely love his job. When I asked about purchasing the brackets… he said “man I sell them all the time and would be happy to sell them to you”. He seemed disgruntled that a colleague of his would say that I couldn’t purchase them separately.
Long story short, $73.74 and 2 days later, the brackets and spare bolts/washers were in my hands. I just installed them 1 hour ago, reconnected the negative wire on the battery and fired it up. I hopped in and I could instantly tell that the suspension was operating as it should. The drive home from my office (where we have a 2 bay service garage) was absolutely perfect. It now rides like stock and I wouldn’t even know it was lifted by driving it.
This very long post is just for anyone who is encountering this issue and wants a solution that doesn’t include modifications or manufacturing. Just trying to do my part as I wish I found this solution sooner.
Below is the kit that I purchased the brackets from.
