Lots of folks here have replaced the Autoride active suspension with various passive suspensions, and the main reason often given is cost. I cannot speak to a lowered suspension, but many folks in this Forum have lowered their trucks, and they will chime in.
My new-to-me 07 Yukon XL Denali, had a converted passive suspension on it with rear coilovers when I purchased it. The ride was OK, but after a year, I bit the bullet costwise and converted back to the OEM active suspension. The ride improvement was very significant, and my personal opinion is that the OEM active suspension is far better than a passive suspension.
If you really want to feel a true performance handling improvement, get yourself a set of front and rear Hellwig sway bars.