Couldn't decide so I just dropped the rear

[Brad32486]

For weeks I was thinking and trying to decide what kind of suspension drop to do. 3/5? 2/4? Living in the midwest, ride height can matter as I use this truck year round.

After thinking and thinking, I decided just to drop the rear 2" to level the rake out, and am I sure happy!

Had I done anything to the front, I would have gone with a 2" drop spindle as to not mess with alignment numbers at all. I would have also gotten either a Z71 or PPV front air dam as those don't go as low as the stock one. Using the truck at the cabin occasionally though, I didn't want to regret dropping it too far. I decided to just use 2" drop springs on the rear and thought I'd share some notes/thoughts about that process:

First and foremost, this model does not have air assist shocks, which really simplified sourcing parts, and also doing the work. Days before I did the swap, I sprayed some penetrating oil on the rear shock lower fasteners. In thinking about the obstacle the sway bar would present, as in it would have to be disconnected some where, I decided to go to the mounts rather than mess with endlinks. I sprayed some penetrant on those too hoping that after a couple days of sitting, they would loosen up real nice and this would be a breeze. Come the day to swap, put a ratchet on, and SNAP.... So much for that method. I then realized disconnecting the end links was WAY easier than I expected and I definitely should have just done that from the start.

I supported the truck with jack stands on the frame rails in front of the rear wheels, supported the diff with my floor jack, disconnected shocks and end links, then slowly lowered the axle. I found it very important to watch the items still connecting the axle to the frame/body, in particular the e-brake cables and hydraulic brake lines. With those items pulled to their comfortable limit, the OEM springs came right out, no problem.

I installed 2" drop springs from Crown Supsension which matched up to the stock bushings wonderfully, then reassembled. I am very happy with the results and glad I decided to just start with the rear. Now the running board is parallel to the ground. The total drop was about 2.25". I almost thought the rear went lower than the front as the roofline suggests it did. I'm realizing that I think the roof line was designed to be mostly parallel with the ground when the stock height/rake is present. So now with the rear leveled, it has an almost downward slope to it which I actually really like.

If you are ever hesitant on what kind of drop to do, starting with a rear-leveling drop was perfect for me and made a visual difference, which was ultimately the goal!

 

[Tdoa]

Looks good. I wanna do the same. Ride stay the same?

 

[Brad32486]

Looks good. I wanna do the same. Ride stay the same?

I didn't notice any negatives. Maybe the slightest bit softer, to be honest, but that might be psychological. Nothing yet has made me regret anything about it!

 

[RB_Trucker]

I want the 2 inch lowering spring route for my suburban. Super happy that I did that. my springs were from a 2012 suburban and it sits nice and level and the ride isn’t any different.

 

[Rocket Man]

That’s a great stance. Have you thought about tinting the front windows?

 

[Brad32486]

That’s a great stance. Have you thought about tinting the front windows?

Growing up doing lots of car customizing, I dealt with a lot of issues with window tint and cops. In MN, they only legally allow 50% upfront, which to me, is not even worth doing. So have I thought about it? Oh yeah! Will I do it? nah, probably not. I have considered an eyebrow for the windshield though.

 

[Brad32486]

I want the 2 inch lowering spring route for my suburban. Super happy that I did that. my springs were from a 2012 suburban and it sits nice and level and the ride isn’t any different.

I can't believe I like it as much as I do. Or more specifically, I can't believe it made as big of a difference visually as it did. In the end, I'm very happy!

 

[Rocket Man]

Growing up doing lots of car customizing, I dealt with a lot of issues with window tint and cops. In MN, they only legally allow 50% upfront, which to me, is not even worth doing. So have I thought about it? Oh yeah! Will I do it? nah, probably not. I have considered an eyebrow for the windshield though.

Oh I’m pretty sure that’s about the same as Oregon, the tint guy said it’s not legal when he did it. But here the police don’t bother with it. Just roll the window down when they approach so they can see inside.

 

[Horizon]

I can't believe I like it as much as I do. Or more specifically, I can't believe it made as big of a difference visually as it did. In the end, I'm very happy!

Did your drop level out evenly? Your pic looks like its pretty good. I just dropped the rear of mine with the MaxxTrac kit and the rear sat slightly lower than the front. It ended up being a half of an inch lower than the front. I ended up customizing a set of BellTech spacers to fix the issue. Maybe it was just because I knew it was lower, but it just seemed to sag a little.

 

[Brad32486]

Did your drop level out evenly? Your pic looks like its pretty good. I just dropped the rear of mine with the MaxxTrac kit and the rear sat slightly lower than the front. It ended up being a half of an inch lower than the front. I ended up customizing a set of BellTech spacers to fix the issue. Maybe it was just because I knew it was lower, but it just seemed to sag a little.

It visually appears to be lower in the rear, and there's a couple reasons for that. From the start, I was asking myself what I really wanted to accomplish, because there's a couple different ideas to pursue. The most basic idea is to make the running board/rocker parallel with the ground versus the rake that most trucks have. This is most noticeable when looking down the running board when close to the ground, you can clearly see the rear higher. As my 2" inch drop springs still ended up changing rear height by about 2.25-2.5", the running board is totally parallel with the ground. When you look at a certain angle, you'd think the rear is lower. I feel like by design, the roof line/profile is parallel with the ground when at stock height, despite the rest of the truck having that slight rake. That idea works will with the design. Once you lower the rear, the roof line slopes down ward toward the rear. I like the Range Rover sort of look this gives the truck, but it can make people think you lowered the rear more than the front.

Getting back to what one is trying to accomplish: When I was thinking about different springs, I had to choose a line on the truck that I wanted to make parallel. There are several options: Running board, door handles, body crease just below belt molding. There's a few lines you can follow. I chose the Running board because that would likely be most noticeable as it is closest to the ground.

The other thing I consider is the gap in the wheel well from the tire. I haven't measured this, and it's a pretty easy thing to find, but the gap may look bigger in the front. I think of most sedans on the road. If you look closely, the rear tire-to-fender gap is smaller and the front wheels have a slightly larger opening, or the fender line raises higher above the ground than the rear. I mean big picture here, it's resulting in the same goal, but just because my front fender-line height looks higher than the rear, the truck still sits level, and I know this by the running board.

I've had comments on lowering the rear more than the front. I tell them to look at the running board then explain the roof line, and it all makes sense. Check it out on yours and see if it's the same.