Lifted Caddy throws me around over bumps, uneven roads,

[imi4tth3w]

Call me old and senile if you must, but i learned the hard way, leave a vehicle alone.
JMHO

I learnt the hard way too. I'm only 23 and I'm starting to see where folks who think like you are coming from lol. This is definitely the last daily driver i modify this much.

I told myself i wasn't going to do any big mods on this Tahoe. That lasted about 3 years until i couldn't ignore the itch any more. First i lowered the Tahoe with a 2/3 drop. Didn't like the ride so i lifted it to 5" on 33's. As much as i wish i would have done a cognito 7" with fox coilovers, the 5" RC with vertex coilovers and custom coils (needed to lower them from 7" to 5") and it rides really nice. Also replaced the crappy RC 7.5" rear lift coils with BDS 3.5" top bolt in spacers, factory rear coils, and a bottom 1" spacer so the truck sits level with 5" lift in the front.

Luckily i had some buddies come over and help out with the lift. Having the right tools & power tools is a massive game changer. Let the tools do all the work. It's still not easy but as an engineer i really enjoy finding and fixing problems and making something objectively better for less $.

 

[Tozan]

Mine was built for going off road but, retaining good street manners...

I avoided any lifts over 4 inches because because for fast off road high lifts are not stable... I have a 4 inch lift and King suspension... 75 mph dirt roads / desert roads no problem running on asphalt I have done 110 mph no problem.

The only time mine swayed was when I had both sway-bars removed and POS Rancho shocks... Rancho Shocks and struts... While Bilstiens may be better than stock I would certainly not put them in a good category. Although this may depend on your driving and what terrain you drive on. I would rate King or Fox as good... How old are your shocks? Are they valved for a lifted truck? If they are stock length and valved for a stock set up this could be contributing to the problem too.

You said you tried different wheels and tires. Are you running the recommended tire offset for your lift kit? Are you running a high enough tire pressure? I have seen people put 35 psi in tires rated for 65 psi and that will make them more spongy side to side... When I got new tires the shop put 32 in mine and it was pretty loose feeling so, I am running 60 psi street and 18 psi off road...

For some reason I am thinking your problem might be related to something loose or worn out that is causing an oscillation side to side. Or maybe several things added up.

 

[Mordechai]

Mine was built for going off road but, retaining good street manners...

I avoided any lifts over 4 inches because because for fast off road high lifts are not stable... I have a 4 inch lift and King suspension... 75 mph dirt roads / desert roads no problem running on asphalt I have done 110 mph no problem.

The only time mine swayed was when I had both sway-bars removed and POS Rancho shocks... Rancho Shocks and struts... While Bilstiens may be better than stock I would certainly not put them in a good category. Although this may depend on your driving and what terrain you drive on. I would rate King or Fox as good... How old are your shocks? Are they valved for a lifted truck? If they are stock length and valved for a stock set up this could be contributing to the problem too.

You said you tried different wheels and tires. Are you running the recommended tire offset for your lift kit? Are you running a high enough tire pressure? I have seen people put 35 psi in tires rated for 65 psi and that will make them more spongy side to side... When I got new tires the shop put 32 in mine and it was pretty loose feeling so, I am running 60 psi street and 18 psi off road...

For some reason I am thinking your problem might be related to something loose or worn out that is causing an oscillation side to side. Or maybe several things added up.

I honestly didn't think 6 inches was a lot for a lift. I was looking at 7-8 because it seems like that's what everyone is running. On regular roads its mostly fine. If I wasn't using my vehicle to drive long freeways and fast country roads multiple times a week I probably wouldn't care or complain about this issue. Its bumpy freeways and high speed backroads that get a little sketchy.

And regarding shocks, ill break down the 3 different strut setups. All were brand new.

The Rough Country lifted coilovers rode by far the worst. Bouncy, uncontrollable mess. They sent me 2 replacement sets, another 7.5 and a 5 inch. The new 7.5 was the same trash and 5 inch was a bit better at first but after a month rode like garbage again. Then I got Bilstein 5100's with the lift spacers on them, that was a huge improvement to stability, but the ride was quite rough over bumps etc. Lowering the tires to 38psi from 55 was an improvement but still rode harsh up front, so when I went to the Fabtech kit, they included adapters that let you use the OEM factory electronic ride struts with the lift, so I switched to that, stability is the same or similar to the Bilsteins, bumps are a lot more comfortable and not jarring anymore for the most part, but they seem to struggle with the 10 ply 33s I'm running when it comes to bigger rougher potholes etc. I do think the 5100's handled better overall and felt more solid than these so I might go back to them.

So my first wheel and tire setup was a wide 20x12 setup with -44 offset, but that was too bro for me, so I went to my current more functional 17x9s on 33s. I'm not sure what is recommended but there's been no difference in this issue when I switched wheel and tire setups. I was thinking of going to an 8 ply or even 6 ply tire to see if I get any improvement in ride.

I do know that my front lower control arm ball joints move easily. I was able to flop them around by hand but they'd flop back to center on their own and didn't have any up or down movement and my buddy said that's fine. I wonder if that could cause any of this. Other than that basically every normal wear part is new, including Kryptonite upper control arms I upgraded to.

 

[Doubeleive]

I have a 4.5" lift on my silverado, rides real nice I put 5100's all around, that being said, yes it is rough on bumps and things if going lightly, the 5100's like to be worked otherwise they are a little stiff, the 4600's are supposed to be a slightly smoother ride

 

[swathdiver]

I honestly didn't think 6 inches was a lot for a lift. I was looking at 7-8 because it seems like that's what everyone is running. On regular roads its mostly fine. If I wasn't using my vehicle to drive long freeways and fast country roads multiple times a week I probably wouldn't care or complain about this issue. Its bumpy freeways and high speed backroads that get a little sketchy.

And regarding shocks, ill break down the 3 different strut setups. All were brand new.

The Rough Country lifted coilovers rode by far the worst. Bouncy, uncontrollable mess. They sent me 2 replacement sets, another 7.5 and a 5 inch. The new 7.5 was the same trash and 5 inch was a bit better at first but after a month rode like garbage again. Then I got Bilstein 5100's with the lift spacers on them, that was a huge improvement to stability, but the ride was quite rough over bumps etc. Lowering the tires to 38psi from 55 was an improvement but still rode harsh up front, so when I went to the Fabtech kit, they included adapters that let you use the OEM factory electronic ride struts with the lift, so I switched to that, stability is the same or similar to the Bilsteins, bumps are a lot more comfortable and not jarring anymore for the most part, but they seem to struggle with the 10 ply 33s I'm running when it comes to bigger rougher potholes etc. I do think the 5100's handled better overall and felt more solid than these so I might go back to them.

So my first wheel and tire setup was a wide 20x12 setup with -44 offset, but that was too bro for me, so I went to my current more functional 17x9s on 33s. I'm not sure what is recommended but there's been no difference in this issue when I switched wheel and tire setups. I was thinking of going to an 8 ply or even 6 ply tire to see if I get any improvement in ride.

I do know that my front lower control arm ball joints move easily. I was able to flop them around by hand but they'd flop back to center on their own and didn't have any up or down movement and my buddy said that's fine. I wonder if that could cause any of this. Other than that basically every normal wear part is new, including Kryptonite upper control arms I upgraded to.

If there is more than one millimeter of movement, your ball joints are no good. Most folks need a dial indicator to see this.

 

[Dustin Jackson]

I honestly didn't think 6 inches was a lot for a lift. I was looking at 7-8 because it seems like that's what everyone is running. On regular roads its mostly fine. If I wasn't using my vehicle to drive long freeways and fast country roads multiple times a week I probably wouldn't care or complain about this issue. Its bumpy freeways and high speed backroads that get a little sketchy.

And regarding shocks, ill break down the 3 different strut setups. All were brand new.

The Rough Country lifted coilovers rode by far the worst. Bouncy, uncontrollable mess. They sent me 2 replacement sets, another 7.5 and a 5 inch. The new 7.5 was the same trash and 5 inch was a bit better at first but after a month rode like garbage again. Then I got Bilstein 5100's with the lift spacers on them, that was a huge improvement to stability, but the ride was quite rough over bumps etc. Lowering the tires to 38psi from 55 was an improvement but still rode harsh up front, so when I went to the Fabtech kit, they included adapters that let you use the OEM factory electronic ride struts with the lift, so I switched to that, stability is the same or similar to the Bilsteins, bumps are a lot more comfortable and not jarring anymore for the most part, but they seem to struggle with the 10 ply 33s I'm running when it comes to bigger rougher potholes etc. I do think the 5100's handled better overall and felt more solid than these so I might go back to them.

So my first wheel and tire setup was a wide 20x12 setup with -44 offset, but that was too bro for me, so I went to my current more functional 17x9s on 33s. I'm not sure what is recommended but there's been no difference in this issue when I switched wheel and tire setups. I was thinking of going to an 8 ply or even 6 ply tire to see if I get any improvement in ride.

I do know that my front lower control arm ball joints move easily. I was able to flop them around by hand but they'd flop back to center on their own and didn't have any up or down movement and my buddy said that's fine. I wonder if that could cause any of this. Other than that basically every normal wear part is new, including Kryptonite upper control arms I upgraded to.

@JewBoi Those should not be floppy, they should be hard to move by hand. I don't think that this is the root cause of your problem but it is probably amplifying the symptoms you are having.

 

[Mordechai]

If there is more than one millimeter of movement, your ball joints are no good. Most folks need a dial indicator to see this.

@JewBoi Those should not be floppy, they should be hard to move by hand. I don't think that this is the root cause of your problem but it is probably amplifying the symptoms you are having.

Alright thanks guys, I'm off to ordering new lower arms.

 

[Mordechai]

I have a 4.5" lift on my silverado, rides real nice I put 5100's all around, that being said, yes it is rough on bumps and things if going lightly, the 5100's like to be worked otherwise they are a little stiff, the 4600's are supposed to be a slightly smoother ride

Id be worried of the 4600's being too soft allowing for excess body roll? Not sure honestly.

 

[Doubeleive]

Id be worried of the 4600's being too soft allowing for excess body roll? Not sure honestly.

well it's just an idea, the springs are what do most of the work.
maybe go hit up a big shop that does lifts all the time like 4wheel parts or whoever is big in your region, those guys do this stuff for a living so they should be able to offer some more hands on help.

 

[Coyote1987]

Hi everyone, I'm trying to figure out this extremely annoying problem. I'm lifted on a 6 inch Fabtech lift but used to be on a 7.5 inch RC lift and I've tried factory struts, RC upgraded struts, and Bilstein 5100 struts with no difference in this feeling. I've had Bilstein 5100s in the rear the entire time its been lifted since a year ago but Bilstein is supposed to be good so I've never thought that to be a problem. Tried replacing all the sway bar bushings and end links as well put spherical end links up front which helped a bit but not enough, also tried different rear springs and wheel and tire setups to no avail. Was thinking of going to a solid rear sway bar maybe? Not sure.

I have no idea how to describe this feeling, going over certain bumps (not all) and uneven roads will make the truck go from side to side HARD throwing me around a decent amount. Especially on the freeway it feels a bit unstable especially in bends. It often makes me feel sick due to having to drive lots of freeway, as well as makes my body hurt from trying to keep my body straight and not be thrown around by my truck. Its been like this since I lifted it. Is this just normal lifted behavior or do I have an issue? All of my control arm & cv angles are good. Please help

Thank you

Did u do it yourself? If the shocks were not changed they can be stretched and cause uneven ride.