Z55 AWD Yukon Denali Lift

[superjet223]

I second that. I have my original front Mag ride in mine (170k miles on my '07) and I had to replace the rear compressor and both rear airbags with Arnott from Rock Auto which was easy to do. If the front Mag ride goes out then I may look into switching to Bilstein in the front only but we'll see how my wallet looks at that time haha. The handling of the mag ride is fantastic, paired with the AWD, it's a fun truck.

When I first looked into lifting this truck it seemed a little intimidating and many places say you can't lift them due to this fancy suspension but you just need to reposition the sensors to their original angles. Take photos before any work is done and do a little research. Currently I have a small bracket to change the angle of the sensor. For the back I had to change that angle to add/release air to match the front height. Eventually will replace with longer full thread rod to make it more pretty and I've had the rod for a year but that project is low on the list. Everything has been working for a year and no DIC codes. Airs up and down with load as it should.

 

[tsuttie99]

I do a lot of backroad/forest road/DNR camping with it and have no issues. Honestly I just have the Pro Comp 2.5" level in the front which is like $140 and then I forget which 1" spacer for the rear air bag struts and then just repositioned that rear level sensor a bit so it airs up that last bit of difference to get level with the front. Then the 33" tires add negligible height. It's my everyday driver (soon to be my wife's kid mobile) so I wanted the stock Mag ride and air ride comfort and I am very happy. This replaced my 2000 XL with 4wd hi/low and this has been just as capable off road and much safer for the wife everyday driving in the wet PNW. I couldn't be happier with this truck and the 6.2 is a beast. Let me know if you want to know more. I did all this in my parking space at my old apartment.

Thanks for this! I really appreciate the info. I was looking around online and found some kits on suspensionmaxx that list compatibility with the denali's z55 package. With your 33's do you feel you get adequate clearances for the type of conditions you find yourself in?

Just a few things to mention in case it's helpful. The mag ride and air ride are 2 different but integrated systems - lots of confusion out there on that. Also, I have 2 XL Denali's that have their mag and air ride systems intact, and I love the system. Excellent ride and handling for such a large truck. It's reliable and easy to work on, and the parts are available on rock auto inexpensively if anything needs replacing. My 2007 still has its original front mag ride shocks with 220K on them. My 2012 does as well but it only has 130K. The rear air shocks and compressor are more likely to need replacing, but they're easy to do. And, as others have said, it's a straightforward process if you want to add ground clearance.

This is very helpful, I am not only new to the yukon/sub/tahoe platform, but also fairly inexperienced with aftermarket suspension in general. I am just a guy that loves bush camping and is somewhat inclined when it comes to automotive. Glad to have you guys as resources before jumping into this purchase.

 

[tsuttie99]

I second that. I have my original front Mag ride in mine (170k miles on my '07) and I had to replace the rear compressor and both rear airbags with Arnott from Rock Auto which was easy to do. If the front Mag ride goes out then I may look into switching to Bilstein in the front only but we'll see how my wallet looks at that time haha. The handling of the mag ride is fantastic, paired with the AWD, it's a fun truck.

When I first looked into lifting this truck it seemed a little intimidating and many places say you can't lift them due to this fancy suspension but you just need to reposition the sensors to their original angles. Take photos before any work is done and do a little research. Currently I have a small bracket to change the angle of the sensor. For the back I had to change that angle to add/release air to match the front height. Eventually will replace with longer full thread rod to make it more pretty and I've had the rod for a year but that project is low on the list. Everything has been working for a year and no DIC codes. Airs up and down with load as it should.

What kit(s) did you use? as i mentioned above, I have been looking at the suspensionmaxx kits below:

MAXXStak 1.5"/2"/2.25"/2.5" Adjustable Front Leveling Kit Magnetic RIde (SMX-GM725M) :: SuspensionMAXX

MAXXStak 1.5 "/2"/2.25"/2.5" Height Adjustable Chevy Leveling Kit for ‘07-‘17 half ton trucks & ‘07-‘17 half ton SUV's. KITS AVAILABLE FOR MOST CHEVY TRUCKS.

suspensionmaxx.com

MAXXStak 1.5" Rear Leveling Kit Magnetic Ride (SMX-15150M) :: SuspensionMAXX

Magnetic Ride Rear Lift Spacer

suspensionmaxx.com

any feedback on these would be appreciated!

 

[superjet223]

Thanks for this! I really appreciate the info. I was looking around online and found some kits on suspensionmaxx that list compatibility with the denali's z55 package. With your 33's do you feel you get adequate clearances for the type of conditions you find yourself in?



This is very helpful, I am not only new to the yukon/sub/tahoe platform, but also fairly inexperienced with aftermarket suspension in general. I am just a guy that loves bush camping and is somewhat inclined when it comes to automotive. Glad to have you guys as resources before jumping into this purchase.

I feel the 33's are adequate, yes. But keep in mind like I mentioned in a past post using common sense, patience, and good line choice makes the biggest impact off the pavement.

As much as I would love to go 35's that's a whole new animal just like going above this lift would be (if that's where you were heading with the 33" question). You'd most likely need closer to a 6" lift to clear 35's because the NorCal mod won't give you enough clearance. Plus you would need to do some bumper trimming in addition.

Side note, I wanted to keep my stock automatic side step for my wife so I had to loosen it and slide it towards the back wheel. With my 33" tires it's about as close to the back tire without rubbing in order to clear the front tires turning radius. I didn't want to get into cutting the side steps or anything because it looked complicated. It's not like there's an end cap I can remove, cut, and cover back up. It seems to be all one piece with the length of the step so this was a simple solution that wouldn't be possible with larger tires.

But great questions and keep them coming. I'm not much a car/truck guy but a capable handyman who doesn't like other people working on my stuff so I've just done a lot of research and some trial and error with my old yukon and now this one. Lot of smarter guys on here than me to learn from and I'm just as appreciative for them!

 

[superjet223]

What kit(s) did you use? as i mentioned above, I have been looking at the suspensionmaxx kits below:

MAXXStak 1.5"/2"/2.25"/2.5" Adjustable Front Leveling Kit Magnetic RIde (SMX-GM725M) :: SuspensionMAXX

MAXXStak 1.5 "/2"/2.25"/2.5" Height Adjustable Chevy Leveling Kit for ‘07-‘17 half ton trucks & ‘07-‘17 half ton SUV's. KITS AVAILABLE FOR MOST CHEVY TRUCKS.

suspensionmaxx.com

MAXXStak 1.5" Rear Leveling Kit Magnetic Ride (SMX-15150M) :: SuspensionMAXX

Magnetic Ride Rear Lift Spacer

suspensionmaxx.com

any feedback on these would be appreciated!

I used that first one at 2.5" for the front. I don't have mag ride in the rear, I have the auto level air ride. Just did a 1" shock extender, I forget where I got it, And then aired up the bags to level it perfect.

 

[Pointer 21]

Just a few things to mention in case it's helpful. The mag ride and air ride are 2 different but integrated systems - lots of confusion out there on that. Also, I have 2 XL Denali's that have their mag and air ride systems intact, and I love the system. Excellent ride and handling for such a large truck. It's reliable and easy to work on, and the parts are available on rock auto inexpensively if anything needs replacing. My 2007 still has its original front mag ride shocks with 220K on them. My 2012 does as well but it only has 130K. The rear air shocks and compressor are more likely to need replacing, but they're easy to do. And, as others have said, it's a straightforward process if you want to add ground clearance.

You are correct about the misinformation out there (NOT SPEAKING TO THIS GROUP). I've spoken to a few shops (just got off with one). The kid had no idea what the heck was going on with the manager in the background saying "He can do a 3" 4" or 6" we can do all that".....let's discuss autoride z 55 suspension and the likely hood for a delete for the sensors (Crickets on the other end). HA HA

If I can get a little above just a level with a sporty look keeping my 22 x 9 rims (without sacrificing ride or all the money I spent on replacing every component to OEM suspension)...I'd be happy.

Auto ride is another beast....almost wish I deleted it but whatever its a daily driver, not my toy vehicle...

 

[tsuttie99]

I feel the 33's are adequate, yes. But keep in mind like I mentioned in a past post using common sense, patience, and good line choice makes the biggest impact off the pavement.

As much as I would love to go 35's that's a whole new animal just like going above this lift would be (if that's where you were heading with the 33" question). You'd most likely need closer to a 6" lift to clear 35's because the NorCal mod won't give you enough clearance. Plus you would need to do some bumper trimming in addition.

Side note, I wanted to keep my stock automatic side step for my wife so I had to loosen it and slide it towards the back wheel. With my 33" tires it's about as close to the back tire without rubbing in order to clear the front tires turning radius. I didn't want to get into cutting the side steps or anything because it looked complicated. It's not like there's an end cap I can remove, cut, and cover back up. It seems to be all one piece with the length of the step so this was a simple solution that wouldn't be possible with larger tires.

But great questions and keep them coming. I'm not much a car/truck guy but a capable handyman who doesn't like other people working on my stuff so I've just done a lot of research and some trial and error with my old yukon and now this one. Lot of smarter guys on here than me to learn from and I'm just as appreciative for them!

What tire size did you go with? I don't even have the vehicle yet and I am already looking lol. So far, for what I like to do, it seems like the BFG KO2's would be a good fit. I've seen some people run LT285/75R16 on tahoes which make it like 32.8" or something.

 

[tsuttie99]

@superjet223

So the day has come. I ended up picking up a 2010 Yukon XL Denali. she has 240k km or 150k freedom units.

so now the process begins. probably will start with the suspension maxx front and rear level. then need to figure out wheels and tires. at present has 275/55r20

 

[superjet223]

@superjet223

So the day has come. I ended up picking up a 2010 Yukon XL Denali. she has 240k km or 150k freedom units.

so now the process begins. probably will start with the suspension maxx front and rear level. then need to figure out wheels and tires. at present has 275/55r20
View attachment 380114

What a beauty, looks clean! That's a good find for the age/mileage. It's hard to find a truck around me with under 200k miles. It could use a little more height Couple things:
--I am unable to run any mud flaps with my setup. That's how close of clearance I have.
--I'm not sure my exact setup would fit with your side steps. I have the stock retractable steps and I had to slide them back as close to the rear tire as I could to get enough room in the front
--Lastly, look into the NorCal mod before tires if you want to go bigger. It's very simple with a grinder from harbor freight and some tap screws but if you want bigger tires it's most likely a must.
--Also, take note of the position of your ride height sensors now before making changes so you can adjust them after lifting.

Congrats and thanks for posting! Keep uploading the progress, we love this stuff

 

[tsuttie99]

What a beauty, looks clean! That's a good find for the age/mileage. It's hard to find a truck around me with under 200k miles. It could use a little more height Couple things:
--I am unable to run any mud flaps with my setup. That's how close of clearance I have.
--I'm not sure my exact setup would fit with your side steps. I have the stock retractable steps and I had to slide them back as close to the rear tire as I could to get enough room in the front
--Lastly, look into the NorCal mod before tires if you want to go bigger. It's very simple with a grinder from harbor freight and some tap screws but if you want bigger tires it's most likely a must.
--Also, take note of the position of your ride height sensors now before making changes so you can adjust them after lifting.

Congrats and thanks for posting! Keep uploading the progress, we love this stuff

Dearly noted and thank you! I am going to try and use the long, grueling Canadian winter to set it up for camping season 2023. I'm not familiar with the NorCal mod, so I will read into that. EDIT: LOL one google search and now i realize it has nothing to do with ride height.... If it has anything to do with the relocation of the ride height sensors, then I feel it wont be needed, as the suspension maxx kit comes with pre-fab'd sensor rod brackets so you can raise it up rather easily. Seems like the only kit i've seen out there doing this.

Also the running board, I might remove it and see what I think. It's not that tall of a truck, easy to get in and out of.