I have always owned a pickup, my last one a 2000 2wd Sierra was very nice for getting in and out and my wife could also get in and out ok.
I just bought a 2wd 2011 Sierra, its uncomfortably high for me, and my wife cannot get in.
Putting "steps" isnt the answer as they get icy/slippery and get your dress pants leg dirty when getting in/out.
I ran into a fellow who bought a Lowering Kit off a craigs listing. Kind of a one of. He solved his problem, but my limited knowledge of the mechanical s isn't helping me find anything like that. And I would be hiring it out when I do it.
I live in a rural area, so there arent any customizing shops around either...
Can we just bash GM for letting the height go up on the new body style, and then point me in the direction of a "kit" I can order to lower it to a reasonable height. This is not going to be a "Low Rider". Just the height of the 2000 series 2wd..
Thanks for your help.

 

Well, to be perfectly honest, I don't know if you will find a mild enough lowering kit to nicely lower the truck enough to allow for easy entry. I would look into smaller tires. That has the capability to lower it at least an inch or two.

You might also look into lowering your seat, or having the dealer install a memory seat option, so when you enter/exit the truck, the seat will go all the way back and down for you, and when you're situated, it will move back to your settings.

They've undoubtedly raised the truck's ride eight to compete with Dodge, and their high sales to young people who like tall trucks ... Personally, I like my trucks good and tall. It's all preference, really. I would consult with the dealer and see what they can do to lower it a little bit. If the truck has torsion bars, then you can just dial them down a little.

 

Did some poking around for lowering kits, a little curious about the cost, and I recommend you sit down and put on some relaxing music before you do too much shopping. The kits I saw were about $1300, and it's going to be quite involved, mechanically. That's crazy, considering I just put a 3.5" lift on my 2010 Silverado and it was only about $350. I know you said steps weren't an option, but I had the same problem with my wife getting in and out, and I put a set of Tuff Bars on tonight after work. They really don't stick out that far and they were only $170, for the polished set. I put them on in about an hour and half. If you change your mind about the bars, check em' out on CarID's website. Good luck.

 

In the winter, those "steps/bars" get full of snow slush and ice. Good way to wind up under the truck.
Putting smaller tires will only hurt the gas mileage, so thats not an option for me either.
07-11 SILVERADO 3"- 5" LOWERING DROP KIT DJM Shocks V8 | eBay
This is the kind of kit, the two ref's to inches is the first one is drop on front, second one is drop on rear. They come 1-3, 2-4, 3-5"
Ive talked to a local shop that has done ONE kit, they said labor estimate for a kit like that is $500 including a front end alignment (you need that BAD after lowering)
I know there are two sets of truck fans.
Higher the Better, and us older fellows that just want a FULL SIZE PICKUP that carries light-medium freight. I put a cap or topper on and haul bird dogs. Us older guys dont want a subsized truck either.. We are in our late 50's and older and want ease of getting in and out. We also want to be able to get our "wimmen" in and out without a stepladder. Begin thinking knee replacement and other sorts of getting old issues.. We dont want a LOWRIDER, just normal getting in and out height.

 

What about something like this combined with this.

Looks like that will lower the entire truck two inches. Looks to be decently easy too, as long as you're good with swapping out the front knuckle, and rear leaf spring shackles.
Could be a big task if you're not mechanically inclined, physically able, or have the tools and equipment to do it. If you like the parts, I'd buy 'em and take it in and ask the shop to install it.

I've had a front steering knuckle out of a a front wheel drive car with CV axles and struts in about 20 minutes. I wouldn't expect something like I linked to to take excessively long to do.

 

I can completely understand the concern with finding yourself under the truck, and not changing the oil. Nullhead found pretty good price on parts. May need to know how a 2" drop will affect your turning radius. Just as putting larger tires on mine made me have to raise it a little higher; lowering the truck may mean you'll need, at least a lower profile tire. Just something else to keep in mind. Best of luck.

 

Been looking into the tire size v.s. MPG, and here's what I found... basically if you do mostly highway driving, when the truck is in overdrive, than smaller diameter will worsen MPG's. However, if you're not traveling at highway speeds, then the amount of torque exerted to turn larger diameter tires robs you of any fuel economy. In regards to MPG's the idea that a larger diameter will cover more ground: is superseded by the amount of fuel required to move that same tire. So, in addition to the possibility of needing to reduce profile size to keep your turning radius, with the aforementioned lowering kit you could increase fuel economy. Apparently, it's all about overall diameter, rather than just tire or wheel size alone. Hope this helps.

 

The shackle to lower is part of the big kit, cause I need the cab (front) lowered also. If you notice, the trucks all sit a little higher in the rear so the kits lower 2" more in the rear end vs the front.
Gas mileage is an issue, the rear end is 3.23 and it seems to have tons of torque. I really dont pull or haul anything. Think a 1 seat car, with a big back seat. Thats what I use/want a truck for.
You cant reach over the side of the box and touch the the truck bed. So if you need to pick up anything off the truck bed, you need to open the gate, and crawl in. Oh, the gate is so high, you almost need a step to get up there.
When I put the cap on, that will mean going thru the tail gate for everything, which I am used to, even in my 2000 Sierra. (but it was much lower) I put a rubber floormat in the box, it helps keep things from sliding around.
This aint cute when youre in your 60's. Probably gets less cute as I age.
GM really eff'ed up IMHO.

 

Well I realize that the bed's height is taller than the cab's height, but if you want the truck level, then you might actually need something else.

Lowering the entire truck 2" seems to be like it would help allot with getting in and out. You could probably drop the bed 3" and the front 2" if you want, but you risk having the bed too low, and bottoming out if you ever load it down. You would be the one to know if that will ever happen though

yes, it is possible that you'll need to get smaller ties, but I don't think it will be too bad just lowering it 2". The shop installing your parts should be able to help you with tires.

 

You can lower the rear up too 4 inches with just shackles and hangers. Easy to do shackles for 2 inch drop, takes about 30 mins with a jack and couple wrenches.