Hi to all. I would like some guidence on a front 1 1/2" to 2" lift kit. I would like to know the best way (right way) to do this. I was told at my local tire store that I could adjust the torsion bar to get some lift out of that. Frankly I dont feel comfortable or that would be in the best interest of the truck to do so. So I am thinking besides the lift, I would also need to get new shocks, right? Here is a discription of truck:

2007silverado LTZ (new style)
extended cab
2wd w/Z71 offroad suspension
5.3L vortec
standard bed 6.5'
after market wheels (momo storms 20")
still have factory wheels and tires

Thanks for your help!

 

You dont have to get new shocks. You can but its not that big of a deal. The only problem you will have is that you will not have as much articulation, which i am going to assume is not a big deal to you. I run stock shocks on my 3" lift because its way cheaper! ($20 for stock, $60 for lift shocks) And I do not have any problems, even when I take it off road. This is all your call tho. I mean if I had the money I would get the longer ones but the stockers work just fine!

Now for that amount of lift you can crank up your torsion bars as you said (BAD IDEA) which will really cost you in the long run (ball joints, ect) and any good shop will tell you that when you do that you can not get a correct alignment. They can do it but it is just not done "right". Or you can get what they call a front leveling kit, which is what I am guessing you are looking to do. That is reasonably cheap and probably cheaper in the long run. Past that you have to go with a full blown lift kit, which i think the minimum is 3" front and rear.

Hope this helps.

 

i wouldn't lift a 2 wheel drive. drop it and get suspension. why a z7-1 package and no 4 wheel drive?

 

Apparently they offer them like that now. For farm applications in the south or for heavy hauling I can see where a two wheel drive would be best for the added payload and better fuel economy. As far as lifting it I would go with the leveling kit as it will benefit you the most and do everything you want it to. Torsion bars: BAD

 

The right way is lift spindles. Your truck will ride factory, the shocks are unaffected, and there is no need to do an alignment. They are more than the torsion bar key kits, but once you figure all the extra's you have to do, plus your truck will ride rougher it's a no brainer. Plus you can bolt them on in your driveway and if you ever want to put it back down just put the stock ones back on. Just my opinion.

 

off-set, low-pros

 

Thanks for your responses. I am looking just to level the truck not put a lift kit. I want to get taller tires for the 20" wheels which means lifting the front. I dont like the rake look on trucks. The truck came with the z71 suspension package. Just a little heavyier duty suspension I suppose. I dont want to alter the suspension if it is going to cause problems in the long run. As for the torsion bar, that just didnt seem to be a very good sugestion to me, dont feel right doing it. What do you mean by articulation? Any recomendation for lift spindles? Brand?

 

I also am trying to learn on this. So i'm assuming a body lift is the same as a leveling lift? How exactly does that work? How hard is it to do yourself? Does a suspension lift help with your suspension i'm assuming? How much would it help on/off road? Is there any other type of lift? Thanks, Tyler!

 

1) Articulation is how much verticle travel you have in your axel/wheels. Mainly needed in off road applications. I use my truck off road a lot and honestly I have never been like "damn, I wish I had another 3" of articulation." So because your truck is 2WD I am guessing that doesnt matter to you that much anyway. With stock shocks you will have more than enough for any on road situation you will run into.

2)I dont know much about lift spindles, never delt with them.

3)Body lift and leveling kit are very very different. A body lift literally lifts the whole body up off the frame by repalcing the stock body mounts with ones that are 2-3" taller. In my opinion this looks kind of goofy if it is not suplimented with a suspension lift. Not to mention if you have nerf bars, brush gaurd, CAI, and some other things they will no longer work/look right because the only thing that raises is the body. Some say it is not too hard and some say it is. All depends on your ability and resources. This will help you NONE off road, no extra ground clearence, no extra suspension travel, mostly useless.

4) A front leveling kit consist of a) torsion keys (4x4) which are made different than the stocks to give the extra lift. or b) coil spring spacers (2WD) which literally add a little extra length to the coil springs.

5) A suspension lift is the most expensive way to go but also to most effective. All of the others are only good for 2-3" where as a suspension lift can go from 3" to 9"+. This will be the best way to help off road, giving you the extra ground clearence and suspension travel. If your looking to go this route I suggest a lot of reasearch before you do anthing.

Hope this helps you guys. Questions welcome. Its a big subject.

 

personally i'm not much on the big rims. these guys are all right too. if you want bigger tires just to have bigger tires and you don't have enough room in the fender wells, you have to think of how much it's going to increase your front end. if you ahve to level it out 2 inches and your enw tires are 2 inches taller, you jsut raised your front end 4 inches. that's alot. your suspensions is great. Z-71 off road suspension is awesome. at the same time though, sinc eyou don't have the 4 wheel option, you got on-off road tires, a skid plate, fog lamps and rims. you got new rims and tires. basically you would be losing money, is it really all that worth it? i know it pulls just fine. but to spend that much extra money just for some bigger tires, but no 4 wheel drive? i'm not being an *** i promise, just logical. what do you typically pull? bumper pull, fifth wheel> trailers or boats?