2008 H2 on 38" Open Country MT with Rockstar

[citiboy]

Hey guys, just want to share some stuff that i did to my truck....still to do some fine tuning to get rid of a slight rubbing on the frame while on full turn :D

Stock 35"
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq224/barako13/New%20tires%20and%20stuff/IMG_3544.jpg

38" tires installed
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq224/barako13/New%20tires%20and%20stuff/IMG_3546.jpg

Tires, rims and wide off-road fender flares installed. Cranked the TB 1.5", i will replaced them with the GM green keys to get the full 2" lift and install 1.5" rear spacer. Rides a little noiser compare to the stock BFG's but hey, not bad for MT tires. Ordered the front Cognito UCA, steering support bracket and 4 longer Bilstein shocks.

http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq224/barako13/New%20tires%20and%20stuff/IMG_3567.jpg
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq224/barako13/New%20tires%20and%20stuff/IMG_3568.jpg
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq224/barako13/New%20tires%20and%20stuff/IMG_3570.jpg
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq224/barako13/New%20tires%20and%20stuff/IMG_3571.jpg
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq224/barako13/New%20tires%20and%20stuff/IMG_3575.jpg
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq224/barako13/New%20tires%20and%20stuff/IMG_3576.jpg
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq224/barako13/New%20tires%20and%20stuff/IMG_3559.jpg

[jsbihn]

wow thaat exactly the look i would like for my truck.
at least for now
(well and minus the rockstars)

where did you get the fender flares and does your truck sit level?
Do you have air ride still in the back?

Oh btw, what is your ground to top of roof rack measurement?
I hope to hear good numbers since i actually have a clearance issue I will have to deal with
it is nice to have someone already doing this so I could find out and not end up making a very bad and costly mistake
Thanks for the info

[citiboy]

wow thaat exactly the look i would like for my truck.
at least for now
(well and minus the rockstars)

where did you get the fender flares and does your truck sit level?
Do you have air ride still in the back?

Oh btw, what is your ground to top of roof rack measurement?
I hope to hear good numbers since i actually have a clearance issue I will have to deal with
it is nice to have someone already doing this so I could find out and not end up making a very bad and costly mistake
Thanks for the info

I got the fender flares from Hummer Parts Club, i found that they have the lowest price. My truck sits pretty much level...i took the measurements from the ground to the lower lip of the fender flares....front: 43.5" rear: 44". I just installed 1.5" rear coil spring spacer. No air suspension. Planning to install gm green keys in few days.

Ok, it measured 7'1" from the ground to the top of the rear crossbars since the rear of my truck sits 1/2" higher than the front.

Hope this helps!

[charles06]

When you measure the height of your truck, use that crease that runs down the doors for your measurements...each end of the crease. I realize the crease is not toward the ends of the vehicle, but the fenders are cut differently front to rear. They are not the same height from the ground, even if your truck was sitting on its frame with no wheels, tires, suspension, etc.

Truck looks great, btw!

[guruerror]

Hey guys, just want to share some stuff that i did to my truck....still to do some fine tuning to get rid of a slight rubbing on the frame while on full turn :D
LOOKS GREAT! And that is a MONSTER winch...at first I thought you had a mini fridge attached to the front. LOL!

When you measure the height of your truck, use that crease that runs down the doors for your measurements...each end of the crease. I realize the crease is not toward the ends of the vehicle, but the fenders are cut differently front to rear. They are not the same height from the ground, even if your truck was sitting on its frame with no wheels, tires, suspension, etc.

Truck looks great, btw!
I always measure to the rock rails to determine if it's level...I guess it's six in one, half a dozen in the other... :)

[H2Much]

I know this is a dumb question as I have read it several times before, but
- What is the part number for the green keys
- Can you install them on something that is already lifted, is it hard to do?

I ask because I have been needing just the slightest lift in the front and I keep reading about the green keys. I am assuming that they are the keys that you torque up on the torsion suspension in the front, am I right?

Anyway, if someone can shoot me part numbers in a PM and let me know if you have any pics or how hard it is to change them out, I would like to do this too.

Thanks in advance for the info which I am sure has been mentioned in this forum a million times already, lol.

[citiboy]

I know this is a dumb question as I have read it several times before, but
- What is the part number for the green keys
- Can you install them on something that is already lifted, is it hard to do?

I ask because I have been needing just the slightest lift in the front and I keep reading about the green keys. I am assuming that they are the keys that you torque up on the torsion suspension in the front, am I right?

Anyway, if someone can shoot me part numbers in a PM and let me know if you have any pics or how hard it is to change them out, I would like to do this too.

Thanks in advance for the info which I am sure has been mentioned in this forum a million times already, lol.

GM P/N 15592573 this is the stock keys for the 1500 trucks. I haven't install mine yet but it's pretty straight forward...you need a torsion bar tool to remove the keys and need to jack-up the front to remove the pressure from the torsion bar.....use extreme caution on this type of job....google is your friend for instructions on how to remove the keys.

Hope this helps!

[guruerror]

GM P/N 15592573 this is the stock keys for the 1500 trucks. I haven't install mine yet but it's pretty straight forward...you need a torsion bar tool to remove the keys and need to jack-up the front to remove the pressure from the torsion bar.....use extreme caution on this type of job....google is your friend for instructions on how to remove the keys.

Hope this helps!
I had a buddy put mine on a lift in his shop to swap the keys...it was a real pain getting the bars out. He had to heat them up with a torch to break them free from the stock keys.

[Crush'em]

What size wheels are they? Do you know the offset or backspace?

[citiboy]

What size wheels are they? Do you know the offset or backspace?

Wheels: 18x9
Bolt pattern: 8x6.5
Offset: 0
Backspace: 4.75

[citiboy]

Test of my MT tires and suspensions. I'm surprised how good these tires performed, it was night and day plus i don't have any rubbing issues at all......well, except on full turn.

Enjoy :D

http://youtu.be/aoBbP91GTXw

http://youtu.be/Slr4U_N_VJM

Sorry for the crappy iphone video.

Some vids before the big change

http://youtu.be/HHPamkrWbiY

Slippin' and slidin'

http://youtu.be/g6YTZYyigAs

[Hellz]

wow, those 38's fill the wheel well up nicely....

im starting to shop for new tires, and have been thinking of the Toyo's MT.
currently running 37 BFG MT, and have a spare i never used... but i like the idea of throwing 38's under there without a lift ( other than keys)



btw.. good thing you have your tires chaulked in the first pic.. glad to see safety being used!:giggling:

[seventwozero]

Are those tires the 38x13.50 or the 38x15.50? The truck looks great! My 37x13.50 Toyo MT's have another year or so left and I've been considering going larger too.

[citiboy]

wow, those 38's fill the wheel well up nicely....

im starting to shop for new tires, and have been thinking of the Toyo's MT.
currently running 37 BFG MT, and have a spare i never used... but i like the idea of throwing 38's under there without a lift ( other than keys)



btw.. good thing you have your tires chaulked in the first pic.. glad to see safety being used!:giggling:

i'm startin' to like these Toyo MT's....they're awesome in the mud...well, compare to the stock BFG's. I think 38's are the biggest size that we could fit on the H2 without the lift, only gm green keys and 1.5" rear spacer. I'm never fan of a lift...it lowers the crossmember and the torsion bar which is prone to rock damages and of course the center of gravity. For me, functionality first and then the looks.

I'm a master tech at honda (don't ask why i'm drivin' this awesome rig :giggling: ) always safety first :D .

[citiboy]

Are those tires the 38x13.50 or the 38x15.50? The truck looks great! My 37x13.50 Toyo MT's have another year or so left and I've been considering going larger too.

They are 38x13.50x18....i was goin' to install the 37x13.50x17 but got a killer deal on the 38's with the rockstar. Plus the 0 offset of the rockstar are great for off-road and for the wheel bearings as well. Minor rubbing on full turn...but, i don't drive on full turn everytime :D

[vetteSUT]

Quick question... Did you regear? What mileage drop did you see??

[scottminor]

Just got new KM2s 37 12.5 17s stock suspension, no torsion bar adjustment.

[citiboy]

Quick question... Did you regear? What mileage drop did you see??

Not yet, still on the to do list. 2-3mpg drop from this set-up. Hoping to gain it back with the re-gear.

[Hellz]

you should gain some MPG back... not sure if you will get the full 3 mpg though...

on 37's.. i regeared to 4.88's.
prior on 4.10 gears i was getting 8.8mpg
after the regear i get a even 10.0 maybe 10.1 soon.....

i do about 20 miles every day HW driving. maybe about another 20 miles city streets driving.

also, when i drive on the HW, im normally going about 70ish to 80ish.

when i have driven long distance on the HW ( 60+ miles) the avg MPG stays around 11mpg at 70ish mph

[guruerror]

Citiboy: You still getting rub at full lock? Or were you able to tweak that out? We've got a very similar setup with Cognito, keys, spacers, etc.

I'm on BFG MTs 37x12.5s now, but am think about the Toyos 38x13.5 for my next set. I'm still trying to get a feel for tread life though...I hear mixed things; some say BFG MTs last longer some say Toyos...

[citiboy]

guru, yes, i still have rubbing issues at full lock...i installed 2" wheel spacers but it got worst...i turned the wheels 15 degrees and it would jammed at the rear fender flares so, i removed 'em and now in the classified section http://www.elcovaforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42965. My next attempt is to install 2" body lift and 1" spacers.

I can't say anything about the BFG MT's because i've never used them but the Toyo MT's are awesome well compare to stock BFG's. It's noiser than stock BFG's and i definitely feel the tread when slowing down.

[guruerror]

guru, yes, i still have rubbing issues at full lock...i installed 2" wheel spacers but it got worst...i turned the wheels 15 degrees and it would jammed at the rear fender flares so, i removed 'em and now in the classified section http://www.elcovaforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42965. My next attempt is to install 2" body lift and 1" spacers.

I can't say anything about the BFG MT's because i've never used them but the Toyo MT's are awesome well compare to stock BFG's. It's noiser than stock BFG's and i definitely feel the tread when slowing down.
Thanks for the info...food for thought.

[[__--MUD--__]]

guru, yes, i still have rubbing issues at full lock...i installed 2" wheel spacers but it got worst...i turned the wheels 15 degrees and it would jammed at the rear fender flares so, i removed 'em

My 04 was rubbing exactly like your was. I'd really like to figure out why some rigs run certain wheel/tire combos great and others don't even come close. Seems like now the majority can run the spacers no problem. I used to think it was the earlier year vehicles, but its not. I just can't believe there is that much variance in the assembly process.