questions for my lift....

[2010_5thgen]

Im working on getting everything together for my lift.
#1.... I have the green keys.... question is, How much can i lift the truck with these without sacrificing the ride quality?
#2.... Next issue. Im going to order Rancho shocks S5000. The ones i was going to get are part # RS5289 for the front and RS5297 for the rear. These are for a 4" lift. Is this ok even if I only lift the truck 2-3"?
#3....I want to do spring spacers in the rear. depending how much i can lift the front with the green keys, but i was thinking 2" in the rear and 3" up front. so who makes a good spring spacer in a 2"?
#4....Would you recommend me getting the Rancho steering stabilizer? part # RS5407. I figure its a good idea when i get larger tires, but I thought it might help with the slight lift.

[H2Much]

You should be able to get a few, maybe 2-3 inches or so from the keys. Too much mroe and your ride becomes "unsafe", offroad shops will tell you that if you have them cranking them as it makes the front end not control itself very well.

If you are getting the bigger tires, (37's, right?) ride quality shouldn't be an issue. Tires will suck it up.

On the ranchos, can't help you there. I went with Bilsteins myself, so no opinion. With the rear, plan ahead as you are going to run into issues with the air system calibrating properly unless you go with coils. Spacers will throw off the calibrating arms on the sides and over time, will jack up your air ride. Some haven't had issues, but most have, so just be looking into that ahead of time. Ask GM dealer if they are familiar with calibrating those arms for airride balance on lifted vehicles. Once lifted, you will need ot have those arms recalibrated so that your airride functions properly. If they don't know how to do that, find someone who can, otherwise you will have issues, and it is not fun. Just my 2 cents based on my experience with this.

[2010_5thgen]

Sorry i should have made it clear. I do not have the air suspension in the rear.

[H2illBilly]

Along with the keys and spacers, look into Cognito upper control arms. You wont have to crank the crap out of the torsion bars and will have a better ride. Also corrects the CV angle. And you can add shock hoops and better ball joints.

[2010_5thgen]

got a link for any of that stuff? im still fairly new to finding good sites to buy from for the hummer.

[atomicgoofball]

got a link for any of that stuff? im still fairly new to finding good sites to buy from for the hummer.
http://www.teakatoys.com/2002_2007_Hummer_H2_Upper_Control_Arm_Kit_by_Cog_p /cog-ucak100001.htm

but if you google the cognito control arms hummer h2, you can probably find them cheaper through google sales

[2010_5thgen]

so how much can i lift the green keys before it turns the ride bad?

[2010_5thgen]

phase 1 of my lift is underway......new wheels! just ordered them yesterday. now i gotta order the tires. think im going to go with the toyo open country M/T 37's. ill post pics when they come in.

[iwillnc]

Dunno if you know about the dmax store, all 2500 parts pretty much same as h2, so it works perfect, this link is to the kryptonite tierods just go through the site everything you would ever need is here


EDIT: forgot to add link lmao

http://dmaxstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=23_173_30&products_id=377

[2010_5thgen]

What exactly will these tie rods do to help me out?

[Big.Z.hummin]

What exactly will these tie rods do to help me out?
well once you lift it and get bigger tires ect. the already weak stock tie rods will snap like a toothpick. the kryptonite and rareparts tierods are much beefier.. and i mean much BEEFIER than the stock ones

[2010_5thgen]

So the tie rods are a must when leveling and or lifting? So i should focus my first mod on the shocks and tie rods after i get the wheels on.

[Big.Z.hummin]

well its not a huge issue if you never offroad it it. mine is leveled with 37's and im still running on stock tie rods and I take it wheeling whenever I can. Its really up to how bulletproof you want your suspension to be

[guruerror]

So the tie rods are a must when leveling and or lifting? So i should focus my first mod on the shocks and tie rods after i get the wheels on.
If you're not wheeling I wouldn't worry about tie rods too much. I snapped one once, but I was on a pretty treacherous trail that required a lot of articulating over large rocks. When you start putting all that weight on the front wheels that's when those tie rods just can't hang.

If you do decide to upgrade them though...definitely go with DMax's Kryptonite; and stay away from the Cognito rods (I only got two years out of them and they got all loosy goosey).

Also, check this out: http://dmaxstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=274_158_159&products_id=324

I started with just the Truxxx keys and 37s. By the time the truck measured level by cracking the bars with the new keys it road like sh!t. A month later I went with the Cognito UCA Leveling Kit and the longer Bilstein/Cognito shocks (and some of the pitman/idler supports)...the difference was incredible. The ride was great.

[2010_5thgen]

I still have some of my warranty left. So Im not sure i need new tie rods just yet. If i have issues ill definitely upgrade. And when i do new shocks, will it be better for me if i get them a bit longer travel than the lift is for? Ill probability the front a total of 2 1/2" and the rear 2". But the shocks i was looking at from rancho are for lifted front and rear 4".

[charles06]

If you lift the truck and put on bigger tires, the dealer might not honor your warranty for the tie-rods. I understand they have to prove cause and affect, but they might give you crap. I just replaced my Congnito's with Kryptonite's, and the difference in size/strength is incredible. And the Cognito's are bigger than stock...

[2010_5thgen]

I have a pretty good hook up at my dealership.:D

[2010_5thgen]

So what about the shock question though? If Im not lifting it the full amount the shock is made for, is that ok?

[charles06]

That's good about the hook-up at your dealership. I have a similar situation, but I've also had the opposite, and it sucked.

You should be ok with the shocks. If the stroke is off by an inch or two, no big deal...assuming the shock has the length for that. Have you considered Fabtech's Dirt Logic's? Very good shock, but not sure if they have your desired height. I'd also give Bilstein a shot.

I'm assuming you know this, but the best thing to do is take the required measurements, then start making phone calls. Many manufacturers have shocks that will fit different trucks/applications.

[2010_5thgen]

i have concidered getting my measurements and going that route, but i figure its cheaper and easier to buy the ones that will give me extra travel as opposed to less travel. so i should be good lifting the front 2 1/2" and the rear 2" and using a 4" lift shock?

[charles06]

In theory, yes. But remember, it's the travel you need to worry about, and your mounting points. For example, if you take a Bilstein 7100 series shock with 14" of travel and mount it in a fashion that you have 4" of compression and 10" of extension available, that might not fit what you need it to do.

I don't want to get too complicated here. Really, your best option might be to find others on here with the similar set-up you're after, and ask them to take measurements. Ideally, you'd want three measurements...static, extended, and compressed. But if you get at least the static measurement, you should be able to call a company like Bilstein, and they could help you out.

Sorry if this has made it too complicated.

[2010_5thgen]

No i get it. Ill have to start looking at peoples Sig and see if they have done what Im looking for. Thanks for the help.

[guruerror]

I can't recall where I got this information, but I'm pretty certain that the Cognito/Bilstein H2 shocks (BE5-A937-H0) are longer than the stock ones; but not long enough to be used with a lift kit. They give you more travel for spaced and leveled trucks.

Perhaps I got the info from someone over at Trail Duty (trailduty.com), I know I was in dialog with them a lot when I was making my shock decisions. Their site does list these shocks as: "Can be used for stock height, torsion key lifted vehicles, or vehicles with Cognito upper control arm leveling kit."
http://www.trailduty.com/product_info.php?products_id=848&osCsid=bea986ff9480de35455fcabbd887a720

Regarding longer shocks in general, one thing that comes to my mind (and I may be WAY off here since I'm not a mechanic), but if your shocks offer too much travel isn't there a chance that a coil spring could come unseated at full extension?

[charles06]

Typically, shocks do not be the factor that limits travel. That's what bump stops and limiting straps are for. Remember, bump stops can be used for downward travel, too, not just upward. If you set up your shocks to extend so far that they reach their limit, you run the chance of ruining your shocks.

[2010_5thgen]

ive really been thinking about this lately....i think i may just leave the truck as is with the level, then after i get my 37's ill do the lift right and go with something like ranchos 4" lift package. i talked to rancho yesterday and they didnt have a solution for myprble. and i want to do this truck right.


is there other kits that are reasonably priced to give me a 4" lift? or is rancho the best bang for your buck?

[2010_5thgen]

skyjacker 5.5" lift kits are 50% off....anyone have any experience with these kits?

[2010_5thgen]

ok...ive been looking into this rancho 4" lift kit. does anyone have this kit on their hummer now? they say a 5" backspacing is needed on wheels for this lift. they state the stock wheels wont work. so, i have 20x10 wheels with a 4.5" backspacing...these will work right? are there any cheap 17" wheels that will work with this lift so i could re use my 35x12.50r17's in the winter?

[2010_5thgen]

im getting ready to order my stuff for my lift and i have a few questions that Rancho wouldnt help me with.....
Im going with Rancho's 4" lift kit and im going to run 38" toyo's with 20x10 wheels with a 4.5" backspacing.
Now, Rancho said they cant help me with my wheel and tire combo because the testing has been done with the 17x10 with 5" backspacing ,and not what im running. SO.....just to be sure, will my combination work with this lift kit?

[guruerror]

im getting ready to order my stuff for my lift and i have a few questions that Rancho wouldnt help me with.....
Im going with Rancho's 4" lift kit and im going to run 38" toyo's with 20x10 wheels with a 4.5" backspacing.
Now, Rancho said they cant help me with my wheel and tire combo because the testing has been done with the 17x10 with 5" backspacing ,and not what im running. SO.....just to be sure, will my combination work with this lift kit?
As long as you don't have more backspace than they're recommending you should be fine (less backspace means less wheel under the truck, near the suspension components). So your 4.5" backspace will give you .5" more clearance than the 5" BS rims they tested.

[2010_5thgen]

Ok. That's good to know. I was getting scared after he said they couldn't help with support.

[TTLex]

The Rancho and 38's will look nice for sure.

[accely]

im getting ready to order my stuff for my lift and i have a few questions that Rancho wouldnt help me with.....
Im going with Rancho's 4" lift kit and im going to run 38" toyo's with 20x10 wheels with a 4.5" backspacing.
Now, Rancho said they cant help me with my wheel and tire combo because the testing has been done with the 17x10 with 5" backspacing ,and not what im running. SO.....just to be sure, will my combination work with this lift kit?
5thgen, I feel like I'm on almost the same page as you on alot of things.
I was considered 40's with 6" lift, but after pricing and some other variables I'm thinking 37/38's with a 4 inch would be better for my taste and price. I'm also looking at the toyo m/t's, what width are you getting to put on your 20x10 rim? I wouldn't mind if I could reuse my rockstar 20x10's.

Also, where do you plan to order your kit from?

[2010_5thgen]

I was going to go with a 13.50 width. Their gonna run me about 1800 shipped. The lift, I'll probably go through summit racing since their kinda in my backyard.

i may wait until after christmas to see if anyone has any end of year deals. hopefully theres some.

[2010_5thgen]

well, i got everything ordered for my lift.rancho kit. 5 toyo 38's.extra 20" spare. shocks.....just gotta get black lug nuts. any recommendations?

[charles06]

This probably isn't your best option, but you could always rattle-can a set of stock ones. At least that would buy you some time to look for black ones.

[charles06]

This probably isn't your best option, but you could always rattle-can a set of stock ones. At least that would buy you some time to look for black ones.

[charles06]

This probably isn't your best option, but you could always rattle-can a set of stock ones. At least that would buy you some time to look for black ones.

[2010_5thgen]

4 of the wheels are at the powdercoaters. The other wheel will be there when the 4 get done. Hopefully everything will be on the truck middle of January.

Does Anyone know How long it takes to install the rancho kit?

[guruerror]

I ordered 35 of these when I got my Rockstars from http://discount4wheel.com. I'm pretty certain they were Pro Comp, but I don't have any record of the part number.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/guruerror/Truck/Nuts.jpg

[2010_5thgen]

their web sites not working for me right now. how much are they for a set?

[guruerror]

their web sites not working for me right now. how much are they for a set?
Looks like they're $56.99 at Discount4Wheel, but I found them at Summit for $51.95: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PCW-26145B/

Give Summit a call...they'll probably throw 3 extra nuts in at no charge (for the spare).

[2010_5thgen]

Looks like they're $56.99 at Discount4Wheel, but I found them at Summit for $51.95: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PCW-26145B/

Give Summit a call...they'll probably throw 3 extra nuts in at no charge (for the spare).
summit give something for free?!?! yah right.... its hard enough to ge tthem to price match when you tell them you found something cheaper somewhere else.

[guruerror]

summit give something for free?!?! yah right.... its hard enough to ge tthem to price match when you tell them you found something cheaper somewhere else.
You never know what you'll get until you ask... :)

[2010_5thgen]

ok...ill ask....:D

[2010_5thgen]

what about these? http://www.ebay.com/itm/260793366568?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2648

[guruerror]

what about these? http://www.ebay.com/itm/260793366568?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2648
They'll do the job, but the thing I liked about the Pro Comps is that they're splined, so you need the tool to get them off. Making each nut a little theft deterant. Not as good as a lock nut perhaps, but a deterant nonetheless.

[2010_5thgen]

I think I have a set of chrome lugs at home from my old escalade. Maybe I'll see if they work, then take the locking ones and use them with the ones from summit. Then just spray some satin or gloss black paint on them

[2010_5thgen]

lift kit and shocks came in today! now im just waiting on the tires , which are supposed to be on their way, and the wheels to finish up at the powdercoaters.

[2010_5thgen]

can anyone with the rancho lift tell me if their is any welding involved in installation? im working on plans to install this thing and my buddy is scared that there may be welding involved.

[2010_5thgen]

well the idiots at tiresdirect.net, F'd up my order i placed 2 weeks ago, and they never submitted the order to toyo...so they had to re order them and now i have to wait another 2 weeks.......

[2010_5thgen]

tires finally came in! holy hell are these things big(compared to my tiny 35's). these definately look and feel like a strong 8-9MPG. lol

change of plans on the lift. im not doing it myself...found a company that will be doing it for me. the lift me and a budy were supposed to use, fell through so i have ot resort to paying someone to do it. got a great price though. 600 and 25 a tire for mounting and balancing.

[tyler1bo]

Pics when finished!!!

[2010_5thgen]

well, update on my lift....the wheels are being a pain in the ass at the sandblaster/powdercoater. the chrome on the mazzi hulk, is apparently so cheap, that when sandblasting part of the wheel, it just stripped off huge chunks of chrome all together. so, its going to cost me a few more hundred dollars to have them fully sand blast all 4 wheels. my 5th wheel i bought was mazzi's painted wheel. so the paint came off easy. this is a nightmare

[2010_5thgen]

Just dropped the truck off to have the lift installed. Should have it back Thursday. Wheels still aren't finished. Those hopefully will be done tomorrow.