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Posted By: bigwhoop Suburban "lift kit" options? - 02/13/21
I'd like to lift her up a couple of inches or so. Wondering what my options are out there for a 2019 LT. Also I think I'll be removing that
drop down extended front bumper too.
Thank you for any advice.
I'd suspect anything that would work for a Chevy pick-up would work for the suburban. Custom Offsets over in Wisconsin might be a place to start.
Thanks Mr. Just
How about some bilsteins 5100's? Level things out and put a 1.5 inch lift on it.
Posted By: Krazi Re: Suburban "lift kit" options? - 02/14/21
I have a 2014 thinking about the same. Was looking at the 5100 on the front up 1 3/4 inch. Not sure what to do with the back. It has the mechanical self leveling factory shocks on it now. Someone said replace those and the coils both to stiffn up the rear. I am just afraid it will squat nose up if not done properly.
Why not just do a body lift, won't change the geometry of anything in the driveline or suspension that way.
Posted By: Krazi Re: Suburban "lift kit" options? - 02/15/21
Don't know if you are referring to me but am looking at 100+ k and 7 years on factory shocks so was gonna replace them anyway.
Originally Posted by Schmidtx2
Why not just do a body lift, won't change the geometry of anything in the driveline or suspension that way.


Please explain further.
On a body lift it doesn't change the angle of the frame the way yours sits now. It actually lifts the body so depending on how high you go, you may see a gap between the frame and body or more of the frame. Sheet metal (or plastic nowadays) goes higher.

Like I said on my other thread, im doing a 2" leveling kit and throwing 33x12.5 tires on 20" rims on my f150.
Don't they have a wire harness going through that low speed bump scraping front bumper cover? Someone told me they did. That's the most asinine body design the automakers went to. Give me a truck with clearance, if I wanted a car is by a car
A body lift only raises the body, not the frame, oil pan, tranny, etc. They'll still hit the rocks.
I suppose I will be in the minority on this. Don't lift your vehicle. IMO it will lessen performance and safety. Suspension lifting will do little for actual clearance instead raise the center of gravity and changing the vehicle's carefully engineered handling characteristics.

Is the lift so you can use larger diameter and width tires? If so it will accomplish very little differential clearance gaining half the diameter increase of the tire. At best you may get 1" more ground clearance. Larger width tires are more prone to hydroplaning. The IMO only use for wide tires is to "float" on sand. Thinking there is not much sand in your part of the country. The tires will float in snow and mud the opposite of what you want to do if you want to maintain traction when offroading.

I use a stock 4 x 4 87 suburban for all my hunting offroad needs here in S. Az. I use a 235/85 16" tire and have no issues with ground clearance and traction. The tires work well on the highway which is where most of the driving is done. Oh the occasional deep sandy wash slows me down some but I still get through it. When going up a snow choked jeep trail when elk hunting my tires cut deep and help me maintain traction. The tires wear evenly too.

I know these opinions are different from most offroading enthusiast's views. My views are based on putting over 400,000 miles on two 4 x 4 suburbans going back to 1984.

retired automotive vocational teacher
Quote
Is the lift so you can use larger diameter and width tires? If so it will accomplish very little differential clearance gaining half the diameter increase of the tire. At best you may get 1" more ground clearance. Larger width tires are more prone to hydroplaning. The IMO only use for wide tires is to "float" on sand. Thinking there is not much sand in your part of the country. The tires will float in snow and mud the opposite of what you want to do if you want to maintain traction when offroading.
Chain clearance. Many of the newer vehicles have very limited space under the front fenders and require very small, weak chains or, in some cases, you can't use front chains at all. Heavy chains can do some expensive damage. I run narrower tires on my Dodge Ram. I use 245's instead of 265's that are the same diameter and load capacity. Not only do they handle better but they give an extra inch clearance for heavier chains.
Suspension lifts for independent front suspensions are very expensive. And with the Chevy front end, you’ll be looking at changing tie rods, ball joints, idler, and pittman arms. Plus the shocks, you’ll be into it five grand by the time you buy wheels and tires. You can get a little bit of a lift by cranking the torsion bars and putting a lift block under the back.
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