Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

I agree, the Truxxx kit is pissa, I hate listening to the "know it alls" that argue about everything...who don't have it. I have it, and would do it again on my next Hummer H2 aswell.

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

Tomp,

I know the Cognito UCA's are to be used in conjunction with a levelling kit but does installing the cognito UCA's allow the half-shafts not to be in a bind?


Can anyone tell me what's the difference between this and this



Thanks,

Mark

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

If 40's will fit, i'll eat those words!!!! But I doubt it can be done without a $hitload of other mods outside of the tbar crank/keys, and a 3" body lift.
I'm not even sure that the front end of our H2's would hold up to 40's...even with the added mods. That may require the SAS conversion to do so...esp if you add a front Elocker like Tomp already has and I plan to do as well.

My plan....in case anyone cares) is to run the same setup as TomP with a set of 37 13.50 18 Toyo MT on the XD Wheels. I;m still researching on what shocks I can do this with as I would like to run proper extended length front and rear/ also a FOX Resi. shock if at all possible.

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

i agree with two things thus far:

bimmer.....i WISH we had the same suspension as the H1!

and second, this thread is really bringing out some great info...lets keep it coming.

DUCK

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

If you have a contact for Rick, maybe invite him to this topic so more of us can figure out...or talk to him and see if maybe he can fill us in on how it was acomplished.

That is one bada$$ lookin SUT!!! Are those 40's? or 38's?

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

the guy in the link, rick, and i have emailed and spoken on the phone about his setup. he is super helpful and truly has a bad ass rig.

oh....and he has his own, custom made 2" body lift and IS running 39.5 bias ply IROKs.

doable.....i think so; there is your proof.

DUCK

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

Let's get Rick over to learn more about his setup. Or maybe he can send someone an EMail. hell, PM me his info, and I'll contact him.

I tried to save that pic of his truck...it won;t let allow you to. :mad:

Does someone have more pics of that rig? esp.... the suspension setup?

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

Mark, no - the Cognito UCAs don't circumvent the issue with the half shafts. I know the height I provided with 37s works with no CV vibrations at 70+mph. Prior to being at 44.5" from ground to bottom of fender flare, I was at 45.5" and it vibrated at 70mph at that height so you could try something in between to see if you can get more that 44.5" height using 37s.

The difference in those two UCAs is the joint. Once has standard ball joints (but are replaceable where OEM joints are not) and the the other has uniball joints on the more expensive UCAs. These use a large steel ball for the joint and are much stronger and may last for life of H2.

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

Tim, my suggestion is to run 12.5" wide 37s and not 13.5". If you have seen my custom fender wells, you would understand! I am moving away from the 13.5" width and going with the more narrow 12.5" width and then using Hutchison double beadlocks. I will end up with more footprint/traction this way, less wear on steering and less rubbing issues.

If you want to increase the rear droop on a coil spring H2 to match what you'll get from the front Cognito setup, I will provide you the details for the rear shocks to match the front Cognito-Bilstein shocks. You are already aware that the Samco rear coils have 2.5" more free length over stock coils and provide about 1" more lift. You will want to add airlift airbags (about $85) to these coils. The Samco coils have less spring rate than OEM coils, so this is why you want the bags. Also, it allows you to adjust rear height as well, so you dont have to run spacers.

Here is the rear shock info.... Since the front Cognito-Bilsteins are their 5125 series shocks which are rebuildable and customizable, you want to do the same for the rear. Their 5125 shocks that fit the profile of the Samco coils are F4-BE5-6249-H5. You will want to have the valving, bushings and sleeves changed though, as these shocks are made for a Dodge pickup truck and the "Rebound" valving is too lght. The bushings/sleeves are also too small for the H2's shock bolts. Purchase your rear shocks from Offroad Warehouse (ask for Jason). Tell him you want the above shocks to be custom valved from Bilstein with BE5-A937-H0 +20% increase. This is the H2 valving parameters with a 20% increase in valving. The first part number is the shock and the 2nd is for the valving!

The Bilstein bushings are part number 98108G for the H2. They come two in a pack so you will need two packs for two shocks. The sleeve part number is 423730 and these come two in a pack as well.

If you do the front and rear like I have explained, you will love this darn thing so much you will never lift another vehicle! You'll end up with more droop/flex than stock, more ground clearance and have stronger steering and a much tighter steering and on road driving experience.

I am at the point where I want function over looks so I am going with beadlocks. The weight of the H2 really hampers it's abilities on steep inclines. With that said, I think beadlocks look tough and that's the look I am after anyhow. There are two things that prevent my H2 from tackling every obstacle in it's path. One is steep inclines where traction is minimal. The other is getting high centered. Getting high centered is not something you can always overcome - sometimes you can take a different line and all is well. However, beadlocks will definitely improve my success on steep inclines. There is a third thing on the H2 and that is it's width but I don't consider it a negative because sometimes it's also a positive to have the width advantage.

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

tim,

i still have my emails with rick. when i get back on my computer (i am doing all this now on my phone) i will cut & paste them here.

tom,

thanks for the great info. and the halfshaft vibes.

i think the great news is that "if" this is possible (yall already know my stance on this) than we can run bigger meats, all while obtaining max. ground clearance, and doing so without going so "tall" as to experience vibes or make a dramatic increase in our center of gravity.

DUCK

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

Well I guess that leaves me screwed. I'm only at 42.5" and running 35's and at 70mph, I can feel the halfshafts making a minor vibration.

I guess my only choice is to lower the front end a bit to relieve some of the bind the halfshaft is getting and replace the rear 1 1/2" spacer in the rear with perhaps a 1" spacer.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks,

Mark

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

Could this possibly be an alignment issue casing your vibes? Or maybe the Cognito UCA's will help? Not sure as I haven;t doen these mods yet. I think the most accurate way to measure would be from teh center of the hub to the bottom of the fender well.

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

Mark, I dont think they will vibrate with front height that low. Something is not right. You can count number of "flats" while turning down TBS and see if it goes away - and if that was not it turn the TBs back up exact same number of flats. Make sure to have load off of front end when cranking them up or down. Also, jack each front wheel off ground and grab tire/wheel and try to lift and ot shake the wheel to check for bad hub bearings.. You could also check air pressure and balancing and did you get an alignment after cranking TBs?

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

Tomp,

Thanks man, I'll double check the air pressure. Tire balancing and pressure should be right since they were brand new when I did the lift. (like I said, I'll double check) The steering wheel doesn't vibrate at all at any speed so I'm assuming the balance of the tires is fine.

As far as alignment, I immediately had an alignment done. I even had them use the specs the manufacturer suggested.

I took a look at the front halfshafts and they shouldn't be in a bind. Like I said, the vibration is VERY minor.

I'll check pressure next.

Mark

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

Mark...do you have mud tires with large lugs on them? This will cause it

Edit: just went back to see your pics and "yes" that is caused by those tires. It's the lugs you are feeling so no worries there. I bet if you put your stock tires back on for testing, the issue would not occur. I had Mickey Thompson Baja Claw Radials which are close to the same pattern as those tires you have and they did the same thing. It shouldn't be that bad though. I would have them re-check balancing to make sure it's right. Tell them is vibrating really bad.

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

Thanks, I've got a set of stock tires I can try. Like I said, the vibration is MINOR but I tend to be anal.

I ordered a set of cognito UCA last night but thinking I should cancel the order.

However, it should make the truck ride better. (it's not bad now, I can hardly tell any difference) but I'm more interested in ride quality as far as when the suspension loads and unloads as you go over wavy roads.

Mark

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

Mark, longer shocks are more of a priority than the UCAs. The shocks are the first limiting factor and then second are the control arms.

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

I didn't replace shocks but did use the extended shock bracket.

Mark

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

Its common with the Truxxx 2.5-3F/ 1.5 R lift at 70-71mph. I have the same lift, and its hardly noticeable and its a good reminder to slow down.

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

Warning: the shock extensions I have seen are too tall for OEM length H2 shocks. To test this, ensure vehicle is on level ground at stock ehight in the front and resting on the bump stops, disconnect the bottom of the shock and see if you can push it up higher then where it would mount to the shock extension bracket. If you can't push it up where the shock's bolt hole goes up higher than the hole in the shock extension, you are either riding on a bottomed out shock if or slamming down on a bottomed out shock when the front end comes down on the bump stops. The latter is the case if you have cranked the TBs. This is true with all H2 shock extensions that I have seen to date. Yes, this is another mark against Truxx.

The reason this is a problem is because these companies assume the H2's shocks are the same as the 2500HD pickup trucks. The shocks are not the same and only have half of the travel that the 2500HDs have.

To correct this problem you must determine the proper amount to shorten the shock extension (to get your shocks into the right range of travel) or use the 2500HD shocks.

The reason the H2's have less travel is because they have extension and compression bump stops in them where the 2500HD shocks only have extension stops. This takes some of the travel away.

Here is the way you need to think about it: Consider the fact that you are pushing up the bottom of the shock much higher than you would be when at factory height and resting on the frame mounted stops.

If anyone doubts what I am saying here, call Rancho and ask them why their online Shock Specifications show H2's shocks with 2.5" of travel and the 2500HD has 4.6". You can also see in this same manual there is a symbol next to the H2's shocks in two places. This "cross" symbol is shown for both compressed length and extended length. This shock symbol is there to inform you of the included bump stops. Notice the 2500HD shocks only show the symbol once?

Also, for those of you thinking it is okay to rest on the stops - think again. Your shocks will start degrading very quicky as you are beating the heck out of them. I went through several sets of shocks and my ride quality went horrible fast - compared to a new vehicle. This was the cause of it!

BTW, my ride quality with torsion bars cranked is much better than stock now

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

Here are the communications I had with Rick via email:

"give me a shout when you have some free time...I will always make time to talk HUMMERS...now more of a sickness than a hobby, I'm a HUMMER owner for life!!!

Rick

rick,

what size tires are you running...especially in width?

the iroks i am looking at are 13.50 wide.....do you think i will have
any problems with that width on my stock wheels with rubbing?

thanks again,

jdj

Jonathan,

I'm running 39.5 x 13.5 Iroks on stock wheels...as I mentioned, in the front, they rub on the swaybar at full turn...

The rear lower control arm pocket at the frame has about a 1/2" to 3/4" stiffening flange below & in front of the bolt hole...I've ground away the extra material to extend only 1/8" to 1/4" out from the face of the control arm pocket...The extra clearance made me feel more comfortable that I would not rip out the sidewall at low pressure...You don't want to grind it flush, because that may weaken the pocket itself.

The other option that I am toying with is to add 1/4" to 1/2" wheel spacers, giving you a little more room...problem with that, is any more than 1/4" spacers & you'll need longer wheel studs...

One other thing that I failed to mention during our phone conversation...I'm using Fab-Tech tie rods because stock ones are so weak...and x-tra suppout brackets on the Idler & Pitman arms to give them a little more life...

I'll see if I can send you a bunch of pictures in a couple of days or so...

Talk to you soon...I hope that info helps!

Rick
Thanks man.....great info.

JDJ

Rick,

Wanted to follow up and ask you another question......

I am almost 100% confident that I will be installing Cognito Motorsports leveling kit (2 - 3") when purchasing new tires. I also 100% certain that I will be running 39.5 x 13.50 x 17 IROKs on my stock wheels.

The question comes when trying to decide between radial and bias-ply. I do a great bit of highway driving, but have run bias-ply tires before (the 37" boggers I told you about).......it would normally be a hands-down decision, go radial. But I am worried about killing my (already lack of) power. Thus, the weight difference between the bias (84 lbs.) vs. the radial (99lbs.) really concerns me.

What do you think about this? Also, how do your bias-ply 40's do at highway speeds, etc.?

Thanks again buddy,

JDJ

Thank you.

I'm just concerned that when stepping up to 39.5's that my highway cruising will suffer even more than when stepping up to 37"s (ie the constant "transmission kick down" that we all so dread!).

Any input on this issue? How does your truck respond?

JDJ

Jonathan,

I had 37's on the truck from the time it was 2 months old...I didn't notice much difference in vehicle performance from stock, as far as mileage/transmission shift points/power. When I added the 39.5's the road noise increased substantially & the trans stayed in low for slightly longer (slightly slower acceleration)...as far as steep hill climbs, I manually shift the transmission, especially when towing up steep grades, so I wouldn't know about the kick-down pro's & cons...There is a way to re-program your shift points if you need to...

I'm in the process of modifying my 2007 to be just like the 2005...including the 39.5 Iroks!!!

I love the bigger tires...with the snow here in Michigan, the 2" body lift & the bigger tires make for a better drive in the country for me.

I got my 07 buried in a snow drift about two weeks ago...The 05 with the lift & tires had no problem with being stuc...I mean "Temporarily detained".

Best of luck with your modifications...Happy new year, hope to see your rig completed some day!

Rick"

There ya go,

DUCK

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

Tomp,

Thanks, I just happened to read your response.

Tomorrow I will unbolt the bottom of the shock. Just to make sure I understand, you want me to compress the shock so the bottom bolt hole in the shock goes higher than the bolt hole in the extension, correct?

I will do that tomorrow but I did notice that the spacing between the bump stop and control arm is about 1/4". Is that correct or no?

If I can not raise it higher than the shock extension bolt hole, can I buy longer H2 shocks?

Thanks for your help,

Mark

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

Hey Mark...you really need to assume that the shock will also need to raise up beyond that 1/4" of space in addition to it raising up above the bolt hole in the shock extension. You also have to consider that bump stops compress when all the weight of your front end comes down hard on the stops. Please take that into consideration.

Yes, the Cognito-Bilstein shocks compress to that of the OEM shocks, plus they are longer for the needed droop required after cranking the TBs.

If the above testing proves that you are bottoming out the shocks, you can still use the shock extensions by switching to the shocks for a 2500HD which are the same extended length as the H2 OEM shock length, plus they compress shorter.

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

Man, I appreciate your input. Before I start all this, I'm looking into another lift kit. The reason is because by the time I buy control arms, new shocks, I'll have 1200-1400 bucks in it. If I'm spending that much because of a levelling kit, I'd just as well be better off buying a smaller suspension lift kit. Thoughts/opinions?

Like I said earlier, I didn't want to get a 6" kit simply because that will require taller tires, gears, etc, etc.

....unless of course, I can install a 6" and lower it a bit? Is that possible? I'm assuming that a 6" kit is with the torsion bars cranked up to a certain amount.... what if you didn't crank them that far? Is 6" the minimum you could go?

I talked to a dealer for Cognito and he said they made a 4" kit for the H2.

I looked it up and didn't see anything but did see a 4" kit for an HD2500. Are the front suspensions the same?

Thanks again,

Mark

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

I bet the "4 inch kit" he is talking about is the 2-3" kit we are speaking of.

Other option would be to run the Rancho, which is a 4" lift you can crank to 6"......but the difference between these two is about a grand PLUS installation (which will be large for the Rancho).

DUCK

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

Just out of curiousity, does anyone know anything about the Rancho suspension? I swear I read that they had a bump steer problem.

Anyone know?

Thanks,

Mark

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

The Rancho looks like a nice kit, there was a guy on the forum with a green H2 who had it.

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

Mark, you already want to go bigger?? LOL.

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

I have to. I made a 1000 bet that I wouldn't supercharge it for the first year.

LOL.

Mark

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

Your my hero! :jump:

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

OC,

I think the more research you do re: the Rancho kit will lead you right back to the Cognito kit or a setup like Tom.

DUCK

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

Mark, all you need to do is take verify the shock extension brackets are not too tall. They most likely are too tall and if they are, they can be easily modified.

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

That was me.
http://www.elcovaforums.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=22707

RuggedH2 now has that truck and improved on the kit as well. He'll have to comment on what he changed up.

I can tell you that this kit is expensive though. The kit is listed as a 4", but did add 6" without the additional height of the tires. You cannot use the stock rims either.

The only things I did not like about the kit:

Teh Tbars do hang down below the frame...but with the added height
isn't too big of an issue.

The kit is not reversible. You're not going back to stock...ever...well at least without welding.

the rear drop brackets (I think Rugged addressed this though) did hang down quite a bit.

As far as ride quailty and highway speeds, that kit handled great. But with adding this kit, ther are other things to consider: steering stabilizer, idler/pitman support, Hd Tierods are all not included in this kit and added to better handling too. I did not add the support kit on that one though.

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

ive got the ultimate lift....its called factory...STOCK!

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

:orly:

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

Can we see pics of this truck doing some serious wheeling?

Albie has a 6" Fabtech with 40's and his rubs like a teenage boy getting his first peek at Penthouse.

We had 38's and they rubbed bad as well.

Put them on and see what happens.

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

That is truly the funniest way I have ever heard to describe a tire rubbing after lifting a vehicle.....damn, I blew coffee all over my laptop.

DUCK

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

Are you sure that was coffee....were you also looking at the Hummer and babe thread too? :perfect10s:

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

Haha.....I'm sure it was coffee!

:clapping:

Re: 2 Inch Lift on H2.
 

All we had when I was a teen was the Sear's catalog and National Geographic, thank god Victoria Secret came out with a catalog! :giggling: