Swaybars, Trailing Arms, Tie-Rods Upgraded

[charles06]

Hi all,

Just upgraded my swaybars and trailing arms with Hotchkis units, and switched from Cognito tie-rods to Kryptonite. Amazing difference in handling. I wasn't sure if the sways would help much, but after a week of driving, I can say that the truck is definitely flatter going around corners, and power hook-up is better coming out. Obviously, it's no sports car, but it was a worthwhile improvement.

The Cognito tie-rods served me well for a few years, but they were getting ready to fail. Plus, the design of the Kryptonite units is better, IMO. And, yes, the bushings in the trailing arms squeek, even when lubed, but not bad enough to worry about.

I went with the Hotchkis sways designed for stock use, as the proper drop-links are already supplied with the Fabtech lift.

Hope this helps anyone who has considered this.

Charles

[guruerror]

Originally Posted by charles06

Hi all,

Just upgraded my swaybars and trailing arms with Hotchkis units, and switched from Cognito tie-rods to Kryptonite. Amazing difference in handling. I wasn't sure if the sways would help much, but after a week of driving, I can say that the truck is definitely flatter going around corners, and power hook-up is better coming out. Obviously, it's no sports car, but it was a worthwhile improvement.

The Cognito tie-rods served me well for a few years, but they were getting ready to fail. Plus, the design of the Kryptonite units is better, IMO. And, yes, the bushings in the trailing arms squeek, even when lubed, but not bad enough to worry about.

I went with the Hotchkis sways designed for stock use, as the proper drop-links are already supplied with the Fabtech lift.

Hope this helps anyone who has considered this.

Charles

I second the bit about going from Cognito to Kryptonite...big difference...way tighter handling. I ran the Cognitos for two years...good at first, but loose as a drunk goose and ready to fail towards the end.

Sway bars? Hmmmm...I just recently did everything you outlined (plus a Fabtech steering stabilizer) except the sway bars. Maybe that will be my Christmas present to myself along with brakes and rotors.

[charles06]

I honestly can't express how differently the truck drives. I keep finding myself testing it in corners to see if I'm imagining things. It's awesome!

You can tell upon picking up the new bars, then the stock ones, that there would be a difference. The new ones are much heavier. Not much of an increase in overall diameter. The difference is in the wall thickness. Don't ask me the numbers, as I don't remember.

I kind of broke the cardinal rule of not doing everything at once in order to see which mod made the most difference, but I don't really care. It's a huge improvement.

[tyler1bo]

Pics!!!

[charles06]

I'll take some if I get a chance. Really not much to see other than some black bars. I didn't do any cute colors or powdercoating, etc.

[guruerror]

Where did you pick up your sway bars and what did you pay? I did a quick search and came up with GStyle4U for $880.

http://www.gstyle4u.com/.sc/ms/dd/ee...H2%20%26%20SUT

[guruerror]

Just found them at Hummer Parts Club for $549: http://hummerpartsclub.com/mm5/merch...Category_Code=

That might be the winner.

[charles06]

I'm fairly certain my shop ordered them straight from Hotchkis. If that sounds wrong, let me know and I'll find out where they got them from.

[charles06]

Just found the receipt from my shop. I'm still fairly certain they were purchased from Hotchkis, but I know I paid $649 for the kit. If you already have the longer drop-links, there is no need to purchase anything differently than what you would for a stock truck.