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]

Originally Posted by 2010_5thgen

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_H...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_...roducts_id=377

[2010_5thgen]

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

[Big.Z.hummin]

Originally Posted by 2010_5thgen

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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_...roducts_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.

[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?