6 Inch Lift On 33's?

Mckenzie · September 10, 2010

I want to get a 6 inch RC suspension lift for my 2001 Z71, but then i'll have to get new tires, new rims, and the front and rear end re-geared, which would end up costing me way more money than i want to spend.

So would a 6 inch suspension lift on 33's look retarded or dumb? Can i get some pics? Would i be able to keep my stock rims on a 6 inch lift?

Or would i be better to go with a 4 inch lift?

Oh and btw the lift will be going on the truck in my sig

stlavsa · September 10, 2010

I want to get a 6 inch RC suspension lift for my 2001 Z71, but then i'll have to get new tires, new rims, and the front and rear end re-geared, which would end up costing me way more money than i want to spend.

So would a 6 inch suspension lift on 33's look retarded or dumb? Can i get some pics? Would i be able to keep my stock rims on a 6 inch lift?

Or would i be better to go with a 4 inch lift?

Oh and btw the lift will be going on the truck in my sig

Looks fine with 33's just make sure you get some real 33s.. somethin equivalent to a 33x12.5 or 305 width tire.

Regarding the stock wheels, you can make them work if you do it right might need to bolt up some 1.5 or 2 inch wheel adapters to get the extra clearance you need. (essentially like going with a lesser backspace wheel)

Silverado4x4 · September 11, 2010

Why would you re-gear for 33s there not that much bigger in differance then what you have now. Dont waste your money on gears.

Mckenzie · September 11, 2010

Why would you re-gear for 33s there not that much bigger in differance then what you have now. Dont waste your money on gears.

no i said i would have to re gear if i got 35's, im running 33's right now

Silverado4x4 · September 11, 2010

Why would you re-gear for 33s there not that much bigger in differance then what you have now. Dont waste your money on gears.

no i said i would have to re gear if i got 35's, im running 33's right now

No where in your post does it say that, but with 35s I still wouldnt re-gear.

Matt_ · September 11, 2010

It'll look fine.

I actually ran the Superlift FIT kit set at 5" with 33s for some time. Good thing about the GMT800 trucks is that you can adjust the ride height with the torsion bars.

Check out that kit... i honestly think its the best kit made for those trucks (although i think you may need aftermarket wheels).

And i agree, regearing would be a must for 35s. Hell my truck had 4.10s stock and 35s completely killed any bit of performance or towing capabilities. I don't think my trans would have lasted much longer either if i didn't regear.

gregrocks89 · September 11, 2010

i just adjust my programmer to 35" tires. No problems with it

Silverado4x4 · September 12, 2010

Naa re-gearing for 35s is just a big waste of money if your running under a 3:73 gear like a 3:42 or a 3:08 then maybe. I ran 42" Swampers with 4:10s on the road but used 4 low off road and mud running. 35" tire is not really that big.

I ran 42" tires for about 36-38,000 miles and never had tranny issues or rear issues and that was the G80.

Matt_ · September 12, 2010

yeah 42's and 4.10s are perfectly fine for the street... if you want a towing capacity worse than a 4 cylinder honda civic and to never get out of 3rd gear on the highway (with a 4L60E of course)

I'd recommend anyone taking this as a perfect case of taking anything you read on an internet forum as a grain of salt..

Mckenzie · September 12, 2010

It'll look fine.

I actually ran the Superlift FIT kit set at 5" with 33s for some time. Good thing about the GMT800 trucks is that you can adjust the ride height with the torsion bars.

Check out that kit... i honestly think its the best kit made for those trucks (although i think you may need aftermarket wheels).

And i agree, regearing would be a must for 35s. Hell my truck had 4.10s stock and 35s completely killed any bit of performance or towing capabilities. I don't think my trans would have lasted much longer either if i didn't regear.

that is a sweet looking lift kit, but is there anywhere i can get a 4 inch suspension for 500-600 bucks? The RC kits are 1K for both a 6 inch and 4 inch, and if was to spend the money, id just assume get more bang for the buck, but i really like being able to keep my stock rims,tires, and gears by using the 4 inch

Naa re-gearing for 35s is just a big waste of money if your running under a 3:73 gear like a 3:42 or a 3:08 then maybe. I ran 42" Swampers with 4:10s on the road but used 4 low off road and mud running. 35" tire is not really that big.

I ran 42" tires for about 36-38,000 miles and never had tranny issues or rear issues and that was the G80.

my truck has the 3.73 and my mileage took 3-4 mpg hit with the 33's,so i could imagine it would go down even worse with 35's- and i want my truck to last a good while, so i'd more than likely end up regearing to save the transmission any stress and strain

Matt_ · September 12, 2010

The RC kit is a decent lift and nicely priced right at $1k. But you'd still have to get new wheels...

For $500-$600 you should be looking at a 3" body lift and crank the torsion bars for 1-1.5". Then you can keep your stock wheels too.

Aristone · September 12, 2010

Hey Matt,

Ihave the new 6 speed tranny with 3:42 gears. Will I be killing my truck with 35's. I know there is a formula that will tell me what I should run. right now it has alot of pep out of the hole...

People need to listen to guys like you and others on the site. You havent steered me wrong and I appriciate it... Besides your from Jersey....lol

Matt_ · September 12, 2010

Thanks budd... i think

With the 6spd tranny 4.10s would be nice for 35s. The 3.42s/6spd combo will be perfectly fine for getting the truck moving, but if you do a lot of highway driving you probably won't see 6th gear much due to the .67-OD gear.

Getting the truck moving is what kills the drivetrain and gas mileage with the bigger tires... and as you'll see from the comparisons below, the 6spd/3.42 combo is like the 4spd re-geared with 4.56s in the first 3 gears. The problem you might have with the 35s is maintaining 6th gear when cruising on the highway... this also can reek havoc on the trans if its constantly going between 5th and 6th to maintain speed. If you find that your truck has trouble maintaining speed you can shift it into 5th by putting it into M mode- which IS an OD gear in the 6L80E (Take note that 5th gear in the 6spd with 3.42s is the same final drive as OD in the 4th gear with 4.10s). However, if you find that this is a consistent issue or if you tow often, you'd probably want to consider regearing to 4.10s or 4.56s.

Just some comparisons for you:

FINAL drive for 4spd with 4.10s

12.54

7.18

4.10

2.87

FINAL drive for 4spd with 4.56s

13.94

7.98

4.56

3.19

FINAL drive for 6spd with 3.42s

13.75

8.07

5.23

3.93

2.91

2.29

Also, there really aren't any specific formulas for choosing the right gears... and those gear charts that people post are the WORST thing in the world to go by. The "right" gear choice is dependent on a lot of variables such as engine size, transmission gearing, vehicle power/weight ratio, and one of the most important factors is how the truck is used.

Aristone · September 12, 2010

I used to tow a boat but now the boat we have is in the water all the time. Mostly just use the truck as my personal vehicle. Not alot of hiway miles. Its basically going to be the truck I couldnt afford but always wanted when I was 1/2 my age. lol

They tell me the lift and tires will be complete by the 25th. Guess I will have to drive it and take it from there...Appriciate your know how!