Greetings - Help on my new 2500 please.

justjkit · December 17, 2016

Hey guys. New GM owner. Found a 16' 2500 denali for 46k that i couldnt pass up.

Looking for some advice. My last truck was a 15' Tundra. I put a 3/1 level kit on it with 20's and 33's and liked it (photos attached). I like the look of this setup.

My riding conditions: City of Chicago .. i don't haul or pull anything other than standard home depot runs.

I'm looking to level the 2500 and fit 20 or 22's with 35 tires on them.

I want a comfortable ride .. nothing stiff or hard bouncy. I like comfort. I don't do any off roadin'.

What would you guys suggest for me? a level or a 3-4" lift? I've read levels on these 2500's make them drive harder.

I'd like to fit 22's with 35's in there. What's the minimum lift i need to run that setup?

With price less important than drive comfort, what would you suggest to me?

Thanks guys

O_J_Simpson · December 17, 2016

Wow. Your ride demands are high. I will be the first to say it. You bought the wrong truck.

diyer2 · December 17, 2016

If I'm right that truck has magnetic ride. Not good for your suspension mods.

SouthpawHD · December 17, 2016

....

I want a comfortable ride .. nothing stiff or hard bouncy. I like comfort. I don't do any off roadin'.

What would you guys suggest for me?

....

I would suggest a 1500.... They ride much nicer, just sayin.

Anyways, congrats on the truck and enjoy.

justjkit · December 17, 2016

Guys .. I realize a 2500 isn't a cadillac. In my area, 1500 denali's are selling for 55k. I saved 10k and went with this truck solely on the fact that i used it as an equity play.

I appreciate your comments on how it's not the right truck for me ... i get it.

Does anyone have any recommendations on my original post? Improving the ride quality of at 2500 ... and lifting it to fit 22/35's?

'01LS1 · December 17, 2016

If I'm right that truck has magnetic ride. Not good for your suspension mods.

I do not think the 2500HD Denali's got the MRC system. Just the half tons.

To the op, that is an awesome truck & looks great. Maybe someone here will have an answer for your question. Though may have to call around to some Chicago area shops that install to get some more specifics.

Maintaining or improving ride quality on a 2500 with a lift or level is a tough one.

jhplak325 · December 17, 2016

If I'm right that truck has magnetic ride. Not good for your suspension mods.

HD's don't have magnetic ride control.

jhplak325 · December 17, 2016

Guys .. I realize a 2500 isn't a cadillac. In my area, 1500 denali's are selling for 55k. I saved 10k and went with this truck solely on the fact that i used it as an equity play.

I appreciate your comments on how it's not the right truck for me ... i get it.

Does anyone have any recommendations on my original post? Improving the ride quality of at 2500 ... and lifting it to fit 22/35's?

You are not going to improve the ride on an HD truck, all you can do is play with tire pressures to help.

Here is a 2015.5 Denali HD with 35's on factory wheels and no lift. He just turned the bars up a bit just to remove some of the rake. http://www.duramaxforum.com/forum/build-threads/852162-lyles-15-5-denali-3.html

geektoad · December 17, 2016

The only thing you can do to improve the ride is upgrade the shocks. I Highly recommend Bilstein 5100s. They ride much nicer than either of the shocks you might have from the factory. Several people have gotten 35s on with just a level, but cranking the front of the truck up that far is going to ruin the ride, screw up your CV angles and put a ton of stress on your steering gear. If money is really no object, I'd go with a small lift.

shreff86 · December 17, 2016

The only thing you can do to improve the ride is upgrade the shocks. I Highly recommend Bilstein 5100s. They ride much nicer than either of the shocks you might have from the factory. Several people have gotten 35s on with just a level, but cranking the front of the truck up that far is going to ruin the ride, screw up your CV angles and put a ton of stress on your steering gear. If money is really no object, I'd go with a small lift.

Tried to PM you said you couldn't receive any new messages

geektoad · December 17, 2016

Tried to PM you said you couldn't receive any new messages

fixed...

MotionMan · December 17, 2016

I would go with the lift 3-4 is perfect and it should improve the ride a bit but you shouldn't make it worse with a good lift, I put a leveling kit on, new keys and shock extensions. If I could have afforded the lift I would have done that but I could not live with the low front end. This summer it's a lift, BDS makes the best in my opinion. You can do the same cranking the bolts but the kit is designed to keep the geometry correct, I would go 4 on the lift. Nothing makes these trucks look better than a lift, tires and rims, that's why I bought this truck, I know what it can be some day.

Big Whiskey · December 17, 2016

Your truck will clear 35's easily with just a couple inches of lift. However, you may not like the ride. I would recommend going with a true 4" kit and cranking it down to the 3.5" range for a soft(er) ride. I think you'll probably be happiest with that. Leveling kits reduce the ride quality, unless you go all-out and add the UCA's, better (and longer) shocks, differential spacers, etc. And by the time you do all of that, you'll be within a few hundred bucks of a true lift kit. If you've got the money, you might as well do it right the first time.

justjkit · December 18, 2016

Ok. Picked up the beast and almost home from 4.5 hour drive. Incredibly more comfortable than my tundra was. I read a lot about how rough these 2500s ride .. I was worried.

Now that I'm impressed with the ride quality, I need to figure out how to fit 22's and 33's or 35's. Looking at cognito level 4 level or a 4" lift. Any of you have any experience with the cognito level 4 with fox? I've heard a lot of bad talk about it from folks that only have experience with lifts.