Looking to upgrade my suspension some more

Nuginu · March 22, 2018

Hello all,

I am currently stuck in an endless debate with myself on what would be the most value for the money to upgrade in my suspension. Truck is a 2017 Sierra All terrain crew cab with a 6.2 w/ 8 speed. I have already threw on a set of fox 2.0 shocks on it, and despite what everyone says about them, I am in love with them. I am going to be ordering a set of 285/55 r22 terra grapplers to put on the factory rims. Debating on either a cognito Balljoin Upper control am (Lots of road salt where I live in the winter) or some new leafs for the rear end. I find the factory spring feel weak and way too stiff. What do you guys think?

Coxryan1 · March 22, 2018

Hello all,

I am currently stuck in an endless debate with myself on what would be the most value for the money to upgrade in my suspension. Truck is a 2017 Sierra All terrain crew cab with a 6.2 w/ 8 speed. I have already threw on a set of fox 2.0 shocks on it, and despite what everyone says about them, I am in love with them. I am going to be ordering a set of 285/55 r22 terra grapplers to put on the factory rims. Debating on either a cognito Balljoin Upper control am (Lots of road salt where I live in the winter) or some new leafs for the rear end. I find the factory spring feel weak and way too stiff. What do you guys think?

Not sure to be honest but I am interested in adding leaf springs to the rear...lol

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Nuginu · March 22, 2018

13 minutes ago, Coxryan1 said:

Not sure to be honest but I am interested in adding leaf springs to the rear...lol

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I feel like the upgrade would be worth it forsure, but new leafs are pretty expensive.

aseibel · March 22, 2018

Some things you may be interested in that I added to my truck:

Hellwig sells helper springs you can bolt on.

http://www.hellwigproducts.com/products/load-control/ez-990/

I have a set of the ez 990's and I am a fan. They beef up the rear some but not too much, and they are adjustable. currently $135 on amazon prime.

I have Timbren's on my front suspension:

http://timbren.com/products-page/GMFK15CA/

currently $215 on amazon

That's more to help support the plow, than for off-road performance....

Coxryan1 · March 22, 2018

Some things you may be interested in that I added to my truck:

Hellwig sells helper springs you can bolt on.
http://www.hellwigproducts.com/products/load-control/ez-990/

I have a set of the ez 990's and I am a fan. They beef up the rear some but not too much, and they are adjustable. currently $135 on amazon prime.

I have Timbren's on my front suspension:
http://timbren.com/products-page/GMFK15CA/
currently $215 on amazon

That's more to help support the plow, than for off-road performance....

I haven't towed my camper with my 2017 Silverado yet, so I don't know if I'll need it or not. 7000lbs dry. My suburban pulled it with minimal sag and handled decent for a non-leaf spring rear end.

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Nuginu · March 22, 2018

Main goal is the make this truck ride as good as possible, for a reasonable price. I hit the droop stop alot, and it's starting to get annoying. I priced out the cognito balljoin arm, and it was almost 2 grand here in Canada. So im going to go ahead and scratch that off the list lol. I'm going to take some pictures of my balljoin angles and post them on this thread shortly, just feelin lazy rn

Grumpy Bear · March 22, 2018

Three things will make her hit the stops. Under dampened. Under sprung. Not centered at rest in the shocks travel. Tell you I'm a bit confused. Leafs and control arms are on opposite ends of the truck so....which end is hitting and if it's the front are you sure is droop?

Nuginu · March 22, 2018

5 minutes ago, Grumpy Bear said:

Three things will make her hit the stops. Under dampened. Under sprung. Not centered at rest in the shocks travel. Tell you I'm a bit confused. Leafs and control arms are on opposite ends of the truck so....which end is hitting and if it's the front are you sure is droop?

I've got the truck lifted above the stock heigh and that results in the upper control arm sitting closer to the droop stop. Only really happens when I start doing stupid stuff to be honest. Like, driving off a tall curb, or getting airborne while offroad. I'm not talking massive amounts of airtime, truck does not bounce or bottom on when she comes back down. I don't really play much with the truck, mostly leave it for my side by side but every once in a while, the 12 year old in me comes out and thinks he's driving a raptor. Ultimately, getting a nice long travel kit, some fiberglass fenders and some nice 3 inch body shocks would solve my issue completely and i'd be the happiest guy in the world, but I can't afford tires, and a full suspension kit. Just found out an UCA will run me almost 2 grand here in Canada, and considering how salty the roads get during our winters, the uni-ball would wear out very quickly. Now im curious about leaf springs, and how much of a difference you guys think it would do. I'm interested in Deaver leafs with some new shackles.

Sierra706 · March 22, 2018

I've got the truck lifted above the stock heigh and that results in the upper control arm sitting closer to the droop stop. Only really happens when I start doing stupid stuff to be honest. Like, driving off a tall curb, or getting airborne while offroad. I'm not talking massive amounts of airtime, truck does not bounce or bottom on when she comes back down. I don't really play much with the truck, mostly leave it for my side by side but every once in a while, the 12 year old in me comes out and thinks he's driving a raptor. Ultimately, getting a nice long travel kit, some fiberglass fenders and some nice 3 inch body shocks would solve my issue completely and i'd be the happiest guy in the world, but I can't afford tires, and a full suspension kit. Just found out an UCA will run me almost 2 grand here in Canada, and considering how salty the roads get during our winters, the uni-ball would wear out very quickly. Now im curious about leaf springs, and how much of a difference you guys think it would do. I'm interested in Deaver leafs with some new shackles.

Big difference out back. But you would lose most of your payload capability. You’d sag with any sort of weight.

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Slatemetal15 · March 23, 2018

I would get in touch with Ben over at Filthy Motorsports. He has a wealth of knowledge in suspension and I’m sure could help you out.

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Grumpy Bear · March 23, 2018

5 hours ago, Nuginu said:

Now im curious about leaf springs, and how much of a difference you guys think it would do. I'm interested in Deaver leafs with some new shackles.

Well that is something I do have some experience with. This set is from Deaver. Just under a grand. Night and day. This set is a two inch drop. It's how I ordered them.

5 hours ago, Bushleaguechew said:

Big difference out back. But you would lose most of your payload capability. You’d sag with any sort of weight.

Yea, not true. I lost 10-15% and by choice. They will build what you want. The "trick" is leaf count. Many thin leaves vs two thick ones vastly improves compliance and puts rebound dampening in a range that can actually be managed.

3 hours ago, Slatemetal15 said:

I would get in touch with Ben over at Filthy Motorsports. He has a wealth of knowledge in suspension and I’m sure could help you out.

It's who managed my project. Ben is sharp and does not cut corners.

Nuginu · March 23, 2018

12 hours ago, Grumpy Bear said:

Well that is something I do have some experience with. This set is from Deaver. Just under a grand. Night and day. This set is a two inch drop. It's how I ordered them.

Yea, not true. I lost 10-15% and by choice. They will build what you want. The "trick" is leaf count. Many thin leaves vs two thick ones vastly improves compliance and puts rebound dampening in a range that can actually be managed.

It's who managed my project. Ben is sharp and does not cut corners.

That right there is what I might do. Seems like UCA are way too much for the little benefit they would give me right off the bat. That's a wild setup right there, forsure have to find this Ben ya'll speak of. Stay tuned for balljoint angles, just going outside to snap some pictures now.

Edit : Phone's dead, going to charge it to take some pictures.

I have no idea why it's rotated like that. but you could still kinda see it. I thought it was going to be worst the what it is, but the truck is not on even ground. I'll take a better one in a couple hrs.

Jon A · March 24, 2018

If you're hitting your droop stops you need to fix that or you're just not going to have a good ride offroad. Aftermarket UCA's and cutting the stops off (depending on what arms you get) will help. If that's too expensive for what you get, the better solution for you may be to save up and spend more--a proper 4" lift such as zone or BDS fixes these issues using the stock arms and will provide a much better offroad ride.

In the rear, Deavers would be extremely helpful. A cheaper alternative is the Deaver add a leaf set. These replace your overload springs which are a major factor in riding rough offroad. The stock springs aren't really "progressive," but more of a two stage setup--soft main springs but when the overloads are engaged it's like flipping a switch and the rate spikes to really stiff. You feel that in big hits offroad. The Deaver add a leafs stiffen the main rate a bit (so they aren't going to be softer over small bumps) but keep it more constant throughout the travel so you don't have that spike in rate. They also give you more extension travel for better articulation if your shocks are long enough to use it.

Either way, if you tow/haul much you'll really need airbags with Deavers unless you have them put a custom spring pack together for you specifically for towing/hauling (which won't ride nearly as well offroad). If you want a good ride offroad and good handling when towing and hauling, airbags is the only way to do both.