RC 2.5” Lift Leveling Kit, 17x8.5+0mm Method, 285x70x17” KO2 Install. ‘17 Sierra z71 CC

And123w · June 19, 2018

Been waiting for a while to install this stuff. Had the Baja kits UCA on order, but couldn’t wait any longer to install since I’ve been running on the spare.

Parts installed:

17x8.5” 0mm offset Method MR307 Matte Black

BF Goodrich KO2 LT285x70x17 121/118R

Rough Country 2.5” Lift Leveing Kit

Install took ~5 hours at a casual pace. The main issues I ran into were prepping for the install. The instructions ask for 18,15,17,21mm wrench, 15mm socket, 7/32 Allen wrench, Flat Screw Driver and a Hammer. This is for removing the factory hardware. If I remember right the supplied hardware is different. You will also need a 22mm socket. Also remember that everything should be torqued to spec. In that case you will need some deep well sockets. I also needed vice grips since the dealership somehow stripped the driver side ball joint Allen socket.

It took some good whacks to break the ball joints free with the metal hammer; keep at it.

Installing the spacer under the strut was kind of tricky since the mounting plate is extremely hard to rotate to the correct angle and get the bolts through. Here it was helpful to have an extra hand. What I did was line up the strut close enough to get the bolt somewhat through and carefully threaded it through just enough to get the nut to bite on some threads. Then we placed a jack under the lower control arm and slowly raised. The mounting plate was now at the same angle as the bolt holes and was able to completely secure them.

Also securing the control arm bushing with the Allen key was kinda tricky. My Allen key was kinda long and when you seat the bushing there is almost no space between the ball joint bolt and the CV joint boot clamp (right under the ball joint bolt). What I did was bolt down the ball joint just enough so it does not spin and then take out the Allen key. Then you can fully seat the ball joint.

installing the rear 2” blocks is pretty straight forward, but the instructions did not mention that the blocks are not completely flat like the stock. I can’t remember off the top of my head which way the high side faces, but it’s pretty visible. Look at the mounting surface on the axle and the leaf spring. You will notice the slope.

Installing the wheels, I purchased m14x1.5” lug nuts. These are too short for the 0mm offset rims. I will be trying m14x2.0.

The wheelset occasionally has a very slight rub clocked fully in reverse. It looks like it’s rubbing against the very edge of the front wheel well liner. Either zip tie or shave off a hair. Wheels are pretty much flush.

Issues to resolve: the front passenger side has creaks (almost like a squeaky bed) when going slow over speed bumps. Driver side has light thud sounds again. I have been having this issue since new and was recently resolved during the latest visit. Also I feel the headlights need some adjustment. I was driving around behind my brother and he didn’t notice anything, but it looks like on most cars my beam is hitting the headrest area.

Ride quality: I have not gotten an alignment yet since I would like to iron out all the noises first, but right now the steering feels more sensitive than the stock. The truck rolls straight, steering wheels straight, but it feels like one side turns easier than the other. I can hear the tires more and it doesn’t roll as smooth as the OEM. This probably will change once I get some mileage in. Definitely not excessive. The ride might seem a bit firmer right now as well.

Here’s the angle of the factory UCA ball joint. Not sure if that is pretty extreme, but I did end up ordering a cognito UCA with the sealed ball joint instead of the uniball. Went with the ball joint since I am constantly at the beach. Necessary?

And123w · June 19, 2018

TheBlackPearl · June 19, 2018

Truck looks great and I don't think those angles look bad at all. ?

Arkangel · June 20, 2018

Looks good!

And123w · June 24, 2018

Thanks! The tires worn in and now are smooth and quiet; loving it!

Today I was supposed to just install the Cognito UCA’s, but ran into issues and pretty much had to redo the 2.5” Lift level kit.

As you can see this bolt is rubbing against the half-shaft. This is the orientation of the stock bolt and in the video I watched of the level kit. Flipping it over gave the proper clearance.

After that was resolved I started to do the Cognito UCA Install.

It come with everything uninstalled. Assembly is pretty straight forward.

Tools needed:
Grease gun
WD-40
Angle grinder
Metal hammer
1/2” drill bit (for those with the Steel UCA)
Torque wrench
Standard and metric set of sockets and wrenches. Largest is 21mm for the control arm bolts.
Black spray paint sealant to protect the exposed metal.

Remove the nut and hit the X with the metal hammer to break free the ball joint.

I marked the locations of the alignment guides before removing. Alignment seems to be the same as with the lift kit installed. Forgot to take a pic, but the bottom of the tapered hole for the ball joint bolt will need to be expanded for the new ball joint bolt to fit. This is where the 1/2” drill bit will be used to expand the hole.

This “service perch” or bump stop will need to be cut off.

Spray the exposed metal to prevent rusting.

Torque alignment bolts to 90ftlbs, ball joint to no more than 50ft lbs. align sights and insert cotter pin. Then grease everything up. 2-3 hours is just about right to do the install.

Some things I noticed is that with the stock control arm, you can maybe move it up and down ~2 inches before it starts to bind and there is a lot of resistance. With the Aftermarket control arm, the resistance is even throughout the whole travel length. The ride is also pretty much back to stock feel. To me it was definitely worth the cost ~$600 after shipping and taxes for the piece of mind and better feel. I’ll try to get in line for an alignment tomorrow to see how everything is.

The squeaking noise I was experiencing on the passenger side has also gone away. I think the noise was coming from the OEM upper control arm. The clunking noise on the driver side also went away. The steering ball joint seemed really easy to break free and maybe wasn’t seated completely. I also added more grease while I was at it.

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