Help with Suspension Level/Lift for 2018 Silverado

Wilkens · January 22, 2020

New member here. I'm seeking advice on how best to level my 2018 Silverado 1500 Z71 crew cab. I would like to level the truck or perhaps maintain a slight forward rake, while providing enough room for 33 inch tires (I'm thinking 275 70r18s on the stock 18 inch wheels). I'm also interested in improving offroad performance (not merely a cosmetic modification). This is my daily driver, so I'm looking for an approach that will best serve as a jack of all trades, to the degree such a task can be achieved. I am more concerned with performance both on and off road as well as durability and ease of maintenance more than I am with price.

After some initial online research I've identified a couple of potential options, but I wanted to seek the advice of the pros on this forum. One thought would be to use Falcon's new sport suspension leveling system which I believe raises the front end up to 2.25 inches and uses the stock coils. Alternatively, if it would be beneficial I could go with coilovers, though I don't know which would best serve my objectives (Fox? King?). I am also under the impression that the stamped steel upper control arms that come on my model are less than optimal in a leveled or lifted truck, and as a result might be well served by aftermarket UCAs. Here again though I'm not sure which would be best, if this is a necessary modification. Finally, I'm wondering if this project can be achieved without substantial permanent modification to the vehicle such as cutting and trimming. I would like to avoid excessive tinkering if I can. Any suggestions on the build would be very much appreciated. Thanks so much in advance.

dieselfan1 · January 23, 2020

If it were my truck and I plan on going off road with 33" tires I would just do a 4" lift.

2.25" it will probably rub when you bottom it out.

For more of a performance lift coilovers rule. Not cheap though. This is what I would do if I wanted a small performance type lift.

The truck pictured has a 4" BDS lift with 33x12.50x22 on 22x12 wheels
Go to
www.customwheeloffset.com
for more pics

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

nominion · January 23, 2020

Adjustable Bilstein shocks in the front will give you enough room for 33" tires. It will also keep some rake. Add Bilstein shocks to the rear as well. This would probably be fine for some off road use as a daily driver, assuming you aren't talking about extreme use. Hard to say though as it's not clear how much off road use the truck would get.

2.25" level only is too much unless you replace the rear blocks with larger ones or add a leaf to the spring pack to give the back some lift to maintain some rake.

I wouldn't replace control arms unless you observe rubbing with either setup. As mentioned, a full 4" lift would also work. Not sure that qualifies as too much tinkering though.

Wilkens · January 23, 2020

12 hours ago, dieselfan1 said:

If it were my truck and I plan on going off road with 33" tires I would just do a 4" lift.

2.25" it will probably rub when you bottom it out.

For more of a performance lift coilovers rule. Not cheap though. This is what I would do if I wanted a small performance type lift.

The truck pictured has a 4" BDS lift with 33x12.50x22 on 22x12 wheels
Go to
www.customwheeloffset.com
for more pics

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

Thanks for the suggestions. This looks like a great setup, but if possible I would like to go with something slightly more conservative, i.e. less tinkering with the vehicle. With that in mind, I was thinking about mimicking a setup like this: https://www.silveradosierra.com/suspension/2016-cognito-fox-coilover-leveling-kit-t565250.html OR https://www.silveradosierra.com/suspension/fox-2-5-resi-coilovers-with-cognito-uca-s-installed-t698470.html

The price on this Camburg setup is a bit steep, but doable if it were the best way to go: https://camburg.com/shop/suspension/camburg-chevygmc-1500-2wd4wd-07-18-fox-2-5-factory-dsc-kit/

Alternatively, Falcon Shocks offers this system which is more affordable and to my understanding provides more lift and is generally a step above Bilstein 5100s. It may also be more durable than having remote reservoirs, but I really have no idea, that was just the opinion of one shop I spoke with: https://www.falconshocks.com/chevy-gmc-1500

Any opinions on something like this would be very much appreciated. You raise a good point about bottoming out, that's something I want to avoid. However, I would like to keep it under 4 inches if I can. If that means I would be better served by using a slightly smaller tire I'm willing to consider that.

Wilkens · January 23, 2020

2 hours ago, nominion said:

Adjustable Bilstein shocks in the front will give you enough room for 33" tires. It will also keep some rake. Add Bilstein shocks to the rear as well. This would probably be fine for some off road use as a daily driver, assuming you aren't talking about extreme use. Hard to say though as it's not clear how much off road use the truck would get.

2.25" level only is too much unless you replace the rear blocks with larger ones or add a leaf to the spring pack to give the back some lift to maintain some rake.

I wouldn't replace control arms unless you observe rubbing with either setup. As mentioned, a full 4" lift would also work. Not sure that qualifies as too much tinkering though.

Thanks for the suggestions. I don't need to maintain some rake, I would consider it if it were feasibly possible though. A flat level would also be acceptable to me. Along with the options I saw posted above, I am also considering the Falcon Shocks system which is similar to the Bilsteins but which to my understanding provide slightly more lift and are maybe a step up from there. I think the product is fairly new so any thoughts on it and others are welcome: https://www.falconshocks.com/chevy-gmc-1500

mcglothlintoby · January 24, 2020

Bilstein 5100s, deaver mini-pack, rear block removed and 275/70/18 falken Wildpeak at3ws. Rubbed some at full lock in reverse, after a couple thousand miles, no rub. No rubbing offroad either.

Wilkens · January 24, 2020

14 hours ago, mcglothlintoby said:

Bilstein 5100s, deaver mini-pack, rear block removed and 275/70/18 falken Wildpeak at3ws. Rubbed some at full lock in reverse, after a couple thousand miles, no rub. No rubbing offroad either.

Your truck looks great. That's a very similar look to what I'm going for. Don't the Bilstein 5100s provide up to 1.85" lift in the front? If that is correct, I'm optimistic that I wouldn't have rubbing issues running those same Falken 275/70r18s with an option that provided 2.25"in the front (Falcon Sport Leveling) or 2.5" (King 2.5 coilovers).