Leveling Kit With Or Without Shock Ext. Brackets

[G80]

I've been looking at some leveling kits for my 06 Silverado Crew. I've noticed that some kits come with shock extention brackets and some don't. Is it better to get one with the extentions or doesn't it really matter?

Thanks for your input!!

 

G80

[Majorleaguebass]

I've been looking at some leveling kits for my 06 Silverado Crew. I've noticed that some kits come with shock extention brackets and some don't. Is it better to get one with the extentions or doesn't it really matter?

Thanks for your input!!

 

G80

 

 

is your truck the torsion bar front end or the coil over? and is it 2wd or 4wd?

[G80]

I've been looking at some leveling kits for my 06 Silverado Crew. I've noticed that some kits come with shock extention brackets and some don't. Is it better to get one with the extentions or doesn't it really matter?

Thanks for your input!!

 

G80

 

 

is your truck the torsion bar front end or the coil over? and is it 2wd or 4wd?

 

 

It is the torsion bar 4wd.

[Majorleaguebass]

I've been looking at some leveling kits for my 06 Silverado Crew. I've noticed that some kits come with shock extention brackets and some don't. Is it better to get one with the extentions or doesn't it really matter?

Thanks for your input!!

 

G80

 

 

is your truck the torsion bar front end or the coil over? and is it 2wd or 4wd?

 

 

It is the torsion bar 4wd.

 

 

then you dont need the shock brackets, your factory shocks still have about 4 inches of travel left in them and the max i would tighten your torsion bars would be 2". that 2" will still make the ride rough, and more and you will be jarring your teeth out of your head and replacing expensive parts.

[G80]

Would you not recommend the leveling kit due to a rough ride and parts wearing out?

[tramz]

Read this article, you may find it helpful.

http://www.off-road.com/trucks4x4/article/...l.jsp?id=200036

[2000DV4.8]

Would you not recommend the leveling kit due to a rough ride and parts wearing out?

 

Exactly. The highest you can safely go is 1.5". I'm cranked just slightly under that, and the ride is noticeably firmer, but it's not overly harsh (by the way, I'm using stock length shocks with no extension brackets).

[00Silverado4x4]

Can someone explain why a leveling kit, that includes reindex torsion bar keys, is considered a bad idea because of making for a rougher/stiffer ride? The reason these kits have reindexed keys is so you CAN level your truck ("lifting" the front) without "cranking" your torsion bars. Otherwise what is the point of a "leveling" kit if your just installing stock replacement parts. I personally have put a leveling kit in my truck, & before I put the new keys in I compared the indexing to my stock keys. You could plainly see the new keys would allow the truck to be "lifted" without adding any additional stress to your torsion bars. I am not commenting on any other components that may/may not be affected as I am unsure. I do however know that once I was done my truck did not ride any different from before I put the kit in.

[Matt_]

mark... i dont know where to start....

 

by your post its clear that you do not understand how torsion bars work.

 

so let me put it this way, if you raise your truck 2" using stock keys OR is you raise your truck 2" using aftermarket keys, the amount of rotation on the torsion bars and ALL subsequent effects on suspension/geometry are EXACTLY the same.

 

re-indexed keys only let you crank further than stock keys since the stock keys will hit the top of the TB crossmember after about 1" of ride height increase. it doesnt matter if you're using stock keys or aftermarket keys.... BOTH are cranking the torsion bars.

 

ride height is directly proportional to the amount of twist (crank) on the torsion bars..... it has nothing to do with the keys. if you can achieve the ride height you want with the stock keys, then aftermarket keys are a complete waste of money

[mxdirtrider56]

Installing new keys and raising the front up 1.5-2" max is not going to hurt anything. You can either install shock extension brackets or new shocks. I installed my leveling kit when my truck had under 60,000 miles on it and I just went ahead and installed new shocks designed for 2" of lift. I didn't even notice a difference in the ride at all. I have over 100,000 miles on my truck now and 2.5 years since I installed the leveling kit with no problems. You won't run into issues unless you're one of those people that starts cranking your stock bars up way beyond that 1.5-2" margin.

[Matt_]

I would also advise against running shock extensions. They're not needed. You're still operating within the range of the OEM shocks, you haven't increased the travel of your suspension... you've just set a different ride height.

 

If you put on shock extensions and hit a good bump, you can blow out or ruin your shocks.

 

If you put shocks designed for a lift on and they have a longer "compressed" length then the oem shocks, you could have the same issue.

 

MOST aftermarket shocks are designed for 0-2" of "lift" though... but again, it doesn't really matter when you're cranking the torsion bars 1.5".

[mxdirtrider56]

I stand corrected!

[00Silverado4x4]

All I confused about was how your ride would be stiffer just becaue you lifted the front. As I understand torsional forces, since torsion bars are a "spring" rod, cranking the keys on one end results in a relatively equal twist in the front of the bar. Providing that you are not cranking until you "top out" the travel in your control arms & beyond, then there wouldn't be any additional stresses on your bar. This is where I've been told people are getting stiffer rides, & my confusion. Unless you have added weight to the front end from stock or hit a bump that causes the front end to drop beyond the original vertical wheel travel of the control arms there wouldn't be any additional torque on the bars. In this case why not just sell/install a new, taller "stop" for the truck so you cannot over "crank" your bars. I do now understand why my shock extensions were probably a bad idea, except I eventually plan to take my truck up another inch, front & rear. I admit that I not a specialists & probably sound like a clueless wonder. Forgive my ignorance.

[Matt_]

it has more to do with dynamics. Yes, it only takes X force to hold up the front of the truck regardless. So twisting the torsion bars pre-loads them more so you reach X force sooner. The primary issue, and the reason the ride gets stiffer, is that your suspension is starting at a higher preload and therefore doesn't absorb as much energy through deflection.

 

On a stock truck, the suspension travels quite a bit, even driving down the street. This keeps the cab nice and steady and dissipates a lot of energy through the suspension. When you crank the torsion bars for 2" of increased ride height, you lose 2" (of about 3") of down travel. This has three compounding effects. First, your suspension can not compensate for dips that would cause your suspension to normally drop more than 1", this causes the cab to dive. Second, having your cab/truck bouncing around more causes higher dynamic forces that must be dissipated through the suspension. Third, starting at a higher preload on the torsion bar makes for less energy dissipation and somewhat of a "spike" in the force that equates to an overall "stiffer" ride.

 

That's about as simple as i can explain it..... remember, there is A LOT more involved in suspension and ride control than what meets the eye; and more than can be discussed easily on a forum. If it were that simple, everyone could be an engineer and getting the degree would be a piece of cake

 

Here's a quick analogy that might help. Pre-runners have long travel suspension kits. Why? They're not rock crawling so why do they need so much suspension travel? Because the more suspension travel, the more energy that can be dissipated through it without bending/breaking stuff. Stand on a chair and jump off, but when you hit the ground DONT bend your knees. Now do it again, but bend your knees as you hit the ground to absorb the shock. Which one feels better? You weigh same and jumped off the same chair don't you?

[00Silverado4x4]

Thanks Matt. I wish I had seen your reply prior to editing mine. I now understand that I have much to learn. There is so much more to this truck than my old '76 K10 with its antique leaf springs all the way around. 350, 4 barrel, 3 speed (on the column), 31x10.5 BFGs, never gotten stuck, 0-60 in 10 gallons of gas CHEVROLET.