xmas gift for my bro...need help!!

hey guys, my brother has a 03' 2wd LT tahoe with 285/55/20's and he has always wanted to level down the rear of his hoe to somewhat match the front. I am into the import scene so i know absolutly 0 about lowering tahoes. I figured for christmas i would put a smile on his face with some sorta drop kit for his truck. But i need help!! ha. basically i am a college student that doesnt have loads of cash to spend so what i want to do is get the best riding and cheapest kit to level his truck. His truck is his daily driver and he does have a wife and son so a 3/5 is completly out of the question.

i have found (2) 2/3" drop kits for his hoe from ebay that is kind of pushing it on the cost of this christmas gift but i have some questions about each one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/00-0...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/00-0...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

iv noticed that both of these kits ^^ are the same other than one has drop keys and the other has spindles. Now what are the advantages of each? i got no idea! Which will have the smoothest ride? (the biggest issue is ride comfort) and also, will my bro have issues getting his truck aligned with either of these kits? and if it makes any differance, iv been told that he doesnt have autoride. (not 100% sure tho)

sorry my first post is soo long but im just a Acura driver trying to put a smile on my bros face for xmas. any help would be appriciated!

thanks!
john

I am no expert but I just installed a 3''/5'' McGaughy's drop kit on my 04' Tahoe and it had spindles and keys in the front and coils and control arm relocators and shocks in the back. I think he could get a good drop in the front with just keys and letting them down all the way, this might give him 1-2'' in the front but a good quality spindle would be the right way to do a proper 2'' drop. In the rear coils and shock extenders should do the job....You can look at the McGaughy's website: http://www.mcgaughys.com/tahoe.html and see what kit you need and then google it to find the best price...... you could even try buying the parts separate. I saw some shock extenders for $40 on ebay..... anyway, good lookin' out for your bro' I hope I was of some help.

thanks so much for ur post!

well, if the front end of the tahoe can be adjusted with no extra parts, would it be bad if i just got 3" rear coils with shock extenders only? Would a tahoe look funny with only a 3" drop in the rear and a stock height front end? i could just have my tech at work adjust the front end just a bit.

thanks i will check out the link you posted.

-john

Just buy some rear springs and get him some shorter shocks for the back or extensions if he has autoride. Then find some 3/4 ton chevy torsion keys and have your tech install them and align the truck, make sure to level the truck and adjust the torsion bars before aligning the truck. Should ride fine with a 1/3 or 2/3 drop, I'd make the front slightly lower than the rear unless you think he wants it level. I used to be an import guy as well, don't worry you'll learn it's just a phase :cheers:

boostaholic said:

I used to be an import guy as well, don't worry you'll learn it's just a phase :cheers:

Click to expand...

The best quote of the year, lol.

boostaholic said:

Just buy some rear springs and get him some shorter shocks for the back or extensions if he has autoride. Then find some 3/4 ton chevy torsion keys and have your tech install them and align the truck, make sure to level the truck and adjust the torsion bars before aligning the truck. Should ride fine with a 1/3 or 2/3 drop, I'd make the front slightly lower than the rear unless you think he wants it level. I used to be an import guy as well, don't worry you'll learn it's just a phase :cheers:

Click to expand...

hahaha yea man i can tell you anything and everything about Honda/Acura's and what aftermarket parts to get! lol, but im slowly learning about tahoe's. wish parts were as cheap for my car. Adjustable coilover suspension for my Acura RSX-S? at least a grand! been around imports for at least 10 years. But i sure do love driving my bros tahoe. He has the 5.3 with the K&N intake/piping and a Magnaflow cat-back that sounds amazing!

back on topic, in the past few hours iv been lurking around here and researching and im now leaning towards just getting 3" springs for the rear and having my tech lower the front end of the truck maybe 1/2"+ just so it would be level with the rear. Is this a ok way to go? because it would save me probably $100-$150 which is a very good thing. also, do you think i should buy rear shock extenders as well? or is it not necassary? btw, can you tell me what the 3/4ton torsion will do? sorry about all the questions but im learning so much!
thanks!

-John

The 3/4 ton keys are the same indexing as the drop keys sold in the kit, just readily available for much less than the $100 they charge you for the shiny powdercoated ones. I think you'll be fine decranking the stock keys, should give you at least 1" drop and it will still align without issue. I'd just buy some shock extensions since they'll work on stock or autoride trucks (one less thing to worry about). I dropped over $3k into the suspension of my old school teggy, tein/energy/hotchkis isn't cheap but I loved kicking the sh*t out of the corvette club in my little wrong-wheel-drive 200whp honda

lol, yup, wrong wheel drive. i expierience it daily. but i still love my little rsx go-cart!

alright cool. So i guess i will be making a purchase soon. Ebay is selling springtech 3" rear springs for about $150 shipped. Is springtech a decent brand? is there any better brands out there for 3" rear springs for virtually the same price (give or take)?
i found mcgoughy rear shock extenders for $40 on ebay. is that a ok price?

btw, the most important question, with basically a 1" drop up front and 3" in the rear, is the truck gonna bounce around town and ride like crap by any means?
im guessing the 285/55/20 wont have rubbing issues after the drop ay?

I'm running 275/55/20 all terrains (larger sidewall) with a 3.5/5 drop and it barely rubbed up front with the steering locked going into a driveway. Check out DJM and Belltech on ebay, they're cheap and ride nice
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/_Car...rkparms=72:543|65:12|39:1|240:1318#ht_500wt_0

It will ride fine, some bilstein 5100 shocks all the way around would help but it isn't gonna ride like cut springs or anything.

alright cool. well the new shocks will be on his tab when his ready for em. haha
thanks alot for your help!