springs and shocks....

miller

miller

New member
Dec 4, 2012
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Texas
Noob here.. Just got myself into a GMC x-cab 5.3l here a few weeks ago. :motion:
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I love it. I had a lowered grand am before it and now i feel like I'm riding on cloud 9... The only problem I have now is I'm too high. So far my plans are a static 4/7... I've read Samuel's sticky and done a little looking so i know the direction I'm headed.. I'm just looking for some advice on springs and shocks.. I've become a very laid back driver and am not looking for better handling or stiffer cornering. I want the ride to stay smooth, comfortable and as close to stock as possible. I know that i will be loosing some comfort with a drop anyway, but would like to get a heads up on the softest shocks and springs that i should look into... Any help would be great guys... thanks
 
lol, fuck Belltech shocks! Budget? If no budget get qa1's or fox made to fit your setup. You could always try bilstein too. If not, many have ran Monroe and the Summit brand shocks.
 
Jared said:
lol, fuck Belltech shocks! Budget? If no budget get qa1's or fox made to fit your setup. You could always try bilstein too. If not, many have ran Monroe and the Summit brand shocks.
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Nah if you don't have a budget get kings! Otherwise listen to jared summit/Monroe for low budget, unless you like a firm ride then belltechs should be good
 
For the softest ride possible (which I would not recommend at that ride height), go with 4in LCAs in the front and a flip kit in the rear. The LCAs will keep the stock ride comfort since you dont need a shorter, thus stiffer, spring. If you are set on doing springs I have had Ground Force 2in springs before and really liked them, they were really soft for a drop spring IMO. The flip kit simply relocates the axle under the leaf pack, giving you 6in of drop and keeping stock components - a 1in block can be added to attain your 7in of total rear drop. Like others have said; a stock-style shocks are best to keep stock ride. You will need to do some research on what to buy since you cannot simply buy shocks for a fullsize GM truck; youll need a shorter shock that is made for another vehicle (or definitely look into a qa-1 or fox shock). I would personally go with drop shocks, stock ride at 4/7 would not be too fun in my opinion, but Ive never ridden in a truck with a setup like that.

Dont forget a notch, and begin looking into helper bags if you ever want to tow/haul or want a slightly adjustable rear ride height/stiffness.

Good luck man, and welcome!
 
With the 4" lca's, is it just djm that is said to have align problems? What about camber? How do I go about finding the right shock if i were to go with munroe shocks?
 
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Jared said:
fox/kings, they are pretty close
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Fox's oem product lines are way cheaper. I did, however, have a really hard time finding a shock length that would work for my bagged truck (couldnt short enough shocks), but I am speaking for a bagged truck.

As for figuring out the shock length you need; search around truck forums - I know ive seen p/n's. Other than that, you can ask guys around here what shocks theyre running with that drop and then go find out the specs on those shocks (as far as extended/compressed length), then go buy a shock with those lengths or similar.
 
Like brandon said, im not big on have a stock ride when tht low. I was almost 5/9 in my old truck and had btsp shocks which i liked cause they were stiff. Matt was 6/9 in a rcsb with king resis and said the ride felt better than stock and didnt bottom out much so if it were me and the there wasnt much of a budget then i'd go with king resi shocks all around.


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As far as budget its not really too tight. But, like anyone else, I don't want to fork out more than is needed for good parts. I'm slowly putting together a parts list and will post it when i think i have it together. Cant get the whole kit at once due to rent and other things of life but it wont take long...... So far I think the King shocks sound like what I'm looking for.So i looked at Mcg's notch and am wondering if I'm missing something, or it is??? It looks about the same as DJM and from what I've read, DJM is not any good. Is there a fully boxed notch? With 4" lca's will the camber turn out ok? Also, with the flip kit, do i need shims or anything for the pinion angle, or will i just be able to adjust the axle and tighten it down? I know that is probably a d/a question for ya'll, but I'm new at this and want it done right.. I do appreciate all the help guys...
 
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Dont use djm notch! If you ever plan getting helper bags to haul stuff or tow id deff go with mcg notch. That way when you want helpers they bolt straight up to the mcg notch, no welding.
 
djm supposedly has the best flip kit, it's adjustable, most here run BT or MCG, but on pt.net any run DJM. You will always find forums that stick to a certain brand more...but the notch has some truth, I posted pics and info in the "show us your notch" thread.

I run the MCG notch and helper setup because it was an easy setup. King and Fox, and QA1 are not cheap shocks, I hope you know this! You're looking at $400 on the low side.
 
wow, did not realize that. I'm in Sour Lake, near Beaumont
Also just did some more measuring and my rear is only 2" higher so i'll only go for 6" drop in the rear, so that will knock off the shackle/block..
 
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Are you wanting just to level? I believe cc's may need to be 4/7 to sit level. Ask jared. Imho i like just a hair cali lean. Even being .5"-1" cause to me cc's at 4/6 look like the back end is a bit up higher.


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