Suspension helpers question

[Bawugna]

Hi Folks, my next question....  I understand that there may be an answer on here somewhere and I may be told to use a search function but I already tried and could not easily find exactly what I am looking for so here goes....

Can anyone recommend a helper spring arrangement that is not an airbag.  I have been sniffing around and came across Timbren and firestone products that are either foam or rubber and are situated where the bump tops are mounted. 

The AV is a 2006 LT Z71 with a 4 inch (assumed) lift.  On the front I do not see a
"bump stop cup" to mount a Timbren unit into.  I went to a dealer and the cup does not appear to be part of the OEM set up, now I am way confused!  I haven't seen anything else for that application, am I missing something?  On the rear I would like to use a Timbren set up but still have to measure the length of the bump stop that is in place right now.  I will know more when I do that.  Is there a Sumo set up that may work?

I am looking for a system to reduce body roll and avoid wheel hop as well as do some tow duty assistance.  I am not looking for anything full time, more of a progressive set up.

Any help anyone can offer will be much appreciated.

Jim

 

[Lifted07]

What you are looking to solve I don't believe can be solved with one product.  First off, have you had any of your current suspension components inspected for wear and tear of even breakage?  Broken sway bar end links will cause body roll as will worn out sway bar end link bushings just not as bad as broken links.  Wheel hop can be caused by badly worn or even internally broken shocks, have these ever been changed?  My 07 has sway bars front and rear, I am not too sure about the 06, if it doesn't have one I would definitely install one, they are not that expensive and are simple to install.  Any idea what kind of lift is in it?  Could be very cheap parts were used.  I went with a Pro Comp 6" lift which was not cheap and the rear shocks that came with the kit were shot in less than 2 years, also end links are under a lot of stress as are the end link bushings as well as the sway bar bushings and are wearable items.  Some kits reuse old end links and bushings unless you specify you want new ones installed, or a reputable shop that installs the kit will change all of these items and include it in their install price.  As mentioned I would have a good look at all of your suspension components, I have an 07 with a 6" lift and 34's with a built trans, shift kit,corvette servo, 4.56 gears and it will chirp the tires when it hits 2nd gear it shifts that hard, and I do not get any wheel hop.

When do you get this wheel hop, on or off road?  Wheel hop is not a good thing and will eventually break drive train components.  If I remember correctly wheel hop only usually happens in leaf sprung rear ends and is caused by "axle wrap" and the 06 Avy has coil springs.  I am thinking you may have a lot of worn out parts and by correcting these issues it will solve your problems.

 

[Bawugna]

Wow Lifted that is a mountain of info, thanks, it definitely gives me a few things to think about.
for starters I know little about the lift kit used.  A Chevy dealer had a peek at it and did not gasp or anything so I will assume it is not all that much the junk kit.  My mechanic did give things the once over and his main concern was the links on the on the rear sway bar so he swapped them out, other than that he was not too concerned with anything else.  I do not have wheel hop, perhaps by saying that I set you on a certain path which is understandable.  I just happen to remember a brand new Chevy 1500 PU I had moons ago that jumped 2 lanes in a traffic circle when challenged by some road ripples.  I stopped that issue dead in its tracks with helper springs, a rear sway bar  and a set of Rancho RS 5000.  I just wanted to more or less emulate the suspension gig I had in that truck, but Torsion bar fronts and coil rears are very different from the set up I had.  I am just looking for an overall performance boost.  I am going to rip out the Rancho shocks on this truck and replace them with the same.  The current ones are not leaking and seem to do good duty, they are just all rusted and give me the impression that they need a change.  I am going to make sure I get the proper length shock that works through the whole wheel travel length.  The torsion bars as I said did not raise my mechanic's eyebrows so I am likely good there but I will look deeper as you suggest.  I do not get excessive roll either, I just want to make sure that the lift does not result in something I am not ready for.

Am I just looking for something that will not really help any in the long run or am I onto a proper path making improvements that make sense?  The truck rides well enough for regular DD tasks, I just want to get it hooked up for towing a small travel trailer or a smaller boat.

Thanks for taking the time to lay all this out for me, I definitely have more stuff to look at.

 

[Lifted07]

OK, it makes a little more sense now knowing you were comparing it to your old truck and trust me there is NO comparison.  No real issues yet but want to avoid in the future.  As far as what is stock on the truck for end links, bushings and sway bars, they do a pretty good job.  If you want more of a performance feel and better handling, you can always upgrade the stock sway bars, there is a lot of info and at the very least one good thread started here on the forum about that and upgraded sway bars will help with towing heavier loads too.  Some say that urethane bushings are the way to go and some are against them.  New bushings either way you go , stock or urethane will improve the handling, and a good set of shocks go a long way as well.  Depending on what size of travel trailer you go with  a weight distribution hitch will also help in the towing end of things.  I am sure a lot of other members here will chime in that have made little to any suspension mods and tow of a regular basis.

 

[Bawugna]

Thanks again for your help on this.  I guess my original plan of replacing the shocks, which look pretty ratty, is a good starting point.  I guess new bushings will also be a sensible swap out.  I know what you mean about the urethane vs rubber debate.....my mechanic is really not sold on urethane and I am tending in his direction, I have had shock urethane bushings fail, they are rather stiff and rubber is more forgiving even if it allows for a bit more squish movement in parts.  I can change out bushings in groups and make my way around the suspension until they are all completed.  I did some learning under the truck this weekend.  I discovered that my lift is likely more in the 6 inch range, my trailing links are super long as are my shocks.  I am wondering if the shocks were changed when the lift was installed, they seem pretty extended when sitting still, new ones should do wonders.  Exhaust is going to be a real bear, professional help is likely the call of the day.

 

[Lgrin]

Wow Lifted that is a mountain of info, thanks, it definitely gives me a few things to think about.
for starters I know little about the lift kit used. A Chevy dealer had a peek at it and did not gasp or anything so I will assume it is not all that much the junk kit. My mechanic did give things the once over and his main concern was the links on the on the rear sway bar so he swapped them out, other than that he was not too concerned with anything else. I do not have wheel hop, perhaps by saying that I set you on a certain path which is understandable. I just happen to remember a brand new Chevy 1500 PU I had moons ago that jumped 2 lanes in a traffic circle when challenged by some road ripples. I stopped that issue dead in its tracks with helper springs, a rear sway bar and a set of Rancho RS 5000. I just wanted to more or less emulate the suspension gig I had in that truck, but Torsion bar fronts and coil rears are very different from the set up I had. I am just looking for an overall performance boost. I am going to rip out the Rancho shocks on this truck and replace them with the same. The current ones are not leaking and seem to do good duty, they are just all rusted and give me the impression that they need a change. I am going to make sure I get the proper length shock that works through the whole wheel travel length. The torsion bars as I said did not raise my mechanic's eyebrows so I am likely good there but I will look deeper as you suggest. I do not get excessive roll either, I just want to make sure that the lift does not result in something I am not ready for.

Am I just looking for something that will not really help any in the long run or am I onto a proper path making improvements that make sense? The truck rides well enough for regular DD tasks, I just want to get it hooked up for towing a small travel trailer or a smaller boat.

Thanks for taking the time to lay all this out for me, I definitely have more stuff to look at.

One thing I did was install rear spring air bags. I was towing a travel trailer and then helped greatly. There easy to install and the rear end barely dropped when I hooked up trailer