Leveling Kit

[95 Tahoe]

I have a 1995 Chevy Tahoe 2 door and i would like to put a leveling kit with new bilstein shocks (front only). Is there not a leveling kit for my truck because i cant find one? Thanks:thumbsup:

 

[treepete]

Crank down the torsion keys maybe? you wont need new shocks unless you drop it more than 2".
unless your going UP to level it. I think you can achieve the same result?

 

[95 Tahoe]

i want to go up to level it. is cranking the torsion bars make the ride stiffer, or will it affect the ride. Also where can i get this done at.

Thanks for your help, TreePete

 

[fyremanpat]

Cranking the torsion bars will stiffin your ride, depending on how high you go. If you only need an inch or so it wont be that bad, but much more and you might want to consider extended shocks cause they will be constantly maxing out and wearing out prematurely. First measure the clearance from the top of the tire to the fender. Then get under your Hoe and locate the torsion bars. Follow them back to wear they go into the torsion keys. There is one bolt on each torsion key. I recommend tightening them a 1/4 turn at a time until you reach the desired hieght, also after each quarter turn drive around the block to let them settle and re-measure the hieght. Hope this helps.

 

[treepete]

yeah, and then alignment may be necessary. I mean, I would suggest it for sure. ANytime you mess around with the torsion key, you can count on an alignment to follow.

 

[95 Tahoe]

thanks for your help, i am new to all this, what kind of alignment are you talking about treepete. thanks for you help guys.

 

[treepete]

a regular wheel alignment. by moving the torsion keys, you are putting the contact patch to the inner or outer of the tire. you need a basic alignment to correct this or you will wear thru tires faster.
usually an alignment is between 50-80ish dollars ( around here anyway) and the price can also be manipulated depending on what kind of work yor having done.

take it to a tire shop that has the laser alignment rack would be my suggestion.

 

[95 Tahoe]

Sorry for all the ?,if i do have to get new shocks i would like to stay with bilstein shocks, so is their a particular brand that will fit when i level the truck. Can you only crank the torsion bars for the front, if you can crank them in the back also couldn't i just level the front, then add 2 inch in the back then another 2 inch in the front and put 4 new shocks on, or is that the stupidest thing you have ever heard.:crazy:

thanks again.

 

[treepete]

naw naw its not stupid. we can work it out to get you the advice you need here.

In the front the height can be done with the torsion bars. your ride will be stiffer. in the back there arent torsion bars in the back there should be leaf springs. these you can make go higher with some sort of block or something, between where the axle and leaf spring meet.
I know for sure 96procomp will be in here with the remedy in a moment. in the meantime, check out Sumit or the sponsor link for stylin and look at "lift kit 2"
you could do a 1" body lift, torsion in the front then you might be level looking

 

[treepete]

and fyerman Pat,
post pics of your engine bay, please.

 

[95 Tahoe]

if i do have to get new shocks i would like to stay with bilstein shocks, so is their a particular brand that will fit when i level the truck.

 

[treepete]

sure of course you can stay with that brand name if you like.
to find the proper length of your next shock, go to the billstein applications catalog. then find the exact replacements shocks for your ride now, then look at the specifics of that shock. then look in the apps catalog for the next longer shock ( or whatever size your going to go to from there.) you just need a little bit longer shock than the replacement ones. crawl under your truck an measure them if you have to. then spend 1 hour searching ebay and get actual overall lenghts and you should be good to go.
again, one of the lift kit dudes should be along any moment to give you the real information.

 

[95 Tahoe]

thanks for your help treepete.:thumbsup:

 

[96ProCompTahoe]

i've got the 6" procomp lift on mine.

lifting the rear is simple and can be done 2 ways.
-blocks, they go between the axle and the leaf springs.
-getting new leafs or haveing the old ones rearched to give you the lift you need.

the front is a little harder.
-i've heard you can put in the leveling keys and then crank up the torsion bars. mine are cranked up a little bit and my truck still rides good on 35's.
-using a regualr lift kit to lift the truk and drop the front diff to keep the axle angles correct
- or put the 3/4ton torsion bars in the front end to give you more lift.

or you could just put a 2" body lift on the truck with the leveling kit and achieve you 2" lift and having it level. im sure there are other ways of accomplishing this but thats what i've seen and talked to guys about in the past.

 

[fyremanpat]

I put air bags in the rear. Thats like at least 2 inches there. And it never sags no matter how much weight you put on it. You can just change the air pressure.....Im gonna try and put pics up tonite when I get home.

 

[95 Tahoe]

I put air bags in the rear. Thats like at least 2 inches there. And it never sags no matter how much weight you put on it. You can just change the air pressure.....Im gonna try and put pics up tonite when I get home.

if you put air bags in the rear and lift them up 2 inch will the ride be stiffer or will it stay the same.

Also how many inches can you crank the torsion bars up till they cant go any more, or until it is not safe, as long as you put the rite size shocks on.

 

[fyremanpat]

Lets put it this way...Do you just want the truck to sit up a little higher with the same tires and wheels now?...Do you want to go higher, and with bigger tires and wheels? Or do you wanna go BIG? If you want to keep what you have, you can do a torsion bar crank and air shocks or bags in the rear..that will give an inch or two with out sacrificing your ride or your wallet...I personally wanted to go a little higher with tires and wheels. I have a three inch body lift, torsion crank and rear bags. I was able to stuff 305/70/R16 with virtualy no clearence issues....And still could have gone a size bigger... A 1"-3" body lift will run you about $50-$125 a kit and another $100-$300 to put it on....Another option is a suspension lift...this is where it gets expensive and you cant be cheap with these. I believe you can go from 4"-8"s of lift here. Just expect to pay at least $1K for the kit and another $400-$800 to install. Then of course you have alot more tires size options...Or you can go balls out and cut your IFS out, convert to a straight axle and go as big as you want...but leaf springs in the front suck! Hope this could answer some of your ?'s

 

[95 Tahoe]

thanks for that post it really helped.:thumbsup:

So this is what i want to do i think i have it all figured out so what i will do is cranks the torsion bars up to level the truck and put some new shocks in the front. (will i need new shocks in the back just by leveling the truck?)

then later in the future i will get a 2-3 in body lift.

thanks for all of your guys help i would have been lost with out you. haha

 

[treepete]

no you wont need new back shocks. just an alignment.