Strictly the 4x4 lowering thread...

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1qikdsl

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CC with the 6'4" bed lowered looks ****:hitit:

Thank you! On a side note I noticed a random thing. I meant to write she yet it seems I wrote he when referencing my truck. I must clear this so she doesn't get mad and leave me stranded on the side of the road ha ha. I apparently need to proof read before I post. I blame all of you for not bringing this to my attention lol
 

345ram

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Looks awesome, did you have any issues with the cv shafts? Mcgaughy told me they don't recommend lowering my truck cuz I might wear the cv shafts on the front wheel drive
 

345ram

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4x4 issues

I really like to lower my truck but Mcgaughy told me they don't recommend me lowering my 4x4 because I can prematurely wear my CV shafts but I'm wondering if anybody has that issue or not? Help be greatly appreciated!
 
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Milt IV

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I really like to lower my truck but Mcgaughy told me they don't recommend me lowering my 4x4 because I can prematurely wear my CV shafts but I'm wondering if anybody has that issue or not? Help be greatly appreciated!

There are a bunch of lowered 4x4s on this site. There is a point where too low can cause harm to the CVs but you're not going to find that point ubless yout ate trYing to drop the front more than 3". Ground Force makes a kit specifically for our 4x4s. I'm installing it tomorrow on my truck. You can also run the mcgaughys deluxe kit for a 2wd on the 4x4.
 

Milt IV

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I measured after the drop and it looks like I got 2" up front and 3.5" out back so far. We'll see if it settles any after it gets some miles on it.

I measured before and after from the fender to the center of the axle. Measurements below are post drop

DF - 19.5" PF - 19.5"
DR - 20.5" PR - 20.5"

I will be cutting the rear springs to get rid of the 1" rake depending on where everything settles to. I may cut the front to get a little more out of it too. It's riding so good for a lowered truck right now I'm hesitant to hack it up, but I really want to be level and want a little more low.
 

Milt IV

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How much stiffer does it ride & does it handle better?

It's definitely noticeably stiffer, but not necessarily in a bad way. I personally prefer my trucks to ride this way, I have owned a bunch of lowered trucks.

It certainly handles better, way less body roll and feels much more planted. Granted I'm not autocrossing my crew cab but it's certainly more enjoyable to drive now.
 

charonblk07

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Granted I'm not autocrossing my crew cab but it's certainly more enjoyable to drive now.

Why not? It's hilarious to see people's reactions to a properly setup truck that will post similar times to the modern muscle cars.
 

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EMDubYa

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Can anyone tell me if you can use the Bilstein 5100's with the GF kit? I have them on my truck now and would hate to have to ditch them..
 

charonblk07

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Can anyone tell me if you can use the Bilstein 5100's with the GF kit? I have them on my truck now and would hate to have to ditch them..



Yes you can. Just set the snap ring to stock height and install the springs as normal. If you ever want to go lower you can actually get a few more grooves machined into the body and the shock has enough travel to allow another 1" of lowering.
 

EMDubYa

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Yes you can. Just set the snap ring to stock height and install the springs as normal. If you ever want to go lower you can actually get a few more grooves machined into the body and the shock has enough travel to allow another 1" of lowering.

thanks. I figured that would be the case for the front struts. what about with the rear 5100's? will they be able to take the lowering of the GF kit? Also, is anyone out here running the Spohn rear control arms? I read an earlier post that a guy was using the panhard rod and then cut his sway bar accordingly to get the right geometry in the rear. was wondering if the Spohn adjustable arms would do that without cutting the sway bar end links.
 

charonblk07

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thanks. I figured that would be the case for the front struts. what about with the rear 5100's? will they be able to take the lowering of the GF kit? Also, is anyone out here running the Spohn rear control arms? I read an earlier post that a guy was using the panhard rod and then cut his sway bar accordingly to get the right geometry in the rear. was wondering if the Spohn adjustable arms would do that without cutting the sway bar end links.



You might be able to use the rear 5100s but you'd really need to get the travel specs from the manufacturer because I don't know what the collapsed and extended length is on the rear 5100s. A 3" compressed ride height could bottom them out which is why most kits come with a new set of shocks that are properly suited for the new ride height.


Lots of us are running the Spohn control arms and they are worth it; definitely get the adjustable ones though so you can center the wheel in the well and adjust the pinion angle. I don't know anyone that's cut their sway bar, I don't see how you could do that to adjust anything unless you're talking about shortening the endlinks which will level the bar out again and put the bar in its optimal geometry. The Spohn arms don't do anything for the sway bar endlinks, those need to be shortened or replaced with shorter links and I can't remember if the GF kit comes with the shorter endlinks or not.


You can drill some new holes for the panhard bar on the frame bracket to get it to align properly and that will remove a lot of the potential 'wobble' people complain about with some drop kits.
 

EMDubYa

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Great info. I've never considered lowering my 4wd crew until recently so I've been reading as much as I can and think I'm gonna bite the bullet and go for it. Love the look. With regard to the CV's, how are they holding up in regards to added horse power and launching at high rpm?
 

charonblk07

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Stock CVs hold up just fine with a 2" drop, I've had two lowered 4wd trucks now and 2" in the front is the optimal drop if you don't want to worry about anything else. The springs are easier on the CVs compared to the spindles, at 4" front drop is where you run into binding issues and when I tore mine apart just moving the truck around the shop. I'm running the Kore inner CVs and they hold up just fine to the big horsepower with a 4" drop.
 

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