GMT900 SUV - Belltech drop
04-17-2008, 08:24 PM
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GMT900 SUV - Belltech drop
First, many thanks to Eric @ Belltech and Rick & Drew @ Synergy Motorsports for their efforts on this. When I bought this truck I told myself I wouldn't drop it. But....as anyone who's lowered a vehicle before knows, once you've done it on one rig, you can't look at all of that wheel gap on a stock-height vehicle without going crazy. 
Before:
But...this time around I definitely didn't want any of the headaches I had with my '03 SUV or '05 CC pickup. Which means a mild drop...in this case, 1" up front and 2" out back. In other words something that exists in Belltech's parts inventory, but not in their catalog for the newer SUV's. Eric helped piece together a complete kit for me, including Belltech's front and rear anti-sway bars (I'm really excited about those). Here are the Belltech part numbers, in case anyone else wants to explore a similar mild drop, and at that, one that doesn't require new spindles up front.
/detail/ gallery for all the details.
Front springs:
Rears:
I followed the install with an alignment @ Roger Kraus Racing up in Castro Valley. No issues whatsoever - either with the install or the alignment. Another amazing thing, as those of us with prior experience know. No DIC nastygrams, not a single code, no a/r compressor kicking in, no rub/scrub anywhere, and not a single alignment element out of spec.
After:
Impressions...
The ride is more firm, but not harsh. No complaints, even over uneven bumps or railroad tracks. No bump steer at speed, either. Handling? MUCH improved. I can't speak to what had the greater effect - springs or anti-sway bars - but this is a new animal. A Corvette it ain't, but if you didn't know better from behind the wheel you wouldn't think you were in an XL SUV.
Interestingly, the amount of drop is more than 1" up front. No good answer for that, but I have no complaints about the look. There does seem to be a bit too much rake now, and I may be swapping rear springs for another inch of drop. Still undecided on that. I have 1-3/8" of rake right now so we'll see how they look.
Bottom line - Belltech amazes yet again with the quality of their products. Between the drop and (of course) the Synergy tune, the truck is as fun to drive as it is to look at in the driveway.
I'd recommend something like this to anyone who's after subtle improvements without butchering ride quality, steering feel/functionality, or dealing with tire fitment issues.
Before:
But...this time around I definitely didn't want any of the headaches I had with my '03 SUV or '05 CC pickup. Which means a mild drop...in this case, 1" up front and 2" out back. In other words something that exists in Belltech's parts inventory, but not in their catalog for the newer SUV's. Eric helped piece together a complete kit for me, including Belltech's front and rear anti-sway bars (I'm really excited about those). Here are the Belltech part numbers, in case anyone else wants to explore a similar mild drop, and at that, one that doesn't require new spindles up front.
- [*]
- [*]
- [*]
- [*]
- [*]
- [*]
- [*]
- [*]
Front springs:
Rears:
I followed the install with an alignment @ Roger Kraus Racing up in Castro Valley. No issues whatsoever - either with the install or the alignment. Another amazing thing, as those of us with prior experience know. No DIC nastygrams, not a single code, no a/r compressor kicking in, no rub/scrub anywhere, and not a single alignment element out of spec.
After:
Impressions...
The ride is more firm, but not harsh. No complaints, even over uneven bumps or railroad tracks. No bump steer at speed, either. Handling? MUCH improved. I can't speak to what had the greater effect - springs or anti-sway bars - but this is a new animal. A Corvette it ain't, but if you didn't know better from behind the wheel you wouldn't think you were in an XL SUV.
Interestingly, the amount of drop is more than 1" up front. No good answer for that, but I have no complaints about the look. There does seem to be a bit too much rake now, and I may be swapping rear springs for another inch of drop. Still undecided on that. I have 1-3/8" of rake right now so we'll see how they look.
Bottom line - Belltech amazes yet again with the quality of their products. Between the drop and (of course) the Synergy tune, the truck is as fun to drive as it is to look at in the driveway.
I'd recommend something like this to anyone who's after subtle improvements without butchering ride quality, steering feel/functionality, or dealing with tire fitment issues.
04-17-2008, 09:35 PM
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Hey Bill, do you recognize that silver truck in the first pic?
I've got my tint plan in place...it's called rolling up the windows. I'm actually running 35% on the fronts, so it's not quite a match, but I did notice that in all the pics of the drop the front windows are down. I blame Rick.
I've got my tint plan in place...it's called rolling up the windows.
I'm actually running 35% on the fronts, so it's not quite a match, but I did notice that in all the pics of the drop the front windows are down. I blame Rick.
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04-21-2008, 06:38 PM
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Thanks, fellas. I'm really happy with the end result. I'm still contemplating going a little lower, but I have a bad feeling about the effects on ride quality. This thing is a DD that sees people and cargo on a regular basis, so I don't want to make it uncomfortable.
