Chevrolet Express / GMC Savana RWD Van Info thread (All years / 1500, 2500, 3500)
- Thread starter Mat Mobile
- Start date
Hey guys. Thanks for all the helpful info you guys contributed to this thread. I just finished a mild lift on my 98 gmc savana 1500. I went with a coil spacer up front from Mcbay performance Which gave me just under 2.5” of lift. Loaned 2 different spring compressors neither of which worked. Purchased a 3rd style and cut the threads in order to seat the top of the coil without the threads hitting. As for the rear, 1.5” blocks for a 98 c/k1500 fit perfect in the back. Gabriel spring assist shocks in the rear and new kyb’s with shock extenders up front.
The 30” BFG’s I had on before the lift, So when it’s time for new rubber I’ll probably see how 32’s will fit.
The 30” BFG’s I had on before the lift, So when it’s time for new rubber I’ll probably see how 32’s will fit.
You need to consider the location of the coil spring when increasing its length. If it is half way between the ball joint and the pivot point the lift will be double the spring length increase. I have also found that coil springs last about 10 years on a heavy vehicle? Our 1991 Dodge B250 Roadtrek Versatile had the coil springs replaced twice to keep it at factory ride height. It would slowly sink into the ground between spring replacements losing about 2" of height.
zelseman
Observer
On our 2000 Chevy 3500 cutaway, is there an off the shelf leaf spring option preferably with 8+ leaves to handle our weight (9500 lbs)? Or am I stuck with getting a custom pack made? Small lift is prefered. I am assuming stock height springs will lift it a fair bit as it is sagging a bit in the back as is.
I would contact Pohl Spring in Spokane, Washington. They make custom springs for anything from bicycles to garbage trucks, all computer designed for your load. They have been in business forever. https://pohlsprings.com/
Can someone with coil spacers relay their experience with steering behavior after installation and alignment? I installed the 2” to 2.5” coil spacers in the front of my 2016 Express 2500 with 6.0, installed LT265/75r16E Goodyear DuraTracs on OEM 16x6.5 HD aluminum wheels, and had it aligned. The van had only 63k miles at time of installation. In short, the steering sucks. The van wanders terribly at any speed and I hear weird creaking noises from the front end now, but only occasionally. They don’t sound like typical bad ball joint noises and as I mentioned, the van only had 63K miles on it and the balljoints and rod ends all look and feel fine. The noises are inconsistent and don’t normally happen while turning or over bumps. So strange. I had the alignment rechecked and it is supposedly fine. I’m just about to pull the spacers out and give up on them as the van is a bit scary to drive at highway speeds. It feels like it oversteers badly and/or the caster is way off, but the alignment shop says all is good. Anyone with any spacer experience please help! Thanks.
Len.Barron
Observer
What is your caster measurement? Typically on a lifted rig you want to run a couple degrees more than stock, a good baseline setting would 5dg. Did you add a steering stabilizer? when you lift you add a bunch of angle to the tie rods so every dip you hit in the road translates to greater push/pull on those tie rod connections at the steering knuckle. Did you install new coil spring isolators when you did the spacer install?
Thanks for your reply. I don’t know what the caster measurement currently is, unfortunately. The alignment shop was unable to print it but said everything was within factory specs. I know that this is suspect and my first next step is do do another alignment at a different shop. I want to try to find someone with experience in lifted trucks. At any rate, I reused the factory isolators... seemed in good shape... and I did not install a dampener. What I am experiencing does not feel like bumpsteer... more like oversteer and bad wandering which leads me to think caster too, and I even said as much to the shop. I can’t find anyone else that has had a bad experience on these vans with a spacer lift, but then again it’s a lot less common of a scenario than, say, a spacer-lifted Silverado 1500. Does anyone have an alignment sheet from a 2500 van with a spacer lift that is willing to share the numbers, assuming there are zero steering issues? Thanks!
Len.Barron
Observer
yeah...any alignment shop that doesn't provide you a printed before/after sheet is jerking you around..
I was hoping we could measure our suspension heights to compare old, new, and lifted vans. I measured mine yesterday and it was 19" from the centre of the hub to the wheel arch up front and 21" to the wheel arch on the rear axle. This is a 9000# 2004 Chevy Express 3500 Roadtrek Popular 190 conversion with factory suspension and 100,000 miles.
temporarydweller
Observer
I don't have any first hand experience with spacers. I just purchased a 2017 G3500 and was looking at doing the same 2" spacer lifts in the front. I work at a large GM dealership and was talking to our very experienced alignment tech about this. He pretty much, word for word, said I would experience exactly what you are talking about. He said that all the control arm and tie rod angles are changed far enough that he couldn't get enough caster to make it track properly at highway speeds. Just not enough adjustment from the factory. I would see if you could find a good GM trained alignment tech in your area and explain to the service advisor that you would really like a chance to talk directly to the technician and get some before and after numbers. Coming back into factory spec is great if it was at factory height. I decided when I'm ready for my lift next year I'm just going to bite the bullet and spend the money for the Weldtech Designs spindle lift. But if you get something resolved on your van that changes how it drives. Please report back.
Last edited:
Thanks for the help. The spacers are now temporary until I decide to pull the trigger on Weldtec or Boulder spindles. Originally I planned to add the spindles to the spacers but now I’m planning on replacing the spacers with the spindles and settling for less overall lift. That’s pretty good intel from the experienced GM tech. Thanks. I find it interesting that both Weldtec and Boulder sell spacers in conjunction with their spindles to get more lift. I would think anyone running that setup or just spacers alone would experience the same issues as me if the issue is purely related to tie rod and control arm angles and lack of adjustability. To date I haven’t found anyone that complains about it. I’ve been driving lifted trucks all my life... I’m used to the changed handling characteristics that often come with them. What I am feeling in the van is totally different. It can be downright scary at times. I emailed Thuren Fab as I used to have one of his suspensions on an old Dodge Diesel I had. He knows a lot about alignment theory relative to drivability issues. Although he doesn’t have direct experience with GM vans, he does with a-arm IFS trucks and pretty much said the same thing... odd angles, lack of adjustability, and it’s just the way lifted IFS trucks handle. Im hoping someone from Weltec or Boulder might chime in to help clarify things. I’ll see if I can find a good dealer to work with and see if I can talk to the tech directly as suggested. Thanks everyone.
Len.Barron
Observer
Until you can say definitively what your alignment measurements are you are shooting at a moving target, those would be the first questions Weldtec or Boulder would ask you. Using a custom upper a-arm, spindle and spacer could work together just fine, as the spindle and a-arm arm are designed to accomodate the lift. If you just want to run the spacers on their own you should get a good (non-gas charged) steering stabilizer on it to help dampen the inputs from the higher TRE angles, and again, if you don't know what your toe measurement is that alone could be causing instability.