I have my 2005 z71 suburban on the road now, I changed the shocks to Monroe reflex monotubes and they are great. I am looking to go up a bit and add 285s to it. What are some suggestions for the suspension? I was looking at upper control arms, keys and a 1.5" spacer in the rear.
good suspension upgrades for 1500 suburban z71
- Thread starter kojackJKU
- Start date
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
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I don't think you really need to do UCAs if you're only going up a couple of inches. Might give you better CV angles though. I just went with the keys and Z71 springs in the back and I'm pretty happy. Got about 2.5" of lift average on all 4 corners. 285s clear easily.
Good to know. I just read some talk about the UCAs and had to ask, I have my bars cranked to level off at the moment. Already on the z71. I have timbrens in the front to take the weight of the plow and they work great. Next up is the 285s/wheels. I find Chev suspensions WAY to soft set stock so that the vehicle is wallowing around. I cranked my bars to give a firmer feel and more planted ride. I may have to do keys and the H2 springs in the rear. I had pro comp 9000s on it first, they were ok, but never lasted. I now have the monroes on there and its AWESOME. Major difference in ride/handling/stability. Plus with the lifetime warranty, wear one out, and bring it back! Did it twice with my JK when I had it.
Stryder106
Explorer
02 Avalanche NFE. I have CST keys in the front leveled, Cognito UCAs in the front, Rare Parts 1.5" tie rods, Eibach Pro Truck Sport shocks, Custom tube track bar, Air Lift in-coil air bags in the rear for loading heavy, 35x12.50-17 - with some pretty decent trimming. Spohn Performance adjustable rear tube LCAs and UCAs are in the mail and on the way 
Still considering the front coil over conversion kit y'all told me about.
Still considering the front coil over conversion kit y'all told me about.For simple kit I started with a 1.5 inch spacer in the rear and keys in the front. It gave me the extra clearance underneath, and could run 33's with no trimming even at full compression. The ride was nothing to write home about, but it was a very functional setup! No bad for only 100 bucks (more if you add in new shocks.) Also, check your front "jounce" bumpers. After the ears they may be deteriorating and can help the ride a lot. Since you already have a z71, make sure you get the z71 styles. For non z71, the z71 are a nice upgrade.
IMO I wouldn't do the UCA's until you go to a six inch, just out of cost. You won't gain much, if anything from them, where you could spend money elseware. The UCA's will give you a slightly better ball joint angle bu won't change the CV angle or anything else.
If you want to spend some money For 2k ish you can get a pretty awesome suspension for these trucks. Look up some of my posts and others on lifts, etc. I went with a rough country lift (6inch) just out of cost but the skies the limit on those lifts (I wouldn't go over 6 inch and for me there's not much in the "nicer kits" other than the shocks which you can buy separate. I ended up going to to coilover's on the front and it has been awesome, especially for around $900 bucks all said and done. Everyone who rides in the truck is amazes. You can do this before or after going to a larger lift if you don't want it! I've also recently went to a full Spohn rear end kit, which I have been meaning to do a writeup on. They were around 450 bucks at black friday for the rear arms and track bar. Heavy duty piece of kit it seems, but I would deal with the front end first, if youre going to spend money
I can provide more details for the coilovers etc. if there's interest. I think I wrote about it in my build thread. Also Struder106's mods are very well done too!
IMO I wouldn't do the UCA's until you go to a six inch, just out of cost. You won't gain much, if anything from them, where you could spend money elseware. The UCA's will give you a slightly better ball joint angle bu won't change the CV angle or anything else.
If you want to spend some money For 2k ish you can get a pretty awesome suspension for these trucks. Look up some of my posts and others on lifts, etc. I went with a rough country lift (6inch) just out of cost but the skies the limit on those lifts (I wouldn't go over 6 inch and for me there's not much in the "nicer kits" other than the shocks which you can buy separate. I ended up going to to coilover's on the front and it has been awesome, especially for around $900 bucks all said and done. Everyone who rides in the truck is amazes. You can do this before or after going to a larger lift if you don't want it! I've also recently went to a full Spohn rear end kit, which I have been meaning to do a writeup on. They were around 450 bucks at black friday for the rear arms and track bar. Heavy duty piece of kit it seems, but I would deal with the front end first, if youre going to spend money
I can provide more details for the coilovers etc. if there's interest. I think I wrote about it in my build thread. Also Struder106's mods are very well done too!
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