? on lowering - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

go-fast69 · 04-05-2003, 11:24 AM

I have a 69 GMC that I want to lower as much as I can (can't afford air bags though). My question is this; how much can I go in the front and back and what is the best way to do it? Thanks.

ocbaud · 04-05-2003, 11:36 AM

do you have coil or leaf rear-end? what size tires are you gonna be running. full headers?

with a 4/6 drop on my truck, my collectors are about 3" from the ground.

go-fast69 · 04-05-2003, 05:13 PM

ocbaud, I am running P275/60R15 with full headers and a coild rear end. Your post says you have a 4/6" drop. Is that 4" front & 6" rear? Thanks.

sbc350gearhead · 04-05-2003, 06:48 PM

if you want the lowered look of a 4/6 drop fine. but for maximum ride and handling, Hotchkis performance says a 2/3 drop is optimum.

ocbaud · 04-06-2003, 02:56 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by sbc350gearhead
if you want the lowered look of a 4/6 drop fine. but for maximum ride and handling, Hotchkis performance says a 2/3 drop is optimum.

maximum ride and handling? my truck rides lots better then it did at stock height and i'm sure there are many people that will agree on me that my/or anytruck handles better with a 4/6 drop then it would with a 2/3 or 2/4 drop. thats because i have a lower center of gravity allowing for better handling at higher speeds with less body roll.

*1FaastC10* · 04-06-2003, 03:00 AM

Eric is right, anybody with any common sense knows that lower CG = better handling.

ocbaud · 04-06-2003, 03:00 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by go-fast69
ocbaud, I am running P275/60R15 with full headers and a coild rear end. Your post says you have a 4/6" drop. Is that 4" front & 6" rear? Thanks.

i'm running 275/60/15's too, but not for long. for about the first week after i dropped my truck, my fender lips would shread my tires up(not really that bad though). so i had to roll the fender lip up with a bat, and that helped a lot. i'm gonna be getting 255/60/15's all around sometime though. i have full headers and they are about 3" from the ground with my drop(4" in the front, 6" in the back)

sbc350gearhead · 04-06-2003, 09:55 AM

I am not a mechanical engineer.....the information i gave is a quote from a car craft magazine article where hotchkis performance changed the suspension on a 98 tahoe for top handling and stability. I do not know why a 2/3 drop is better. but i have to believe information from the premier lowering equipment manufacturer.

go-fast69 · 04-06-2003, 10:22 AM

Thanks for all the information, should give me an idea so I can get started.

CustomChevy · 04-06-2003, 01:58 PM

Hotchkis is probably referring to optimum handling and ride both. lower center of gravity will absolutely give better handling, but if you decrease the amount of travel available in the suspension too much, the ride quality will absolutely decrease, giving you the wonderful "bouncy" effect that Hotchkis is wanting everyone to avoid.

of course, personally I would prefer 4/6.

04-05-2003, 11:24 AM	#1
go-fast69 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: North Platte, NE Posts: 50	? on lowering I have a 69 GMC that I want to lower as much as I can (can't afford air bags though). My question is this; how much can I go in the front and back and what is the best way to do it? Thanks. __________________ 69 swb GMC, 402 BB, 3:73 posi, 3" exhaust, forever a work in progress

04-05-2003, 05:13 PM	#3
go-fast69 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: North Platte, NE Posts: 50	ocbaud, I am running P275/60R15 with full headers and a coild rear end. Your post says you have a 4/6" drop. Is that 4" front & 6" rear? Thanks. __________________ 69 swb GMC, 402 BB, 3:73 posi, 3" exhaust, forever a work in progress

04-06-2003, 10:22 AM	#9
go-fast69 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: North Platte, NE Posts: 50	Thanks for all the information, should give me an idea so I can get started. __________________ 69 swb GMC, 402 BB, 3:73 posi, 3" exhaust, forever a work in progress

04-05-2003, 11:36 AM	#2
ocbaud Garage Queen Material Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: USA Posts: 4,129	do you have coil or leaf rear-end? what size tires are you gonna be running. full headers? with a 4/6 drop on my truck, my collectors are about 3" from the ground.

04-05-2003, 06:48 PM	#4
sbc350gearhead Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Columbus Ohio Posts: 1,413	if you want the lowered look of a 4/6 drop fine. but for maximum ride and handling, Hotchkis performance says a 2/3 drop is optimum.

04-06-2003, 03:00 AM	#6
1FaastC10 Account Suspended Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Elkhart, IN Posts: 6,400	Eric is right, anybody with any common sense knows that lower CG = better handling.

04-06-2003, 09:55 AM	#8
sbc350gearhead Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Columbus Ohio Posts: 1,413	I am not a mechanical engineer.....the information i gave is a quote from a car craft magazine article where hotchkis performance changed the suspension on a 98 tahoe for top handling and stability. I do not know why a 2/3 drop is better. but i have to believe information from the premier lowering equipment manufacturer.

04-06-2003, 01:58 PM	#10
CustomChevy Registered User Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 462	Hotchkis is probably referring to optimum handling and ride both. lower center of gravity will absolutely give better handling, but if you decrease the amount of travel available in the suspension too much, the ride quality will absolutely decrease, giving you the wonderful "bouncy" effect that Hotchkis is wanting everyone to avoid. of course, personally I would prefer 4/6.



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