just bought a 08 crewcab 2wd and i'm dropping it. any sugestions?

[piecesparts]

I put McGaughy's 5/7 kit on my 2011 and I have over 130,000 miles on it. I will tell you that I upgraded the shocks to Belltech sport suspension shocks (front and rear) and added the Belltech degree plates on the front to get the alignment right.

[keithaherndon@gmail.]

What size tires do you have and do they scrub

[keithaherndon@gmail.]

I have a 2011 and bought a 4 7 belltech kit.

[piecesparts]

Originally Posted by keithaherndon@gmail.

What size tires do you have and do they scrub

I downsized from the factory tires 255/75/20s to Nitto 265/50/20s. That gave me a little more room under the fenders. Yes, the tires are real close to the top of the front fenderwells, so I cut out a 4" X 8" opening in the plastic fenderwell and riveted it up to the metal fender liner above it, that gained me another 1" to 1.5 inches of space. I then sealed all that with undercoating. I have over 140,000 miles on the drop and have not had to replace any of the fender liners and I do not drive carefully, so I do get some scuffing when I hit larger bumps. I also put on a set of Bell Tech degree cams to straighten up the front wheels, so that they do not run on the outer edges.

[brassknuckles]

I recently lowered my 2011 GMC RCSWB 6/5 using Belltech flip, spindles, coils, shocks, and camber adjusters....... I drive 800 miles to work. 2 weeks in, two out, on Northern Ontario roads, and it's a challenge with the stock 20's. The truck rides fine, but the front tires rub ALOT, even after cutting up the plastic inner fenders and massaging the steel wheel wells. I cannot say anything bad about the Belltech kit, lots of height options, but if you go as low as I did (max), you need the camber kit, and need to do as I did, make changes in the wheelhouse, and/or change the front tire size..... I'm going to go another inch lower in the back, but I'm going to pipe notch the frame first, and add helper bags so I can still tow 5000#, and make it over speed bumps.

[piecesparts]

Originally Posted by brassknuckles

I recently lowered my 2011 GMC RCSWB 6/5 using Belltech flip, spindles, coils, shocks, and camber adjusters....... I drive 800 miles to work. 2 weeks in, two out, on Northern Ontario roads, and it's a challenge with the stock 20's. The truck rides fine, but the front tires rub ALOT, even after cutting up the plastic inner fenders and massaging the steel wheel wells. I cannot say anything bad about the Belltech kit, lots of height options, but if you go as low as I did (max), you need the camber kit, and need to do as I did, make changes in the wheelhouse, and/or change the front tire size..... I'm going to go another inch lower in the back, but I'm going to pipe notch the frame first, and add helper bags so I can still tow 5000#, and make it over speed bumps.

My truck is a 2011 GMC and I have it dropped using a McGaughy's 5/7 drop. I did have some issue with rubbing in the front and under heavy use it will still rub on the plastic liner. I have driven this truck over a 140,000 miles after the drop. I did downsize the tires to 265/50/20s and that gave me more room under the front fenders. I upgraded my struts and shocks to Belltech units for better dampening and used Belltech degree camber adjusters. In the winter months, I run stock factory steel rims, that have tires on them that are the same height as the 265/50/20s. I did change the liners, by cutting the top open and massaged them to fit up against the steel liners behind them, I also have a set of air load helper bags for the rear springs, so if I want to haul some weight, I have a way to balance the load. The majority of my driving is on Kansa highways and back roads. They are not oil field roads by any means, but are not the smoothest in the world.

[keithaherndon@gmail.]

Sorry 5 7

[piecesparts]

I tried the smaller diameter tire in the front and my braking system disliked the different sizes, so I had issues with it not functioning right. My well liners are plastic, so I could modify them without cutting any metal.


For tires, I am running Nitto NT850 tires and the quality is very good.

[brassknuckles]

Thanks Frank, I haven't driven the truck enough to detect any braking problems.... I bought the front tires to match what I was running on the back: Goodyear LS-1 Eagles. It'll be another month before I can drive the truck under good road conditions here in northern Ontario..... I'll let you know how it works out for me. I'd like a full set of Nitto's, but the budget is a l'il tight these days. I'm hoping what I've done makes for a decent DD, once the roads are dry, and salt free again. Thanks again for your help.

[piecesparts]

Originally Posted by brassknuckles

Thanks Frank, I haven't driven the truck enough to detect any braking problems.... I bought the front tires to match what I was running on the back: Goodyear LS-1 Eagles. It'll be another month before I can drive the truck under good road conditions here in northern Ontario..... I'll let you know how it works out for me. I'd like a full set of Nitto's, but the budget is a l'il tight these days. I'm hoping what I've done makes for a decent DD, once the roads are dry, and salt free again. Thanks again for your help.

I realized the problem within two blocks of the tire shop. The braking acted totally out of norm and the truck did not drive well. That is why we went with the 265/50/20 tires and it seems to work. I do get some scraping on the front inner fender wells, but I have to be rolling hard and hit a bump on the highway. I am not too concerned, I just turned over 149,000 a couple days ago.

[brassknuckles]

Hey Frank, I've been away, didn't see your reply until now. The truck drives, brakes very well with the shorter front tires, and I love the stance...... you are correct though, the truck itself doesn't like the difference in aspect ratio between front and back....... I can drive around town OK, but as soon as I'm up to highway speed and apply the brakes, my Traction control and Stabilitrack warning lights come on, and stay on. I'll be looking into possible solutions to this, but for now it rides well, and looks killer! I'll keep you posted.....