Truck Ground Clearance

[ProGreenLawnService]

Ive got a 2004 Chevy 2500HD. I know Chevys sit a little lower then other trucks but I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions or recommendations for the ground clearance in the front. I put the Timbren suspension bumps in the front. Should I adjust the suspension and if so do I need to worry about the alignment or handling etc.. Would taller tires make up for it being low. Ive noticed other chevy 2500's on the road and they dont seem to sit as low. Is there anything I should do or adjust. I put an 8ft Western plow on it. Thanks for the help.

[Scaper-S2k]

Does it have plow prep?

I just put a 9' SnoWay on th same truck you just listed. 2004 2500HD 4x4. Mine does not have plow prep, but the 9' poly plow I have is lighter than your 8' I would think.

It does sag a bit when lifted, but nothing that I really worry about. Last week I did come out of a lot that had a big curb drop off to the road. I do believe I heard it start to rub a bit. But that curb was higher than 98% I have seen. And I came straight out, and was going too fast.



Elwood is probably the guy on this site that can help you out. He knows those trucks front to back and inside out. Between you and me.....he kisses the drivers side mirror before and after each trip. That's Chevy love!

[Woody]

Yeah, poor Elwood is all sick with that Chevy love.

Let me ask a silly question... Do you have the recommended amount of ballast in the back? Make sure it is REAR of the rear axle as well. Go to the Western website and use the Quickmatch utility. In my experience, I always figure the ballast listed as the MINIMUM. I like keeping the weight well distributed so that I can maintain excellent traction and control.

I run a Boss 7' 6" Super Duty on a 1998 Chevy 1/2 ton (yes, a friggin half ton). I throw 600 to about 720 pounds of sand in the back as ballast. It has Timbrens front and rear. It rides a little lower, but it's not a big deal. I do NOT adjust the torsion bars either. It's just way too easy to drop the plow when it isn't snowing. It's only about a 30-60 second ordeal to install or remove the plow.

For the record... Boss says I don't need ANY ballast (yeah, right, my azz), and a similar Western calls for 600 pounds. It seems to do real well right at 700 pounds or so.

Woody

[ProGreenLawnService]

Thanks for the input guys. I dont have the plow prep package, but I do have sandbags in the back. Ive got around 600 but maybe Ill try putting in some more. The weight I put in the back is off of the Western page. Are taller tires worth the money? Right now the tires have only 18k miles on them. Chevy love. THanks again.

[Elwood]

Well, I guess I will call myself the "Resident GM Wingnut", so I will tell you what I know.

GM has two torsion bars for the 2500 series trucks. The ones for the plow package will set your truck up a bit higher in the front, but they carry only a few pounds more weight. The big help with the plow package is the larger alternator and in many years, dual batteries.

You can turn your torsion bars up in the front, but you MUST get an allignment done, your camber will be way off causing uneven tire wear and it you crank a lot it will feel a little "light" in the front without the allignment.

GM's, be nature will sit higher in the back, so when you tow or haul, the truck will sit level, helping to keep good angles on the front suspension for good loaded drivability.

There are aftermarket products to raise your front end. If you look at the rear of your front torsion bar, the peice that goes around the end of the bar, looks like a large "comma" and has the bolt in the other end for the adjustment, that is commonly called a "key". You can buy aftermarket keys to raise the front even more, BUT the more you raise the front, via keys, the worse the angle for your CV joints and short shafts, thus creating faster wear. Personally, I would stay away from aftermarket keys.

If you turn up your current keys, get an allignment and are still unhappy with the front height, I would look for replacement torsion bars. You can get them thru GM or even a boneyard. They have a code stamped in them. Not sure what codes are "light" or "heavy", but I could find out for you.


Tires: Your truck probly has 245-75R16's from the factory. Probly that aweful street looking tread too! You can easily go with a 265-75R16 for an inch and I have seen many trucks with 285-75R16's. The problem with the 285's is this. First, getting a higher load rating will be hard. This is a work truck, and getting the 265's in a D or even E will be a lot easier. Also, with the design of the front wheel opening, 285's will rub with the squat from the plow. I have had BF Goodrich AT tires on several trucks and swear by the traction and wear they provide. They have a little snowflake stamped on the sidewall and this stands for superior snow traction. Very few tires have this rating.

http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/bfgap...erraintako.jsp

A link to the BFG site for these tires. They also have a tire size chart. Click on the little red box that says "size & specs". It is an Adobe File and great material.

I think with turning up your bars/alignment, weight in the back and if you want, BFG AT tires, you will have a serious plow machine!




P.S. after looking at the Adobe file, you can get the 265 75R16 tire in a D and E load rating.

[MES]

The torsion bars

A quick note about adjusting the torsion bars. If you do "crank" them up, don't use an impact with the truck sitting on the ground. Take the weight off of the front end and use a rachet. My partner tore up the key and bolt. It was a fairly inexpensive fix but by no means easy.

[CCLS]

We run all Boss V Blades, never had an issue with ground clearance. Best thing about the V Blades is you can V them up and get a ton of extra clearance if you get in a low area.

[ahlgrenlandscaping]

I run a F-350 with the 7.3 Liter Diesel and a Fisher 9' V Plow and with the extra weight of the motor and plow it squatted the front end alot so i added an extra leaf to the front and now it rides level all of the time and when the plow is on it only squats a little. Couple hundred bucks and your all set.

[SOMM]

We hear that ahlren! 450- 4500 springs or coils. We got ours at an outside, non dealership supplier. We did both axles of 5 springs for $1700 total installed and warranted.