anyone used the ones from Cognito? I'm looking at their leveling kits, and the pitman/idler arm support kits.

Is moog still the best, or is there someing better that's out there?

2001 - Present GM 8-Lug Pitman and Idler Arm Support Kit
http://cognitomotorsports.com/store/page12.html





2001 - Present GM 8-Lug 2" - 3" Leveling System
http://cognitomotorsports.com/store/page36.html

 

Since no sponsor sells these parts check out norcal truck, they have full packages with everything you need. Check out my garage, those are all the parts you need to have an indestructable front suspension.

 

Cognito:
Pitman/idler arm braces,
upper control arms, <---- was this for the 4-6 lift kit, or for the better ball joint angles?
hd tie rods,
sway bar end links, s
hock extenders,
idler pivot assembly with weld-in gusset

was all of that worth it? . . . is the ride any smoother?
Is this setup "air borne" worthy?

 

VERY big improvement in ride and steering feel. When I did all the suspension upgrades I put new idler and pitman arms on too so everything was nice and new. The UCAs was for more down travel(bump stop is moved up) and better upper BJ angles. The CVs can actually take about 2 more inches of down travel than the stock UCA bump stop allows. This in addition to the shock extenders to make the shocks stop topping out made for a much nicer ride. The HD tie rods keep you from bending the cheesy stock ones when in 4wd and getting after it with spinning tires. With the bars cranked the tie rods are angled a lot more and you can bend them fairly easily. I dont ahve a lift on my truck just the bars cranked. A lot of places recommend the bilsteins but I like the rancho adjustables because IMO a shock with set valving cant adjust for all conditions, with a simple turn of the **** on the shocks I have whatever dampening rate I need. FWIW I have found that setting 6in the front and 1 in the back unloaded makes it ride nice.

Ive had this truck airborne, not by much but it did come off the ground going over an intersectino much faster than I should have(being stupid) and everything is fine, it bottomed out but nothing broke and the alignment is good.

I went ahead and upgraded everything at once so I didnt have to worry anymore and only pay for an alignment once. If there is anything Id leave out it would be the idler pivot assembly if money is tight the rest will more than pay for itself if you plan on keeping the truck for a while.

Im coming down this weekend or next, you're more than welcome to drive my truck when I come by to pick up my channel locks.

 

thanks for the info. I just started looking for the stearing parts. Believe it or not, Amazon has the best prices and they're free shipping !

I kinda wondered about the control arms bottoming out. That's good to know with the CVs and the drop angles, I thought that I was pushing it with my little TB crank.

I had the front off the ground once or twice this weekend. I was pulling a heavy 2wd Tundra in the soft stuff at the beach. There's some places on the freeway that are just god aweful. Drops or rises in the freeway are way worse than they are.

I'd sure like to check out your setup. Low flying planes are always fun to drive!

Channel locks? . . . . . I swear, I use those everytime for a cam swap. Where did you get them?

 

I dont know if Ill let you go jumping it off stuff, but I let you drive it over some bumpy roads. I got them from my dad I dont remember where he got them, but I saw some that size at harbour freight. What the hell do you use them for when doing a cam swap?

The front suspension upgrades, along with good shocks, sulastic rear shackles and the tsb on the rear cab mounts will make your truck ride and drive SOOO much better. The rear is what Im addressing next along with sway bars should make it drive like a lowered half ton.

 

I run the cognito steering braces. A 4X4 launch at the track would always throw off my alignment. Tie rod sleeves and steering braces solved that.

 

cool deal, plyers get returned for a free ride
plyers from hell - work great on the big hose clamps or just about anything that won't budge
ahh ok, well I'll get the front ride nailed, then I'll tackel the rear. Thanks for the help, guess I'll see you this weekend.

 

I have the pitman/idler brace from cognito and it works great, I replaced both arms when i did it, and i've already driven twice the distance that I did on the stock setup, with no issues. I plan on installing there upper control arms soon, and then doing tierods, either cognitos, or Blitzkreig motorsports. and I found a guy in the midwest that makes CV axles for high horsepower/high angle, but there pricey, I can't seem to find his name right now though.

 

there's always High Angle Drive Line . . . and slap oon some 1450 ujoints