FabAddict

Tig, Im not sure how hard it is to fit 35s in the wheel well but assuming they fit you'll have to figurre out how much travel you can get out of it. Id assume 12-14" in the front and 14"+ for the rear. If you could get get 20" in the rear that would be better but idk if you can with short links.

Tig

iTrader: (2)

Hi Fab, What's the best way to determine travel and how much will be allowed? Remove the wheel/tire, strut, sway bar and tie-rod? Also, I think they make glass fenders for the Tahoe so that will help as well. I'm scared of the rear haha, I haven't found any glass for the back but wanted to see how I could work metal fenders into the equation. The link situation is my biggest hurdle. I could remove the factory ones and go with trailing arms but figuring out the upper links and mounts is my next hurdle. This is all while trying to keep it as close to a family hauler as possible haha.
I appreciate your input, Thank You

FabAddict

Tig, figure out what tire size you want to run and see how much travel you can get. Also once you figure out how high the tire can go (bottomed out suspension) that will tell you about were your ride height will be.
But you need to start a "pro and cons" list. For example, 33s may fit easier but with 35s maybe you'll need to tub the firewall. Or maybe you can do longer links in the rear but you'll need to cut out parts of the floor and re sheet it in to clear the new links. For me it makes it easier to see what's worth doing to you and give yourself a realistic idea what it will take. Big problem I've seen is people sometimes bite off to much and get overwhelmed with work or money or time.

FabAddict

Oh, also there is a difference when towing when you have coils vs leaf springs. The coils have a linear spring rate meaning if your spring is rated for 250lbs it take about that to compress it 1" so if you put a boat with a high tongue weigh on your truck it will compress it more than leafs. Leaf springs have a progressive rating. For example, the 1st inch is 250lbs, 2nd inch is 550lbs, 3rd inch is 950lbs and so on. The more you add the higher the rating goes. So you put 1,000lbs on the hitch with coils you compress about 4" and with leafs you do about 3".
Just something to think about if you plan to do a fair amount of towing. And these aren't real numbers just an example.

Mconcha

iTrader: (1)

I’ve seen a couple guys with linked trucks run a quick release airbag. So at stock height with no trailer they put the bag between the axle and frame, attached with heavy duty quick release pins. Then hook up the trailer to the truck. Add air manually as needed depending on the weight. Imagine a ghetto version of ridetech’s airbag system. Limits all the travel and allows for more controlled towing.

Tig

iTrader: (2)

Trying to get anything around here has been a chore since the storm. I cant believe its been 8 months and its even harder to find anyone to do work with my garage. Looks like I'll be tackling it myself. Even getting the inspectors attention has taken me almost two months, its ridiculous.
Ok, that's what I'll have to do. I'll have to borrow a couple of tires and see what works best.
What I fins interesting in long travel set ups, especially with the rear is you don't see super huge notched frames, unless its a specific trophy truck per say. Daily driven "pre-runner" have what seems to be minimal frame work because it looks like all the suspension is down travel. Does that make sense? Am I understanding it correctly?
I certainly don't mind cutting up my floor, I would just raise it if I had to.

This is a family hauler, very rarely if ever do I tow. But I could do what Mconcha said about making a quick connect airbag set up.

Not a bad idea.

FabAddict

Yes, all makes perfect sense.