Don't hate me for this but i always wanted to know what on earth is the point of buying one if your going to lower it, that just ruins the point of offroad doesn't it? why not just get a 2wd if u want it lowered they are cheaper to purchase as well

 

most of them dont intend to at firstbut

the main reason is for traction purposes 4wd traction instead of 2wd

 

I bought my truck with the intentions of going offroad and all but it was too big of a PITA to get it clean to my standards so Ijust started using the ole 76 ford bronco for that duty. I still have the truck and wanted to make it faster then it got out of hand now I have stroker and anything under 45mph in 2wd will just make anice smoke show on my POS tires. Traction like said above is the biggest thing since on the street I can take out much faster cars then me since they cant hook at all and Im putting some distance on them by the time they hook I long gone. I plan on lowering my Z for a while till I get tired of going fast then I put a set up ford keys in the front and maybe a BL with some 33s-35s and go for the offroad look and be able to use my Z to fill the feeders at the deer lease. You dont see too many 4wd guys complaining about traction issues do you

 

In my opinion the Z71 package, as an off road option, seems like a joke. A pickup would not be my first choice as an off road vehicle. Most people that own a Z71 never take them off road. So lowering a vehicle that spends 99% of its time on pavement dosnt seem like that bad of an idea.

 

Yup, like Slow said, I never intended to go low. I wanted to jack this ****** and run big 'ol BFG's but........

To raise a vehicle properly cost a fortune man! and i would still need performance too!


And, like COLDZ71 says, the Z71 sucks off road anyway without SAS front end swap and Dana rear end swap and....jeez, shoulda bought a Dodge! Or a Ford.

The Chevy/GMC is a great platform for performance. Moves good, looks good, feels good, handles good.

 

When I bought mine, I mainly wanted the 4x4 for New Jersey winters, I never had any intentions of taking it off-road. The one on the lot had all of the options that I wanted, and just happened to be a Z71. I left it in an "off road" configuration for 7 years...by "off road" I mean factory ride height and 33" AT tires. It has spent it's life on the pavement, as more of a sport truck with a 4x4 stance. So I finally decided to go a different direction with it, brought it closer to the ground, and now it's really a sport truck that'll still get me through the snow when I put my winter meats on. FWIW, the only thing left on the truck from the Z71 "package" is the skid plates...I dumped the shocks and decals a long time ago (that's pretty much the whole package: shocks, skid plates, and decals...and a couple other options that are also available on regular 4x4's). Glad I still have the skid plates actually...if you've ever driven on a NJ road, you'd understand what I mean (can't go 5 miles in this state without seeing orange cones and "your highway taxes at work" )

 

Have you guys ever heard of parish and his blue "Z71" truck?? Those 60' times and 10 second timeslips would not be possible without 4 wheel drive. There are only 2 reasons why people lower trucks...to make them look better and to make them perform better (handling and acceleration). If you plan on making alot of horsepower for straight line performance, a 4WD Z71 truck is a better choice than 2WD.

 

simple my freind...... the z71 is the most produced truck...... thus the most used truck you are going to find is a z71...... some guys buy them spanking new but guys like me buy them used...... its kinda hard actualy to find a non z71 used......also like stated befor snow and such is an issue for winter driving...... me,,,,, i wanted a good looking truck with some nutts, that i could drive all year round....... if not for the snow i would be posting over at ls1tech.com.......

 

BITE your Tongue Trevor! LOL. Correct me if im wrong, but i dont see Ford or Dodge 4x4 coming with a rear locker, cuz i know the last few years they didnt. What kinda of off road package doesnt have a limited slip? At least chevy does. I agree , the IFS sux off road but it still does good and chevy has the best ride of any truck out there. I take mine off road and it works great stock. Who really is going to spend 30 k on a truck and go out and mud bog it? I bought a Z-71 because 4x4 is a nec. where i live and also for getting to the hunting cabin and arriving in style too. Usually the Z-71's are equipped nice too.

 

My bad. I was a jokin. What i meant was the to truely build an off-road MONSTER would end up costing way more