my truck has 280,000 miles and the only thing ive done to the front end is wheel bearings and tierods.

 

I installed Moog problem solver upper control arms and problem solver lower ball joints. Call me crazy, but the Moog control arms look beefier than the ones I pulled. I also put on two new outer tie rods and Belltech Street performance struts set at about a 2" drop. Removed the GMT800 blocks from the rear and also added shackles with greasable bolts. The balljoint boots were much thicker than the factory ones also.

Everything has grease fittings on it, and will be getting greased probably monthly since the truck will nto be seeing many miles since the wife is no longer working, this is her truck, and the fact that I have a company truck.

 

Mine has been leveled on 285/70-17s for all but 10 of its 29k miles and still feels pretty tight despite the abuse I've put it through (lots of offroading, dunes, desert, rocks, trails, and donuts ). I'll definitely have to check to make sure it's still good to go for a while. I'd like it to stay leveled for the life of the truck, as I do use the heck out of the four-wheel-drive system, and the clearance is very important in a fullsize CCSB. What would be good components to use for longevity without dropping the truck?

 

how big of a leveling kit do you have?

depending on that, you can do aftermarket upper control arms that have a better upper ball joint angle when the front suspension is leveled. also you can replace the tie rods with more durable moog brand parts. the cv's you can't really do much about except drop them down with brackets.

 

I'm really not sure how much the level brought the front end up, I had the dealer do it when I bought the truck and they used a kit they sell. I would have to measure it to find out for sure, but it's enough to be visible but not quite even with the rear. I know I've never rubbed even at full lock, hard throttle, and 10psi in my Goodyear Duratracs

 

I'd guess they did a 2" or 2.5" kit. Mine was a 3"...

When (not if) you need ballpoints and want to keep the leveling kit, go back with Cognito upper arms and balljoints. They're much beefier and have a ball joint angle suited for the lift. As far as tie rods go, the Moog units are better than stock. I don't know of any sleeves or HD replacements for the half tons. If you had issues you could always look into heim steering. That's about as tough as it gets.

Your situation is much different than mine. My wife wanted the lift and tires for pure looks. Wore the truck out in the process and ended up screwing herself because she couldn't get in it.... It needed parts and I said, "You had it your way, now it's time to do it my way..." so the truck got the front end gone thru, lowered with new stock size tires... The mileage is back up to 19ish on the hwy and mid teens around town instead of about 8 less than that average and the truck is quieter and smoother and nice to drive again. She hasn't bitched the first time either. She can get in the thing without needing a step stool and will be able to load/unload the baby easier too... She's only 5'4", the back seat used to catch her right about the ribs. She can actually get in/out now.

 

Good to know, I'll refer here when the time comes. Now it's going to be driven a lot less as the daily driving duties have been taken over by my new motorcycle (I won't EVER see 40-50mpg in my Silverado ), but I can promise that the hard use won't stop, just the daily use.

 

Replaced my lower balljoints about 1500 miles ago with moog and now its popping again when I turn. SOB.

 

Time for uppers most likely lol

 

Im not sure if these are Factory or not but this Z71 tahoe has 240,000 miles and the Pittman/Idlers are shot. Ball joints look/feel ok.