BDS Trashed Suspension: New Lift or Stock Height?

[C-roy]

Attached are photos of the carnage, as well as some profile pics.

I purchased my `02 with the intent of rehabilitating her back to 'daily-driver' status, in order to pull the auto trailer and still be an occasional light/moderate trail rig that I could take to hilltops for the weekend. It came to me with a 5" BDS short-arm lift, front hub locks, and 35" tires.

The good: Interior is in better condition then I could hope for; motor doesn't spit diesel or DELO; zero electrical issues; brakes don't pull.

The bad: Dash top and bezel are brittle/cracked; only small pieces of rust cancer around door handles; tailgate is just able to close; transfer will shift back to `2H` on Thursdays between 9 and 10 AM (out to lunch at all other times); transmission does eventually lock (previous owner didn't gear-down for 35" tires); mice didn't eat away too much of the thermal blanket.

The ugly: The BDS lift has thrashed my steering and the ride is miserable; Not safe to drive over 50 MPH (oscillating starts at 55 and stops at 50MPH, springs bounce the truck around the lane, +/- 10 degrees of slop in the steering, 'Center' is dependent upon road camber and prevailing winds);

I happen to like the stance with 5" of lift and 35s, and would not hesitate to continue with that arrangement as long as I can get excellent highway manors and some decent trail articulation.

Let's assume that the budget is not arbitrarily limited. Is there a competent 5" or 3" lift out there (DOR, perhaps)? Am I better off going back to stock? What has your experience been?

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[GrantP]

You have way more lift than you need to run 35's. You could just get a set of front leveling springs from Carli and toss all of the BDS stuff in the trash. I'm sure there are some worn steering components in the front end too to be causing those issues, any drop brackets from the BDS lift would only make it worse.

 

[Diesel Gunner]

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Use EMF ball joints. I used Kore springs to level the front end and a few other improvements and now the steering is better than it was when new.

 

[Ozymandias]

Best driving habits it will have with stock height, no question.
If you want to use it most of the time with trailer and such go back to stock.
Also suspension behavior* is the best and running gear lasts the longest.

*angle of the control arms and steering linkage

 

[Regcabguy]

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Use EMF ball joints. I used Kore springs to level the front end and a few other improvements and now the steering is better than it was when new.

Kore's were super stiff on my '98.5. Kroeker installed them himself. i'd get Thuren's xs coils if I still had it.

 

[Diesel Gunner]

Kore's were super stiff on my '98.5. Kroeker installed them himself. i'd get Thuren's xs coils if I still had it.

I also have Road Armor bumper front and rear with a Warn 16.5Ti winch in the front. The 2001.5 trucks received zero awards for ride quality. It has been many years since i installed the Kore springs but it did ride better after install. Replaced the control arms with Carli units that were 1/2 longer than stock and that also helped the ride quality a bit. I am still using "quality" loosely.

 

[Regcabguy]

I also have Road Armor bumper front and rear with a Warn 16.5Ti winch in the front. The 2001.5 trucks received zero awards for ride quality. It has been many years since i installed the Kore springs but it did ride better after install. Replaced the control arms with Carli units that were 1/2 longer than stock and that also helped the ride quality a bit. I am still using "quality" loosely.

With that bumper the Kore's might work out just right. My buddy got Bilsteins for his stock 99 and rides like ****. It's super stiff with 225K stock coils.

 

[Joe Mc]

What worked best for me at stock height (other than leveling pucks) is, a bit of a list here;
Top gunz customs upper and lower arms
3rd gen track bar conversion
PSC steering box
(Around 130k miles back) Bilstein "yellow & blue" shocks
Max link sway bar links (front & back)
I run 305/70/16s
The PSC box was a pain to install (by myself) tight quarters between frame and engine.