Looking to upgrade in a way

[quickhuh]

Hey everyone I have a 05 trailblazer ext with about 80k on the stock suspension, and i have been noticing lately the rears seem pretty loose so this spring i want to upgrade some of the components.

Long story short, wife will be driving the truck for the next year and a half or a little longer and i will be using this after she gets a new vehicle so i will not be lifting it until then since shes short lol.

The whole truck is stock nothing is modified anymore I would like to go with Ranchos all around and do the fronts at the same time while i am in there. What would everyone suggest, i have read that the ranchos are a bit of a harsher ride than the OEM stuff. And possibly upgrading any bushings if needed, sway bar links have been upgraded to moog already since i have already been thru 2 brand new oem sets.

I dont take the truck off road to often just here and there, nothing crazy.....yet. And also i will be using this to tow my other car around next race season if all goes planned.

Sorry for the rant.

Thank you very much

jay

[quickhuh]

oh and to top it off, stock wheels and tires for now

[bartonmd]

Stock height + towing... Bilstein HD...

Mike

[quickhuh]

Thanks Mike, although at lunch we were talking about it, she wants me to lift it

ill have to look around now

[inkedant908]

wow what a girl you got yourself!! good luck with your lift, and as far as shocks go, if you can afford to with Fox...they are great. http://www.foxracingshox.com/offroad/sh ... NCE_SERIES thats a link to their website. you have to call then to find out about fitment though.

[fishsticks]

wow what a girl you got yourself!! good luck with your lift, and as far as shocks go, if you can afford to with Fox...they are great. http://www.foxracingshox.com/offroad/sh ... NCE_SERIES thats a link to their website. you have to call then to find out about fitment though.

Prepare to be flamed.

[inkedant908]

what does flamed mean?? like caught on fire??

[Blackout]

Fox? Really? Since when are they the best for our platform?

[Trail X]

what does flamed mean?? like caught on fire??

Flamed means people are going to make fun of you.

[fishsticks]

what does flamed mean?? like caught on fire??

Flamed means people are going to make fun of you.

No James, on here we douse people in gasoline and toss in a lit match for good measure.

[bgwolfpack]

No James, on here we douse people in gasoline and toss in a lit match for good measure.

Still waiting Fish!



quickhuh and inkedant908,

You got some reading to do.

[The Roadie]

what does flamed mean?? like caught on fire??

No. For posting a testimonial without personal experience, part numbers, trail experience reports, and so forth. Like the Roadie gets on your ass.

You said Fox shocks are great. Now explain why you claim that. Yes, it's an essay question. You will be graded for completeness and persuasiveness. Low marks mean your future postings will be given less weight.

[fishsticks]

No James, on here we douse people in gasoline and toss in a lit match for good measure.

Still waiting Fish!

I wasted all my flame energy on some retard on the OS last night.

Bill is far more entertaining than I am anyway.

[djthumper]

I don't know that was pretty good Fish.

[inkedant908]

i hope proper grammar doesn't count in this essay.

I personally like Fox shocks because in my past having them on dirt bikes and quads, they have been by far the most reliable, best performing and most comfortable shocks i have had. A friend of mine has an 04 Ranger with the Fox 2.0 piggy back shocks and it is far far more comfortable then stock, and the performance is amazing. His shocks now have at least 50K on them and are about 5 years old. We have been though everything from packed wet sand to sugar sand and mud, rock crawling, hill climbing and just good old everyday driving. These shocks are great for an all around vehicle. They provide the extension needed when off road and the comfort wanted when on road. I know it's short, but i hope it gets my point and my opinion across. And as i said this is if you can afford them, they are very expensive but well worth the money...I know, I personally will not be putting any Fox's on any of my vehicles in the near future, simply because im broke. But given the financial means, Fox Racing Shox would be my go to shocks for any vehicle.

[lupisnegris77]

I just upgraded myself to the Bilstein HDs all the way around they are stiffer compared to the oem but still a smooth ride also depending on how crazy you're planning on getting off road sway bar quick disconnects would be a good idea(although i just removed them lol) Lift options:Mark Mc(recommended),BDS, Zone(body lift), and ReadyLift all offer for our platform. Other options include checking your spring code in the front and upgrading accordingly depending on how stiff you're ok with your ride being, as for rear springs Most go with the Z71 from Tahoe,Avalanche etc...(available on ebay or gmpartsdirect.com. We don't have as many options as other rigs but the vendors on here have been very diligent in giving us as many options as available. Last but not least armor is always a great idea regardless of how much or little you go offroad. It's like a gun...You'd rather have it and not need it, then need it and not have it. As for any other upgrades just search here or on the OS and you'll find more knowledge then you could dream of.

[fishsticks]

i hope proper grammar doesn't count in this essay.

I personally like Fox shocks because in my past having them on dirt bikes and quads, they have been by far the most reliable, best performing and most comfortable shocks i have had. A friend of mine has an 04 Ranger with the Fox 2.0 piggy back shocks and it is far far more comfortable then stock, and the performance is amazing. His shocks now have at least 50K on them and are about 5 years old. We have been though everything from packed wet sand to sugar sand and mud, rock crawling, hill climbing and just good old everyday driving. These shocks are great for an all around vehicle. They provide the extension needed when off road and the comfort wanted when on road. I know it's short, but i hope it gets my point and my opinion across. And as i said this is if you can afford them, they are very expensive but well worth the money...I know, I personally will not be putting any Fox's on any of my vehicles in the near future, simply because im broke. But given the financial means, Fox Racing Shox would be my go to shocks for any vehicle.

Alright, next question. Seeing as how the aftermarket generally snickers at us, does Fox sell their shocks directly and have required measurements posted somewhere, rather than just an "application guide"? Many of us are using one-off rear suspension setups.

Links for full marks.

[inkedant908]

no, they don't sell directly, you have to go through a dealer such as www.4wheelparts.com and they just have an application guide. http://www.4wheelparts.com/Lift-Kits-Su ... _pl=100360 this link is everything that 4wheelparts carries by Fox and they do have some more detailed specs there then on Fox's website.

[djthumper]

Fox does not show any application for the trailblazer. This means adapting on our part. Unless you find part numbers that will directly fit IMO I don't see fox as a viable option.

[quickhuh]

I just upgraded myself to the Bilstein HDs all the way around they are stiffer compared to the oem but still a smooth ride also depending on how crazy you're planning on getting off road sway bar quick disconnects would be a good idea(although i just removed them lol) Lift options:Mark Mc(recommended),BDS, Zone(body lift), and ReadyLift all offer for our platform. Other options include checking your spring code in the front and upgrading accordingly depending on how stiff you're ok with your ride being, as for rear springs Most go with the Z71 from Tahoe,Avalanche etc...(available on ebay or gmpartsdirect.com. We don't have as many options as other rigs but the vendors on here have been very diligent in giving us as many options as available. Last but not least armor is always a great idea regardless of how much or little you go offroad. It's like a gun...You'd rather have it and not need it, then need it and not have it. As for any other upgrades just search here or on the OS and you'll find more knowledge then you could dream of.

Thanks I would rather have it protected rather than finding out somwhere that i blew something to pieces because it wasnt covered.

Thanks for all the info everyone I will have to start looking around, my daily driver sits on the ground (maxima) and the TB seems like i will be getting it sooner than expectd since shes already looking at newer trucks and our is out of warranty in 11,000 miles im sure she will have something else in the next year or so.