What do u think I should do?

fadyasha

Original poster
Member
Dec 21, 2011
1,134
So been debating so long to go up or stay stock. The reason is because how costly it was being an international customer.

Today I found a local shop that does lifts for all sorts of cars, TBs, FJ's, Envoys, silverados, yukons, u name it so decided gonna for it Woohoo!

My only worry is how stupid would I look on my existing tires 265/65/17 Toyo Open country (got about 20k on them still)

What do you suggest, wait and do it right from start? Or go ahead with the setup one step at a time?

I'm planning 265/75/17's with the usual lift height that mark provides.
 

mika

Member
Dec 6, 2011
82
I'm sure lots of others do it one step at a time. That's what I am doing. did my lift, next will be wheel spacers then the rubber. I still have my 245/65/17's.
 

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fadyasha

Original poster
Member
Dec 21, 2011
1,134
mika said:
I'm sure lots of others do it one step at a time. That's what I am doing. did my lift, next will be wheel spacers then the rubber. I still have my 245/65/17's.

Thanks and that doesn't look bad at all! Mod bug itching mod bug itching.

What shocks u running on? So far I've only found Monroe's locally (which I already have). Probably going to need to get bilsteins off the web.
 

The_Roadie

Lifetime VIP Donor
Member
Nov 19, 2011
9,957
Portland, OR
Make sure the shop knows something about trailblazers. There was a shop in Kuwait who made 4" lift spacers OUTSIDE the front struts and I nicknamed it the "Kuwaiti Death Trap". They were idiots. Didn't understand the suspension limitations the way the experienced vendors like Mark do. Another shop in Kuwait (maybe the same guys?) fixed a problem with a failure to align back within specs by HEATING and BENDING the forged steering knuckle, thus destroying its designed-in properties. :eek: :eek: :eek: :hissyfit: Another death trap. Don't drive a death trap, please. :confused:
 

fadyasha

Original poster
Member
Dec 21, 2011
1,134
the roadie said:
Make sure the shop knows something about trailblazers. There was a shop in Kuwait who made 4" lift spacers OUTSIDE the front struts and I nicknamed it the "Kuwaiti Death Trap". They were idiots. Didn't understand the suspension limitations the way the experienced vendors like Mark do. Another shop in Kuwait (maybe the same guys?) fixed a problem with a failure to align back within specs by HEATING and BENDING the forged steering knuckle, thus destroying its designed-in properties. :eek: :eek: :eek: :hissyfit: Another death trap. Don't drive a death trap, please. :confused:

Wowwww! That's crazy! I insisted on knowing how the lift is done and luckily there was a FJ cruiser in the shop.

The lift design is the same as Marks lift kit inside the front struts which gave me the comfort. The sizes are customizable according to him but I know better not to go beyond the 2 1/2 lift

He's done few Tb's and he showed me a pic of one he did thats running 28's! That's just plain crazy!!
 

LordBear

Member
Dec 22, 2011
186
i would probably still go with the markmc kit..since its not just a generic lift.... but any who... i would like at some point to get the lift and the pcm tune... and the stock tire size dont look so bad with the lift..maybe a more aggresive looking tire? i know when i had my winter tires put on and my tb was on the lift just enought to get the tires off the ground and it didnt look that bad lifted like that...
 

fadyasha

Original poster
Member
Dec 21, 2011
1,134
LordBear said:
i would probably still go with the markmc kit..since its not just a generic lift.... but any who... i would like at some point to get the lift and the pcm tune... and the stock tire size dont look so bad with the lift..maybe a more aggresive looking tire? i know when i had my winter tires put on and my tb was on the lift just enought to get the tires off the ground and it didnt look that bad lifted like that...

I was just debating myself on that. These guys r pretty reputable here but Mark is no doubt a more reliable source for a lift :s
 

smitty5150

Member
Nov 18, 2011
1,069
I agree, take it step by step. Even if you have to wait longer to get things done, having the right components from the get go will benefit you in the end.
 

fadyasha

Original poster
Member
Dec 21, 2011
1,134
Alrighty then! One step at a time it is! I'll keep u posted on whether I'll go for the lift here or markmc.

Going in the morning so will try to get more info on the kit.
 

Boricua SS

Member
Nov 20, 2011
3,080
Ohio
yea i agree with everyone else.. one thing at a time... who cares about looks.. its your ride and only matters to your tastes...

and especially when safety is involved.. i would do my research and go with the more reputable source/vendor...
 

djthumper

Administrator
Nov 20, 2011
14,950
North Las Vegas
I did mine one step at a time. I was going to go up in rim size but had to get tires because of some long trips I was taking. but I would rather do it right one step at a time instead of rushing through things and only doing it half assed because of shortage of money to do it.
 

fadyasha

Original poster
Member
Dec 21, 2011
1,134
djthumper said:
I did mine one step at a time. I was going to go up in rim size but had to get tires because of some long trips I was taking. but I would rather do it right one step at a time instead of rushing through things and only doing it half assed because of shortage of money to do it.

The point is to do it all at once or step by step for sure. I'm gonna go step by step after seeing the pics here and there. The tb won't look bad at all at least and from seeing that this is what most members do.

Now getting the lift from Markmc or my local vendor is another story. Both have a reputation and both do an excellent job.

To get that level of comfort I'm going again today to get some more info. All lifts are custom made based on the car and measurements. Mark has the upper hand of course because yes there are countless members running his product.

M local Vendor said money back if not satisfied. Anyways, once I go today I'll update you all on my decision. Thanks again for the input all.

P.s I'm no crazy offroader lol.
 

HARDTRAILZ

Moderator
Nov 18, 2011
49,665
Mark ships overseas and you could have that place install it...
 

fadyasha

Original poster
Member
Dec 21, 2011
1,134
Ok guys point made :tongue: a member here unclemoney has a brand new lift old style for sale so just sent him a pm with an offer.

If not then will take it from there.
 

fadyasha

Original poster
Member
Dec 21, 2011
1,134
It's a done deal, just purchased the markmc 2.5 lift From the member here.
 

Hatchet

Member
Nov 21, 2011
2,405
am i the only one that wants to see the tb in 38's (i'm assuming you ment 38's not 28's btw as stockers are 29's)? i wanna see how they squeezed that in there...
 

fadyasha

Original poster
Member
Dec 21, 2011
1,134
Hatchet said:
am i the only one that wants to see the tb in 38's (i'm assuming you ment 38's not 28's btw as stockers are 29's)? i wanna see how they squeezed that in there...

Lol nope meant 28's as in rim size!
 

Hatchet

Member
Nov 21, 2011
2,405
fadyasha said:
Lol nope meant 28's as in rim size!

ohhh... well forget it then...
 

fadyasha

Original poster
Member
Dec 21, 2011
1,134
Funny I never posted an update on this thread. As some know already I ended up going with the custom lift here with 2" up front and 1.75" (Pix can be seen in my album). I've had it for the past few weeks and I'm really happy with how it handles and drives.

The only thing I regret not doing is not going higher. I completely forgot about my Bull Bar up front, in which the brackets are taking up a decent part of my clearance on the front side.

Future mod (100% sure gonna do)

*MarkMc Spacers
*265/70/17's (Not going higher cuz don't wanna stuff them in with the current lift I got)

Or

*MarkMc Spacers
*265/75/17's
*87 springs up front
*z71 springs in the rear

How much more clearance would I get by doing option 1 or 2? :biggrin:

So again what do you think I should do? :thumbsup:
 

Regulator

Member
Nov 20, 2011
2,496
I would suggest going the second route to pick up an extra inch or so, but you will be hard pressed to find 87 springs. The 87's and 88's are both on back order. If you have found somewhere that has then in stock I am sure there are a lot of folks that would like that info!
 

fadyasha

Original poster
Member
Dec 21, 2011
1,134
That's what I thought :s I haven't located any yet but I asked around locally. We have huge junkyards here and the shops are pointing me in that direction. The old blazers were real common here in the past.
 

fadyasha

Original poster
Member
Dec 21, 2011
1,134
P.s Here's my inspiration

He has a 2" lift, spacers and 265/70/17's with 87 springs up front and z71 in the rear

OffRoad TB - View topic - Karo´s Build 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer

My question is would it be ok to go with 87 springs in the rear too in case don't find z71? Just wondering.

I'm still considering all of this because you can't get Bilstein HD's here and would need to order them. I know a member on the old OS ordered them to UAE and paid $333 for shipping alone for that. Think Markmc helped hook him up!

Mostly we got Raybestos, and Monroes here along with AcDelco's. I went to the KYB dealer here and they only got shocks for Japanese cars, which is stupid cuz the Gulf is one of the biggest markets for American cars! :hissyfit:
 

Short Bus

Member
Dec 2, 2011
1,906
No, the front springs are different.
 

HARDTRAILZ

Moderator
Nov 18, 2011
49,665
fadyasha said:
My question is would it be ok to go with 87 springs in the rear too in case don't find z71? Just wondering.

t:

Short Bus said:
No, the front springs are different.

fadyasha said:
You mean rear? :undecided:

Front and rear are not interchangable
 

fadyasha

Original poster
Member
Dec 21, 2011
1,134
HARDTRAILZ said:
Front and rear are not interchangable

Yeh thanks what I meant is can I use the 87 rear springs on my TB. Sorry should of been more clear.
 

HARDTRAILZ

Moderator
Nov 18, 2011
49,665
fadyasha said:
Yeh thanks what I meant is can I use the 87 rear springs on my TB. Sorry should of been more clear.

I'm not that ignorant :redface:

87s are front only
 

fadyasha

Original poster
Member
Dec 21, 2011
1,134
Me007gold said:
Z71's are easy to find. The only option left for factory upgraded springs is 89's, and the are reported to be absolutely brutal for the trailblazers

aa well was worth a try lol! I'm gonna head out to the Junk Yard area where locals here are telling me you'll find anything from the 1900's to 2012 lol!
 

djthumper

Administrator
Nov 20, 2011
14,950
North Las Vegas
I am probably going to go with the 86 springs when I make the switch
 

HARDTRAILZ

Moderator
Nov 18, 2011
49,665
Me007gold said:
Z71's are easy to find. The only option left for factory upgraded springs is 89's, and the are reported to be absolutely brutal for the trailblazers

I think the z71s are pretty brutal. If you carry weight all the time, they are said to be better, but with my 1-200 lbs extra in the back, they were rough as shit.
 

fadyasha

Original poster
Member
Dec 21, 2011
1,134
HARDTRAILZ said:
I think the z71s are pretty brutal. If you carry weight all the time, they are said to be better, but with my 1-200 lbs extra in the back, they were rough as shit.

So after looking around locally I found the following

1- 2007+ Tahoe rear coils (Light Duty)
2- 2007+ Tahoe rear coils (heavy duty)

I'm assuming the heavy duty are the Z71's but the naming is different.

I'm planning on removing the rear spacers and stock coils to replace them with Tahoe springs. I'm not heavily equipped in the back at all just my spare and occasionally carry things in the back!

From a peace of mind perspective i'd rather have a coil sitting in the back without any spacers since I dont carry around heavy loads most of the time. What do you say should I just go with the light duty coils or stay with my current setup?
 

navigator

Member
Dec 3, 2011
504
I haven't seen there is any difference in the rear coils on the Tahoes but I could be wrong.
From what I understand the biggest diff in the Z71 is they run a different rear shock than the soccer mom version.
Again I could be wrong.
 

HARDTRAILZ

Moderator
Nov 18, 2011
49,665
navigator said:
I haven't seen there is any difference in the rear coils on the Tahoes but I could be wrong.
From what I understand the biggest diff in the Z71 is they run a different rear shock than the soccer mom version.
Again I could be wrong.

I dont know of a coil difference, but the shocks are junk period.
 

fadyasha

Original poster
Member
Dec 21, 2011
1,134
Aha but I'd still be getting that approximate 1.5" inch in the rear won't I?
 

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