Best Lift Kit? '08 Chevy 2500

[ChiliPepperGarage]

I've got a 2008 Chevy D-Max 2500 and want to run 35's on it. This truck will not see any hard core offroading, mostly dirt roads and mild trails. I am setting it up for camping / "overlanding". It currently has a leveling kit with CST upper control arms on it and while it is mostly fine on pavement (actually handles curves very well), it rattles my teeth out on dirt roads.

I see BDS has a new coilover conversion kit which also lowers the diff to straighten out the axle shafts but it costs $4700 not including install! It does come with Fox 2.0 shocks which I know are good but that's a lot of $.

A BDS 4" lift is $3,600 installed by the local dealer in Reno.

Another shop quoted me $3,000 installed for a Rancho 4". Not sure about Rancho quality.

I'm waiting on a call back from my local 4 Wheel Parts dealer.

I ran an RCD 6" on a 2500 Chevy before and was very happy with it. Very smooth, stock like ride. I ran a CST on another truck too.

Looking for input on other lifts. The BDS kit comes with brackets that keep the torsion bars up in stock location instead of sticking down like other kits. Not only looks better but also one less thing to get hung up on stuff. The Rancho shop said that they put more strain on the upper control arms though. Don't know if that is true or not.

I purchased a set of Bushwaker Cut Out fender flares and will be doing the NorCal mod (opens up the stupid square wheel openings 1&1/2") with the intentions of leaving it at its current height but am sick of the harsh ride. I want to keep the lift to a minimum to make getting in and out of the back as easy as possible. I will also be getting a new front bumper that will provide more front tire clearance.

Here is the truck as it currently sits. I don't know how much higher than stock it is as I bought it with the leveling kit already on it. Tires on there now are Toyo Open Country 285/70-17's but are about worn out and I want to run 315/70-17's which are actually about 34" tall.

 

[82daytona]

Cognito.


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[ChiliPepperGarage]

Cognito.


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Their website doesn't show they have anything for my truck.

http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/chevy-gmc/2001-10-2500hd-3500hd/4in-6in-lift-systems/4wd/

 

[82daytona]

Their website doesn't show they have anything for my truck.

http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/chevy-gmc/2001-10-2500hd-3500hd/4in-6in-lift-systems/4wd/

Call. They have to make it


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[River Lynchmob]

Cognito without a doubt is the best engineered lift for GM trucks...period...I have had them on my '15 and my '11 2500 HD Duramax trucks.

 

[DaytonaBabe]

We have a 6" RCD on our GMC 2500. Been really happy with it!

 

[Chris Lapoint]

You can call me.

Chris Lapoint | Inside Sales and Support
[email protected]
34935 Flyover Ct.| Bakersfield, CA 93308
tel: (661) 588-8085 ext 212 | fax: (661) 588-8295
cognitomotorsports.com

 

[82daytona]

You can call me.

Chris Lapoint | Inside Sales and Support
[email protected]
34935 Flyover Ct.| Bakersfield, CA 93308
tel: (661) 588-8085 ext 212 | fax: (661) 588-8295
cognitomotorsports.com

Boom [emoji95]


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[ArizonaKevin]

If you are looking to go overlanding, I would recommend avoiding any sort of drop bracket lift. In my opinion, you will be better served for ride quality and durability by getting an aftermarket UCA (camburg comes to mind) and a set of rebuildable coilovers (king, fox, ads etc) Drop bracket lifts really don't get you much extra ground clearance and creates more leverage on the suspension components to cause problems.

for the rear suspension, talk to Alcan or Deaver and get a custom leaf pack made for the weight you are looking to carry and the desired ride height (some helper bags won't hurt) and get a matching rebuildable external reservoir shock (king, fox, ads etc)

I used to wheel my 02 2500HD with RCD 6" and things were breaking pretty much every trip out. After that I picked up a Tacoma and did a full build on it and it was a game changer to not have a drop bracket lift. I am in the process of looking for someone to trade stock parts with for the F150 in my avatar (purchased with a drop bracket already on it.)

 

[BajaMike]

It looks good to me the way it is. I wouldn’t lift it, if you want to camp with it, you’ll need a ladder to get in the back. Leveling or something to improve to ride my make sense. My stock 2500 HD rides fine on dirt roads.

Lifting it will also greatly reduce it’s resale value.

 

[ChiliPepperGarage]

If you are looking to go overlanding, I would recommend avoiding any sort of drop bracket lift. In my opinion, you will be better served for ride quality and durability by getting an aftermarket UCA (camburg comes to mind) and a set of rebuildable coilovers (king, fox, ads etc) Drop bracket lifts really don't get you much extra ground clearance and creates more leverage on the suspension components to cause problems.

for the rear suspension, talk to Alcan or Deaver and get a custom leaf pack made for the weight you are looking to carry and the desired ride height (some helper bags won't hurt) and get a matching rebuildable external reservoir shock (king, fox, ads etc)

I used to wheel my 02 2500HD with RCD 6" and things were breaking pretty much every trip out. After that I picked up a Tacoma and did a full build on it and it was a game changer to not have a drop bracket lift. I am in the process of looking for someone to trade stock parts with for the F150 in my avatar (purchased with a drop bracket already on it.)

The truck already has CST UCA's so that's why I was interested in the BDS coil over conversion. They are the only company I found that makes a coilover conversion for this truck. While I like the idea of the coilover with diff drop, the extra cost is pretty hard to justify. If it were just a simple bolt on the new coilovers that would be fine but going from torsion bars to coilovers is a lot more involved. Like I said, I'm going to be doing mostly dirt roads and mild trails with this truck (I have a rock crawler Jeep for the hard stuff) so extreme clearance is not needed and I think front end strain would be minimal. I just want to run 35's on it with no rubbing. It has new heavy duty tie rods too.

If the drop bracket keeps the suspension at stock geometry how does it put more leverage on it? I've had other trucks with 6" lifts and had no issues. I didn't wheel them hard but did similar stuff that I want to do with this truck.

 

[ChiliPepperGarage]

It looks good to me the way it is. I wouldn’t lift it, if you want to camp with it, you’ll need a ladder to get in the back. Leveling or something to improve to ride my make sense. My stock 2500 HD rides fine on dirt roads.

Lifting it will also greatly reduce it’s resale value.

I already use a ladder to get in the back! I do like the current height but the front tires rub on full lock on flat roads. It is already leveled and has CST UCA's. The tires on it now are about 33" and I want to go to a little larger tire but the main issue is the hard ride on washboard dirt roads.

If I go with a 4" lift I think it would only be an inch higher or slightly more than it is now.

 

[Flying_Lavey]

If the drop bracket keeps the suspension at stock geometry how does it put more leverage on it? I've had other trucks with 6" lifts and had no issues. I didn't wheel them hard but did similar stuff that I want to do with this truck.

Exactly what i was thinking when i read that.

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[Flying_Lavey]

Where is the tire rubbing? On the fender? Id suggest getting some fiberglass fenders (small flare, nothing crazy). And for the rear, get some Deaver leaf packs. They are rated for the same weight carrying capability as factory but are a multiyear, progressive design and ride MUCH smoother. That coupled with good shocks will make the rear quiet nice. The front.... The best option for ride is a coilover conversion. With a truck that big and heavy though, I would go with 2.5" coilovers. The biggest problem with a coilover conversion is the cost. They require a completely new shock mount to be fabricated for them to perform correctly.

Call LSK Suspension and talk to them. They have done a lot of stuff with the 2500's. Including a badass bolt on cantilever set-up to fully utilyze the deaver suspension travel but not have shocks protruding into the bed.

They're river guys also and do several Parker trips every year.

LSK Suspension
(909) 305-4824


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[River Runnin]

I put a FabTech on mine. With Rancho 9000 cab controlled shocks.

 

[ArizonaKevin]

The truck already has CST UCA's so that's why I was interested in the BDS coil over conversion. They are the only company I found that makes a coilover conversion for this truck. While I like the idea of the coilover with diff drop, the extra cost is pretty hard to justify. If it were just a simple bolt on the new coilovers that would be fine but going from torsion bars to coilovers is a lot more involved. Like I said, I'm going to be doing mostly dirt roads and mild trails with this truck (I have a rock crawler Jeep for the hard stuff) so extreme clearance is not needed and I think front end strain would be minimal. I just want to run 35's on it with no rubbing. It has new heavy duty tie rods too.

If the drop bracket keeps the suspension at stock geometry how does it put more leverage on it? I've had other trucks with 6" lifts and had no issues. I didn't wheel them hard but did similar stuff that I want to do with this truck.

Oh shit I forgot that they were still rocking T-Bars on the 3/4 tons for the NNBS trucks. I guess my question is, if it's going to be used for fire roads and mild trails, do you really need 35's? Obviously its your truck your money you can do what you want for sure, but just wondering if it's worth all the extra expense, plus the extra running costs to have 35's given your intended use?

 

[ramos45]

I've been reading about lifts for our truck for over 5 years but can't seem to shell the $$ out for one. If/when I do it would probably be Cognito 4-6. Best for the money on the other forums would be the Zone 6in lift. Zone is made by BDS. I'd say Cognito due to the track width of the front tires being the least impacted when compared to others and I like the NTBD. Also, the Zone does include a cut and a weld for it to work so might not be easy to go back if needed.

 

[Deja_Vu]

I keep my stuff stockish these days. I just put on 265-70-16 BFG All terrains on my '04 lol
I could use a new steering stabilizer though, mine is shot.

 

[ramos45]

I keep my stuff stockish these days. I just put on 265-70-16 BFG All terrains on my '04 lol
I could use a new steering stabilizer though, mine is shot.

I hear ya, My tires are barely few years old so still have lots of life left before even thinking about dropping coin on new rubber. Whenever I tow the boat or TT I like that's it's stock and not having to worry about other things going wrong. But when I look at it in the driveway or sitting still in parking lot is when I would like to see it lifted on new wheels, I lean more towards function over form. For same cost of a lift I'm planning on a Titan 52gal fuel tank and on board air for the air bags.

 

[ChiliPepperGarage]

Oh shit I forgot that they were still rocking T-Bars on the 3/4 tons for the NNBS trucks. I guess my question is, if it's going to be used for fire roads and mild trails, do you really need 35's? Obviously its your truck your money you can do what you want for sure, but just wondering if it's worth all the extra expense, plus the extra running costs to have 35's given your intended use?

I don't really need 35's but I'll have to get new tires pretty soon and would like to go a little bigger than what I have now.

The main thing I'm after is improved ride. I could get another set of 285/70-17's but I'd still have the same rough ride.

I'm 62 years old now and this will be a forever truck for me. I've done air bags, 51 gal fuel tank, lift pump with filter and water separator, DPF delete, tune, etc. I have other vehicles so this is not a DD and will get used only for towing the boat, car trailer and other stuff and will be my camping rig. I may put a popup on the shell or get a pop camper for the back. I have also been thinking about pulling off the bed and building a custom camper.

It will be 99% paved road use and 1% off road. That's because I will be taking some long trips in it to get to the areas where I want to go camping/exploring. I'd also really like to take a trip up The Dalton to Prudhoe Bay as well as Homer and a couple other places in Alaska. The Dalton is dirt and can be very washboarded for long stretches (the road is about 450 miles) and I need to be able to travel it at speed. That is why the ride is important to me.

I spoke to Chris at Cognito and he referred me to a local dealer. I'll bring the truck there and see what they recommend.

 

[ChiliPepperGarage]

I may end up with a camper something like this:

But more this size:

Or just a popup like this one. I have the same fender flares as this truck and actually bought the wheels off this truck.

 

[badluck24/7]

So @ChiliPepperGarage what did you end up doing with the truck?

 

[Singleton]

You can call me.

Chris Lapoint | Inside Sales and Support
[email protected]
34935 Flyover Ct.| Bakersfield, CA 93308
tel: (661) 588-8085 ext 212 | fax: (661) 588-8295
cognitomotorsports.com

What do you guys have for a 17 F350 DRW? Looking to level, but don’t want the puck/spaced system. Was looking at the Carli and Icon systems.

 

[River Lynchmob]

What do you guys have for a 17 F350 DRW? Looking to level, but don’t want the puck/spaced system. Was looking at the Carli and Icon systems.

I am super happy with Cognito on my 450. Here is a pic of it leveled on stock wheels. I thought had a pic of the front arms but not on my comp. I will look for pics tonight.

 

[Singleton]

I am super happy with Cognito on my 450. Here is a pic of it leveled on stock wheels. I thought had a pic of the front arms but not on my comp. I will look for pics tonight.

View attachment 713718

That’s why I asked what do they have.
Phase 1 for my truck is get it level and airbags with cradles.
Phase 2 will be wheels and tires

 

[DGRAY75]

Cognito all the way. My buddy own's that company and since day 1 he has wanted nothing but to build the best engineered product on the market.. We have installed quite a few of there kits at my shop and still to this day have not had 1 complaint.

 

[Chris Lapoint]

I am super happy with Cognito on my 450. Here is a pic of it leveled on stock wheels. I thought had a pic of the front arms but not on my comp. I will look for pics tonight.

View attachment 713718

It came out pretty darn good!

 

[Chris Lapoint]

What do you guys have for a 17 F350 DRW? Looking to level, but don’t want the puck/spaced system. Was looking at the Carli and Icon systems.

Hey buddy,

We are working on getting those kits finalized and on the website, we've been running the leveling and 4" kit around on a couple industry trucks with good feed back.

Give me a call next week sometime and I can you all the part numbers you need to get quoted from a dealer.

 

[Flying_Lavey]

Cognito all the way. My buddy own's that company and since day 1 he has wanted nothing but to build the best engineered product on the market.. We have installed quite a few of there kits at my shop and still to this day have not had 1 complaint.

Oh shit! Hey Don! How's everything going? Haven't seen you on here in a while.

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[ChiliPepperGarage]

So @ChiliPepperGarage what did you end up doing with the truck?

Haven't done anything yet other than new tires and cut out flares. Was spending all my time studying for my EMT test which I passed last week so now have time to get back on it. Going up to Reno next week to check out a couple shops.

 

[bobbytheboozer]

Boom [emoji95]


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Don't you mean BNAG!

 

[Havasu blue label]

Fabtec with some bilstien

 

[nordic454]

IMO BDS is the one to beat hands down. I have the BDS 7” system on my ‘08 running 35x12.5 17. I have run this truck hard and it is incredible, and with the soft ride spring pack, instead of blocks, it rides super smooth on the road. I had 2.5” reservoir shocks custom built for my truck, I tow my deckboat all summer, and my 12k lb 35’ travel trailer all year long as well. With my rear airbags, this setup is in beatable. Along my own custom built Uniball UCA, and heimed tie rods, as well as all of the PPE steering supports installed.
The nice part about this lift, is that it doesn’t drop the torsion bars down like every other lift on the market.

 

[Bowtiepower00]

Cognito is the shit! But if you want RCD My homie In PHX can get them for a great price, let me know if you want a quote...

 

[Havasu blue label]

Fabtec 8 in lift triple shock set bilstien with res perfect setup 7100 and 5100

 

[Cdog]

Cognito stuff is legit. I have the tubular UCA’s. Their return policy on their Ball joints is a pain in the asshole though.

 

[NicPaus]

My Avatar pic is my old LBZ. Ran the Cognito at 12" for years on it. One of the first on a 06 back then. Drove up and picked the kit up from Bakersfield myself. Glad to see how well Justin has done with company since.

Swapped lifts with VeeDriven few years before I sold truck. He is still running it on his Duramax at 12" with 38s. I ran the 22s with 40s friend had same truck different color with CST 9-11" with 38s. Recommended Cognito since.

 

[Havasu blue label]

8.1 Allison trans 8in fabtec on 35 on 20