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Page 1 of 3  Suspension is the key component that separates a custom vehicle from a stocker. Lifting your suspension up for optimum ground clearance or setting it down for pavement scraping attitude is the core of customizing as stance tends to shape the mild or wild direction of a project. For most new trucks and SUVs on the road there exists a customizing recipe for separating your ride from all the factory height stockers flooding the freeway. Most professional installation shops have done any given vehicle so many times that they know off hand which suspension kit will fit which size rim and tire combination and which kits ride and handle the best. There is a lot to consider when either lifting or lowering your truck, including maintaining suspension geometry for optimum ride and comfort and considering how high or low to go based on convenient styling or full throttle looks. For the lifted scene, Rancho Suspensions has been around the block a time or two when it comes to taking America's most popular pickup and SUV platforms to new heights. We spent a day at Rancho's Long Beach, California, facility to oversee the installation of their newest lift system on a '07 Chevrolet 4x4 Tahoe. The kit achieves a 4-inch lift allowing the use of a 35-inch tall tire and was even engineered with the proper clearance to allow for the use of original equipment wheels. Follow along as we take Chevy's latest to a new level of cruising with Rancho Suspensions' 4-inch lift kit. |  Rancho Suspensions' new '07 Tahoe 4-inch lift includes all the brackets, hardware, knuckles, coils, relocation brackets, and a one-piece sub frame needed to get your factory fresh beauty in the air. |  After the Tahoe had been driven onto the rack and the wheels and tires removed, the brake calipers and rotors unbolted and removed, our wrench swingers for the day, Larry and Chris, got busy with the disassembly carnage. Here, the tie rod is unbolted from the factory knuckle. |  The hardware joining the factory knuckle and lower control arm at the lower ball joint is removed via the impact. | |  Next, the hardware securing the factory knuckle to the upper control arm was loosened at the upper ball joint. |  After Chris removed the factory knuckle and hub assembly, Larry unbolted the half shaft flange bolts and removed the half shafts to allow for removal of the factory front coil over. |  The shock absorber and coil spring assembly were loosened at both the top and bottom mounts and dropped out of position. This kit is perfect for leased vehicles as well since very little cutting is required and everything bolts right up. The lower control arms were also loosened and removed at this time. | |  Before moving onto dropping the transfer case differential, Larry unbolted the factory front cross member, which attaches it to the lower A-arm rear pockets. |  According to the Rancho instructions 3.125 inches of material was to be removed from the driver side cross member bracket. A reciprocating saw is the recommended tool for this job. |  The front driveshaft was marked for reference and unbolted and slid rearward to enable Larry and Chris to move forward with dropping the transfer case. Once the driveshaft was strapped up, the front differential was lowered down onto a pair of jack stands. | |  Rancho does not include the RS 9000 X shock absorbers with the kit, and they must be purchased separately. Here you can see the difference between the stock (right) and Rancho RS9000X shock (left) designed for use with the 4-inch Rancho suspension lift. |  A bench-mounted coil spring compressor was used to mount the factory coil spring onto the RS 9000X shocks. |  The differential drop brackets were mounted to the factory differential mounts per the Rancho instructions. Make sure the brackets are properly mounted in the correct direction to line up with the factory mounting holes on the differential housing. |
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