Will lowering my Denali ruin my towing ability?

[RID22]

I bought a 2007 Denali and put 24's on it. A lot of people have said my car needs to be dropped, to take out some empty wheel well space. I took it to a local and reputable tuner shop for their opinion. They suggested lowering it 2 inches in the front and 3 inches in the back. They told me it would tow the same or "Better." I'm guessing they don't know anything about towing. Does anyone have experience with this?

[spharis]

It depends on how they are planning on lowering it. I know every lowered truck I have owned towed like crap....as in the ride....and the ones I lowered with springs had different load ratings.

[RID22]

I was told they would just use Eibach springs front and rear. We never discussed load ratings. Couldn't they just use the same load ratings with a shorter spring?

[chpthril]

The suspension geometry is one of the major factors in tow ratings. When you alter/modify the suspension in any way, you will affect ride, handling and tow rating. Will it be a pos or neg? all depends on what is done and to what extent. In every raised or lowered car/truck that I have riddin in, the modification had a negative impact on ride, handling, and how it felt towing. Its hard to say how it will effect the towing until you and your boat are on the side of the hiway in a pile of steel and fiber glass and you say to your self "I guess it cut my tow capacity a little huh" We dont want that.

The first thing that comes to mind is rear squat due to tongue weight. When you drop a truck, it typically decreases suspension travel. As the rear drops, the front will rise. When the suspension runs out of travel, it will begin to "lift", if you will, the front wheels of the ground. In other words, there will be less weight in the front tires and a smaller contact patch.

Can you safely lower a vehicle with minimal adverse effects.......I believe you can. I would want to do this with as little change to spring rate and suspension travel as possible.

[Razzman]

Sure they can use springs with the same load rating but there's a catch, the ride. In order for a shorter spring to have the same load carrying capacity it will have to be stiffer (and probably larger in diameter if coil) and your ride will suffer regardless of what they tell you. Think about it, if a shorter spring isn't stiffer and larger you'll have bottoming out and some serious pogo effect issues. If they are progressive wound coils then that may not be an issue, but i've never seen progressive wound springs on trucks. But you never know.

[Razzman]

You might also look into the air bag suspension systems. From what i know thay are heavy duty and allow the suspension to carry increased loads even when the vehicle is lower than stock.

[spharis]

Most lowering springs I have installed dropped my carrying capacities by up to 30%. The towing wasn't affected quite as much, but the tongue weight was lowered. You can call Eibach and get the specs as they are not easy to find in the manuals or online. McGaughy's, who may or may not make kits for the Denali, also has the helper bags Razz is referring to. They will recommend those for anyone wanting to tow; though they don't help the capacities any, just help out with the sag and the ride a little.

[RID22]

I'm glad I didn't tell them to do it. My ride already sucks because of the 24's, I don't want to make it worse. I've never towed with this car, so I think I'll wait and see how much the suspension sags when I start towing. In the mean time I'll take Spharis's advice and call Eibach. I've heard a lot of horror stories about air bag suspensions and they're much more expensive. Thanks for the help. I'm going to start calling around.

[spharis]

A full bag job is expensive, but the helper springs we are talking about are less than $200.

You can forget towing anything super heavy with a full bag suspension, unless you are ready to spend some serious jack. Most bag jobs run $2500-$6000 for 4-link or cantilevers and cups and arms up front. The Denali I think has 4 coilovers, so there are systems to replace those too, but they are pricey, and the load ratings on the bags are low. Airbag systems DO NOT ride better than a stock suspension either.

[Domsz06]

i love my rear air bags for my ford f250, I can see at night now when I'm towing and its great!!

[Tanner]

In every raised or lowered car/truck that I have riddin in, the modification had a negative impact on ride, handling

That's interesting... almost every lifted truck I have ridden in has rode better than stock! Assuming they lifted it w/ a quality kit. Of course generally, that's due to better shocks. Actually my new D-max is going off to get lifted as soon as it comes in to the dealer!

[spharis]

No way a lifted rig rode better than stock unless it was a dodge.....when you are in a dodge, there is no doubt you are in a truck......Count your fillings when you get out.

[chpthril]

No way a lifted rig rode better than stock unless it was a dodge.....when you are in a dodge, there is no doubt you are in a truck......Count your fillings when you get out.

Hahaha, evan the cars ride like trucks

[Domsz06]

I agree with cheap and sp. I have never rode in a lifted truck that rode better then stock, EVER. Just like every car I have lowered rode worse. Didn't we get into this discussion, or was it on WB I'll have to look. I Know my truck rode bad before, now it rides really bad. I wanna get some coil overs for the front, but just gonna wait a bit first. Have other things I need to work on, like my stereo!!

[zany]

What is the differance between Air Bags and the Autoride the Denali has on it.

Suspension Package: Autoride, includes bistate variable shock dampening and rear, air-assisted load leveling, includes automatic air level control The sophisticated Autoride suspension system automatically stiffens shock absorber damping when needed to control wheel motion. The automatic rear air-assisted load leveling shock absorbers help maintain vehicle height when fully loaded. The overall result is enhanced control, a high load-carrying capacity and a remarkably comfortable ride.