# Best way to raise rear suspension?



## GymChamp (Jan 10, 2010)

Have JBA cat-back exhaust on my '06, with 245x17 on the front and oversized 275x17 tires on the rear, so the rear fenders have been rolled to make extra room for those tall tires. Bottoming out happens only if I'm not careful, but I just installed QTP electric cut outs (which are soooooo much fun...) and they take a bad scraping over speed humps. So I need about an inch or so increase in road clearance at the rear wheels. Will adding a pair of drag bag air springs do the job for me? I'm looking for a low cost solution that actually solves my problem...I'm not trying to break any track records or set a new quarter mile time, etc. (for the time being!!!). Right now I just need a solution that gets the job done that my skinny piggy bank can afford, you know, like under two hundred $$, and NOT like a couple thousand $$$$$$$! 
Thanks for any help.


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## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

Ya, bags can be used to jack up the rear. Too much and it looks weird tho and that will take a away from handling a fair amount too.


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## Rob GTO (Apr 28, 2010)

Just buy zero drop springs or raised springs. Pedders, Lovells, and Kings sell them.


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

GymChamp said:


> ... but I just installed QTP electric cut outs ...


This has nothing to do with your question so please pardon the intrusion, but I'm very interested in how your long-term experience with these cutouts goes. If you use them 'often' and if they're still working fine after 6 months or a year, I'd really like to know that if if you don't mind?

Thanks,
Bear


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## jpalamar (Jul 22, 2008)

Don't left the rear. It will lol retarded. Just get stiffer/upgraded suspension.


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## GymChamp (Jan 10, 2010)

*Electric exhaust cutouts*



BearGFR said:


> This has nothing to do with your question so please pardon the intrusion, but I'm very interested in how your long-term experience with these cutouts goes. If you use them 'often' and if they're still working fine after 6 months or a year, I'd really like to know that if if you don't mind?
> 
> Thanks,
> Bear


My son ran them wide open on a daily basis for at least 6 months, total mileage only about 3,000: one motor burned out after all that abuse which IMO is darn good. From now own they'll be used only sparingly, which will make some neighbors happy, by the way... Also, we learned to not lean on the toggle switch after the valves are fully open or shut as that shortens motor life as well. We just need about 3/8 inch lift to avoid scraping them.


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## GymChamp (Jan 10, 2010)

Thanks for all the good suggestions, folks! Soon I'll be posting the results of the solution I go with...


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## HP11 (Apr 11, 2009)

jpalamar said:


> Don't lift the rear. It will look retarded. Just get stiffer/upgraded suspension.


Unless you want to have the modern version of the car mentioned in the third stanza of the Brooks and Dunn song 'Red Dirt Road'.


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## Ehrgeiz X (Apr 10, 2011)

This has nothing to do with the question at hand but... Do you have any clearance issues with those 275x17s in the back? Ive heard 17s of that size can rub the struts and have been recommended to 18s for that.


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## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

Ehrgeiz X said:


> This has nothing to do with the question at hand but... Do you have any clearance issues with those 275x17s in the back? Ive heard 17s of that size can rub the struts and have been recommended to 18s for that.


It usually requires rolling and sometimes massaging the inner fender a bit. The main thing tho is in the wheel. 8" wide wheels cause the tire to bulge out and make it harder and the proper offset brings the wheel in too. I have 285x17s on 9" wheels and can go fully to the bump stops without rubbing.


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## Ehrgeiz X (Apr 10, 2011)

svede1212 said:


> It usually requires rolling and sometimes massaging the inner fender a bit. The main thing tho is in the wheel. 8" wide wheels cause the tire to bulge out and make it harder and the proper offset brings the wheel in too. I have 285x17s on 9" wheels and can go fully to the bump stops without rubbing.


Ah I see. I'm eventually going to put 275x35x18s on the rear and bump the front up to 18s on mine, as well. Just wondering about your set up. Thanks!:cheers


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## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

I had my stock 17s widened to 9". That pulls the wheel and tire in towards the middle and adding to the offset. It did it to the extent of making the offset around 60mm which was a bit much. 5mm wheel spacers (with ARP wheel studs) brought that out to an effective 55mm offset. 5mm spacers still leaves enough hub that the wheel sits and centers on it and the ARPs vastly improves on the soft stock studs.

I have gently rolled fenders and there was one spot in the inner that I tapped with a 5# hammer to give a little more space there. Those things perfectly centered everything in the wheel well with breathing room on both inner and outer fenders. 

The other thing that some forget is that even with static centering you can still get some contact with aggressive cornering due to flexing in the rear control arms and rolling of the tires. The wider wheel squares the tire sidewall helping with roll and I replaced both the inner and outer control arm bushings with poly. The stock inner bushing in particular has voids in it that allow quite a bit of flexing. It's been over 4 years now and I've never once had rubbing.


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## 87GN06GTO07IRL (Aug 10, 2009)

svede1212 said:


> The wider wheel squares the tire sidewall helping with roll


This is exactly why use 265's on a 9.5" wheel all the way around.


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## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

87GN06GTO07IRL said:


> This is exactly why use 265's on a 9.5" wheel all the way around.


That'll work but you could go a larger with those and still sit square. I have some pics of a 9 and a 8 inch wheel with one showing a 285 that's square and one with a 275 with the side bulged out which causes the fitment problem.

8 inch wheel, 275 tire










9 inch wheel, 285 tire


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## GymChamp (Jan 10, 2010)

As promised, here's what I did: Installed the new QTP electric cutout, and... nothing else! Decided better to navigate speed humps to avoid scraping the bottom edge of the electric cutout and avoid looking re...., uh, not good. Next stop: Ripshift quick shifter!


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## 87GN06GTO07IRL (Aug 10, 2009)

svede1212 said:


> That'll work but you could go a larger with those and still sit square.


There is a difference between looking square and sitting square. For example my 265's on a 9.5" wheel is a 265mm on a 241mm. I'm not even close to square and wouldn't want to go bigger. Handles amazing as is. Plus a narrow tire has less rolling resistance and weight. I'm all about the handling. Plus i don't think i can go larger than 265 up front without using a spacer and i'm not interested in that. It's nice being able to rotate front to rear too.


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## Ehrgeiz X (Apr 10, 2011)

svede1212 said:


> That'll work but you could go a larger with those and still sit square. I have some pics of a 9 and a 8 inch wheel with one showing a 285 that's square and one with a 275 with the side bulged out which causes the fitment problem.
> 
> 8 inch wheel, 275 tire
> 
> ...


One more unrelated question...
Would you say a 275 fits better on 8.5" or 9" then? I'm curious because I plan to go for a staggered set up once I go for new rims and tires.


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## Northeast Rod Run (Oct 29, 2008)

Ehrgeiz X said:


> One more unrelated question...
> Would you say a 275 fits better on 8.5" or 9" then? I'm curious because I plan to go for a staggered set up once I go for new rims and tires.


a 9" will fit 100x better. If you go with a wide running 275 (BFG KDW-2), a 10" wheel is totally the way to

A 275 on an 8.5" wheel is a waste of money and buying an "undersized" 275, just so it will fit on an 8.5" wheel is also useless

Your best solution is to buy your tires from the manufacuter of your choice, then decide which size tire *by them *is the best fit.

Never buy your tires based on the number on the sidewall. Always buy the tire because it's the best manufacturer that you can afford with your budget


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## Ehrgeiz X (Apr 10, 2011)

Northeast Rod Run said:


> a 9" will fit 100x better. If you go with a wide running 275 (BFG KDW-2), a 10" wheel is totally the way to
> 
> A 275 on an 8.5" wheel is a waste of money and buying an "undersized" 275, just so it will fit on an 8.5" wheel is also useless
> 
> ...


Haha sounds good to me. I was fiddling around on tirerack.com and found a set up I liked, but I think i'll just go this route with my local shop since I didn't really think about that. Numbers can be deceiving, after all.


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