Summit Lowered suspension shocks

[ChevLoRay]

I've asked the question and it has been answered and I took the advice of another member who said that Summit has a good shock for the rear of my truck.

My situation is a combination of ingredients...DJM suspension 2/4 drop. Then, I added BellTech upper shock mount relocators to the rear, to restore the angle of the shocks and get a better ride. It was better, but I also had a problem with it bottoming-out on rough spots in the roads. So, the advice was to use the Summit shock.

In calling Summit Racing and asking about the shock that the website said to use, the sales rep said it didn't say it would fit a pickup, just that the shock was correct for a '95-99 Tahoe/Yukon. Okay. The shocks on the rear of my truck were spec'd for a 95-99 Yukon/Tahoe. When he and I were agreeing on that factor, I placed my order on Wednesday of this week.

Today, the UPS man brought my new shocks. So, I had them installed. The shocks feature the eye on each end, with the rubber insert in them. However, there's a couple bags of sleeves to use to make the shock hook up with the attaching points. Yep, you gotta do some assembly. Trying to push the upper end mounting piece caused the rubber to push out of the eye. A little more "english" and it finally goes together.

Removing the old shocks showed the new ones to be 4-inches shorter than the old ones. When the right side was put on, it had to be compressed very, very little. The left side? It was spot-on for length. What this means is that there is no extension of the shocks, as installed. The purpose of the shocks that I ordered is to eliminate bottoming-out. These are a twin-tube design and that is there intended purpose.

I'm proud to report that they don't bottom-out. I'm satisfied that the $30/each price is an okay value. The invoice listed them as "Sport Truck Lowered Shock". Go figure. The part number for anyone interested is SUM-G7726.

In case anyone had a question....I hope that this will answer it.

[JohnC]

Thanks for the info. I'm sure others will appreciate your diligence in the name of research.

[1badgmc]

The assembly of the shocks is made nice and easy with a bench vise. Took me just a few seconds per shock.

So you put the 7726s on both sides? You should have 2 different length shocks for the rear. A longer one on the right side, I believe.

[ChevLoRay]

You know, I don't know. Like I said, the right one had to be compressed very slightly to fit. The left one was dead-on. Also, like I said, there is no extension, only compression. So far, it hasn't bottomed-out. Does this mean that it won't? Only time will tell. I can't tell that my bump stop cushions had any markings on them, which leads me to believe that the shocks that I pulled off were too long and it was them that bottomed out and that was before the bump stop on the frame was struck by the axle housing.

All I can say is my wife doesn't like the way it rode, but hasn't ridden in it yet. If she is okay with it, it seems like a home run. If not, I am considering swapping vehicles for a Tahoe/Yukon 2WD.

But, based on what you said, it would seem that the right side was longer than the left side, but both are the same length. It's only the mounting that made 'em look that way.

[k5hart]

I have a set of these on my truck and have been very happy with them. Really can't beat the price.

[1badgmc]

Originally Posted by ChevLoRay

You know, I don't know. Like I said, the right one had to be compressed very slightly to fit. The left one was dead-on. Also, like I said, there is no extension, only compression. So far, it hasn't bottomed-out. Does this mean that it won't? Only time will tell. I can't tell that my bump stop cushions had any markings on them, which leads me to believe that the shocks that I pulled off were too long and it was them that bottomed out and that was before the bump stop on the frame was struck by the axle housing.

All I can say is my wife doesn't like the way it rode, but hasn't ridden in it yet. If she is okay with it, it seems like a home run. If not, I am considering swapping vehicles for a Tahoe/Yukon 2WD.

But, based on what you said, it would seem that the right side was longer than the left side, but both are the same length. It's only the mounting that made 'em look that way.

It was 12 years or so ago when I last ordered and installed the Doetsch Tech drop shocks for my '91, but I do know for sure that I have 2 different length shocks back there. The notes I had made for my '94 when I was going to drop it show me looking at a Summit 7726 for the left rear and a 7724 for the right. Maybe that's backwards? The right side is the longer one, right?

[Boog]

Don I remember you saying the shock relocators helped the situation and lowered the rear a little bit too. I wondered about the shocks being too long and I should have recommended you disconnect them and drive it around to see if it helped at that time but I didn't. You may have finally found the fix to your harsh rear suspension. Don't rush out and trade that good looking truck now.

[ChevLoRay]

Jim, it's all dependent on what the bride thinks about the ride. We bought a pop-up camper that weighs in at 1800 lbs, dry. If there's a 200-lb tongue weight on the bumper, it may just help the ride.

If push comes to shove, it may be that some AirLift airsprings would be the ticket to take the harshness out....if she thinks it's still harsh. However, I think she's gonna be surprised.

As to the different lengths, right vs. left, I'm not sold on that as far as my truck is concerned.

But, a Yukon/Tahoe in a 2WD form is still appealing. With the cover on my bed, all I have is a huge trunk and a 2-passenger cab. After 9 years.....it may be time to move on. Haven't decided for sure, just yet.

[Boog]

I didn't know ya'll were into camping. My wife and I got started about 5 yrs ago. Last year we bought a small Starcraft popup for our daughter. We have a 26' Rockwood. All our trucks pull these with ease.
Speakin of camping, I know you've been keeping up with the news of the campground flooding tragedy last night in Caddo Gap area. Last I saw there were 16 dead and several dozen still not found. Awful deal there. It had to be like a dam busted and all that water coming in so fast. Our hearts go out to the families.

[JohnC]

Originally Posted by Boog

Speakin of camping, I know you've been keeping up with the news of the campground flooding tragedy last night in Caddo Gap area. Last I saw there were 16 dead and several dozen still not found. Awful deal there. It had to be like a dam busted and all that water coming in so fast. Our hearts go out to the families.

I've been keeping my eye on the news for this as well. Defintely a bad situation over there. My wife and I go to Eureka Springs at least once a year. We really like that area. I know the flooding part is quite a ways South. Were any of you guys closer to that area?

[ChevLoRay]

It's less than a 2-hr drive for me. I haven't been there, camping or not. The noon news said that the 20th victim has been found, but like the governor said, there may be more victims, especially if they were just camping but not on the gov't or private grounds. Pitching a tent along the river isn't a new idea.

As for Eureka, we like it. Since we just got our camper a few weeks ago, I've spent some time cleaning it up and getting it ready. It had been used so little before we got it. It's amazingly clean and in super condition....vinyl and all canvas, as well as the screening, the paint and the decals are all as if they were only year old. It's amazing.

But the loss of life in the tragedy that surrounds this event and the fact that there really was no warning, just adds to it. No cell phone service in that area, plus limited ways of notifying the campers makes you re-think where you wanna pitch your camp and be sure to have a weather radio that is oriented to that specific area in order to receive the alerts in a timely manner.

BTW, the bride liked the ride so no trading vehicles. Yee-haw.

[JohnC]

Glad to hear she liked it! It's a lot cheaper that way.