Rancho Suspension Lift for the Deuce

[Trekker]

Well I've had my '05 H2 for about a year now so I think it's time to start some mods. I've got the wife (H3Wench) sold on doing the Rancho 4" suspension lift (I just keep showing her pics of RuggedH2's rig). Here's what I'm thinking:

• Rancho suspension lift kit RS6557 (Air Suspension)
• Rancho RS5000 shocks
• Goodyear MT/R 37X12.5X17 tires
• Wheels - not sure yet, any suggestions? Rancho recommends a 17x10 with 5" backspacing. I like the looks of ATX or XD Series but I can't find 17X10 in 8x165.1 bolt pattern. Should I go with 18" wheels?

Any suggestions would be appreciated; especially from H2 owners that are running larger than 35" tires or anyone with experience on the Rancho suspension lifts. I will not be doing the lift myself, so I'm wondering what I should expect to pay a shop to do it. I'm hoping to have the mods done before Black Sheep Hummer Squadron Week in April 2012 :woot:. I understand that I'll probably sacrifice about 1-2 MPG and I'm not too concerned about that, since the H2 is not my daily ride. What about the ride quality and highway manners at 75MPH?

 

[Timgco]

I would get the 9000XL's for sure. These will allow you to dial in your new susp. lift and also will help with heavier loads in back when needed. The overall cost is a little under $200 difference for the addition of the 9000's. Mine had solid coils out back vs air bag. So I don;t know how the airbag equipt one will ride. The coil (to me) is a more realiable option vs a bag that could fail down the road...or trail.

As for wheels, the wider the wheel/ tire setup, the more you will feel those road grooves. I had 17 x 9's with 4.5" bs on mine w/ 37 13.50 PCXAT's. I'm not sure how many miles Rugged put on them, but pretty sure they held up well. The 13,50 wide was not bad as far as aired down and wheeling. I know a couple guys with wider wheels would get binded easier with the wider tires grabbing.

as for mpg's, with the GOBi and 37's I was around 8mpg with mixed city/ hwy. the truck handled about the same as stock. You are going wider as well as higher with the lift, so it's aobut a wash. Where you do notice the extra height is on teh hwy with crosswinds. You get a little more sway than stock. Ride quality is still very comfortable and I could roll along on the Hwy @ 80mph. I took a trip to WI and back. 2300 miles round trip. Other than the additional fuel, it was just like a stock height H2 rolling on 37's.

If I had anohter H2, would I do that kit again? YES!

You may or may not want fender flares down the road. Mine stuck out pretty good and was the reason for the E&G's. They still stuck out just a little past those fenders, but kept most of the road grime/ mud off the sides...at least way better than if I ran them without.

...hope that helps some.

 

[Timgco]

alos forgot: the 17 x 9 wheels/ tires will save you some cash over the 18" wheel/ tire setup.

If you want an 18" wheel, the Rockstars and Diesels and Eduro's all have the 5" backspace as well as ProComp 7089's. The PC ones are the ones I had on mine in 17's though and are 4.75 backspace. it gave me a little more room for the 13.50 wide tire.

 

[Trekker]

Thanks for the input, Tim! It's good to know that 17X9 wheels will work with the Rancho lift. I just got back from Chux Trux (Kansas City chain of truck customizing shop). They can do the lift, shocks, and alignment for about $1300 labor. I could probably get it done cheaper at a 4WP, but we don't have those shops around here. They wanted to sell me just the Rancho RS6557 kit for MSRP ($3100). :giggle: Trail Duty has the kit plus 4 of the 9000XL shocks shipped for $2830. I also got some quotes for 5 of the Goodyear MT/R's in 37X12.5X17. The lowest quote is right around $2K. :whaa: I better get a really good Christmas bonus this year!

 

[06 H3]

Looking fwd to the rancho lifted 2. rugged looks amazing and i'm sure this one will too

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[3Hummers]

Trekker I was running 37" Toyos on the H2 SUT without a lift. Ride quality didn't suffer at all.

 

[Trekker]

Trekker I was running 37" Toyos on the H2 SUT without a lift. Ride quality didn't suffer at all.

Thanks! I think I'll do this mod in stages, with the tires and wheels being first. I know I can run 37" tires without the lift, but I'm mainly doing the mod for increased clearance. How did you like the Toyos? That was one brand that was at the top of my list.

 

[Trekker]

I think I decided on the wheels I'm going with:

ProComp 7105-7982

• 17x9, 8 on 6.5 Bolt Pattern
• Backspace = 4.75 in.
• Max Load = 3420lbs
• Finish = Flat Black
• Offset = -6mm

$149 from 4WP with $19.95 shipping for all five - not a bad deal! I like the simulated beadlock ring.

 

[3Hummers]

I thought the Toyos were great. No issues at all, good ride quality, good off road and good tread life.

 

[RuggedH2]

I think I decided on the wheels I'm going with:

ProComp 7105-7982

• 17x9, 8 on 6.5 Bolt Pattern
• Backspace = 4.75 in.
• Max Load = 3420lbs
• Finish = Flat Black
• Offset = -6mm

$149 from 4WP with $19.95 shipping for all five - not a bad deal! I like the simulated beadlock ring.

Trekker,

I bought those same wheels in all black for my second set. Those are all the correct measurements too. I am running my 38" 14.50 KM2's on the truck as street tires now (I had them siped all the way across, hoping they work better on snow and ice).

I love the Rancho kit. I ditched the rear drop brackets though because that IS where your rig will hang up while offroading. If you are interested in the custom control arms I can get you the information. They make a huge difference on the big stuff in Moab... but I don't know how much of that stuff you guys have.

 

[Timgco]

$2800 shipped is the going rate for the kit with 9000XL shocks. Buying it out of state will also save you from paying taxes on that this kit locally.
$550 + alignment is what the avg charge of that kit goes for as well. ...at least in my research out here. Add in your M/B, tire tax, shop fees (roughly $135 for all that).

Running 37's without the lift and the 4.75" tires will cause pretty good rub up front...just want you to be aware of that....esp. wheeling.
I did that before I lifted the H2. I had the 37/ 13.50 PCXAT's on and was rubbing pretty good.

I think you'll like that 37 12.50 MTR K too. There is a local H2 out here running those on his stock wheels. He loves them. ..and they only scrub on the swaybar in front. no big deal there.

I ran those Toyo MT's on my 07 H2 and loved them. The 37's are a 13.50 wide. So if you run those on stock wheels, you will have to wory about your rear air susp. sensors. You can do the sensor flip mod to help with that though until you get the lift. just get a spare to carry with you. I remember the Bully's had the 37/ 13.50 Toyo MT's on their SUT and blew out the air bag sensor. ...just something to think about there.

 

[RuggedH2]

Timmay,

I should hook you up with the custom builder of those lower control arms. They are bullet proof and far superior to the stock ones on the H2 (which have been documented to break). They are adjustable for stock or lifted applications and he could build in a profit margin for the dealer. He makes them out of the strongest DOM tubing and uses the TerraFlex joints for long life and strength.

They are also a fairly easy install, for a big strength upgrade.

Trekker,

These are the drop brackets I was talking about... they suck for wheelin'

 

[06 H3]

Wtf! That drop bracket is ridiculous. If I ever get a 2 when I rancho mine im giving you a call. Great work on that fix.

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[Trekker]

Thanks for the input guys! Rugged, I would definitely be interested in the custom control arms. Tim, based on your advice I'll shop around and see if I can't find a shop that will do the Rancho mod cheaper.

 

[Trekker]

Running 37's without the lift and the 4.75" tires will cause pretty good rub up front...just want you to be aware of that....esp. wheeling.
I did that before I lifted the H2. I had the 37/ 13.50 PCXAT's on and was rubbing pretty good.

I think you'll like that 37 12.50 MTR K too. There is a local H2 out here running those on his stock wheels. He loves them. ..and they only scrub on the swaybar in front. no big deal there.

Now I'm wondering if I should keep the stock rims with the MT/R 37X12.50R17 until I do the lift. I'm a total noob when it comes to figuring out wheel offset and backspace. I found a cool app online that figures all that stuff for you.

Stock H2 tire & wheel setup
Tire:315/70/17
Size: 17" x 8.5"
Offset: 18mm (0.709") positive
Backspace: 5.563"

New tires & wheels
Tire: 37X12.50R17 (metric equivalent is 318/80/17)
Size: 17" x 9"
Offset = -6mm
Backspace = 4.75 in.

(Note that I had to use 315/80/17 for my tire size since the tool only takes metric tires sizes). Here's a useful link for converting tire sizes:

http://www.redrock4x4.com/tireconversioncalculator.html

 

[Timgco]

I would add the 37's to your stock wheels to start if you need tires now. Than do your wheels you have picked out when you do the Rancho kit. You'll be paying more for M&B since you'd be doing it twice, but this way, until you get the Rancho kit, you can Off road and if for some reason you do not lift before Moab, you'll be set.

 

[Trekker]

I would add the 37's to your stock wheels to start if you need tires now. Than do your wheels you have picked out when you do the Rancho kit. You'll be paying more for M&B since you'd be doing it twice, but this way, until you get the Rancho kit, you can Off road and if for some reason you do not lift before Moab, you'll be set.

Makes sense, I'll try the 37" with the OEM wheels first before the lift. :thumbs:

 

[Trekker]

Just a quick update to this mod thread - I've got the 37" Goodyear MT/Rs and I absolutely love them!

(Sorry for the crappy cul-de-sac wheeling pic - it's best I could manage on Christmas day)

My Q4 bonus was pretty decent so I'll probably pull the trigger on the Rancho suspension lift soon. Question - I've got the air suspension, so I was going to go with the Rancho kit that has the air spring spacers (RS6557B) but after reading about all the problems everyone has had with the air suspension, I'm wondering if I should ditch it in favor of the coil springs. I've had no problems with the air suspension and my bags appear to be in great shape. If I get the Rancho coil spring kit (RS6557B) will this allow me to convert to coil springs? Also, I'm thinking about getting the Kryptonite tie rods installed at the same time I do the suspension lift.

 

[Hans3T]

Niiiice! :cheers: I love the color!

 

[Zach]

Looking good with the 37's :thumbs:

 

[Big2dabank]

Has anyone explored to see if any of the NTBD (Non torsion bar drop brackets) will work on any of the availabe lifts for the H2. I'd love to lift my duece, but hate the thought of the torsion bars still hanging down. Several of the newer style lifts keep the torsion bar cross member in the stock location and provide more ground clearance, but non of them support the H2. Cognito, skyjacker, fabtech and a few others have this option on their lifts, but non claim to support the H2 with the non torsion bar drop or as fabtech calls it RTS.

I am not talking about that realift thing, that thing scares me.

Here is a pic of the Fabtech RTS bracket.


Cognito NTDB

 

[autumn walker]

Has anyone explored to see if any of the NTBD (Non torsion bar drop brackets) will work on any of the availabe lifts for the H2. I'd love to lift my duece, but hate the thought of the torsion bars still hanging down. Several of the newer style lifts keep the torsion bar cross member in the stock location and provide more ground clearance, but non of them support the H2. Cognito, skyjacker, fabtech and a few others have this option on their lifts, but non claim to support the H2 with the non torsion bar drop or as fabtech calls it RTS.

Interested in this also - I was trying to talk to BDS about it and all I got was "we don't have an H2 kit anymore".

 

[06 H3]

I never understood the lift kits that drop the torsion bar. You lose clearance to gain clearance. Luckily for me, the H3's rancho kit has a NTDB setup, if I didnt I wouldnt of lifted it. Makes me wonder why rancho didnt do the same for the H2?