Speedy Auto > Car Tech > 4x4 > Suspension Brakes

Chevy Tahoe Skyjacker Lift Kit - 4-Wheel & Off-Road Magazine

Ali Mansour Brand Manager, 4WD & Sport Utility

The Chevy Tahoe is one of the most popular and mass-produced SUVs in America. And while flashes of soccer-moms and mall parking lots might come to mind when you envision fullsize people-movers like the Tahoe, we’re here to give you a new mental imagine of this classic SUV. One of the best parts about all mass-produced vehicles is that sooner or later they become relatively cheap. What was once a $40,000 mall-crawler can now be picked up for a few grand on the used market.

131 1106 Skyjacker Lifts The Chevy Tahoe driving Through Mud Photo 32250316

This got us thinking of what a Tahoe would be like with a mild lift and tires, and before we knew it we had snatched the keys to a used ’04 and were off to the shop.

Since the purpose of the SUV is to move people, we needed to keep the Tahoe a usable daily driver while increasing its capabilities off-road. After searching through catalogs and looking online we formed a sound game plan to make our cookie-cutter wagon stand out from the herd. For help we headed to the installation pros at 4Wheel Parts in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Using a 6-inch suspension kit from Skyjacker, a Superchips programmer, and tires and wheels from Nitto and ATX, we gathered a quality and affordable set of parts to give the Tahoe a new lease on life. Starting in the morning and wrenching until closing time, the 4Wheel Parts crew managed to have our ride lifted, aligned, and ready for the dirt in a day.

To find out what it took to transform our once plain Tahoe, read on.

Tahoe Travels
So what’s the verdict on our mall-cruiser-turned-trail-crusher? Well, so far so good. The power around town and off-road is good, but we would prefer a numerically taller gear to help out at highway speeds. On the trail it’s a night-and-day difference. Though we won’t be taking the full-bodied Tahoe on any Ultimate Adventures, it does work great patrolling the hunting clubs and backwoods of the Carolina forest. Overall, the performance, ride, and look of the Tahoe are leagues better than before and well worth the facelift on this once commonplace SUV.

131 1106 Skyjacker Lifts The Chevy Tahoe chevy In Mud Photo 30756977

Trail Cleats
Since the Tahoe is sure to see a mix of mud, sand, and loose dirt, we went with a meaty 35x12.50 Nitto Tire Trail Grappler. This heavy-duty mud-terrain works great on the road and even better where the pavement ends. Mounting them on a set of lightweight and strong 18x9 ATK series AX186 wheels, we were able to get both the look and the performance we needed.

131 1106 Skyjacker Lifts The Chevy Tahoe nitto Tires Photo 32250331

PhotosView Slideshow The IFS Chevy’s aluminum differential requires a little modification to sit in the Skyjacker drop cradle. This is common among GM IFS lift kits. After a quick pass with the Sawzall we had the old mount off and the new one bolted in place.

The IFS Chevy’s aluminum differential requires a little modification to sit in the Skyjacker drop cradle. This is common among GM IFS lift kits. After a quick pass with the Sawzall we had the old mount off and the new one bolted in place.

The Skyjacker 6-inch kit is a knuckle-style lift. Knuckle lifts often increase the front track width, but cut down on install time substantially since the upper A-arm is kept in its factory location. To accommodate the wider stance, CV spacers are fitted between the stock shafts and differential housing flanges.

When installing an IFS kit on your Chevy, be prepared to replace any worn steering parts. High-mileage rigs tend to require new components here and there. Skimping out on replacement parts is not only dangerous, but prevents your vehicle from being properly aligned. After replacing a couple of worn items on our steering system, we installed Skyjacker’s dual stabilizer mount to give our Tahoe a little extra control.

To account for the front A-arm drop, Skyjacker lowers the torsion bar crossmember with an installer-friendly, one-piece drop bracket. Torsion bars suspensions have been around for ages and are common among many mini and fullsize pickups and SUVs. Though not as advanced as a finely tuned coilover, torsion bars are a very robust and simple way to support and adjust the IFS-equipped rigs.

The rear of the Tahoe is equipped with a four-link rear suspension that utilizes a track bar to center the axle. To raise the rear, lift coils were set in place along with Skyjacker’s Nitro series shocks.

To keep the rear control arms from operating at extreme angles, Skyjacker provides a set of heavy-duty control arm drop mounts. These bolt-in brackets reuse your factory control arms and are a breeze to install.

Before we hit the highway we drove the Tahoe onto the alignment rack. 4Wheel Parts not only worked to get the SUV tracking straight, but with a little tuning of the torsion keys, got the Tahoe sitting level side-to-side too.

To get the speedometer reading correctly and help up the power levels on the ’04 Tahoe, we installed a Superchips Flashpaq. The Flashpaq is great for modified and stock vehicles because it allows you to alter the tire and gear ratio calibrations and choose from a host of performance and fuel economy programming tunes, and it also works as a diagnostics tool. In this modern age of computerized vehicles, a handheld tuner is like having a toolbox that fits inside your glovebox.

Body Chassis Transmission Drivetrain Electrical Engine Suspension Brakes Wheels Tires Tech QA

Chevy Tahoe Skyjacker Lift Kit - 4-Wheel & Off-Road Magazine

You Might Also Like

DON'T MISS