Our project tow vehicle can stop on a dime and has some gorgeous wheels to boot but it needs to be lowered just a hair to give it the right look. Above is some things you are provided with this 2 (front) 3 (rear) lowering kit from Belltech Suspension. The kit also comes with shocks which we will install. A Part 2 will also take place to show how we put on Belltech Swaybars.

Raise the Tahoe and place it on jack stands under the front crossbeam. Remove the tire. Disconnect the vehicle speed sensor(VSS) from the Tahoe at the frame rail. Remove the tie rod from the spindle. Now remove the brake caliper (you can keep it attached if you support the caliper), caliper bracket, and brake rotor.

Remove the nuts for the upper and lower control arms.

With a jack placed under the Spindle, hammer the side of the spindle near the control arms until it “pops” off the control arms. The jack will now support the weight of the spindle.

Remove the three bolts that will separate the spindle from the hub.

Once the three bolts are taken out you can remove the hub from the factory spindle as shown above.

Here is a comparison of the spindles. The Belltech one is on the right and our factory GM one is on the left.

Now you can install the hub onto the new spindle.

To replace the shock you are going to have to support the lower control arm with a jack. Remove the lower shock bolt, then lower the jack. Now remove the upper bolt and the shock will come out.

Place the new shock into the Tahoe. Tighten up the top bolt. Do not do anything to the bottom mount yet.

You may now take the new spindle and place it on the jack. Pump the jack up so that the spindle goes into the ball joints. Hand tighten the nuts onto the ball joints.

Move the jack to the left side of the lower control arm. Jack the control arm up until you can insert the lower shock bolt.

Now tighten all suspension bolts. Be sure to reconnect the tie rod!

Reconnect the VSS, and reinstall all brake components. Attach the tire, lower the vehicle and torque the lug nuts.

THAT WILL COMPLETE YOUR FRONT INSTALLATION. NOW FOR THE REAR INSTALLATION. 

Raise the rear of the vehicle. Place jack stands on the frame. Now place the jack under the differential. Slightly raise the differential. Now remove both rear shocks (the upper bolt is most easily accessible from the inside of the frame rail). Lower the differential.

Remove the factory rear spring.

Install the new springs; be sure to reinstall the upper and lower grommet.

Install the shock relocation drop bracket. Note the bolt loosely placed in the photo. This is how the bolt is to be installed in the original lower shock location

Install the shock. Place the upper bolt in first.

Jack the rear differential again. Thread the lower shock bolt.

Tighten all bolts. Lower the Tahoe and Test drive.

These are some after shots with the lowering kit. As you can see we have a much improved stance all around on the car and added a 1.5 inch lifted hitch for ease of towing. We have some Belltech Swaybars and other installation goodies around the corner so stay tuned!

This was some of the most fun we have had at the office in quite a while. Our two vehicle received the most massive brake installation you can find on the market. The Performance Friction Brake kit was tested with our factory brakes that haven’t been serviced since our purchase a good 30,000 miles and one year ago.

With our Giovanni 24 inch wheels and Toyo Tires we managed to bring the car to a stop at a horrible 189.11 feet from the stopping cone. This is quite a few feet past the stock brake test zone of the car from 60-0 but we accounted for wear/tear on our brake system and the fact we added 24 inch wheels/tires to the car from our factory 16 inch options.

We then took our Performance Friction kit after installation back to our secret test track for a big 60-0 stop. You can visually notice a huge difference in the front end of the car from the stock brakes to the PFC kit. The final result with the PFC kit on the Tahoe was 117.02 feet. We eliminated 72 feet off the braking distance which accounts for over one foot per MPH the car is traveling. In case you need a reference point for 72 feet we found a yacht that exact size being towed on a public street.

Photo Source: http://www.news-examiner.net/?p=3157

So that is our reference point for a braking situation with our new brake kit. You really cannot discredit the value of stopping 72 feet short in our SUV under any circumstance or stopping scenario.

We decided to compile a list of cars that our Project Tow Vehicle lose to in a 60-0 braking contest*:
2005 Wrecked Magazine Project Tahoe with PFC Brakes: 117.02 Feet
2006 Bentley Continental GT: 118 Feet
1997 Acura NSX-T: 120 Feet
2004 Pontiac GTO: 120 Feet
2011 Ford Explorer: 120 Feet
2010 BMW 535i GT: 122 Feet
2011 Honda CR-Z: 122 Feet
2004 Cadillac SRX V8 AWD: 122 Feet
2011 Lexus CT 200h: 123 Feet
2011 Audi Q7 TDI: 124 Feet
2011 BMW X5 xDrive35i: 125 Feet
2008 Mazda CX-9: 127 Feet
2011 Nissan Armada: 128 Feet
2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited: 128 Feet
1997 Dodge Viper GT-S: 129 Feet
2010 Toyota 4Runner Trail Edition: 129 Feet
2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450 – 129 Feet
2012 Fiat 500: 131 Feet
2007 Acura RDX: 135 Feet
2007 Chevrolet Suburban: 138 Feet
2009 Honda Fit Sport: 139 Feet
2011 Nissan Quest: 139 Feet
2011 Hyundai Santa Fe: 139 Feet
2008 Ford Expedition King Ranch: 139 Feet
2007 Ford Expedition: 140 Feet
2004 Ford F-150: 147 Feet
2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD: 156 Feet

*All times came from Motor Trend outside of our Tahoe test at 117.02 feet.

The brake installation on our Project Tow Vehicle was put together in two videos (front and rear) and feature step by step instructions on how to improve your braking! The kit just fits inside our 24 inch Giovanni Wheels (smallest wheel option is a 22) and the PFC kit installs clean, simple, and fast. The parts they ship you provide everything required to get the kit together.

Another video installment will be coming out shortly showing how many feet the brake kit shaved off the 60-0 brake time of the car. The kit performed so well it put us in performance car territory in a huge overweight Chevrolet SUV. Stay tuned for the brake test video which should be coming out soon!

We got our Giovanni Wheels (24×10 +20) Calisix style and our Toyo Proxes together and ready to be installed on our Project Two Vehicle. The car looks great but really needs a lowering kit and some brakes which should be right around the corner for the project Chevrolet Tahoe. The 305/35/24 inch Toyo Tires ride great and really improved the overall handling of the vehicle. The two products really complimented each other along with looking great installed on the car.

We picked up some Toyo Proxes STII in 305/35/R24 in anticipation for our Giovanni Wheels that should be arriving shortly. These Toyo Tires have great load ratings and quite an amazingly soft tread to give the car some added grip levels. We will have more once our wheels and tires get installed on the Tahoe!

Optima sent us this yellow top D34/78 battery to install in our Project Tow Vehicle. It is a dry cell battery so it can be mounted anywhere in your car. We opted for the factory location since we don’t need any additional engine space. 

It is a deep cycle battery with 750 cold cranking amps and 870 crank amps. We need the side posts for the Tahoe installation. The battery does feature both top mount and side post batteries.

The battery was a quick and simple installation. For long haul trips now we have no worries or concerns about battery failure. We will also be adding tons of electronics soon and this will provide a nice assistance in keeping everything running with ease.  The battery is a Yellow Top: (Part #8014-045)

Things Needed for Installation:
Ratchet
Ratchet Extension
7mm Socket

Level of Difficulty:
EASY

Here is a photograph of the 2004 Cadillac Escalade cluster we received in the mail ready for installation. Most OEM factory Chevrolet Tahoe clusters are missing the transmission temperature gauge you can see on the left side. We got lucky with our Chevrolet Tahoe with a factory installed one but most don’t come with it so this is a common swap to gain one. If yours does not come with the factory transmission temperature gauge your Tahoe is wired for it still. This means a Cadillac Escalade gauge cluster will plug right up and operate. That makes this a great aesthetic modification along with a towing upgrade.

Under the speedometer you will notice a new digital section not found on our Tahoe cluster. This converts our P/R/N to a digital display which is fully functional once installed in the Chevrolet.

Here is the cluster we are removing from the Chevrolet Tahoe. You can see the difference in the P/R/N display above on the cluster. You can see that the factory Tahoe cluster is very cluttered and lacks the clean silver bezel borders which are found on the Cadillac Escalade. The panel you notice missing is easy to remove since it just pops into place. Pull on the corners and the quick connect tabs will come undone allowing you to get to the 7mm bolts holding in the cluster. To remove the panel you will need to put the steering wheel all the way down and move the gear shifter into 1. DO MAKE SURE your parking brake is fully engaged so you don’t roll away.

A 7mm socket will quickly remove the four bolts holding in the gauge cluster. You will probably need an extension to reach a few of the bolts.

You should be able to remove the cluster and rest it on top of the steering wheel/dash like seen above in the photograph. This will allow you to quickly disconnect the single plug/harness in the back.

We quickly placed it back into the factory position and started to put the four bolts back to complete the installation.

Here is the functional P/R/N display that is in now in digital after our Cadillac gauge cluster swap. We also gained an Instant Economy Gas Mileage reading which was not on our Tahoe that operates perfectly.

Here is the final look once the quick installation was complete. The Cadillac Escalade installation was super simple (about as easy as car work is going to get) and really makes the interior look fantastic.

If you would like some information on how the factory temperature gauge operates we scanned in the important information from the manual. Just keep it under 265 degrees F and you should have no issues while towing.

http://www.wreckedmagazine.com/images/ChevyTahoe-TowVehicle/chevrolettahoe.factorytransmissiontemperaturegauge.information.jpg

Our new project car at Wrecked Magazine is a 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe. While it’s not quite what you would expect from a drifting website we wanted to put a focus on towing/transportation. Most drivers from a professional to grassroots level spend more time towing and driving to events then actually drifting. Here is the best way to hit events around the United States while towing your drift car.