If you only need a very small change, maybe not. Best policy is to get it where you want it (@24.5 or less) then have thealignment checked.

 

First all, I don't understand this leveling stuff. I think it's fine as it is and the fact that it's always going downhill probably means it has to be that way for an optimum setup. Altering with it probably alters it's steering geometry.I just got a new suspension analyzer software program (for my roadrace cars...I'm building a Lotus Super 7 clone ) and I'm gonna plug in some numbers on the H3 soon to check camber gain, Ackerman, anti-squat, etc. The great thing about the H3 is that it is so tall I can crawl under it take measurement. It's a great way to get familiar with this software. I can see what happens to the handling when you make changes like this before you skid off the side of the road on some high mountain pass.

 

That's exactly right. I'm sure GM would have loved to raise the front more,..whish would make it look even more macho and not have it looking like it was in the process of falling over. But it is based on the much lower Chevy Colorado. I'm guessing they jacked it as far as it was safe to.

The suspension geometry really gets goofy when you raise it further.

And don;t forget,...when you raise the front you really throw the roll axis out of whack, alter the camber curve and remove the second spring rate from play (bump stops).

This in addition to raising the CG and increasing squat in braking. Ackerman might not change much,..and the upper control arm keys allow a huge amount of adjustment. I found that -2 degrees of camber was possible.

 

well....I just measured to the center of the wheel from the fender....the fronts leveled at eactly 26 inches....damn 4x4 shop......[&o] ...Im going to drop it an inch and a half today

 

24.5" is max, as Doc said. Most don't go that high. I'm at 24", Doc is .4" less. You may want to consider lower than 24.5"

BTW, I ordered my bumpstops last week. Should be here Wednesday.

 

no no no... just add more weight to the front!! A brush guard and a winch ought to put it right where you want it!
I'll give you a great deal on a winch mount.. brand new! I made 5 extra when I made mine!

 

I just took some measurements of the front A arms. Right off, I see a problem on my stock (Adventure) Hummer. The lower control arm slants downward towards the ball joint, which is not optimal. In fact, it downright sucks. Of course, if you lowered the inner pickup point to ball joint level, you would lose a bit of ground clearance. It also looks like the suspension has a lot of bump steer built into it. Oh well, its all about compromises when designing a suspension and it's not a Corvette, after all

 

You've all got me curious now. I spent a lot of time staring at the front suspension last night. The lower control arm already angles downwards towards the ball jointnot optimal. Jacking the front up would worsen the problem. I would be like one of the radio controlled Monster trucks at radio shackgreater tendency to roll and hard to keep in a straight line.

 

just fixed the lift at exactly 24 inches, HANDLES GREAT NOW! . Quick question, is it normal for the driver side torsion nut to be much harder to turn then the passenger side? Also when I jack up the truck from the front/center, the truck never lifts evenly, driver side always takes a few more jacks to get the tires off the ground. Any thoughts?

 

Never noticed a difference in TQ turning the T bars L v R, but I do believe the driver side bar is set a bit firmer because it must compensate for the added weight of the fuel tank on that side. When you fill up with 21 gals. and the only occupant is an adult driver, the driver side would sag lower if this where not the case.

Glad to hear you got the handling back.