Riser Kits

[sally4157]

I have a 2007 190 Roadtrek Popular on a 2006 Chevy 3500 Express. It rides very low to the ground.... very little clearance which can be a real problem. I have found that it can scrape bottom very easily. Has anyone ever used a riser kit or other permanent lift that would raise the vehicle up about 4 inches? I would love to hear something regarding the solution to this problem.

[booster]

Originally Posted by sally4157

I have a 2007 190 Roadtrek Popular on a 2006 Chevy 3500 Express. It rides very low to the ground.... very little clearance which can be a real problem. I have found that it can scrape bottom very easily. Has anyone ever used a riser kit or other permanent lift that would raise the vehicle up about 4 inches? I would love to hear something regarding the solution to this problem.

This is probably one of the best places to hear about the various options of lifts for the Chevy, from those that have done them and had them for extended times. There are numerous threads on the forum documenting some of the results, which are mostly quite good.


The current go to lift will give about 1 3/4-2" of lift on most of the Chevies, depending on how low the front is currently. If you have stock tire size, you should be able to determine how much you will get by measuring the front wheel well height vertically at the wheel center. The lifted height will be in the 35.5" to 36" range, which can vary a bit with part variations that have showed up lately.


IMO, the best current go to setup is to replace the front springs with stiffer ones available from several sources and add air bag spring boosters to the rear. Normally, it is a good idea to upgrade shocks at the same time to handle the stiffer springs. This is not a cheap setup to go to, but seems to work well in preserving the underbody parts that can get damaged quite easily at stock height.


Note that this lift will put you just about right at the height the van was before all the heavy motorhome parts were added, so all the steering geometry actually gets better from doing the lift.


Our 07 190P was probably the first done with this setup over 5 years ago and we have been very happy with it. There have been a number of others done lately who will also be able to fill in how it has worked out for them.

[MrTrek]

Originally Posted by sally4157

I have a 2007 190 Roadtrek Popular on a 2006 Chevy 3500 Express. It rides very low to the ground.... very little clearance which can be a real problem. I have found that it can scrape bottom very easily. Has anyone ever used a riser kit or other permanent lift that would raise the vehicle up about 4 inches? I would love to hear something regarding the solution to this problem.

Hello and thanks for posting. Like you i was not happy with the original leaf spring set up and continually bottomed out. I listened to what people on this post talked about but finally made my mind up with a simple rear leaf spring riser bumping up the back by about 3 or 3.5 inches for only about $700. This simple fix solved the bottoming out with out the need of different shocks or air bags. I traveled from Florida to Prince Edward Island with a much better ride and a tighter steering feel in the front. I was advised once I got to my destination go to a garage and have the rear springs re checked and tightened. I was glad i did as they were some what loose. I have the original shocks but have them checked everytime I hit the road. You can listen to what people say and make up your own mind like i did. I'm very happy with the modification for a price that did not break the bank. The process took about 3-4 hours. Good luck

[booster]

Originally Posted by MrTrek

Hello and thanks for posting. Like you i was not happy with the original leaf spring set up and continually bottomed out. I listened to what people on this post talked about but finally made my mind up with a simple rear leaf spring riser bumping up the back by about 3 or 3.5 inches for only about $700. This simple fix solved the bottoming out with out the need of different shocks or air bags. I traveled from Florida to Prince Edward Island with a much better ride and a tighter steering feel in the front. I was advised once I got to my destination go to a garage and have the rear springs re checked and tightened. I was glad i did as they were some what loose. I have the original shocks but have them checked everytime I hit the road. You can listen to what people say and make up your own mind like i did. I'm very happy with the modification for a price that did not break the bank. The process took about 3-4 hours. Good luck

At 3-3.5" rear lift with new springs, I am very surprised you don't top out the shocks once in a while on going over whoopdies as the rear will lift. You mentions original shocks, would that be the GM originals from 2006?


On edit..I just looked at the specs on the OEM shocks and they have a whopping 9+" of travel, so if they got them in the right place in design, I could see you being just fine.

[ikanode]

Check with your insurance company re: risers.

My application asked me to certify that mine was stock re: ride height. (I assume because adding risers can impact stability.)

Your policy may be different but it's worth checking...

[sally4157]

Thank you. Very sound advice.

[booster]

Originally Posted by ikanode

Check with your insurance company re: risers.

My application asked me to certify that mine was stock re: ride height. (I assume because adding risers can impact stability.)

Your policy may be different but it's worth checking...

In the case of the Chevies, doing a lift of about 2" puts you right at ride height in the front and close in the rear, per factory service manual, so that could be good information to have if the insurance asks.

[sally4157]

Thank you, I will.

[Kyronecks]

Ah, Sally, SOUL SISTER, excuse me while I (tearfully!) reminisce. (I wonder if our vans have consecutive VIN's!) Your Path to Enlightenment is the thread titled "Photog's Lifted Suspension 2009 Roadtrek 190V" (started 6 April 2011). If you have a spare weekend, you should definitely read it through. You will emerge from the effort either an automotive engineer or a Carmelite nun! I crawled into the thread, bruised and beaten and far from home, on 14 August 2012 (page 17, reply #163), a newby RVer, having smashed 2 consecutive waste dump valves on steep parking lot entries - costing over a grand each, not counting weeks of motel bills - looking for a friend. I found them in Photog, Booster and some guys in Corvallis OR. My salvation (page 18 came in the form of 2 Firestone #2377 air bags in the back and 2 NAPA/Moog NCP277-3427 coil springs up front (parts and labor = $2200). Here we are, 7 years and a lotta' miles from Sea to Shining Sea later, and those mods are still going strong! I did learn you have to keep those babies inflated to their specified 100 PSI or you might get "the Shakes" - I always have my handy Husky el cheapo 120V air pump in the back in case we're sagging, but, amazingly, the only leakage was through a stem valve, despite having carelessly run a couple of times with a FLAT bag! (Screw down that valve cap, Dude!) I might have never cracked the 'dump' dumper again if I hadn't found (in 2016) a side road on the DelMarVa Peninsula with my name on it. To make a short story interesting, I met The Hilly Harmonic from Hell that left me shaking and bleeding brown back to CT.

I'm sure our engineers like Booster can update the ideal mod package for 2019, but if you're lucky enough to pierce your plumbing in Oregon, limp into Southside RV in Corvallis. Myrle and Joe (or their anointed successors) will give you the lift you need!

Here's to all you guys who kept my RV Dream alive when things looked brownest!

[GallenH]

Kyronecks: Great story.

[BevOnTheRoad]

Good to know as I am researching what to do about the rough ride and the bottoming out on BLM land since I like to boondock. Checking out Springs, shocks and risers. I can't afford to do it all and would be interested what should be done first and then add as I am able. I have a 2002 c190 P Roadtrek.

[Kyronecks]

Apart from the beefier front springs and those bags o' nuttin' in back, everything else was deemed A-OK, and still is, as far as I know. I do appear to ride a bit higher in the stern, but I like to think that gives me a 'racy' look I wouldn't otherwise have. Still, I remain a realist. If I see a stretch of washboard dirt road up ahead, I about-face and go visit an art museum instead. I "boondock" at Walmart.

[booster]

Originally Posted by BevOnTheRoad

Good to know as I am researching what to do about the rough ride and the bottoming out on BLM land since I like to boondock. Checking out Springs, shocks and risers. I can't afford to do it all and would be interested what should be done first and then add as I am able. I have a 2002 c190 P Roadtrek.

A 2002 Chevy is a bit unusual for us, as I think this is a previous generation unit and kind of rare in a Roadtrek.


What engine do you have? Do your rear tailights show completely or do they have a louvered cover over them. That would help identify what model you have.

[markopolo]

I posted coil spring info for 1997 - 2002 Chevy Express vans here: http://www.classbforum.com/forums/f8...ings-4136.html

[SteveJ]

Originally Posted by markopolo

I posted coil spring info for 1997 - 2002 Chevy Express vans here: http://www.classbforum.com/forums/f8...ings-4136.html

Thanks. ten characters.