Fred Williams
Brand Manager, Petersen’s 4Wheel & Off Road
Chevy 1/2-ton 4x4 trucks have had a bad rap off road for a while, but that's about to change. The Silverado's front IFS used to be criticized as too weak for trail work and too short for go-fast guys, but with the addition of BMS Off Road's new mid-travel IFS, this light-duty truck can now go romping and twisting to its heart's content.
We swung by the BMS shop and followed along as they installed the new Chevy/GMC Stage 1 suspension system on an '01 Silverado. The kit allows for 8 inches of front wheel travel, a 20 percent increase over stock. This suspension is available for '07 and newer 1500 Silverados, but BMS also covers earlier GM trucks as well as Fords, Toyotas, and Hummers.
Your basic Chevy half-ton front IFS. Note the spindly upper A-arm, thin steering links, and yawn-inducing factory shocks. The looks alone are dismal, but performance is lacking too, with just 6 inches of wheel travel. Little wheel travel overworks the shocks when traveling at high speeds in the dirt and lifts a tire when all twisted up in unlevel terrain.
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