Fred Williams
Brand Manager, Petersen’s 4Wheel & Off Road
We've been asked many times how to put really big tires under late-model GM trucks, but we've always been adamant that the front suspension isn't designed for giant rubber. You've heard our gripes about independent front suspension (IFS) before; we're not big fans because it breaks when you start adding big torque, big tires, and extreme terrain. The upgrades for IFS are getting better, but most suspension companies don't increase the strength of the front axle when they incorporate the lift on these late-model trucks. Until now. Pure Performance (the parent company of Rock Krawler Suspension) has been making suspensions for late-model Chevy trucks for a while, but when the company started looking into a lift for the 3/4- and 1-ton trucks it decided that a solid-axle swap kit was the only way to get enough strength to get the power from the Duramax engine to the ground without breaking parts.
This new solid-axle-swap suspension kit replaces all the independent parts with an AAM axle from an '03-or-newer Dodge 3/4- or 1-ton truck. The Dodge axle was chosen because the front driveshaft is on the driver side, the same as the Chevrolet, and more importantly the speed sensor from the Chevy is interchangable with the Dodge one so that all the speedometer, transmission, and engine control systems still work without issue. To keep ride quality as close to stock as possible, the Pure Performance kit uses coilover front shocks and a four-link with track-bar design. The kit is engineered to give 8 to 10 inches of lift and clear 37x13.5R17 tires, though using taller coilovers and shocks can result in closer to 13 inches of lift.
