It’s no secret that we love going fast in our trucks here at OFF-ROAD magazine. Even our tow rigs are driven hard off-road, so when Pure Performance had its 6-inch mid-travel Prerunner system ready for shipping and testing, we couldn’t wait to get a kit on one of our chase trucks to do some long-term testing. Who wouldn’t want a smooth-riding coilover suspension to replace the torsion bars on a ’99-to-’10 Chevy 2500 HD 4x4? With 13 inches of travel and six inches added to the track width (and it’s height), it’s the only suspension kit of its kind for HD IFS 4x4 Chevys and GMCs. Pure Performance’s 6-inch mid-travel Prerunner system features dual front Prodigy 2 5/8-inch coilovers to smooth out the roughest of terrain, even with the weight of a Duramax diesel on the front. It gets rid of the factory torsion bar set up and moves the wheelbase one inch forward to clear 37-inch tires. Needless to say, we’re very impressed with the newfound wheel travel and off-road handling of Pure Performance’s system. To clear 37-inch tires, we found it necessary to add fiberglass fenders to finish off our HD Chevy. We used Hannemann’s 5-inch bulge fenders to gain extra tire coverage for the increased track width of the truck. The fiberglass fenders not only extend the tire coverage, they also give extra clearance for a larger tire to turn back and forth in the fender openings. Our old Chevy chase truck looks great with its new revamp. Not only did we acquire an aggressive new stance, we were able to dramatically improve the suspension and ride while still retaining four-wheel drive. OR 1 The Pure Performance 6-inch lift, 13-inch-travel Prerunner system comes with everything you see here. Coilovers replace the factory torsion bars, and new controls arms extend the track width three inches per side. All these parts, along with new knuckles, new driveshaft, CV shafts, steering extensions, and subframe crossmembers make up the front kit. Rear Deaver mini packs and rebuildable Prodigy shocks bring the rear along to complement the front.1 The Pure Performance 6-inch lift, 13-inch-travel Prerunner system comes with everything 2 We headed over to Off Road Evolution in Fullerton, California, to install our 6-inch Prerunner suspension. The staff there has plenty of experience building various rigs and had our truck back on the road in no time. We began by releasing the tension on the torsion bars so they could be removed, then removing the rest of the stock suspension, piece by piece. New arms, coilovers, and knuckles are given, so you’ll be using almost none of the stock equipment.2 We headed over to Off Road Evolution in Fullerton, California, to install our 6-inch Pre 3 As soon as the stock suspension components were removed the shock towers were torched off to make room for the new coilover shock mounts. Be careful when torching off the shock tower on the driver’s side as there are various lines in close proximity.3 As soon as the stock suspension components were removed the shock towers were torched of 4 Once we finished torching off the shock towers we cleaned our welding surface using WD40. For some reason it easily removes the factory coating from the frame—especially when heated. The 1/4-inch laser-cut steel coilover mounts were then welded to the frame rails and sprayed with a rust-inhibiting satin black paint.4 Once we finished torching off the shock towers we cleaned our welding surface using WD40 5 Pure Performance includes taller, heavy-duty nodular iron knuckles with its 6-inch mid-travel Prerunner system. We bolted the unit bearings to our larger knuckles using Loctite on the bolts to prevent any loosening caused by road vibrations.5 Pure Performance includes taller, heavy-duty nodular iron knuckles with its 6-inch mid-t 6 Pure Performance recommends using a double CV joint front driveshaft to prevent vibrations in the driveline. The heavy-duty subframe drop brackets are made of 1/4-inch laser-cut steel and use a skid plate made of 3/16-inch steel plate to protect vital components.6 Pure Performance recommends using a double CV joint front driveshaft to prevent vibratio 7 The Pure Performance mid-travel Prerunner system requires the use of 3-inch-wider CV shafts. We called Summers Brothers Racing in Montclair, California, and ordered up a set of wider heavy-duty heat treated axles for our 2500 HD. Pure Performance can include them with the suspension if you can’t source your own.7 The Pure Performance mid-travel Prerunner system requires the use of 3-inch-wider CV sha 8 Here you can see the difference in size from the new axle shaft (far) side when compared to the stock shaft (near).8 Here you can see the difference in size from the new axle shaft (far) side when compared 9 Once you remove the boot retainers you can reach the snap rings that hold the assembly together. Be advised that it’s a good idea to replace the boot retainers with new ones to keep the grease inside the CV where it is needed.9 Once you remove the boot retainers you can reach the snap rings that hold the assembly t 10 The upper and lower A-arms were bolted in place. The lower A-arms are made of 1/4-inch thick laser cut steel that’s fully boxed and seam-welded for superior strength. They also push the front axle about an inch forward to clear up to 37-inch tires. The heavy-duty upper A-arms feature rebuildable ball joints that are completely sealed to the elements.10 The upper and lower A-arms were bolted in place. The lower A-arms are made of 1/4-inch 11 The longer Summer Brothers CV axleshafts allow the suspension to cycle through its 13 inches of travel without any bind in the axles.11 The longer Summer Brothers CV axleshafts allow the suspension to cycle through its 13 i 12 Once we had the front suspension in place we installed our dual front Prodigy 2 5/8-inch coilovers with Eibach coils. The kit uses expanded poly foam bump-stops that allow the suspension to cycle those last few inches of up travel. Pure Performance recommends the use of limiting straps to prevent any damage to the coilovers.12 Once we had the front suspension in place we installed our dual front Prodigy 2 5/8-inc 13 Pure Performance has the rear covered with its Pure Performance pack, which is manufactured by Deaver Springs. The mini leaf pack aids the factory spring pack by re-arching the springs, as well as yielding a few inches of lift without resulting in a heavy overload spring.13 Pure Performance has the rear covered with its Pure Performance pack, which is manufact 14 Our truck was equipped with a block lift and used add-a-leaf springs. We left the add-a-leafs in for the increased load carrying capacity because this truck is used to haul trailers and other heavy loads. Pure Performance includes a pair of its Prodigy 2.0 Aluminum shocks for the rear that are properly tuned for use with the mini leaf pack.14 Our truck was equipped with a block lift and used add-a-leaf springs. We left the add-a 15 Once the suspension was installed on the truck, it was obvious that we were going to need some extra tire coverage. Not only that, but we’ll need the extra tire clearance if we want to squeeze 37-inch tires on. We ended up using a pair of Hannemann fiberglass fenders with a 5-inch bulge to keep our truck clean and legal.15 Once the suspension was installed on the truck, it was obvious that we were going to ne Sources Off Road Evolution 1829 W Commonwealth Avenue Fullerton CA 92833 714-870-5515 www.offroadevolution.com Summers Brothers 4747 Brooks St. Unit D Montclair CA 91763 909-399-5121 www.summersbrothersracing.com Hannemann Fiberglass Inc. 1132 W. Kirkwall Road Azusa CA 91702 626-969-7317 www.hannemannfiberglass.com Pure Performance 15 Lower Hudson Avenue Green Island NY 12183 518-270-9822 http://www.pure-performance.biz/ By Agustin Jimenez Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
