What have you done to your h2 today?
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 813
So far, they have been very helpful and easy to work with.
I don't mind saying what I spent since any idiot can search for the parts I'm listing.
I upgraded to Kryptonite Tie rods: $370 Link
Center link & kits: Link
I did not upgrade the center link. That will set me back $600, plus the cost of new inner tie rods. The stock inner tie rods simply screw into the center link. Kryptonite's version has inner tie rods that drop into a hole, like the outer tie rod drops into the knuckle. You're looking at $800 for the package.
These are not cheap, but they are in no way fighting with me over warranty issues. They claim that bad inner tie rods were shipped out (why not email clients?), but they'll have no issue sending new ones. The only cost out of pocket for me is shipping the old ones back.
I may end up upgrading center link whenever I drop a diesel in this rig. Otherwise, I doubt I'd ever need it. Now, if you plan on going with heavier tires/wheels/lift, or drop in a super charger, you may want to consider upgrading to the whole kit. If you can afford just do all 3 pieces and want to, go for it. Other than parting ways with your money, you'll have a suspension parts with a literal life time warranty, assuming D-Max doesn't go out of business.
What I would also upgrade the ball joints.
They offer a lifetime warranty on them. They aren't cheap though, $160 (ouch): Link
I already upgraded their UCAs. Might consider moving to the LCAs as well. They are significantly stronger, but very light. About half the weight of the stock UCAs? It's nice being able to bolt in the ball joints like on the late 90s k1500 chevy trucks. I'll be moving to their bolt in version once they come out.
As you can see, it gets crazy. If you're planning on keeping the rig forever, I'd strongly suggest to convert everything over to after market parts of your choice. That's just me though. A lot of people argue against dumping that much money, but it's just where you're coming from. I don't play on getting rid of my H2, barring wreck.
There's an H3 section on this forum. Have you tried there first?
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,298
From: Sunshine state , MIami
@syntetic
Great replay . Thanks for the info
Like you I'm planning to keep the truck for the next 98 years
... I don't mind to spend money on it.
Right now I only need the ball joint and Tie rods
Beside the weight and ball bolt option. What would be the advantage for the UCAs and LCA if I had Oem tire size and not off-road
Is it going to make any difference on the ride? . I was planning to replace it as an upgrade but if not necessary will postpone and do priority to the sound system
Or would be smart do the suspension at once
Great replay . Thanks for the info
Like you I'm planning to keep the truck for the next 98 years
... I don't mind to spend money on it. Right now I only need the ball joint and Tie rods
Beside the weight and ball bolt option. What would be the advantage for the UCAs and LCA if I had Oem tire size and not off-road
Is it going to make any difference on the ride? . I was planning to replace it as an upgrade but if not necessary will postpone and do priority to the sound system
Or would be smart do the suspension at once
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 813
I've read that because they are lighter, you float over bumps instead of having a jarring effect.
My situation is odd because I've had a huge degradation of ride quality since I bought the vehicle that I'm still fighting. You can see that in my last thread. My 03' H2 rode fine up unti the dayl I sold it. It was a highway-only rig, but nothing wore out within 130k miles. I wish my 09' was the same.
If you are having ride issues & need things replaced, then it might be worth it to invest in the UCAs. They aren't cheap, but supposedly help. What sold me was the ability to bolt on ball joints. I just had to replace mine (still not sure why they went bad) and it was cake. The LCAs do not have this feature. I feel like it's unnecessary (at least for now). The LCAs run $800... but the LCAs for the newer chevys run $350. It's not fair, lol, or logical. I'd stay away imho. For that price, I'd move to a coil over kit. This is something I probably should have done when I had my King Shocks made, but that's neither here nor there...
If my ball joints were going bad, I'd invest in the kryptonite ones, only because they have a lifetime warranty that they will actually uphold.
TL;DR
I'd drop the $160 to get Kryptonite ball joints (if I needed them).
I would not consider the UCAs until I do other upgrades.
Do a google search for Kryptonite UCAs. You will find a lot of chevy threads about installing them & comparing them to Cognito.
I'd love to comment, but I'm still fighting to get my H2 to ride like a cadillac, again. Until it stops shaking, I really can't give a fair comparison. Also, take into account that I will eventually be dropping in a diesel & I wanted to beef up everything in the front to avoid premature wear.
My situation is odd because I've had a huge degradation of ride quality since I bought the vehicle that I'm still fighting. You can see that in my last thread. My 03' H2 rode fine up unti the dayl I sold it. It was a highway-only rig, but nothing wore out within 130k miles. I wish my 09' was the same.
If you are having ride issues & need things replaced, then it might be worth it to invest in the UCAs. They aren't cheap, but supposedly help. What sold me was the ability to bolt on ball joints. I just had to replace mine (still not sure why they went bad) and it was cake. The LCAs do not have this feature. I feel like it's unnecessary (at least for now). The LCAs run $800... but the LCAs for the newer chevys run $350. It's not fair, lol, or logical. I'd stay away imho. For that price, I'd move to a coil over kit. This is something I probably should have done when I had my King Shocks made, but that's neither here nor there...
If my ball joints were going bad, I'd invest in the kryptonite ones, only because they have a lifetime warranty that they will actually uphold.
TL;DR
I'd drop the $160 to get Kryptonite ball joints (if I needed them).
I would not consider the UCAs until I do other upgrades.
Do a google search for Kryptonite UCAs. You will find a lot of chevy threads about installing them & comparing them to Cognito.
I'd love to comment, but I'm still fighting to get my H2 to ride like a cadillac, again. Until it stops shaking, I really can't give a fair comparison. Also, take into account that I will eventually be dropping in a diesel & I wanted to beef up everything in the front to avoid premature wear.
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,298
From: Sunshine state , MIami
I've read that because they are lighter, you float over bumps instead of having a jarring effect.
My situation is odd because I've had a huge degradation of ride quality since I bought the vehicle that I'm still fighting. You can see that in my last thread. My 03' H2 rode fine up unti the dayl I sold it. It was a highway-only rig, but nothing wore out within 130k miles. I wish my 09' was the same.
If you are having ride issues & need things replaced, then it might be worth it to invest in the UCAs. They aren't cheap, but supposedly help. What sold me was the ability to bolt on ball joints. I just had to replace mine (still not sure why they went bad) and it was cake. The LCAs do not have this feature. I feel like it's unnecessary (at least for now). The LCAs run $800... but the LCAs for the newer chevys run $350. It's not fair, lol, or logical. I'd stay away imho. For that price, I'd move to a coil over kit. This is something I probably should have done when I had my King Shocks made, but that's neither here nor there...
If my ball joints were going bad, I'd invest in the kryptonite ones, only because they have a lifetime warranty that they will actually uphold.
TL;DR
I'd drop the $160 to get Kryptonite ball joints (if I needed them).
I would not consider the UCAs until I do other upgrades.
Do a google search for Kryptonite UCAs. You will find a lot of chevy threads about installing them & comparing them to Cognito.
I'd love to comment, but I'm still fighting to get my H2 to ride like a cadillac, again. Until it stops shaking, I really can't give a fair comparison. Also, take into account that I will eventually be dropping in a diesel & I wanted to beef up everything in the front to avoid premature wear.
My situation is odd because I've had a huge degradation of ride quality since I bought the vehicle that I'm still fighting. You can see that in my last thread. My 03' H2 rode fine up unti the dayl I sold it. It was a highway-only rig, but nothing wore out within 130k miles. I wish my 09' was the same.
If you are having ride issues & need things replaced, then it might be worth it to invest in the UCAs. They aren't cheap, but supposedly help. What sold me was the ability to bolt on ball joints. I just had to replace mine (still not sure why they went bad) and it was cake. The LCAs do not have this feature. I feel like it's unnecessary (at least for now). The LCAs run $800... but the LCAs for the newer chevys run $350. It's not fair, lol, or logical. I'd stay away imho. For that price, I'd move to a coil over kit. This is something I probably should have done when I had my King Shocks made, but that's neither here nor there...
If my ball joints were going bad, I'd invest in the kryptonite ones, only because they have a lifetime warranty that they will actually uphold.
TL;DR
I'd drop the $160 to get Kryptonite ball joints (if I needed them).
I would not consider the UCAs until I do other upgrades.
Do a google search for Kryptonite UCAs. You will find a lot of chevy threads about installing them & comparing them to Cognito.
I'd love to comment, but I'm still fighting to get my H2 to ride like a cadillac, again. Until it stops shaking, I really can't give a fair comparison. Also, take into account that I will eventually be dropping in a diesel & I wanted to beef up everything in the front to avoid premature wear.
Considering I dont Offroad Mog should be enough they charge me $100 for the replace which I think is very fair
Also the ball joints may need replacement soon ,For the BJ I will get the KRYPTONITE package
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 813
Just got off from the Tire shop . After a check they found the 4 Tie rod are shot , Unfortunately I dont have the funds to go with Kryptonite so Mog is coming
Considering I dont Offroad Mog should be enough they charge me $100 for the replace which I think is very fair
Also the ball joints may need replacement soon ,For the BJ I will get the KRYPTONITE package
Considering I dont Offroad Mog should be enough they charge me $100 for the replace which I think is very fair
Also the ball joints may need replacement soon ,For the BJ I will get the KRYPTONITE package
Let me tell you, they feel significantly better.
The upper ball joints were replaced with cognitos because there is no kryptonite bolt in option. That'll be coming early in 2017, according to D-Max. Anyways, i could move the ball joint if I applied enough force. It felt snug & the ride quality improved.
With the Kryptonite lowers.... i cannot move the spindle. They feel infinitely tighter. I think you'll be happy with them. I'm expecting a significant ride quality improvement. Just remember, my stuff is totally shot, lol.
Also, they warrantied my tie rods w/o any hassle, other than paying shipping & waiting for them to verify that they were bad. In the limited experience I had offroaded w/ my original 03, I never broke or wore out tie rods. If it's street driven, you're fine. I just prefer heavier duty stuff & had the funds. Needing a 2" wrench was a shock, honestly. Look into what the moog requires, just so things go smoothly if you end up doing it yourself. If they are aligning it too, then go for it.
Don't forget the grease.
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 275
After bending up the chrome steps while offroading(wasn't a fan of them any way) I wanted steps that could easily be removed before going offroad. I know there are official H2 steps that you can sometimes find on ebay etc for an arm and a leg.
So I bought a set of these sort of generic n-fab steps $88/pair:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
And modified them relatively easily. Just welded a 1/2" rod to one side and a tab to the other.
Now I have steps that are each removed with 1 bolt and less than 30 seconds.
So I bought a set of these sort of generic n-fab steps $88/pair:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
And modified them relatively easily. Just welded a 1/2" rod to one side and a tab to the other.
Now I have steps that are each removed with 1 bolt and less than 30 seconds.
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 290
From: Delson, Quebec
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 275