DJM's 2007 Tahoe 2/3 Lowering Kit

The 2007 Chevy Tahoe attacked the SUV scene almost a year before any other 2007 vehicles even hit the showroom floors. The new design is really making waves (positive ones) in the aftermarket industry as manufacturers scramble to get new products for it.

One of the first suspension manufacturers to get their hands on this stately vehicle was DJM. Like an expectant father nervously waiting for his first child, Jeff, the owner of DJM, personally sat in the lot of the biggest Chevrolet dealer in California and waited all day for the delivery of the new Tahoes.

Finally, as the sun began to set and the sky took on an orange-pink glow, the big rigs could be seen on the horizon. Getting closer by the minute, the sound of big rig exhaust brakes could be heard for miles. As the mobile parking lots pulled to a stop out front of the Chevrolet dealership, Jeff was given special “front-of-the-line” privilege and took home the first Tahoe off of the truck. With the midnight moon looming high in the sky, he drove straight to DJM’s facility in Gardena, California, and began engineering the lowering kit.

DJM’s lowered suspension kit for the 2007 Chevy Tahoe uses replacement lower control arms to drop the front two inches and replacement coil springs to lower the rear three inches. The kit comes with shock extenders for the rear, which eliminate the cost of buying new shocks. Also, the lowering kit comes with new ball joints, as the factory ones are notorious for becoming ruined when removing them.

One other thing to note is that the rear bump stop must be trimmed and that the rear sway bar is moved ¾-inch to the passenger side to allow clearance for other components. The installation is pretty straight-forward, so let’s check it out…

(Click the pictures to enlarge.)

1. Before installation of the DJM lowering kit, it is recommended to measure the vehicle's ride height. The rear (pictured) measured 23-1/8th inches from the center of the hub to the fender well lip.	2. To begin the installation, the rear wheels must be removed.
3. Position the extension jack under the differential to support the axle.	4. Next, unbolt the lower shock mounts.
5. Now it's time to unbolt the sway bar.	6. The Tahoe's stock coil springs are then removed.
7. After the stock rubber isolators are removed and saved, you can install the 3-inch DJM coil springs and the shock extenders.	8. Here is a comparision of the factory Tahoe lowering spring(left) next to the shorter DJM lowering coil spring.
9. The stock bump stops are removed, trimmed for clearance, and reinstalled.	10. The factory Tahoe shock is installed into the shock extender.
11. Jeff measures for the movement of the sway bar. It must be moved 3/4 of an inch to the passenger side.	12. To mount the sway bar, new mounting holes must be drilled.
13. The sway bar end links are then tightened.	14. Here we see the factory Tahoe end link next to the new shorter DJM end link on the left.
15. The trailing arm relocation bracket is needed to align the drive shaft correctly with the new lowered DJM suspension.	16. After installation of the DJM lowering kit, the new ride height measures 20 inches.
17. The front ride height is measured before installing the DJM drop kit.	18. Once the front wheels are removed, the tie rod end is unbolted.
19. With the control arm supported on a jack, the Chevrolet Tahoe's ball joint is broken loose.	20. Now the spindle is removed.
21. Next, the bolts holding the lower strut mount are removed.	22. Then the sway bar end links are removed.
23. The installer now removes the pivot bolts.	24. Once the pivot bolts are taken out, the control arm can be removed.
25. Here we can see the factory control arm next to the new DJM tubular lower control arm.	26. To prevent problems during shipping, DJM leaves the grease fittings for you to install.
27. The twin tube bushings are greased prior to installation.	28. Using the supplied hardware from DJM, the new tubular control arms are installed.
29. After greasing the new ball joints that DJM includes, the strut is mounted using the original hardware.	30. The control arm is then supported with a jack and the new DJM ball joint is installed.
31. The factory Chevy Tahoe sway bar end link is then installed.	32. Also, the original Tahoe's tie rod end is installed.