Project Mundane: 500hp Daily Driver

Project Mundane really isn’t as boring as it sounds, but with all the over-the-top projects we’ve been tackling lately, Project Mundane just fits. This 2010 LMM Chevy was picked up by its owner a few months back with the pure intent of using it to learn more about diesel performance and serve as a good transport for him and his family. So, Project Mundane will be used to do just that, teach how individual products affect a diesel engine, and how they apply to you and the way you use your rig. This LMM will be getting all the usual upgrades plus a few you may not have seen yet. Along the way, we’ll be using it just like most of you use your pick-ups week-in and week-out, all the mods will be done to get a specific job done such as towing performance, MPG gains, or just simple capability on-and-off the highway. As I said, all items will be tested on the dyno, track, and street to show you exactly what each part does.

The first set of mods we’ll be doing will be upgrading Project Mundane’s stance with a new set of wheels from Vision Wheel, tires from General Tire, and a small lift from Daystar Products. Since this truck will be used to do just about everything, we picked parts with that in mind. The all terrain tires, moderate lift, and clean wheels were picked because they’ll do everything (tow, off road, and daily drive) very well. With parts in hand, we headed to Wheel Warehouse in Fullerton, California, for the quick half-day install. DW

This 2010 Chevy 2500 wasn’t a bad looking truck at all, but with the help of Wheel Warehouse, Daystar, Vision Wheel and General tire we were about to make it a truck anyone would be proud to drive.

The new 275/70R18 General Grabber AT2s make the stockers look tiny in comparison. We picked the AT2s because they’re setup to do well in just about any situation, on or off road. That and they’re rated to handle more than the 2500 Chevy can safely carry.

The AT2 tread design allows for a large contact patch making for good on-road manners but also has enough voids between the lugs to offer good off road traction. They’re also stud-able making them perfect for snow tires in the winter.

For wheels, we wanted something stylish but subtle at the same time. Vision’s 411 Arc wheels fit the bill perfectly. The 411 Arcs came with a gloss black finish and machined lip to add a little contrast. After machining Vision clear coated the wheels to keep the finish looking brand new.

The first thing Wheel Warehouse did was remove the factory tire pressure sensors and swap them onto the new Vision 411 Arc wheels.

Wheel Warehouse then mounted and balanced the new Vision Wheel’s and General tires.

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Once balanced, the wheels were bolted up to the Chevy using all new lug nuts. Center caps were then installed, and we moved on to the Daystar 2-inch lift kit.

Daystar’s 2-inch lift kit consists of new forged-in-the-USA re-clocked torsion bar keys, front shock relocation brackets, rear blocks and longer u-bolts.

Since GM’s torsion bar suspension system is adjustable/tuneable, recording before heights is extremely important to get the correct ride after the new Daystar parts are installed. Once the install is done, we’ll simply add 2 inches to the “before height” and adjust the torsion bar pre-load to meet the new height.

Removing and replacing the torsion keys with the new Daystar keys is how we’ll achieve the desired lift. To do so, Wheel Warehouse uses a special too to release the torsion bar’s preload.

Once the preload has been released, the torsion must be shifted forwards a couple inches so that the factory key can be dropped out.

Here’s the factory torsion key with the Daystar key on top. Both keys are set here as they would be if they were mounted to the torsion bar, so you can see the added adjustability the Daystar key allows for. Even though it’s only a half inch or so of added adjustability, it will result with an added 2-inches of front end height for the Chevy.

Last thing to do before sitting the truck on the ground again was to install the provided shock extensions onto the LCAs and front shocks. The truck was then set back on the ground, the height was adjusted, and the truck was then aligned. All said and done, the truck kept nearly the same factory ride but gained some much needed ground and tire clearance, ready to tackle the trails

Torsion bar suspension: How it Works

A torsion bar is a straight piece of steel that is designed to twist under load and then return to its original state when the load is removed. The system doesn’t generally offer a ton of travel (depending on the setup,) but it does ride very well on the street. So, on the image seen here, B is the torsion bar; A is the torsion “key” (it’s what is used to set the torsion bar pre-load.) Pre-load will determine the height of the vehicle: more load, more height; less load, less height. Daystar’s torsion keys allow for more preload to be placed on the torsion bar. C is the lower control arm (LCA). Looking closely you can see the torsion bar is solid mounted to the LCA and secured on the other end by the torsion key. When the LCA moves up and down as the vehicle goes over bumps, the torsion then twists providing the spring action.

Sources

Wheel Warehouse
714.772.1281
WheelWarehouse.com
Daystar Products
800.595.7659
DaystarWeb.com

General Tire
GeneraTire.com

Vision Wheel
VisionWheel.com

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