For anyone who loves lifted trucks, there’s just something about seeing a Silverado sitting tall on a fresh set of wheels and tires. Whether you’re out on the trail or just turning heads in town, the right setup can completely transform how your truck looks and performs. That’s exactly why we decided to give our 2017 Chevy Silverado 4WD a proper upgrade. We bolted on a Belltech 7-9-inch lift kit and wrapped a set of Cali Off-Road ‘Auburn’ wheels in Kenda ‘Klever R/T’ tires to turn 2017 Silverado truck into something that stands out on and off the pavement.
The suspension is the backbone of any lifted truck, and Belltech knows how to build a kit that works. Its 7-9-inch lift kit delivers serious height without sacrificing handling or ride quality. With Trail Performance coilovers at all four corners, the truck now rides smoother and stays planted whether it’s cruising down the highway or hitting rough terrain. And since this system is designed for easy bolt-on installation, it’s doable in a weekend if you’re wrenching in your garage or letting a local shop handle the job.
We decided to give our 2017 Chevy Silverado 4WD a proper upgrade using a Belltech 7-9-inch lift kit and Cali Off-Road ‘Auburn’ wheels wrapped in Kenda ‘Klever R/T’ tires.
You can’t lift a truck without a proper set of wheels, and Cali Off-Road’s ‘Auburn’ wheels check all the boxes. These gloss black milled wheels have a bold mesh-inspired spoke design that keeps them looking aggressive, while the deep lip profile gives the truck that wide, planted stance. They’re built from 1-piece cast aluminum, so they can handle the weight and abuse that comes with off-road adventures. Cali Off-Road even backs them with a lifetime structural warranty, which is always a bonus when you’re investing in high-quality wheels.
Belltech’s lift kit delivers full ride height adjustability with Trail Performance coilovers designed for smooth handling—even with oversized wheels and tires. Built with heavy-duty spindles, crossmembers, and steering knuckles, this kit is a bolt-on upgrade that’s DIY-friendly or easily installed by a pro.
To complete the look and function, we wrapped the wheels in Kenda ‘Klever R/T’ 35×12.50×24 tires. These hybrid all-terrain/mud-terrain tires give us the best of both worlds—quiet and smooth on the pavement, but tough enough to grip through mud, sand, and snow. The 3-ply sidewalls add durability, the deep tread blocks keep traction in soft terrain, and the built-in rim protectors keep our wheels safe from unexpected trail damage. These tires are even pinned for winter studs, making them a solid all-season choice.
Our 2017 Silverado with lift kit, Cali Off-Road wheels, and Kenda tires, went from stock to standout in no time. The ride is smooth, the stance is aggressive, and the setup is built to last. Whether you’re looking to lift your own truck at home or take it to a shop for installation, these upgrades are straightforward and worth every penny.
Cali Off-Road ‘Auburn’ wheels bring a bold look with their gloss black finish, milled accents, and deep lip profile, which will perfectly complement our truck’s lifted stance. Wrapped in Kenda ‘Klever R/T’ 35×12.50×24 tires, this setup delivers a tough, all-terrain grip with a 3-ply sidewall and deep tread blocks built for both the streets and trails.
Cali Off-Road ‘Auburn’ wheels bring a bold look with their gloss black finish, milled accents, and deep lip profile, which will perfectly complement our truck’s lifted stance. Wrapped in Kenda ‘Klever R/T’ 35×12.50×24 tires, this setup delivers a tough, all-terrain grip with a 3-ply sidewall and deep tread blocks built for both the streets and trails.To start the project, the original wheels and tires were removed from the truck.The first thing we removed from the suspension was the tie rod end from the spindle.Next, we removed the front brake line bracket and caliper.In order to avoid bleeding the brakes, we used a bungee cord to hang the caliper from the frame so we didn’t have to disconnect the brake line.
Next, we removed the screws holding the brake rotor in place.
An impact gun made it easy to remove the brake hub from the front axle shaft. These will be reused, so we set them aside.
The upper ball joint was the next item to be detached from the spindle. We recommend loosening the nut and hitting the spindle with a hammer. The spindle will drop onto the nut and then can be easily removed.
The lower ball joint bolt could now be removed. We tried the hammer trick with this ball joint as well, although we needed a puller to disconnect it.The spindle was completely removed and set aside. Belltech supplies a new spindle with this kit so the factory units will not be reused.
The next thing we removed was the factory strut. The two bolts holding it into the lower control arm should be removed first.The plug at the top of the strut was then disconnected, as well as the three nuts holding the top of the strut in place.After that, the strut was pulled out from in between the upper and lower control arms.Here you can see the difference between the original strut and the new fully assembled strut from Belltech.The next thing we removed was the factory crossmember since it will be replaced with a new crossmember supplied in the kit.
In order for the new crossmember to fit into place, we needed to mark and cut a small section of the crossmember mounting bracket off of the truck.
The next step was to remove the front differential. We used an axle stand to support it since we were working high on a lift. This is a heavy object and will be reinstalled shortly.
With all of the factory parts removed, it was time to start installing the new parts from Belltech. We started with the new brackets that relocate the differential to a lower position.
These new brackets simply bolted into place using the threaded bolt locations in the factory frame.We could then lift the differential into place and bolt it to the new brackets.
Next up was the new front crossmember from Belltech, which easily bolts into place using the factory bolt hole locations. This bracket comes powdercoated from the factory so there’s no need to coat or paint it before installation.With the new crossmembers in place, we could reinstall the factory lower control arms.For some additional support, Belltech supplies this brace that installs between both crossmembers. No drilling or welding is necessary.Belltech supplies new tie rod end links to extend the tie rod mounting location into the new spindle.Installing Belltech’s fully assembled struts was next. These are very high-quality struts that are adjustable from 7 to 9 inches.The struts simply bolted into the factory upper and lower strut mounting locations in the frame and in the lower control arm.
The new Belltech spindle was then installed to the upper and lower control arms.The tie rod ends were next to be installed using the new tie rod end links that were supplied in the kit.The original hub and brake rotor could now be reinstalled onto the new spindle, followed by the brake calipers in the order they were removed.Now you can see how much additional clearance has been added with this suspension kit. It’s a very well-engineered kit that went on exactly as described.
In order to add additional strength, Belltech supplies front trailing arm braces that mount to the frame. We simply had to remove a few bolts, install this bracket, and put the bolts back in the original location.There is also a bracket that got bolted onto the back of the front crossmember.Next, the front trailing arm bars were installed into the new brackets. This will give our truck an extreme amount of strength in all driving conditions.The final item to install was the new sway bar that Belltech supplied with this kit. The package also came with new sway bar end links and bushings.The front is now 100% complete, and we were ready to move to the back end. We will tackle the rest of this project in the next issue as well as a few other upgrades you’ll just have to wait to see.This new wheel and tire setup from Cali Off-Road and Kenda Tire is impressive to say the least, and we cannot wait to bolt them on and go for a cruise. All that will be coming up in the next issue of Street Trucks magazine.
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Chris Hamilton
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April 03, 2025
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