The factory rear control arms set the GMT800's axle fore-and-aft and the track bar locates it side-to-side — but after 20+ years the rubber bushings in all five are worn, letting the axle drift out of position. Our Cruise RK5 swaps the whole rear over to steel tubing with fresh poly bushings and adjustable length to re-align the rear axle, recenter it side-to-side, and correct pinion angle after a lift or leveling kit.
The Escalade does daily-driver work — city miles, highway miles, the occasional tow. After a couple decades, the rear suspension is showing its age, and the fixed-length arms leave you no way to re-align the rear axle after a lift. You feel it as a clunk under throttle, a thud over expansion joints, and a vague, loose feel under load. Switching to Core 4x4 brings the rear back where it should be — with stronger, more durable construction built in.
Quick Specs
Tubing: Arms — 1.625" OD uppers, 1.875" OD lowers, 3/16" wall steel; track bar — 1.5" OD, 5/16" wall DOM
Bushings: Poly, all ends
Lift range: 0"–6"
Tier guide — Cruise (entry, this product) → Camp (mid, our most popular tier) → Crawl (top, extreme off-road, heavy towing, or high-HP builds). Cruise handles factory-power daily driving — lifted or not — and still outperforms much of the competition. Step up to Camp for serious trail and off-road use, or Crawl for extreme use, heavy towing, or high-HP builds — Johnny Joints handle that load better than bushings.
Hardware included — Every order ships with the bolts, nuts, washers, and the matching nut tab for the upper-arm frame-side mount. You don't need to reuse factory hardware or order anything extra. Replacement hardware is available as a standalone HWK SKU if you ever need more.
Pairing tip — This 5-piece kit is part of our 7-piece full rear suspension kit — step up to the 7-piece kit to add the rear sway bar end links and finish the rear.
Suspension Type — Factory Autoride (Z55)
Your truck came with rear Autoride (Z55) from the factory — GM's air-leveling system. These models had no non-Autoride factory build; every one shipped with Z55.
This part is built to match. The passenger-side upper arm includes the ride-height sensor mounting tab, so the factory wiring connects without modification. No checkout choice — every part on this page is built for your factory configuration.
Converted to standard suspension via an aftermarket kit? Cross-shop the equivalent Tahoe/Suburban/Yukon PDP for the Standard SKU instead.
Fitment: Cadillac Escalade (2002-2006). Also fits Chevy Tahoe (00-06), Chevy Suburban 1500 (00-06), Chevy Avalanche 1500 (02-06), GMC Yukon 1500 (00-06), GMC Yukon XL 1500 (00-06), GMC Yukon Denali (01-06), GMC Yukon XL Denali (01-06), Cadillac Escalade ESV (03-06), Cadillac Escalade EXT (02-06). 1500-series only — does NOT fit 2500-series HD trucks. Made in the USA. Lifetime warranty on construction.
Built With
See individual component specifications
| Make | Model | Submodel | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cadillac | Escalade | 2002 - 2006 |
Construction & Materials
See individual component specifications
| Brand | CORE 4X4 |
| Color | Black or Blue or Charcoal or Green or Light Green or Orange or Purple or Red or White or Yellow |
| Lift Size | 0" — 6" |
| Series | Cruise Series |
| Mounting Style | Bolt-On |
Use the vehicle selector on our website to shop by your year, make, and model. On product pages, use the kit builder to select your color, series, lift height, and any add-on options, then add to cart. If you need help, call or email our team.
Standard orders typically ship within 1–3 business days of ordering. Custom color orders take approximately 5–10 business days. Because everything is built in-house, we can turn orders quickly even for custom specifications.
You can reach our team through the contact form on our website, or browse to the Contact Us page. Our team is available to answer pre-sale and technical questions before and after your purchase.
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