The factory rear upper control arms on the GMT800 are stamped sheet steel with rubber bushings — and the bushings are tired after 20+ years. Our Cruise RU2 swaps them for 1.625" OD, 3/16" wall steel tubing with fresh poly bushings and adjustable length to correct pinion angle after a lift or leveling kit.
The Escalade EXT does a little of everything — daily driving, weekend hauls, the occasional tow. After a couple decades, the rear suspension is showing its age, and the fixed-length arms leave nowhere 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 when you're loaded. Switching to Core 4x4 brings the rear back where it should be — with stronger, more durable construction built in.
Quick Specs
Tubing: 1.625" OD, 3/16" wall steel
Bushings: Poly, both 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 — Running a lift? These uppers are part of our 4-piece rear control arm set — step up to the 4-piece set to add the matching rear lowers and replace all four rear control arms in one job.
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 EXT (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 (02-06), Cadillac Escalade ESV (03-06). 1500-series only — does NOT fit 2500-series HD trucks. Made in the USA. Lifetime warranty on construction.
Built With
Tubing: 1.625" OD, 3/16" wall · Fixed end: Poly bushing · Adjustable end: Poly bushing
| Make | Model | Submodel | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cadillac | Escalade EXT | 2002 - 2006 |
Construction & Materials
Tubing: 1.625" OD, 3/16" wall · Fixed end: Poly bushing · Adjustable end: Poly bushing
| 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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