Chevy suspension

[Boondox]

For those of you driving the new style Chevy Silverado pickups, you know they have the cushiest, most car-like ride of the full sized trucks. This is not necessarily a good thing if you use your truck for serious hauling, plowing snow, etc. So since I need new shocks anyway...any good or bad experiences with heavier-duty aftermarket shocks for these trucks?

Pete

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( the cushiest, most car-like ride of the full sized trucks )</font>

Pete, I think that has nearly always been the case for Chevy trucks, and at least in past years, was true of GM cars, too. The late 50s and early 60s GM cars had a suspension that was actually too soft, and when my Dad bought a '59 Olds he put Monroe Load-Leveler shocks on both front and rear. Of course they were one of the brands we were selling back then, and most of my knowledge is badly dated. However, I'd suggest you go to the link I've provided and read what they say about possible brake related considerations, or talk to your favorite Chevy mechanic. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[JATO_RaT]

The shocks are just part of the issue. You can tune a suspension with various shock configurations. KYB gas adjust will give you one of the harshest rides, but give you much better handling. The various shocks like Monroe etc., will really not change your suspension much. Chevys suspension design is just soft in my opinion. Thats great for folks looking for a more comfortable ride. The shocks will do some tweaking to change this, but without changing the geometry of the suspension, your not going to get drastic changes. My .02 cents says try a pair or two pairs of the KYB gas-ad-just, the white ones. Check tirerack.com for more info.

 

[SPIKER]

best way is to drive it (or push it more likely) /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif down to the local FORD dealer and trade it in for a REAL TRUCK /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

ok someone HAD to say it right /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

but yes I agree the NEW chevys do ride OK but man they don't HAUL well. the olds ones were much better at that... think "Super Duty" though

Mark M /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[DCRC]

I recently put Monroe Reflex on my F 350 superduty and they definitly firm up the ride without making it to harsh. I end up buying them at NAPA auto parts since they kept them in stock.
I would reccomend these for any full size truck.

I had put a set of Bilstein Heavy Duty shocks on my wifes Nissan truck (now sold) and they thing rode like it was solidly mounted to the tires. Horrible. But man would it corner! They were on for a day and replaced with a basic Monroe stock replacement.

 

[InlineDieselFan]

Pete,

Go on down and get a nice inline diesel Cummins powered Dodge then you won't worry about having a cushy ride.

For the other real answer, the manufacturers all tend to put cheap shocks on unless you buy some special sport or hauling package. I have Bilsteins on my dodge already and am very happy. But as already mentioned you may very well need to do more than just change shocks.

steve

 

[Junkman]

Don't listen to these people pushing Dodges or Fords... if you are going to buy a new truck, then you should buy the up and coming truck to have. It will haul anything that you can put in the back of it, including all your animals and tractors. Read more about this amazing new truck here.....

 

[Egon]

Pete:

Air bags on the back will help with heavier loads. They may also be available for the front ???

Talk to local auto parts supply people about shocks. There are many different types available with many different price tags on them.

There are bolt on kits for dual shocks for the front.

An extra leaf in the rear spring may also help. Overload helpers may also be available for the rear. These may be a bolt on type.

Probably lots of different solutions. Just a matter of fitting into the buget.

My personal option would be the dual shock bolt on kit for the front and the bolt on load helper for the back.

The variable air bags would offer the best ride for all conditions.

Bird-- I had the Monroe load levelers on one off my cars. They worked great.

Egon

 

[jwstewar]

How much weight are you hauling that it has been a problem? I regularly put 2000-3000# of gravel in the bed of my Silverado and it doesn't lower my truck all that bad - maybe 3" or 4". I don't think that is too bad on a half ton truck. Now when I had the 13,000#s behind it, it was squated pretty good. The truck might squat a little bit, but that is just because you are going down to pick up some of the "helper" leafs on the spring. I've watched my wife's aunt with her 2000 F-150 and see how much it would squat with 1000#s in the rear, I would then put 1500#s in my truck and it wouldn't squat near as much.

Just my 2 cents - you can have a nice ride and still haul a heavy load. Don't listen to any of this Ford/Dodge propaganda - Chevys Are The Best. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[chim]

Our company has many Ford and Chevy pickup trucks, along with a few Dodges, Nissans and others. These are trucks for our managers and foremen, and they see varied duty. The biggest chore for one guy's truck might be putting the trash cans at the end of a driveway. Another may tow a trailer with a large trencher routinely. We have 20-some heavy duty utility trailers we use to take materials and tools from our warehouse to projects.

It has been our experience that with Ford and Chevy trucks, their F150 and 1500 series trucks handle well and provide a comfortable ride. These are the best ones for trash can duty. They are just too wimpy for real use.

Going to F250 or 2500 gets you a truck that you can use for heavier duty applications. The ones with heavier optional suspensions are even better. These won't squat down in the rear if the trailer has a couple hundred pounds ot tongue weight, and they corner and handle better - particularly if there's something in the bed.

Looking back I can laugh now. Remember when gas shot up past the $1/gal mark? We thought we'd be smart and get a fleet of those gas (and some diesel) sipping riceburners. While they were fun for darting about the city traffic, and used less fuel per mile, they were a disaster otherwise. They made El Caminos look like heavy duty trucks. To add insult to injury, they had some very serious rust problems.................chim