Snoringbear

Yup, you're right about that for sure. And, I wouldn't want to give up my 6.2/8 spd as I do tow occasionally. But, was thinking maybe by offering the coil/air bag combo, the air bags could provide the extra lift for the coil springs as needed?

While my truck, at 31K miles doesn't have the dreaded Chevy Shake, I do get tired of the thump, thump, thump, from whacking the expansion joints in the crappy roads where I live. I would like to see GM take a page out of the Ram play book and offer coil springs with air bags as an option for the rear suspension. For years 1967~1972 GM actually offered on the 1/2 ton C/K both coil and leaf spring rear suspension systems. Apparently, the coil system out sold the leaf spring system. Don't know why the coils were discontinued.

Instead of a 2016/2017 Frontier you should get ahead of the curve and buy a pre 1970 truck. This is the year or thereabouts that the auto industry switched from mechanical/analog ignition systems to solid-state systems. If you want to have something to drive after the little fat crazy kid ruling N. Korea sets off a nuke somewhere over the U.S. thereby creating an EMP condition it's the way to go. Just kidding, sorta, lol

I'm familiar with the dude you refer to concerning attempting to get a class action suit going. A good guy and enjoyed sparing with him occasionally. (How you doing JD? Hope all is well with you)! Anyway, I think as part of his settlement he had to agree to stop playing in this sandbox but not sure. Anyway, back to class action lawsuits; there's one thing we can be certain of besides death and taxes and that's if there's money to be made from a potential class action lawsuit there will be attorneys all over it. Like sharks tasting blood in the water. So, the question is this; if this is such a large and pervasive problem with this generation truck why isn't there already a lawsuit filed and in the works? to me, that's the big mystery. Maybe we have an Esquire lurking out there who can give us a good answer?

Have a daughter that drives a 2012 Sonata that was on the list. Had it checked out and was found to be ok. The difference to this problem vs the topic of this thread is Hyundai had found and was able to isolate the problem to a specific run of crank shafts of which the oiler holes were not cleaned properly of shavings after being drilled. I "think" the service rep told me that it was about a 10% problem but not sure. Anyway, being this was a specific documented process problem of which all the details were known Hyundai only had only two choices; do a major recall with a very expensive solution or face a huge class action lawsuit with an even more expensive solution. So, the choice was very simple for Hyundai. Btw, agree it's a great car and has been virtually problem free. But, so has my 2015 6.2 LTZ. In fact, after having made a 250 mile tow with my 6,000 lb TT to a remote area of Texas, I'm keying this right now on the trucks wifi, the 6.2/8 spd combo is great for towing and love the wifi feature

Thanks, by looking at the pic, appears to me to be a fairly generic gadget. Wondering if it would work on a GM product?

On my second, ok third, cup of coffee and still noodling this around in the ole attic; wonder what the results would be by coating the frame with the same stuff used for spray-on bed liners? I'm thinking that would definitely mitigate vibration, tuning fork effect, etc.

". What I don't understand is why can't they just create a frequency damper and mount it on the inter-panels of both sides of the frame that should help reduce the frequency vibrations Ford actually has these on their F150s and it actually works. Just venting guys I'm frustrated like everybody else." I Googled the 2015 F-150 dampeners. Appears they're mounted between the frame and body just forward of the rear leaf springs, one on each side. And, they appear to be fairly sizeable, maybe six ~ eight inches long. Seems like a simple fix as simple is usually the best solution. Anyway, it might be an interesting experiment for one of you energetic DIY guys to simply wedge a sizeable piece of rubber between the frame and body on each side of your truck and see if that reduces/changes the harmonics. Btw, I've done a little reading on this and vibration such as the "Chevy Shake" is not unknown to Ford as they've had problems with their version as well.

I think 2strokesmoke pretty much nailed the problem when he stated several pages back "I personally believe there is a stacking problem of critical rotating parts not machined correctly, add that to a high tensile frame, which allows frame beaming to occur and transfers all this energy to the cabin and passengers." I would only tweak his thesis a bit by saying it's not that the parts are not machined correctly its that current tolerances used for parts, sub-assemblies and such are no longer acceptable due to the frames higher tensile strength and rigidity. Think huge tuning fork under your butt. So, here's Dr. SB's prescription for the new 2019 models. Tighten tolerances suppliers are using. They all use SPC, six sigma, etc to control their process variation anyway. So, doing this should not be ball buster. Then, beam transfer has to be mitigated somehow, maybe by more/better frame mounts, this is outside my wheel-house so don't have much to offer on this. Lastly, by going to an aluminum skin vibration transfer from frame through skin will pretty much be ended as aluminum transfers vibration considerably less than steel. So, there you have it boys and girls. Now, ole SB is going back to sleep

Not to be out done ; I remember the day's of the two speed Powerglide. When the three speed Turbo-Hydromatic came on the scene everyone that that was the best thing since canned beer! To really stretch the old memory bank, had a good friend in high school who had a 1950 Desoto with Fluid Drive tranny; had standard three on the tree shifter and clutch. It could be shifted like any standard tranny of the day or it could be left in any gear of choice and ignore the clutch. In stop and go around town he would leave it in 2nd for ease of driving. It could take off from a dead stop in 3rd but would take an hour or so to get up to highway speed. I'm thinking the L Head in-line 6 had about 110hp. Anyway, always thought that it was an interesting first cut at an automatic tranny. Btw, that old four door Desoto was a great double-date car, especially being my date and I would have the back seat. Had WNOE big blaster putting out some good rock'n roll tunes. Dang it, digressed again! Sorry, lol

Lol, understand. Lots of things I don't understand either, especially women. And, I'm married with three adult daughters and a female dog. But, I degress. I'm thinking, with zero empirical data to back this, that part of the problem with the 8 spd is that it's an 8 spd, thus the programming becomes confused at times which gear it's supposed to be in. I don't know how well the new 10 spd Ford/GM tranny is performing as I haven't done any research on it. But, I wouldn't be surprised if it should have similar problems such as searching for correct gear. I think as some point the law of diminishing returns (showing off my freshman Econ:) ) will come into play pretty soon. I don't see much value above 10 gears. Maybe it's time to put some serious money into some sort of constant velocity tranny that would be stout enough for truck use. Anyway, my thumbs are getting tired. So, calf rope, I'm through

Agree with your " Drive this thing "like ya stole it" and it's wonderful" comment. I've had my 8 spd reprogrammed twice but still experience the low end up/down shifting problem occasionally, usually in the first drive of the day and especially if just poking along. My cure for this is to just stomp the piss out of the gas pedal and run the tranny through the gears with the throttle full bore wide open. Seems to behave for the rest if the day when I do this. Gotta say though, I bought the 6.2/8spd combo for towing my 6,000 lb TT and love it for this. So, I'm willing to live with occasional bad behavior when driving with no load. It's like a spirited horse, gotta put the spurs to it and run it hard first thing in the morning

Chevy Shake?

Speaking of Mules, here's a Truck Trend article about 2019 Sierra. http://www.trucktrend.com/future-trucks/1702-spied-2019-gmc-sierra-1500-testing-in-southern-california/

Just fyi rdnckhntr94; you probably already know this. The current Tundra is basically on a 3/4 ton platform. So, when comparing to the competition it should be compared to their 3/4 ton models. I have only good things to say about the Toyota brand in general, especially their engines as they're pretty much bullet proof. Bought my first Toyota in 1969 when I decided to use my GI Bill and go get myself one of those college deplomas. Was a Corona, ran the p!$$ out of it and it never broke. I've considered a Tundra from time to time but can't seem to strike a deal, sales dudes are too proud of them I guess. Besides, I've had good results with the GM twins going back to my 1975 Chev in-line six. Oh, btw, installed the Air Lift system you recommended a couple weeks ago. A really nice setup, especially with the wireless compressor. Haven't made a tow yet though, maybe I'll make a test run in a week or so. Cheers, hope we don't loose you as moderator if you jump ship to a Tundra !

Read this article a few minutes ago in my latest Truck Trend magazine. It does appear that GM is indeed moving it's supplier's (AAM) pickup axle mfg operation back to the U.S. Below is an excerpt from the article. "GM claims this investment announcement is part of the company’s ongoing focus on efficiency, which also includes persuading suppliers to set up “supplier parks” adjacent to plants, reducing transportation and freight costs for components". Open the below URL to read complete article. http://www.trucktrend.com/news/1701-general-motors-announces-1-billion-additional-investment-in-u-s/

Oop's, error. Till 1994.

================================ Just fyi, AAM (American Axle) was founded by GM in 1917 and was a division of GM till 1917 when it was spun off as was DELCO, BTW, AAM currently manufactures axles for numerous auto co's including Ford and Ram. Extracted the below from their website, just some info AAM formed on March 1, 1994 AAM formed on March 1, 1994 Fast Fact Founded in 1994, AAM is a leading automotive supplier of driveline and drivetrain systems and related components, chassis systems and metal formed products. 1900-1993 | 1994-1999 | 2000-Present AAM can trace its history to the beginning of the 20th century and the infancy of the automotive industry. The foundation for what is now AAM was established in 1917 when General Motors Corporation built an aircraft parts manufacturing facility in Detroit, on the land where AAM’s World Headquarters and flagship North American facility now stands. Later, automotive parts were added to the product mix. By 1920, two additional plants had been built in Detroit to meet the increased demands of the burgeoning automotive industry. Two additional plants were constructed in Detroit in the ‘40s and ‘50s. The facilities remained under the General Motors umbrella until late 1992, when General Motors publicly announced that 18 of its manufacturing plants were for sale – five of which encompassed the Final Drive and Forge Business Unit of GM. In response to the GM announcement, Richard E. Dauch, who had recently retired from the Chrysler Corporation as executive vice president Worldwide Manufacturing, formed a small investment team to purchase five driveline and forging assets that GM had up for sale. On March 1, 1994, AAM became a stand-alone, independent, multi-billion-dollar Tier One automotive supplier. Since its inception, AAM has invested approximately four billion dollars in capital expenditures efficiently and appropriately. AAM has also invested nearly one billion in applied research and development since 1994 and continues to increase its investment in product, process and systems technology in order to drive its future global growth. As a result, AAM now operates the industry’s most modern, efficient, and flexible driveline facilities in the world. The company continues to expand it's product portfolio to incorporate high technology systems and electronics for the growing global markets. In 1994, only five percent of AAM’s products contained electronics. Today over 80 percent of its products incorporate electronics. AAM’s continuous investment in R&D, its focus on product, process and systems technology, as well as its exceptional quality, delivery and productivity improvements have all played a critical role in making AAM one of the most successful Tier One automotive suppliers in the world. AAM is well known for its program management and exceptional launch capabilities. On January 29, 1999 AAM became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) with the ticker symbol AXL. Today, it is one of the largest automotive supplier in North America, and ranks in the top 50 Tier One suppliers in the world. “Today all of our facilities have a highly trained workforce,” says AAM Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO Richard E. Dauch. “We use the latest and best technology and deliver precision engineered, value-added products with world-class quality." At AAM our focus is on the future but we have a deep respect for our history. We hope that our brief historical timeline will help you to understand the foundation on which AAM is built.

Below is listed what's new with the chassis and related components starting with 2014 model. Among them are hydro-formed front sub-frame and boxed main frame. http://www.media.gm.com/media/us/en/chevrolet/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2013/May/Silverado-May-5/0505-silverado-chassis.html

Wow, this thread is coming up on 700 pages. Surely this is a forum record? If so, rdnckhntr94, as our beloved moderator, shouldn't you commemorate this milestone is some fashion ?

Lol, yeah, thought about that. I've read that although Ford is advertising their weight savings by using aluminum is 700 lbs the actual net net savings is about 100 lbs. I think that's where the stronger/stiffer frame comes into play on the 2018 models. I know that Ford has switched to an aluminum skin on their Super Duty line and has also used most of their weight savings on beefing up the frame to compensate. Btw, had lunch at Frisco Babes a few days ago. Thought about you, ate a chicken wing in your behalf

An excellent hypothesis by Wrench589. And, agree with you C6Bill about the frame as its been my guess from the get-go that the frame and along with the thinner gauge sheetmetal used in this generation as Wrench stated "excites" or amplifies the conditions created by out of spec parts. What's odd though (to me) is that I've read that for the new generation 2018 truck GM is designing an even stronger and stiffer frame. However, I have also read that GM will be utilizing primarily aluminum to skin the truck. If true, maybe the aluminum sheet metal might mitigate the vibration? Guess we shall see. 2018's will be out you know it....

I'm having an Air Lift system installed January 12th. My truck doesn't have the notorious "Chevy Shake". So, can't comment on that. I'm having the install done for towing. However, I've talked to some people who've had the install done and they say that when driving about with no load and with a minimal amount of air in the bags, just enough to take the weight slightly off the rear springs, it reduces jounce that is common with leaf springs. If so, that alone will be worth the install as the soil here in the DFW area is black gumbo and expands and contracts significantly depending on rain and drought conditions causing the roads to buckle badly. Anyway, I'll give feedback on the system once I use it some, make a tow, etc.

Wow, that's quite a tow! Notice that you hail from NY. where did you go, Florida, maybe south Texas? Did you keep track of your mileage?