Bilstein shocks thread

HondaHawkGT · September 10, 2015

Thx man!

And the truck does rides better, but its not night and day. I'm not sure if my truck is particularly rough compared to others but I the 5100's only helped out a bit. They do smooth out larger uneven surfaces quite well and the truck doesn't bounce as much which has helped more when towing. They are a good upgrade but your milage will vary, just depends what your expectations are. I'm interested in further improving my ride quality though. I came from a 2005 Dodge 2500 which was crazy stiff, and while my GM is less stiff, it still doesn't have that famous "GMC ride quality" My basis of comparison is my roommates 2013 SLE and my Dads 2013 F150 King Ranch, both of which are much smother and take in rough roads better than my truck.

Springrates were increased in 2014 to improve payload ratings and towing stability. At the end of day one needs to decide whether they want a trucky-truck or a soft car-like truck. The narrow sidewall of the 20/22's that come with a lot of these trucks isn't doing the ride quality any favors either.

WendysOrBust · September 10, 2015

Springrates were increased in 2014 to improve payload ratings and towing stability. At the end of day one needs to decide whether they want a trucky-truck or a soft car-like truck. The narrow sidewall of the 20/22's that come with a lot of these trucks isn't doing the ride quality any favors either.

Yup. But even for a half-ton pickup I think they are on the stiffer side, especially when compared to its competitors. Pickup trucks have come along way, just because they are a trucks doesn't mean they have to behave like traditional trucks from they hey'day. If so we would still be running 300hp V8's with 4 speed transmissions and shift lever activated transfer cases. I don't want to turn this thread into a GM vs Ford thread but I've driven other trucks that ride better than mine, and I am willing to spend some money on my truck to make it ride better.

I have been looking up information on what type of springs and spring rates GM uses on the new 2014 trucks and haven't found anything. At this point I've come to the realization that I will need a dedicated set of coilovers to really improve the ride. I will be upgrading to 18's with wither a 285/65 or 275/70 here in a month or so, hopefully that helps.

chuckl1218 · September 10, 2015

Yup. But even for a half-ton pickup I think they are on the stiffer side, especially when compared to its competitors. Pickup trucks have come along way, just because they are a trucks doesn't mean they have to behave like traditional trucks from they hey'day. If so we would still be running 300hp V8's with 4 speed transmissions and shift lever activated transfer cases. I don't want to turn this thread into a GM vs Ford thread but I've driven other trucks that ride better than mine, and I am willing to spend some money on my truck to make it ride better.

I have been looking up information on what type of springs and spring rates GM uses on the new 2014 trucks and haven't found anything. At this point I've come to the realization that I will need a dedicated set of coilovers to really improve the ride. I will be upgrading to 18's with wither a 285/65 or 275/70 here in a month or so, hopefully that helps.

Definitely on the stiffer side...stiffer than my 2011 Silvy was...Bilsteins helped mainly with the bounce and handling on the '14. I think Spurshot but Fox coil overs on and said it improved ride for both on and off road. Edited September 10, 2015 by chuckl1218

fondupot · September 10, 2015

Thanks for the help everyone! Can't wait to see how my truck comes out. Also putting on 10 ply, 275/75/18 tires at the same time. The tires come with free alignment and they will put on the bilstein ' s for me for $60. If supply the shocks. Seems like a good deal.

You'll like how it rides with the 10 ply tires and the Bilsteins. Mine is very comfortable.

HondaHawkGT · September 10, 2015

I have been looking up information on what type of springs and spring rates GM uses on the new 2014 trucks and haven't found anything. At this point I've come to the realization that I will need a dedicated set of coilovers to really improve the ride. I will be upgrading to 18's with wither a 285/65 or 275/70 here in a month or so, hopefully that helps.

18's or 17's defnitely help the ride. I ditched the factory 20' and never looked back.

amxguy1970 · September 10, 2015

You'll like how it rides with the 10 ply tires and the Bilsteins. Mine is very comfortable.

with 10 ply tires versus stock?

Tyler

fondupot · September 10, 2015

with 10 ply tires versus stock?

Tyler

Stock tires are load range SL, meaning standard load. They are P rated tires, for Passenger. Which means they are good up to 35 psi of pressure.

10 ply tires are load range E, meaning they are good up to 80 psi. Which is considerably more. They are typically heavier duty tires and I think they ride better, and handle better than standard P rated tires.

Granted if you air up load range E tires to the max, they will ride rough. But when properly inflated they will ride nicer. IMHO

Edited September 10, 2015 by fondupot

Norcal Flyfisherman · September 11, 2015

with 10 ply tires versus stock?

Tyler

I spend a fair amount of time on rough and rocky roads, sometimes with heavy loads. 4 ply tires are nearly worthless on a dirt road. 6 ply aren't bad, 8 ply are preferable but hard to find. 10 ply are usually on 3/4 ton trucks but work great on 1/2 tons also. I hate changing flat tires.

Norcal Flyfisherman · September 11, 2015

You'll like how it rides with the 10 ply tires and the Bilsteins. Mine is very comfortable.

Thanks Fondupot, can't wait to try them out!

TXS Heat · September 14, 2015

5100's with already installed 2.5" leveling kit? Is this a no no?

WendysOrBust · September 15, 2015

So what is the best option in just trying to level the vehicle? I am wanting to level my truck but I'm completely new to customizing trucks. I saw the leveling kits are around $60 or so? Then however much it cost to get those installed.

Where the billistens 5100s are like $130 a piece right? I'm not sure how much it would cost to get these installed. But the ride would be a lot better with these right?

I've noticed when going over speed bumps or bumps in the road the original shocks don't seem to absorb the hit much at all or bounce you around inside the cab. Any help or info on my other questions would be greatly appreciated.

Also, it seemed like the 5100s can only lift the front 1.8 inches or so, is that true? I thought the 2 inch or 2.5 inches looks a lot better. I just saw one before after pic of the 5100s installed and it still seems like you can see a slight slope with the front end being a little lower? Am I crazy and just seeing things or does it really seem to be that way?

The Bilsteins do offer an improved ride quality compared to the OE shocks in various departments, how much is subjective though. And yes, they only lift the front end 1.8" on the tallest setting. If you want a perfect level your gonna need another .2" or do the 3rd setting from the bottom on the 5100's, 1.25", and then do a .75" strut spacer to get your even 2"

5100's with already installed 2.5" leveling kit? Is this a no no?

It depends on how much overall lift you want. If you add the 5100's to the RC 2.5" kit your gonna have to mount the spring perch on the lowest setting to retain use of your RC lower and upper spacer. If you increase the spring perch height on the shock and keep the RC spacers your gonna get a 2.5" lift plus whatever lift the 5100's give you. At this point you would probably need to upgrade your UCA.

Also, it depends on the type of spacer used on the front coilovers. If its one of those spacers that goes in between the spring and top hat I would say no, because these type of spacers increase the spring pre-load and would result in a very stiff front end. There is a user on this thread a few pages back that did this and ended up removing the shocks because it was crazy stiff.

If its a spacer that goes in between the top hat and shock mount that should be ok.

Jlm02a3094 · September 15, 2015

I got tired of waiting for the 6112's so I pulled the trigger on Fox coilovers. They're spendy at $430 a pop but the ride is fantastic. I went with Cognito ball joint UCA's, Fox Shox premier coilovers and difff drop spacers. As far as leveling It cost more than a spacer kit but it's doing it right with added travel and a better ride. They come set at 2" lift from Fox. By the way, on my 2015 Sierra half ton I put 275/70-R18 Goodrich TA KO2 tires (33"x10.8") on the factory wheels before doing the lift and they fit without any rubbing at stock height.

Have you installed them already? Why did you get UCA's also? I got Fox's at all 4 corners as well and love them.

Josh

BlackZ71Silverado · September 15, 2015

Definitely can't go wrong with Fox shocks & Fox coilovers. True, they are pricey but well worth the money you spend on the quality and performance. Much better than Bilsteins offering, you made a good decision.

Sent from my crappy iPhone 6

using Tapatalk

BlackZ71Silverado · September 15, 2015

5100's with already installed 2.5" leveling kit? Is this a no no?

It's not something you would want to do. With that total amount of front lift, approximately 4.5", your CV angles are going to be horrific!

For that amount of lift, you would need front diff relocation brackets to flatten out your axel angles, different upper control arms at the least.

2.5" of front lift is the maximum you would want to go without correction. It can be done the way you ask but you would need additional parts for your front end components to last. If you really are looking for about 4" of lift, a complete quality lift kit is the way to go for sure.

Sent from my crappy iPhone 6

using Tapatalk

Jaybridge88 · September 17, 2015

I installed 5100s in my last truck. 2004 Nissan Titan 4x4. I installed them on the highest setting. It leveled the truck very nicely. Though I never had any problems with the shocks or components.....it definitely made the ride pretty harsh. I got use to it after a while. Even drove across the country with it. Bumps in the road were harsh though.

I'm contemplating if I even went to mess with my 2014 Silverado. I was thinking of leveling it or lifting it. Only it rides so nice and smooth right now. I'm not sure I want to risk messing that up. Lifting the truck would make it look great, but using my truck for work and loading quads in it would make a lift unpractical for me I think.