Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted

 

 

 

 

Is this with them removing the struts or did you remove the struts?

They did everything. I had the Bilsteins in a box. Kept my old ones just in case I thought the new ones were to harsh. So far so good. I have the NHT package and they work great.

 

Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk

  • Like 1
  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

I installed the rear shocks over the weekend on my truck. What a pain in my rear that was. Apparently someone really torqued down on the shocks mounting bolts! I took all the bolts out and had to pry the top out of the mounting bracket. There was no way to get the top back in without opening the upper mount. I had to devise a way to spread the upper mount. The first shock took about an hour and a half to change out. The second one took about 20 minutes.

 

Next up is the front shocks. Is there any gotcha's that I need to be aware of before I get in there?

 

Are there any wear items in the strut that may need to be swapped out so I can get them here in advance of the job?

Posted

Is there a torque spec for the shock mount? Particularly the rears.

 

I've got a terrible creak coming from my rear ranchos whenever they get even remotely wet. Sounds like a 20 year old beater. Figure just upgrade them rather than try to get the dealership (who already can't replicate) to replace with one.

Posted

Just got an email back from Bilstein saying the 6112s will net 1.85" of lift. Folks are getting more than that from 5100s, right?

Appears to be the same as the 5100's. I got about 1 -7/8" out of my 5100's. Wish it was a tad more so when I get tone I'm adding the RC 1/2" spacer I the top.. Especially now that I got rid of the stock black in the back and put in a 3" block. I tow and haul every day so this got rid of the say and gives me the illusion that I have a 2500 HD.

 

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Posted

 

Excellent review. We suspect is was the spacer, as the leveling spacers limit the already limited travel these trucks have from the factory. The 5100 is a superior shock to the 4600 in ride quality as well.

So are you saying that the 5100 is a superior shock over the 4600 on a totally stock 2016 sierra CC Z71?

  • Like 1
Posted

Just ordered my 5100 rears. Finally getting rid of the Ranchos after 98k miles!

Will do fronts soon after.

  • Like 1
Posted

Are there any advantages/disadvantages to a level "kit" spacer, etc vs the bilstein 5100's set to middle or max height? Im thinking about getting the 5100's as an overall upgrade to my stock black shocks. I've had them on other vehicles and always loved how they ride.

Posted

What are the adjustment levels on the 5100s for a 16 sierra. Thinking of adding some to my zone 6.5. Would like around half an inch of lift

 

Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

Posted

Getting ready to go out in the garage and take the front shocks off so I can get a shop to remove the springs for me tomorrow. Also going to install new alignment pins for the ones that are jacked up.

 

woo hoo!

 

Hopefully this goes well and I get it done at a reasonable hour.

Posted

5100's not cutting it?

They're working great, for a direct replacement using stock springs they are light years better than Ranchos. The 6112 should be awesome. The Toyota guys love them and say they're comparable to KINGS/ICONS

 

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

Posted

Getting ready to go out in the garage and take the front shocks off so I can get a shop to remove the springs for me tomorrow. Also going to install new alignment pins for the ones that are jacked up.

 

woo hoo!

 

Hopefully this goes well and I get it done at a reasonable hour.

 

 

Got the front factory coil overs off last night in about an hour. Did not need to loosen the sway bar. I also installed new pins so the alignment cams can do their job. Took the bilsteins and the old stuff to a local shop and had them install the bilsteins this morning. Got an alignment at the dealer and the truck seems to be better now. The factory black shocks are in the trash and gone.

Posted

...the truck seems to bounce or "skitter" over bumps. It did this with the Rancho's as well... Has anyone else noticed this and have recommendations? Or am I expecting too much?

I had the same "skittering" experience with my first Sierra All Terrain with Ranchos. It caught me by surprise one day while driving on a paved road that transitioned into a dirt road. As I approached the transition I didn't think much of it. I figured it was the type of road my All Terrain was built for. I was wrong. My tail hopped and swung all over the place and I felt like I was in a paint shaker.

 

I chose Monroe Reflex shocks for the rear of my current All Terrain and Bilstein 5100 on the second highest setting for the front. So far I'm quite happy

 

I drove on a dirt road today that was not well kept. I avoided the big holes and ruts as much as I could but inevitably I still drove over a lot of them. The truck handled much better. It was planted, no skittering all around. When it hit bigger holes, it dipped and returned to level driving. No harsh impact and no tail end temper tantrum. It didn't even wake up my 2 year old who was asleep in her car seat.

 

My current tires are also bigger than the stock ones on my previous All Terrain. Same rims but now I'm running 275/65R20 STT Pros which are 34.5" in diameter. I'm sure they contributed a lot to the improved ride and handling.

 

The Monroe Reflex shocks are $50 each. I say give them a try and if you like them, you can probably sell the rear Bilsteins and come out close to even.

Posted

I already have the fronts installed at the highest setting and tomorrow the rears should be here (5100). Hoping that they provide less bounce when pulling my trailer empty.

 

heres my truck actually clean for a change. 275/60r20

psUCCbe.jpg

  • Like 2

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • I had skimmed through that article when you posted the link and honestly I felt rather defeated in a sense and realized that all these years in changing oil that in fact putting in what I was told was a good quality oil was probably not filtered as well as it should be although the filter put on the engine would be what ( as long as it never went into bypass mode ) would be the final filtering of the new oil that the engine components would first see, but then the filtering media itself is not up to par to what is ideal because a full flow filter would be too restrictive to filter fine enough for the engines best outcome in the long run. Only one of our tractors over the years which was a Versatile with a 855 Cummins had a separate bypass filter, some engine manufacturers did spec a partial bypass system within the main oil filter but I don't believe any other trucks or equipment I was servicing used such a filter. No doubt a product like the Amsoil bypass system is of benefit as long as nothing goes sideways with the extra plumbing and filter such as a rupture/leak that could cause the oil to pump out of the engine ( yes that Versatile had a remote canister with hoses routed to it as well ). With the idiot egr system on a diesel and as a result forcing a lot more soot into the oil, that certainly isn't helping the diesel engines cause or as you pointed out the GDI engine issue with creating more soot and aside from having a fancy secondary filtering system, changing the oil more often helping lower the total soot load.     So oil manufacturing and the end product is not something one can control and I wonder if there are specs on what various oil packaging companies produce in particle count or size. As to the filtering, if the OEM is not designing a filter size and spec that is really what it could be, they too are short changing the end user and so what is the answer. Of course as you say the oil side can only do so much if the air side isn't keeping up its end of the picture and air filters are only so efficient and if in a dusty environment such as farm or construction or driving gravel roads there is a lot of dirt to filter out and some of that ends up into the air stream.    Of course the irony in places like where I am where they dump the salt on the highways but also will mix in some calcium or outright pure calcium for problem road area's, or using calcium as dust control on gravel roads, the vehicle that gets used in that environment may rust out before a properly engineered engine and maintenance finally wears out so one has to face that reality in the rust belt. 
    • Has anyone run these on their 2500?
    • have you stuck with dealer oil changes since then? I made the same switch after getting tired of crawling around under the truck, but I’ve found some dealers are way better than others about getting you in quickly. Curious if yours has been good about scheduling or if you’ve had to look elsewhere for quicker turnaround.
    • Thank you.   I am set on a 3.0 Duramax as my previous truck with a Ford Ecoboost had just as many, if not more, "common" issues.  Cam phasers, timing chain issues, 10-speed valve body and CDF drum, emissions issues, etc.  So I figured, why not get 2x the fuel mileage (these things got 27+mpg on every mixed city/highway test drive I put them through) and better towing capability with resale value to boot?   My minimum, shortest trip will be 50 miles 1-way and I regularly go out of state with a travel trailer.  I'm planning on using this for a marketing/event promotion business also, which would require regular towing of trailers for bands, DJs, sound and lighting gear, along with my personal camera gear for filming events.   Looked at other trucks in the $30k+ price range but the issues seem to be everywhere, plus too many with gaudy mods.  I'm literally sticking with RWD trucks because they tend to be actually used as trucks, vs. the 4x4 models I've seen with unsafe lifts, huge tires, and general mods that would affect reliability (I'm wondering if some of them were tuned, hence the aggressive throttle response and hard shifting).   So my goal is to find a stock, 3.0 with 1 or 2 owners, in good physical condition, and decently well maintained.  Can't seem to find that up here, everything in the $27-30k range has had multiple owners, smoke smell, issues, or body damage.  Or the ridiculously modified trucks with 80k miles for under $27k but lots of problems...
    • That’s pretty tough Grumpy. I reread the previous few posts. They all reference oil changes. Much like your last thread. In my humble opinion it keeps things interesting.
  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...