1 load gravel 1 Rick firewood and my ride quality has suffered

Eddie 70 · December 10, 2015

bilstein shocks are 100% worth it. $160 bucks + 30 minutes of labor (4 bolts) for the rear and you'll have a better than Cadillac ride, if you thought the stock shocks were good.

$160 for all four or just fronts or just rears?

Huetatos · December 11, 2015

$160 for all four or just fronts or just rears?

He said for the rear so I'm assuming just the rear. Don't know where you can buy them though.

Imcrazy · December 11, 2015

That amount of weight should not be a problem. I have had around 2000 in the bed of my 1500.

muddkatt · December 11, 2015

$160 for all four or just fronts or just rears?

That would be just the rears....Rockauto has them at that price.

Gofas · December 11, 2015

Noticing they are on back order.

Talking with 4wheelparts and my Chevy dealer and they both said bilsteins on back order. I'm Tempted to get rears if available on the net.

ic3man5 · December 11, 2015

Bought mine at summitracing.com. Rears came pretty much next day and the fronts are on backorder until 1/8. Little bit more expensive than some other places but I like summitracing and the shipping speed (its right next to me) is worth it.

rear:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/bsn-33-238319

front:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/bsn-24-238304

Gofas · December 11, 2015

Thanks ic3mam5 for the links.

I met a fellow today that's a suspension specialist. And he says unfortunately I'll comprise the ride. He seems to think that if I occasionally use it for heavy loads the ride quality will only get worse.

He says in my situation, he recomends rancho 9000 rs with in cab adjuster and air bags.

So when with family and want cushy ride adjust shock to soft and then for the occasional hauling set to firm plus have air bag etc. And he went on to say use 10 ply tire.

Any changes will have to wait til Chevy looks it.

Seems like a lot to do just to haul on occasion.

muddkatt · December 12, 2015

I don't know what type of ride you like so its impossible for me (or anyone else) to advise you on what would be best. I prefer the sports car type of ride over the luxury car ride. The Mrs. is just the opposite. I have the Bilsteins on my 2001 GMC and they have been great in my opinion. That truck came with the Z85 package which is a firm ride to begin with. Once the shocks wore out I replaced them with the Bilsteins. If you are looking for a soft smooth ride, maybe someone else can point you towards another shock.

As for the Rancho's, I can't help with that shock, but I did have a set of both 5000 series and 7000 series and they were both pretty rough riding in my Jeep CJ-7. I will say that Rancho would not be my shock of choice on any vehicle after having 2 sets of them. Rancho does offer a 90 day free ride program, but I don't know anything about it.

ic3man5 · December 12, 2015

Thanks ic3mam5 for the links.

I met a fellow today that's a suspension specialist. And he says unfortunately I'll comprise the ride. He seems to think that if I occasionally use it for heavy loads the ride quality will only get worse.

He says in my situation, he recomends rancho 9000 rs with in cab adjuster and air bags.

So when with family and want cushy ride adjust shock to soft and then for the occasional hauling set to firm plus have air bag etc. And he went on to say use 10 ply tire.

Any changes will have to wait til Chevy looks it.

Seems like a lot to do just to haul on occasion.

That sounds like a lot of money to spend for something you do occasionally, is it the best option if money isn't a concern? Yes. Would I pay the money for it? No. Why? Maintenance costs on airbag suspension IMO are not worth it.

If you are really that concerned on destroying shocks it might be worth it to look into these (I never have actually used them): http://www.monroe.com/en-US/catalog/e-Catalog/58654

I had Monroe shocks (not the ones I linked - just standard ones) in my 04 RAM and loaded it down to the point where the suspension was bottoming out and the shocks held up (People flashed their brights at me like crazy because It was pointing the headlights so high up in the air). IMO any after market shock should hold up to occasional heavy loads. I can also let you know the OEM shocks are absolute trash, I could feel the gas/fluid in the shock Crystallizing/Freezing at 32F.

If you are really that concerned with it, just add another leaf to the suspension to emulate a 2500 and get a decent aftermarket shock to bring it back to a 1500 ride quality.

ic3man5 · December 12, 2015

I absolutely DO NOT recommend 10 PLY tires, you will hate yourself and your truck.

Here is some math on my truck:

Bridgestone DUELER A/T RH-S P265/65R18 112S max load: 2,469lbs

Curb Weight of my truck: 5,216lbs

Load on each tire: 1,304lbs

Extra room on each tire: 1,165lbs

Tire Towing capacity on the rear axle including the truck: 2,330lbs

Tire Towing capacity on the rear axle not including the truck: 4,938lbs

Ideally your truck is a half ton (1500) so its rated to add another 1,000 pounds to the curb weight. But if you look at the actual payload on your truck its rated for 1,896 to 2,133 lbs.

So 5216+2133 (curb + max payload) = 7,349 / 4 = 1837.25 leaving you with 492.75 pounds of leg room on each tire (or ~80% load capacity).

All this math assumes you are running the tire's recommended tire pressure and the rear the of the truck weights the same as the front of the truck. Also doesn't account for how many pieces of cake you consumed before getting in your vehicle. Any mistakes above can be blamed on my buzz and tiredness; Hope this helps.

Gofas · December 12, 2015

This is great conversation for me. I'm taking all this in to consideration. It's been awhile since I studied such. I Like the idea of add a leaf and The bilsteins' seems plausible for my situation.

I never bought such heavy duty tires (E)on my other trucks in the past And overwhelmingly, people perfer the bilsteins. And see that they are mixed reviews on ranchos. Liked the idea of adjustment of dampener,load the with rancho. But don't believe shocks support loads. The leafs do.

Shocks themselves are not expensive to me but the labor can add up.

I will have to see which suspension pkg I have.

Thanks again yall

This weekend I'll be with family making the Christmas rounds. We will see if she notices the difference in the ride. Ho Ho Ho!

Dustpan86 · December 16, 2015

I have hauled three dirt bikes and other stuff in the bed while towing a trailer, I have even pulled a trailer close to 10K and haven't suffered any lose in ride quality I think something else is going on

ember1205 · December 16, 2015

I have hauled three dirt bikes and other stuff in the bed while towing a trailer, I have even pulled a trailer close to 10K and haven't suffered any lose in ride quality I think something else is going on

Yeah. Overloading. A "rick" of firewood is a standard cord. Fully seasoned hardwoods typically weigh around 3000 lbs per cord.