Stiff suspention - 2017 silverado 1500 single cab z71

[Silver16]

Contact Deaver spring about some softer rear leaves. Change the dang front Z71 shocks

Deaver are the best ever. Had my Ford springs recurved, leaf added and installed. Had leafs in the front too.

[Grumpy Bear]

Its not a car its a truck.

 

Being a truck is not an automatic ticket to a crappy out of control ride. These trucks are not firm. They are not rough. They are HARSH. A lack of proper engineering inhibited by bean counters. We start with a $20 shock on a $40K + truck and go down hill from there.

 

Replacing the 'helper' spring with a Deaver Mini pack wont help. Neither will removing the second leaf. The problem isn't the last inch of travel. Isn't the middle inch and a half inches. It's the initial two inches after the tires absorb the small stuff (if their not 20" +). That first leaf; it isn't too firm. The entire pack lacks progression of rate. More that fifty percent of the leafs load is used in the first third of it's travel. Not even a thousand dollar shock can be dialed in with enough dampening to absorb the rebound. Up front the springs are straight rate and the shocks are just as bad as out back. The springs unload like a Mike Tyson punch. Just swapping to Bilstien, Gabriel or even Fox wont do much but embarrass and disapoint you.

 

The fix isn't cheap. Start with 17" rims then add $800 in a Deaver progressive spring pack. $2200 minimum in custom valved King Shocks. $400+ in Sulastic hangers. $3500 plus install and alignment. Get rid of the 3.5 degrees of caster an go closer to the minimum. When not towing run 2 or 3 psig less air. My springs are done with a two inch drop.

 

Rode in a 2500 Ford set up like this. Before and after. Is it a Buick Roadmaster? Nope, but its not a Mack dump truck either. More like a Camaro. Firm but comfortable and in control. Something the factory issue is not. My wallet is empty but my fillings are in tact and so are all the screws in the dash and door panels. Come to think of it. It's more comfortable than my Buick. It's doesn't wallow.

[shorttruck]

I have a 2017 RCSB 4.3 also and can confirm that the stock ride is so jarring it lead me to these forums in search of solutions. When I went to the landfill with 900 lbs of junk metal it actually rode pretty good. Thanks for your help Grumpy!

[Grumpy Bear]

I have a 2017 RCSB 4.3 also and can confirm that the stock ride is so jarring it lead me to these forums in search of solutions. When I went to the landfill with 900 lbs of junk metal it actually rode pretty good. Thanks for your help Grumpy!

 

Talk to Ben at Filthy Motorsports in Boulder Colorado.

[redwngr]

Get rid of the 20's.

Agree.

 

I bought a set of 18" GM takeoffs to use with winter tires and keep the 20's out of the salt. I was amazed at the improvement in the ride.

 

More sidewall flex due to the taller sidewall. (since the tire sizes are all the ame outside diameter)