Sierra Dan Posted May 16, 2019 Posted May 16, 2019 3 hours ago, REDOO2000 said: I think these shit shocks definitely have something to do with it As I suspected...….. Too many members here give them credit where actually NO credit should be due. I recommend the Bilstein 4600s or 5100s. Same internal valving. One is yellow, one is silver and allows up to 2" of lift (1.85 in front to be exact) The rears can be replaced in about 20 minutes with two wrenches. I can assure you will notice a huge improvement and no more skipping around.
Sierra Dan Posted May 16, 2019 Posted May 16, 2019 Here is a 145 page thread on the Bilstein upgrade. For now just read page 145 and see how just 2 members on this page alone rated the difference over the factory Rancho...….
Madcow2020 Posted May 16, 2019 Posted May 16, 2019 Bad shocks and high tire pressure equal bad ride. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
spenpet Posted May 17, 2019 Posted May 17, 2019 23 hours ago, Sierra Dan said: As I suspected...….. Too many members here give them credit where actually NO credit should be due. I recommend the Bilstein 4600s or 5100s. Same internal valving. One is yellow, one is silver and allows up to 2" of lift (1.85 in front to be exact) The rears can be replaced in about 20 minutes with two wrenches. I can assure you will notice a huge improvement and no more skipping around. question for you...I currently have a RC level kit in front, factory rear...if i were to switch to bilstiens, could i just leave the level in place and replace the ranchos with the yellow 4600 bilsteins?
Sierra Dan Posted May 17, 2019 Posted May 17, 2019 Pete, the answer is Yes. You can also replace the Ranchos with 5100s and keep them on the bottom snap ring or "0 inches" of lift. The 4600 and 5100s are the same internally. I would install 5100s if you prefer the looks of the silver metal appearance with a black boot over the yellow body with blue boot of the 4600. Cost wise there isn't much difference between the two. I went with 5100s because the silver and black matched my black sierra better than yellow and blue 1
spenpet Posted May 20, 2019 Posted May 20, 2019 On 5/17/2019 at 8:01 AM, Sierra Dan said: Pete, the answer is Yes. You can also replace the Ranchos with 5100s and keep them on the bottom snap ring or "0 inches" of lift. The 4600 and 5100s are the same internally. I would install 5100s if you prefer the looks of the silver metal appearance with a black boot over the yellow body with blue boot of the 4600. Cost wise there isn't much difference between the two. I went with 5100s because the silver and black matched my black sierra better than yellow and blue ah, gotcha! I thought the 5100's were noticably more expensive...maybe a silly question, but is the .15 inch difference (1.85" lift on the 5100) noticeable compared to a full 2" level?
BringTheRain403 Posted May 20, 2019 Posted May 20, 2019 Could be wrong but the longer shocks aren't going to give you a lift all on their own. They are probably just compatible with more lift than the other shocks...Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
Sierra Dan Posted May 20, 2019 Posted May 20, 2019 28 minutes ago, spenpet said: ah, gotcha! I thought the 5100's were noticably more expensive...maybe a silly question, but is the .15 inch difference (1.85" lift on the 5100) noticeable compared to a full 2" level? Yes, i would suspect that a true 2" lift, i.e. spacer top or bottom would be noticeable higher by about a quarter inch or so over the Bilstein 5100s 1.85" of lift at top setting. In my instance i have a bit of rake left which i prefer. All trucks are different. New, old etc. so there are variables when it comes to where they sit from the factory before the lift. Some guys like a hair of rake left after the front "level", some like the front fender top and rear fender top to be in exact alignment. So it is your personal preference.
Sierra Dan Posted May 20, 2019 Posted May 20, 2019 25 minutes ago, BringTheRain403 said: Could be wrong but the longer shocks aren't going to give you a lift all on their own. They are probably just compatible with more lift than the other shocks... Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk True. The longer rod simply allows for more travel when raised that additional 2" max amount. Personally I prefer the newer modern look of the 5100 over the yellow painted 4600. My '94 RCSB Silverado Z71 came from the factory with Bilstein 4600s. The yellow and blue fit my truck as it was an indigo blue metallic color. Then again you could re-paint a 4600 whatever color you want to match your truck if you do not want or need the +2" of the 5100.
aseibel Posted May 21, 2019 Posted May 21, 2019 On 5/16/2019 at 5:01 AM, REDOO2000 said: Drove in this morning and truck felt a little better but there was more traffic than usual so I wasn’t going my usual speed. But I definitely feel the tires popping up and down when i hit the storm grates on the highway. I think these shit shocks definitely have something to do with it I’ll lower the pressure some more and see what happens tomorrow so what is the verdict now that you have had a couple days with the lower air pressure?
REDOO2000 Posted May 21, 2019 Author Posted May 21, 2019 Still bouncing around My thoughts are the shocksSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
aseibel Posted May 21, 2019 Posted May 21, 2019 35 minutes ago, REDOO2000 said: Still bouncing around My thoughts are the shocks did you confirm that your winter tires perform the same way? that would remove all doubt.
REDOO2000 Posted May 21, 2019 Author Posted May 21, 2019 No I haven’t had time yetSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
REDOO2000 Posted June 14, 2019 Author Posted June 14, 2019 I will be putting my winter rims and tires on this weekend. This morning going over 2 metal plates on a bridge that there repairing my truck fishtailed so bad I almost hit the car next to me and the center cement divider. It was bad. I’ll be driving into work Monday and see how it feels Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
16LT4 Posted June 14, 2019 Posted June 14, 2019 Your back end is most likely fishtailing because the contact patch of the outboard tire is being reduced from the tire leaving the road for milliseconds, which is classic for bad shocks. Tires only work when they're touching the ground. Did you inspect the shocks for oil leakage? My stock '17 Z71 did the exact same thing where my lifted F150 on Billsteins did it less, and my '16 Silverado non-Z-71 doesn't do it at all, all on the exact same broken pavement on a turn. Both Chevies were/are on factory tires, factory shocks, with the '16 having 73k on factory shocks, where as the Z-71 did it with under 100 miles on the truck. You've stated repeatedly that your larger tires, at that pressure, were run for the past 2 summers without issue. This points to it NOT being a tire problem. Switching back to winter tires will not be the smoking gun for the tires because you there are more variables at play: tire AND pressure. If IIRC, your winter set is simply the stock set, which will hide bad shocks better than larger, higher PSI tires. Said another way, you're noticing the issue now as your summer tires exacerbate the issue, rather than cause the issue. Their wear/condition didn't change while in storage, however your shocks survived another Long Island winter and accumulated wear accordingly. Cold temperatures, large temperature swings, and the abuse from erupted LIE potholes all contributed to accelerating shock wear. I bent a wheel in my Jetta last winter from an unseen pothole near the Sag for the first time in my life.
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