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2019 Silverado RST excessive suspension uptravel


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Hey Everyone,

My silverado, since day 1, has had what I call excessive up-travel. This happens when I drive, on the highway, over a dip in the road. The front end will "bounce" two or three times afterwards. If the dip is excessive, the front end will really travel high, almost giving me the feeling of possibly loosing control. I think I'm going to change the shocks out with a better brand. Anyone else experience this and/or have come up with a fix? Thanks!

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My 2019 does the same thing and I've been going through the forums trying to find similar answers. Some folks recommend the Bilstein shocks for the rear, but I haven't found yet much recommendation for a replacement in the front.

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk

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12 minutes ago, SmoothOpratr67 said:

Hey Everyone,

My silverado, since day 1, has had what I call excessive up-travel. This happens when I drive, on the highway, over a dip in the road. The front end will "bounce" two or three times afterwards. If the dip is excessive, the front end will really travel high, almost giving me the feeling of possibly loosing control. I think I'm going to change the shocks out with a better brand. Anyone else experience this and/or have come up with a fix? Thanks!

I see your from South Dakota. I expect you have a piece of road in mind and I imagine a certain speed. So..how fast are you going when this happens on your favorite dip in the road? 

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Local Ford Dealership, I know right!, helped me to locate on ridefox.com a set of shocks for front/rear at 700. parts only. Performance series 2.0 coil over (front) and smooth body IFP shocks (Rear). Will update once I've made the upgrade.

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Highway 46, from Wagner to Beresford, with one specific area East of Wagner, before Dante. The worst one was after the winter freeze on highway 29 heading north from Beresford towards Sioux Falls. The highway had severe frost heave around the underpasses and my truck was taking me for a hell of a ride!

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3 hours ago, SmoothOpratr67 said:

Speed was 80, posted speed limit. I do not believe I have the Z71 package as this model was packaged as RST, instead (lower profile, wider tires, sportier than offroad).

Okay so you hit a frost heave at 80 mph and nearly lost control. Now I see the problem. 

 

I hit one of those on I-70 on a Harley Super Glide back in the late 70's. Wife on the back and doing about 60 mph. Days of the double nickel. Anyway we were air born for.....ev.......er. This heave was about a foot and a half high and clear across both lanes. Thankfully it was favoring our direction. Sort of like a stadium jump in a monster truck. :) A flat bed semi with a load of steel beat us to it by about 20 seconds. He went air born as well. Snapped the trailer in half. How I stayed on two wheels and missed the debris field I will never know. 

 

It never occurred to me that when the suspension bottomed fully out that there was something wrong with my bike. I suppose because I never thought that it was designed to be a motocross bike.

 

Just say' n. If you want to change shocks....have at but  you still won't be able to drop it off a parking garage.  

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Marty, that is very true that changing the shocks won't allow me to drop it off a bridge. However, my point is, after owning and driving upwards of 25 vehicles, the upward travel on this suspension is excessive. Even when I'm not hitting the frost heaves at 80, the front end still bobs 3-4 times after rolling through a slight dip in the road. Indicative of worn shocks, although I do not believe they are worn, just inadequate. I may be able to upload a video from my ride home to show you what I am describing. 

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58 minutes ago, SmoothOpratr67 said:

Marty, that is very true that changing the shocks won't allow me to drop it off a bridge. However, my point is, after owning and driving upwards of 25 vehicles, the upward travel on this suspension is excessive. Even when I'm not hitting the frost heaves at 80, the front end still bobs 3-4 times after rolling through a slight dip in the road. Indicative of worn shocks, although I do not believe they are worn, just inadequate. I may be able to upload a video from my ride home to show you what I am describing. 

I've personally never seen too much travel. I have seen not enough control and that sounds like what your talking about. That said control is a big topic. 

 

I have no idea if GM changed leverage ratio for your year but it has been 2:1 for quite some time. The shock from full extension to full compression should be about 4" give 8" of wheel travel. With the right spring the weight of the truck should place the shock at or very near mid stroke. The 'right' dampening will allow 90% of full travel over 90% of your road irregularities at 90% of the maximum speed you ever expect to travel. My guess would be that GM didn't have 80 mph over that sort of bump in mind. That said if that is how you drive it then I doubt a factory style replacement would be much better and that you might wish to look at something tune-able. I don't mean 'click' tune-able but re-valve-able. King, Icon, Viking. 

 

Can you do a 'bounce test'? Push down on a corner and release it. It should not bob more than twice. Once is better. IF it bounces but once or twice the shock is fine but the application (valving)  is wrong.

 

If this makes little sense to you call Ben Brazda and Filthy Motorsports in Boulder. It's in his wheelhouse. He's a desert racer and really gets suspension.   He's hard to get hold of so be patient. This is one busy guy. 

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I have an RST with Z71 as well, I've lost control of it several times on straight roads without hitting the brakes or gas. The road has to have certain types of ripples for it to happen. Never happened on other roads. Very frustrating, but when I have the time, I am putting Bilsteins on it.

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Hi Gary, thanks for that information! If you read Marty's comments above, did you end up adjusting the valving on the replacement shocks or was it a remove/replace only? I'm glad you were able to correct it. I've owned several chevy trucks (GM and GMC) and have never experienced this type of control issue before. I do run hard/fast but I have always done that, in every vehicle soooo.

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8 hours ago, Gary Lamborn said:

Eibach Pro-Truck Sport shocks will cure the issue.  My 2019 Z71 had the exact problems as described.  I installed the Eibachs, reusing my stock front springs, and am 100% completely satisfied.  

Thanks, Gary! Could I trouble you to send me which model and/or part number of the shocks you selected for front/rear? Thanks a bunch!!!

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