2021 Trail Boss Rear Suspension Mod?

Eric A 4444 · December 10, 2020

Just bought a 2021 Custom Trail Boss Crew Cab 4x4. After a few trim add-ons (bed liner, custom seat covers, etc.), I’ve been quite happy with the truck, with one exception. I work in an area of West Texas and SE New Mexico on lease roads made of kaliche rock, akin to concrete. As the surface wears, it becomes the equivalent of driving over an aged parking lot with deep holes, large chunks of hard cement and very hard ripple/washboards. The front end suspension is serviceable, but with the light bed and stiff rear Ranchos, the back of the truck is taking a literal beating. Enough so that the rear doors are getting slack and starting to ‘clank’ after only 4,000 miles on the truck. Is there an after-market mod, such as air kits, that will smooth out the ride? GM says there are no mods for this edition as this edition was the mod. I’m not expecting Baja level performance and understand good shocks need to be stiff to keep the tires planted... but anything that will keep the truck suspension from sounding like it’s 15 years old at the 12 month mark is a must. There will be little other than misc small supplies kept in the bed so load weight is not an issue. We run trucks solely for ground clearance concerns due to the depth of the potholes. Any help appreciated.

Justin Vaughn · December 10, 2020

1. Ranchos aren't the best, you might try swapping them for bilstiens, many report ride improvement in the back...ranchos are pretty soft.

2. You could throw a 150lb of sand bags in the bed at the back...might keep it more planter if that's the problem.

calgator73 · December 10, 2020

8 hours ago, Eric A 4444 said:

Just bought a 2021 Custom Trail Boss Crew Cab 4x4. After a few trim add-ons (bed liner, custom seat covers, etc.), I’ve been quite happy with the truck, with one exception. I work in an area of West Texas and SE New Mexico on lease roads made of kaliche rock, akin to concrete. As the surface wears, it becomes the equivalent of driving over an aged parking lot with deep holes, large chunks of hard cement and very hard ripple/washboards. The front end suspension is serviceable, but with the light bed and stiff rear Ranchos, the back of the truck is taking a literal beating. Enough so that the rear doors are getting slack and starting to ‘clank’ after only 4,000 miles on the truck. Is there an after-market mod, such as air kits, that will smooth out the ride? GM says there are no mods for this edition as this edition was the mod. I’m not expecting Baja level performance and understand good shocks need to be stiff to keep the tires planted... but anything that will keep the truck suspension from sounding like it’s 15 years old at the 12 month mark is a must. There will be little other than misc small supplies kept in the bed so load weight is not an issue. We run trucks solely for ground clearance concerns due to the depth of the potholes. Any help appreciated.

I have an at4 And I always thought that the compression valving was fairly soft I like it much better than a regular Sierra or Silverado.

Is it possible you're actually bottoming out or running out of travel and maybe you are mistaking that for hard shocks?

I found some shocks for this truck that are supposed to offer an extremely soft compression valving with really strong rebound I will try to find those again and post here. Another suggestion might be decreasing your tire pressures on the front and or rear if you are happy with the front end.

ullose272 · December 10, 2020

Shocks will likely help, also deaver makes a leaf pack that is supposed to better

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AJMBLAZER · December 10, 2020

You’re past the world of the OEM parts.

Time for aftermarket and custom.

Better rear shocks will help a lot. A better spring pack like the Deavers would be good. Also look at air bump stops or maybe poly bumps like Timbrens or Sumo’s to cushion the impacts.