Rear Shocks

[Hesster]

I pulled the trigger and purchased my lease on a 2020 Sierra SLT, given a new lease is ridiculously expensive.  But - the ride sucks unless it is loaded up.  Looking for a high quality Rear Shock replacement recommendation?

[TNTSierra]

Bilstein 5100s.  
 

my mother is buying her 2018 Buick Enclave out next Saturday. The dealership has to honor her old depreciation value. So she is buying it for $11k under what it books for now, instead of getting something else that is out of control in pricing.  It only has 36k on it. 
 

good luck. 

[richard wysong]

I posted about this problem with a 22 a few months ago and the conclusion of the forum was to put some weight in it as its the springs not the shocks causing the ride quality.if you do change the shocks and get noticeable improvement please post with what you used as replacements

[Hesster]

2 hours ago, richard wysong said:

I posted about this problem with a 22 a few months ago and the conclusion of the forum was to put some weight in it as its the springs not the shocks causing the ride quality.if you do change the shocks and get noticeable improvement please post with what you used as replacements

That is some great input.  So maybe it is a Spring/Shock tuning thing, as I imagine the GM developers tuned the ride with a load, so there is a trade off.  It does have selective ride (3 position knob), and I find ironically it rides better on the "Off Road" harshest setting. But that only controls the Front Shocks, the rear are conventional.  Go figure.  I know my last truck had "Rancho" shocks, but I would think they are harsher than the one's I now have.  I do still have a "Water Bladder" from my 1st 2wd Truck I owned.  Maybe put that in, but then it compromises the use of the Bed.

[TxTruckMan]

1 hour ago, Hesster said:

That is some great input.  So maybe it is a Spring/Shock tuning thing, as I imagine the GM developers tuned the ride with a load, so there is a trade off.  It does have selective ride (3 position knob), and I find ironically it rides better on the "Off Road" harshest setting. But that only controls the Front Shocks, the rear are conventional.  Go figure.  I know my last truck had "Rancho" shocks, but I would think they are harsher than the one's I now have.  I do still have a "Water Bladder" from my 1st 2wd Truck I owned.  Maybe put that in, but then it compromises the use of the Bed.

Your truck does not have any suspension adjustments at all.  That knob only controls traction control and throttle response.  Just put a few pounds in the back of the bed and your ride will settle down substantially.  Trucks are designed to carry heavy loads.  It's hard to make a truck that rides smooth in an unloaded condition without sacrificing loaded performance.

[richard wysong]

get a piece of steel plate , that way it doesn't interfere with any cargo you need to carry

[Hesster]

18 hours ago, TxTruckMan said:

Your truck does not have any suspension adjustments at all.  That knob only controls traction control and throttle response.  Just put a few pounds in the back of the bed and your ride will settle down substantially.  Trucks are designed to carry heavy loads.  It's hard to make a truck that rides smooth in an unloaded condition without sacrificing loaded performance.

I think it does have suspension adjustments, as a cable runs to the front shocks.  And this:

CONTINUOUS DAMPING ADAPTIVE RIDE CONTROL The system monitors input from both the road and the truck in real time to help deliver a smooth ride. Every 2 milliseconds, active dampers continuously adjust both rebound and compression forces to counter heave, pitch and body roll. Stiffness rates also change when Sport mode is selected, or automatically when it senses heavy trailering or large payloads.

[Anon12345]

21 hours ago, Hesster said:

That is some great input.  So maybe it is a Spring/Shock tuning thing, as I imagine the GM developers tuned the ride with a load, so there is a trade off.  It does have selective ride (3 position knob), and I find ironically it rides better on the "Off Road" harshest setting. But that only controls the Front Shocks, the rear are conventional.  Go figure.  I know my last truck had "Rancho" shocks, but I would think they are harsher than the one's I now have.  I do still have a "Water Bladder" from my 1st 2wd Truck I owned.  Maybe put that in, but then it compromises the use of the Bed.

Rancho's are my favorite shocks. They give the best ride, and they give great flex for off road, too.  People always suggest "bilstein" and others and ive tried those, they make the ride harsh and you feel every bump in the road. Ranchos have always made my vehicles Cadillac smooth, and seem to always last the longest.  

[Hesster]

3 minutes ago, Anon12345 said:

Rancho's are my favorite shocks. They give the best ride, and they give great flex for off road, too.  People always suggest "bilstein" and others and ive tried those, they make the ride harsh and you feel every bump in the road. Ranchos have always made my vehicles Cadillac smooth, and seem to always last the longest.  

You may be right on that.  My last GMC had the Rancho shock option and it rode much better than my current SLT

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/ran-rs55100/make/gmc/model/sierra-1500/submodel/slt/year/2020

[Hesster]

3 minutes ago, Hesster said:

and - 

https://diyautoservice.com/best-shocks-for-gmc-sierra-1500/

Edited March 26, 2022 by Hesster

[Anon12345]

6 minutes ago, Hesster said:

You may be right on that.  My last GMC had the Rancho shock option and it rode much better than my current SLT

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/ran-rs55100/make/gmc/model/sierra-1500/submodel/slt/year/2020

Just buy rancho's and install them and dont look back. Thats how i feel about it, lol. 

[Dirk13]

1 hour ago, Anon12345 said:

Just buy rancho's and install them and dont look back. Thats how i feel about it, lol. 

Oh geez, ranchos are the worst. My experience with Rancho on multiple vehicles is the exact opposite of yours. They ride horrible, rust fast, and blow out in no time. 

 

OP, If you actually truly want Ranchos on your truck, don’t buy them new. Post a want to buy ad, you’ll probably have people lining up to get them out of their garage for cheap. Most replace them pretty quickly.

[richard wysong]

the 22 that has the harsh ride came stock with Ranchos. put some weight in it and call it a day

[Anon12345]

2 minutes ago, richard wysong said:

the 22 that has the harsh ride came stock with Ranchos. put some weight in it and call it a day

My 22 has ranchos and rides so smooth and soft nowhere near harsh like bilsteins are

[richard wysong]

obviously everyone has a different opinion. I like Monroe Reflex. they have variable valving that adjust to road conditions. I agree with truck man on adding weight