Silverado 1500 bumpy ride

Roberto Munoz · January 28, 2023

Just picked up my 2022 Silverado 1500 with z71 package, came with 20in wheels but the highway ride sucks. Had tires balance checked and they are all good. Adjusted tire pressure to 35 on the rear and 31 in the front. Unless the road is perfectly smooth, it feels like the rear is a bit bouncy. I've been reading on how replacing the rear rancho shocks might help. I mainly do highway driving and no offroad. Any recommendations on shock replacement to smooth out the ride?

Transient · January 29, 2023

Bilstein

silveradosid · January 29, 2023

i know GM puts these stupid tires pressure stickers on trucks, but unless you are carrying weight in the box or towing all the time why would have higher pressures in the rear. i run 38psi in the front and 32 in the rear, put more in the rear if i am going to tow.

Grover67 · January 29, 2023

https://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/242034-bilstein-5100s-are-a-huge-upgrade/

Grover67 · January 29, 2023

Grover67 · January 29, 2023

https://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/242034-bilstein-5100s-are-a-huge-upgrade/

romeactual · January 30, 2023

These trucks just seem to ride rough..I installed the 5100 Bilsteins in the rear, and to me, it didn't make a difference. Then you read posts referenced above and guys will say its a huge upgrade. Maybe a huge upgrade if the stock ones are bad, but I didn't notice any ride quality difference. I think a lot of it has to do with tires and rim size. You hop in a new Ram or Ford, and the ride quality is significantly better.

newdude · January 30, 2023

Put 200lbs in the bed. Its a truck. Empty ride is never as soft as a ride with a load.

It's Tim · January 30, 2023

33 minutes ago, romeactual said:

Then you read posts referenced above and guys will say its a huge upgrade.

Just meager attempts to justify the waste of time & needless expense. Newdude is correct about a lil weight in the bed is all that's required.

asilverblazer · January 30, 2023

6 hours ago, romeactual said:

These trucks just seem to ride rough..I installed the 5100 Bilsteins in the rear, and to me, it didn't make a difference. Then you read posts referenced above and guys will say its a huge upgrade.

Upgrading or changing shocks has to be accompanied with a thorough understanding of what the shocks will change to be able to determine if it was worthwhile or not.

The only thing the shock absorber does is limit (i.e. control, slow, dampen - hence the name dampers) the motion of the suspension. The tires and springs will try to bounce the vehicle upwards when a bump is encountered.

The Bilstein shock absorbers are valved slightly more aggressively than factory to more aggressively dampen suspension motions.

This can do two things. An impact from a bump might feel more severe initially because a more aggressive shock absorber won't allow the suspension to compress as much or as quickly. This impact will get transferred to the passenger compartment - you.

Second, there will be less bounces from the same impact. While the initial impact might seem more severe, there will be fewer subsequent bounces, because the shock absorber already limited or slowed the motion.

These two conditions make describing the effects of the shocks confusing. The ride may seem rougher from the impact but also less bouncy at the same time or smoother... Each individual will have different preferences to these two sensations.

Grumpy Bear · January 30, 2023

5 minutes ago, asilverblazer said:

Upgrading or changing shocks has to be accompanied with a thorough understanding of what the shocks will change to be able to determine if it was worthwhile or not.

If I had a dime.....

Adding to @asilverblazer comment. Imagine a spring of infinite rate. Solid. You go over a bump of 1 inch the entire truck rises 1 inch or more if you're running fast enough to loft it. This is kind of what an unloaded truck is. As you can see there isn't a shock that will handle that no matter how it's valved.

A passenger car has a spring stiff enough to suspend the car with the spring compressed half its distance and fitted with a shock absorber whose stroke length is equal to twice the distance from unloaded to sitting pretty plus perhaps an inch to prevent bottoming to topping out. The springs 'range of motion' is an engineering parameter of the design. The amount of dampening the shock provides is enough to handle a bump or drop that is 90% of 1/2 the compression range....at a speed that is equal to the maximum expected in the service it's placed. Got that?

Now you buy a pickup whose 'intended service' is hauling its maximum payload at the maximum posted limit over the county's average road surface. Which these days is about 2K pounds more total spring than the empty pickup needs, drive 10 over the Intestate limit on crap roads. Hence it approaches the 'infinite spring rate' scenario I presented in the first paragraph.

Nutshell, there is not a perfect shock for an over sprung (infinite rate) situation. You can add weight until your (truck is) happy or you can change springs (give up load capacity) until you're happy OR you can drive at a speed (really slow) that allows the tire to do the springs job. But you can't 'valve' your way out of too much spring rate.

I took 20% out of Peppers front end and 15% out of the tail and changed to linear rate shocks AND slowed to 55 from 70 mph to get a 'noticeable' improvement empty. It still leaves me with enough surplus rate to carry a literal half ton. It's enough for me. And it's all I can do without giving up travel. The next softer spring would require 'preload' to keep the shock in the center of travel and the A arm geometry happy. It would improve ride and eliminate about half the roads I travel from my using them.

Amcguy1970 · January 30, 2023

On 1/29/2023 at 11:20 AM, Grover67 said:

https://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/242034-bilstein-5100s-are-a-huge-upgrade/

On 1/29/2023 at 11:21 AM, Grover67 said:

On 1/29/2023 at 11:21 AM, Grover67 said:

https://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/242034-bilstein-5100s-are-a-huge-upgrade/

Since you work for Bilstein can we get your employee discount for buying these?

Seriously, these shocks are A) not a huge upgrade, they are an upgrade but not at all the night and day some make it out to be and B) not a smooth riding shock. Some great input from Rome, Asilver and Grumpy. Too many rose colored glasses reviews with these shocks from people that go in with preconceived ideas; they ride rougher in many cases especially when used in conjunction to lift the truck on smaller bumps and broken pavement.

OP, you bought an off-road truck suspension with large wheels, a soft ride should not be in your vocabulary (smooth to mean means vibrations like an out of balance tire or drive shaft). If you don't use a truck to haul and tow there are tons of better options for vehicles that do everything better than a truck, even off road if you want a smooth nice luxurious ride, trucks aren't that impressive image wise anymore when everyone has one. It is made to haul 2k in the bed and tow a 5 ton trailer, they will compromise the ride as much as needed to get that where it needs to be safely. Short of the air ride in ram the others don't ride a ton better (especially the Ford). Go down in wheel size and to a taller side wall P-rated tire and that is about the best you will get. There may be some shocks that improve the ride a little but not many go that route if it doesn't involve a lift.

Tyler

Edited January 31, 2023 by Amcguy1970

Method2Madness · February 2, 2023

Agree completely. I wasted SO much money putting the 5100s on all 4 corners of my truck only to take them right back off 2 weeks later. Truck rode like a brick on metal wheels. Honestly...it was like having E-Load tires inflated to within a PSI of their life.

If you want a smooth ride, 5100s are NOT for you.

Jus Cruisin · February 2, 2023

I've had a 2019 Ram Limited 4X4 then a 2021 F150 Platinum 4X4 and now a 2023 Denali Ultimate 4X4. The Ram had the best ride with the air suspension. The F150 had the worst (I think the light weight contributed). And the Denali is pretty close to the Ram. I have magnetic ride and it rides really smoothly even with the 22's.

luke1333 · February 3, 2023

On 2/2/2023 at 2:30 PM, Method2Madness said:

Agree completely. I wasted SO much money putting the 5100s on all 4 corners of my truck only to take them right back off 2 weeks later. Truck rode like a brick on metal wheels. Honestly...it was like having E-Load tires inflated to within a PSI of their life.

If you want a smooth ride, 5100s are NOT for you.

5100s here and Michelin LTX for summer wheels and the ride is like butter. 10x better then ranchos and the truck is actually stable over RR tracks or washboard areas. Sounds like your tires and inflation is off.

I am curious what the MultiMatic DSSV ride like though, heard nothing but good things about them