Jump to content

Silverado 1500 bumpy ride

Roberto Munoz
 Share

Recommended Posts

Roberto Munoz New Member

Roberto Munoz

Posted
Posted

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? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

silveradosid Senior Enthusiast

silveradosid

Posted
Posted

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.

  • Like 1
romeactual Enthusiast

romeactual

Posted
Posted

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.

  • Like 2
It's Tim Senior Enthusiast

It's Tim

Posted
Posted
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.

  • Thanks 1
asilverblazer Senior Enthusiast

asilverblazer

Posted
Posted
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.

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Grumpy Bear Senior Enthusiast

Grumpy Bear

Posted
Posted
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.....:P 

 

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. 

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Amcguy1970 Enthusiast

Amcguy1970

Posted
Posted (edited)
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 by Amcguy1970
  • Like 3
Method2Madness Enthusiast

Method2Madness

Posted
Posted

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 Enthusiast

Jus Cruisin

Posted
Posted

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 Enthusiast

luke1333

Posted
Posted
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

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Forum Statistics

    250.5k
    Total Topics
    2.7m
    Total Posts

  • Member Statistics

    342,962
    Total Members
    8,960
    Most Online
    contrabombarde
    Newest Member
    contrabombarde
    Joined

  • Who's Online   2 Members, 0 Anonymous, 1,121 Guests (See full list)

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • jgaudet99
      Tire psi

      By jgaudet99 · Posted

      Thanks for all the help so far!   I did try right from 2026 right down to 2021, and only from 2023 down lets me select the option for tire psi change, but I get the vehicle not supported error!   I'll definitely try it under Chevrolet after work today, and I'll get the sensor number from gm for my truck tire sensors. And I'll let you know if it works for me under Chevrolet!   And if that doesn't work, I'm going to guess that what @Atlas said about maybe I have a different body control module could be true!  
    • Jsdirt
      2010 Avalanche 5.3 not running correctly after engine swap.

      By Jsdirt · Posted

      From where I'm sitting this sounds like a compatibility problem. I'm assuming the 2007 was a 900-series truck, and not an 800-series (they were sold side-by-side in dealerships that model year), since it starts and runs.   This is why I HATE post-2006 vehicles. Everything becomes a huge problem when you try to keep the thing running for longer than the manufacturer has designed it to.    I can't remember when Global-A architecture started - either '10 or '11. For your sake, you had better hope it's '11, or you're going to be spending some BIG money to correct this cluster-eff. That's something you need to find out before doing anything else. You may have several computers bricked ... but the fact that it runs tells me you MIGHT be ok here.     EDIT: Just did a quick refresher. You're screwed. This is Global-A. The 2 systems are NOT compatible in the slightest. Once you get the correct engine in there that IS compatible, you're going to need to see how many computers are locked. Absolute NIGHTMARE to straighten out, too. Your buddy might be better off cutting his losses and finding something else.   Welcome to post-2006 vehicle electronics. This is why I quit the industry, and drive nothing built after 1994. This stuff takes all the fun out of wrenching!  
    • bwiese
      Show Us Your 2019 & Up T1 Pictures !

      By bwiese · Posted

      Recently acquired new 2026 Silv. 1500 WT  - L3B + 4WD,  std cab + std bed, in (duh!) Sierra White. Upgrades: replaced 'steelies' w/  Vision "Flow" black alloys,  17x8.5"; HDX nerf bar w/steps (black powdercoat); Weatherguard large/deep alloy saddle toolbox; Michelin fitted bedmat (sale, perfect fit) Weathertech door sill guards TBD: rear wheebox liners 4x black fender arch trim - searching for best  (Putco: chrome only; not looking for flares either!) -Bill    
    • Chuck FB
      Tire psi

      By Chuck FB · Posted

      True, hard to say what differences there may or may not be between Chev and GM as well as a production year or mid year part change either.    I just found it odd that under the Sierra choice on the Autel that many of the last few years of production year did not include the choice of changing the tire pressure but if that is an Autel thing or a GM thing as to why the choices were not there. Knowing what tpms sensors are on the truck should give some guidance into which choices on the tool even make sense to try as I wouldn't give up just yet with the tool but I guess he will see what if anything he comes up with if he finds out a bit more info and tries a few more things on the Autel. 
    • davester
      Needing this part.

      By davester · Posted

      I'm sure if you went to a junkyard where you go in and pull the part off the truck yourself, not a used part place where they do it for you, you can get that part on it's own.  Depending on if and what else you would be buying, and time of day, they might even just skip over adding it as a item to the bill.

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...