Shock Upgrade Options - 23 3500 Z71

[PBNB]

Hello All,

 

I am looking at some options for shocks to improve the bouncing that we experienced on the highways during our last trip. It seems that the rebound of the Ranchos is not the greatest and the truck felt airborne several times. We have the Z71 package for what it's worth. 

 

I have heard good things about Bilsteins but looking for feedback on ways to improve the ride.

[ShotgunZ71]

Get you some real Rancho shocks and try those. Much different than the GM spec-built Rancho shocks that come from factory. Last truck I put on the Rancho 9000XL shocks. They are adjustable, but the 5000 and 7000 series are good as well.

[Chadw90]

Bilstein 5100’s on my last two Duramax trucks(2017 silverado 2500 & 2023 sierra at4 2500). Night and day difference. Much more planted feeling. No dancing on washboard and no hopping on the highway. 

[PBNB]

Thanks, I will look at the Ranchos 9000 and the Bilsteins, I was also looking at the Fox 2.5 shocks as it seems there are several good choices out there. I guess the biggest improvement that I am looking for is the rebound control. We hit a few transitions on the highway on our last trip and the truck seemed to float and then crash down on the overloads. 

[Boatinspector]

On 9/5/2025 at 10:41 AM, PBNB said:

Hello All,

 

I am looking at some options for shocks to improve the bouncing that we experienced on the highways during our last trip. It seems that the rebound of the Ranchos is not the greatest and the truck felt airborne several times. We have the Z71 package for what it's worth. 

 

I have heard good things about Bilsteins but looking for feedback on ways to improve the ride.

i just ordered bilstein 5100 adj. ride height stock to 2.5. best upgrade over oem rancho lol. level or stock whatever you want takes out spongy and airborn rides great  my 4 th set not on this truck had them on my other trucks im a fan

[Epsilon Plus]

If your main concern is towing and body float/roll limiting, than 5100s for the price are a good bet. They are stiff as a board and control well. 

 

The downside is that they are stiff as a board. Unloaded driving is harsh and will knock the phone out of your wife's hand running over an ant.

[RyanbabZ71]

16 minutes ago, Epsilon Plus said:

If your main concern is towing and body float/roll limiting, than 5100s for the price are a good bet. They are stiff as a board and control well. 

 

The downside is that they are stiff as a board. Unloaded driving is harsh and will knock the phone out of your wife's hand running over an ant.

 

If you want to talk about stiff/harsh drive a ZL1/1LE, I would call the better shocks on these trucks firm.  

[03blackz71]

I couldn't stand the Ranchos on my 25 Silverado 2500hd.  With only 700 miles on it  I did 2 turns of the torsion bars to get more clearance for the bump stops and I upgraded to Fox 2.0 shocks.    My truck rides and handles much better.   It still rides like a 3/4 ton but bumps are more controlled and less bouncy and harsh.   

 

I also installed a Fox 2.0 steering stabilizer and that helped with the steering feedback.  

[Chuck FB]

1 hour ago, 03blackz71 said:

I couldn't stand the Ranchos on my 25 Silverado 2500hd.  With only 700 miles on it  I did 2 turns of the torsion bars to get more clearance for the bump stops and I upgraded to Fox 2.0 shocks.    My truck rides and handles much better.   It still rides like a 3/4 ton but bumps are more controlled and less bouncy and harsh.   

 

I also installed a Fox 2.0 steering stabilizer and that helped with the steering feedback.  

I was wondering what type of road surface are you on that the handling seemed suspect and improved with the fox shocks, if your truck was leaning in aggressive turns etc. 

 

As to the steering feedback I have not noticed any what I will call a kick back into the steering like on a stutter bump area of loose gravel ( the truck doesn't ride good at all though even with my lowered tire pressures on surfaces like that, even a half ton is crap on this same condition ) but mine is also the High Country and has whatever electronic steering added and I wonder if that is helping control the steering feedback. I've been very pleased with how it steers, the lack of feed back through the steering wheel on bumps and how it steers down the highway and in a high side wind I don't have the steering wheel forcing back at me like some vehicles do. At slower speed in town manoeuvring on pavement in parking lots the steering seems very acceptable in its ease of turning with one hand. I had thought I might feel the need to put on a steering shock before I had bought this truck but after having it so far I can't see it seems to need one as it sort of feels almost like it has one ( but it doesn't ). 

[Epsilon Plus]

I didn't have any steering issues until I went to 37s. After that I got a rapid shake above 60mph 

 

A Cognito PISK and Rancho stabilizer put it better than stock with no bump shimmy or anything. 

 

FYI, Fox and Bilstein stabilizers are gas charged and generally discouraged for this application as they will constantly pull to one side. The Rancho is an oil cushion with no charge. You can pull it out by hand and it will stay in place. Gas charged stabilizers are for dual-opposing set ups on straight axles.

[03blackz71]

21 hours ago, Chuck FB said:

I was wondering what type of road surface are you on that the handling seemed suspect and improved with the fox shocks, if your truck was leaning in aggressive turns etc. 

 

As to the steering feedback I have not noticed any what I will call a kick back into the steering like on a stutter bump area of loose gravel ( the truck doesn't ride good at all though even with my lowered tire pressures on surfaces like that, even a half ton is crap on this same condition ) but mine is also the High Country and has whatever electronic steering added and I wonder if that is helping control the steering feedback. I've been very pleased with how it steers, the lack of feed back through the steering wheel on bumps and how it steers down the highway and in a high side wind I don't have the steering wheel forcing back at me like some vehicles do. At slower speed in town manoeuvring on pavement in parking lots the steering seems very acceptable in its ease of turning with one hand. I had thought I might feel the need to put on a steering shock before I had bought this truck but after having it so far I can't see it seems to need one as it sort of feels almost like it has one ( but it doesn't ). 

 

When my truck would go over a little bigger bumps or dips in the road it would bounce you around.  Seemed like the shocks could not settle the suspension fast enough.   Example I would hit a dip and it would cycle up and down multiple times until it leveled out.  Excessive in my opinion.    The Fox shocks eliminated most of this.  I hit the same dip now and it cycles very few times and levels out right away.  This makes it ride smoother IMO.

 

Also for the steering I have an LT and it has the standard steering.    If I got in ruts in the road it was easy to have the truck drift and the steering seems a little loose.   Also over some roads I could feel the roughness of the road in the steering wheel.     The Fox steering stabillzer fix this for me.

 

Alot of this could be because I came from a 1500 truck and never drove a 2500hd daily before and I notice these differences and want it be closer to the handling of that.

[03blackz71]

8 hours ago, Epsilon Plus said:

I didn't have any steering issues until I went to 37s. After that I got a rapid shake above 60mph 

 

A Cognito PISK and Rancho stabilizer put it better than stock with no bump shimmy or anything. 

 

FYI, Fox and Bilstein stabilizers are gas charged and generally discouraged for this application as they will constantly pull to one side. The Rancho is an oil cushion with no charge. You can pull it out by hand and it will stay in place. Gas charged stabilizers are for dual-opposing set ups on straight axles.

 

I have the kryptonite Fox shock stabilizer kit.    The shock with their kit is designed to be a stabilizer.    It is actually also used on the dodge ram 2500 trucks.    It doesn't have the force to extend like a normal shock does.  It is like the Rancho shock you mentioned.   I have no pull to any side when installed and I can take you hand off the wheel and it drives straight.

 

I stayed away from the Bilstein because of them pulling to one side.

[Chuck FB]

8 hours ago, Epsilon Plus said:

I didn't have any steering issues until I went to 37s. After that I got a rapid shake above 60mph 

 

A Cognito PISK and Rancho stabilizer put it better than stock with no bump shimmy or anything. 

 

FYI, Fox and Bilstein stabilizers are gas charged and generally discouraged for this application as they will constantly pull to one side. The Rancho is an oil cushion with no charge. You can pull it out by hand and it will stay in place. Gas charged stabilizers are for dual-opposing set ups on straight axles.

I have to wonder if the tires are not balancing as well as a smaller tire or its something about the way those tires are constructed, I know its said it can be tougher to get some of the larger tires to run perfect like one would desire. However like you did with the steering shock thankfully took care of that feedback although I suspect its still putting forces on the tie rods and a guess that it will reduce their service life, typical negatives to lifts and larger tires that one has to expect to pay more for in regards to repairs to gain on the other end with added off road performance. 

 

The steering shock made with a biased force in it, I just shake my head at companies that market a single shock mount system along with a steering shock that never should be used in an application like that. I had a 1982 Toyota SR5 short box 4x4 ( who knew they would become so sought after years later ) and I had bought it with very few miles on it and it came with a factory steering shock and I don't know if Toyota intended it to do that or something went wrong with mine as it forced the steering wheel in one direction and being that the truck had no power steering until I installed it after the fact, it was not nice going down the highway with it mile after mile as I certainly could not take my hands off the wheel and that constant force into the steering wheel. I took that shock off promptly and bought an aftermarket steering shock that had no gas in it and that solved the force issue. 

[Chuck FB]

46 minutes ago, 03blackz71 said:

 

When my truck would go over a little bigger bumps or dips in the road it would bounce you around.  Seemed like the shocks could not settle the suspension fast enough.   Example I would hit a dip and it would cycle up and down multiple times until it leveled out.  Excessive in my opinion.    The Fox shocks eliminated most of this.  I hit the same dip now and it cycles very few times and levels out right away.  This makes it ride smoother IMO.

 

Also for the steering I have an LT and it has the standard steering.    If I got in ruts in the road it was easy to have the truck drift and the steering seems a little loose.   Also over some roads I could feel the roughness of the road in the steering wheel.     The Fox steering stabillzer fix this for me.

 

Alot of this could be because I came from a 1500 truck and never drove a 2500hd daily before and I notice these differences and want it be closer to the handling of that.

I see now, just not enough shock control to over power the strength of the suspension when it does compress. So far I have not noticed that on my truck on dips in the road or going over a parking lot speed bump ( mind you at a fairly slow speed ) but I suspect by what has been said of the Rancho's that they will fall off in their performance and turn my truck into a pogo stick as well and that certainly does nothing for handling or ride, or the suspension components if its bouncing around like a basket ball. Also worn shocks ( crap shocks not far out of the gate ) don't do tires any favours either as it can cause damage/wear to tires that are allowed to bounce down the road uncontrollably. 

 

Your steering stabilizer will help protect the steering box and steering shaft from all that constant cycling, actually the other steering parts as well over not having it. Its very possible that my truck could  benefit from a wear standpoint on some steering components to have one, and that the type of steering they put on this model is masking forces to me as the driver but perhaps not as well as I "sense" to the tie rods or even the steering box on the output side, hard to say. But I do believe my running relatively low tire pressures is helping soften feedback into the suspension and steering over running full door sticker pressure as I was not liking how the truck felt every little crack in the road when a half ton or suv hardly sensed there was an issue with the pavement.  

[Epsilon Plus]

Regardless of stabilizer, I would recommend the Cognito PISK. It's a substantial strength upgrade. You need a big ass open end wrench though, something like 40mm. I'm an industrial mechanic and have stuff like that I can borrow from work. 

 

The Fox HTO are great though. Not so soft that the truck leans or bounces all over but soft enough over the rough that I no longer slow for speed bumps. Like at all, I'm serious. You can feel the front soak it up in one big cushion. The rear feels slightly firmer as it goes over because of the stiff unloaded leafs. They have a bit of King like "faster you go, softer they are"-ness to them. Probably still jittery over washboard, haven't tried, but they eat on the big stuff.