Autoride, does it really make a difference

tealboy · March 4, 2006

does this feature really improve the ride? if you drove the Z71 and the LT autoride back to back on choppy or rough paved roads (or off road), would you know the difference?

I don't think you can get skid plates w/ this feature so that may be an issue for me, but was curious if anyone really had a good perspective on how well this sytem works.

bowtie_pasta · March 4, 2006

does this feature really improve the ride? if you drove the Z71 and the LT autoride back to back on choppy or rough paved roads (or off road), would you know the difference?

I don't think you can get skid plates w/ this feature so that may be an issue for me, but was curious if anyone really had a good perspective on how well this sytem works.

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I'm under the impression and was told it is more marketing hype than anything. Check out this review, overall they say the Base Suspension rides best (at least on the '06 Tahoe). http://auto.consumerguide.com/Auto/New/rev...77/Act/Showall/

Elwood 2000 · March 4, 2006

Not sure about the trucks, but on the Suburbans, the shocks are VERY expensive to replace when the time comes and for now, they are a GM only part.

Look around on here in the search feature. This site is where I got that information.

ArcticJ · March 5, 2006

My only experience with Autoride was in an 02 burb that was loaded every couple of weeks with the family and God knows what, filling the truck (read: Sanford and Son), on the way to the cabin. The Autoride leveled out the rear of the truck, regardless of load, including trailer weight. Neat, but I can't honestly say the ride quality was much improved.

In comparison, I have an 05 burb without it (LT) and an 06 ZHOE. The burb rides about the same, albeit occassionaly sagging a bit in the rear and the Z71 tahoe is slightly rougher (bouncier) as a truck should be.

JMHO

ozman2005 · March 5, 2006

I traded from an '04 Suburban LT 4x4 without Autoride to my '06 Yukon Denali AWD with Autoride and I can definitely tell the difference. My Suburban rode very nice, and much smoother than my '01 Tahoe I had previously. But even with switching back to the shorter wheel base, I think my Denali rides even better than the Suburban. I haven't towed anything with it yet, but when I do the load-leveling feature will be nice, as my Suburban would always sag in the rear if I had something moderately heavy attached. Also at times when going over potholes and speedbumps, the Denali seems to just soak them up, while in the Suburban you could REALLY feel them. I would definitely get Autoride again.

Oz

tbyrne · March 5, 2006

My '02 Suburban had Autoride. I didn't load the truck down much but it was used to tow a 10,000lb car hauler. The truck didn't even flinch when it was connected to the trailer. It maintained it's height and also had a very good ride both with and without the trailer.

Jacqson · March 6, 2006

does this feature really improve the ride? if you drove the Z71 and the LT autoride back to back on choppy or rough paved roads (or off road), would you know the difference?

I don't think you can get skid plates w/ this feature so that may be an issue for me, but was curious if anyone really had a good perspective on how well this sytem works.

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Yes , you can still get skid plates with the Autoride option. I have it on my 02 2500 Suburban. The leveling feature is only available on the 1/2 ton, the 3/4 ton Autoride is just Real Time Damping and it works pretty good. The only complaint is if you have to replace one of the shocks as someone said they are expensive as they are only a GM available part. Also, if you ever want to put a lift kit on your truck you have to look for one that is autoride compatible(RCD,Fabtech plus a few others). If I was going to order a new vehicle I personally wouldn't spend the extra dough to get autoride. It's just one more thing that can screw up.

toneman · March 9, 2006

I think the Autoride is supposed to shine best when it comes to towing and/or carrying a really heavy load; during light/no-load situations Autoride advantage isn't as noticeable...or at least that's what I've read.