Shock recommendation for 1 ton Chevy van?

[garyo]

Hi all,

 

I do not know if this is the appropriate place to pose this question, but here goes. This is my first post in here. My Chevy 1 ton van (97K miles) is now 7 years old and I'm getting all new tires and some other maintenance parts and it might be a good idea to replace the shocks. The van is a dual purpose vehicle as I use it for a work truck and a van camper for vacations. At any given time (work or pleasure) I only carry about 500 to 600 pounds of gear. I do not have a hitch so no trailer pulling. I do not mind the stiff ride but my wife complains about it during our travels together. Can a replacement shock help to soften up the ride any? I'm looking at either a Bilstein or Rancho RSX. Any opinions?

I posed this on another forum without much luck.

 

Thanks

[Ranger]

The Bilsteins are supposedly a softer ride. I have Ranchos on my Bronco and it's a bit bouncy but I haven't blown the shocks yet. I think the Skyjacker Nitro shocks are supposed to be pretty soft from what I hear.

[soccermom]

Bilsteins greatly improved the ride on my 2500HD. It's still a firm ride but the control is much better and the harshness is reduced. The stock shocks suck. You might also consider a lighter load range tire (D instead of E) when the time comes since you don't carry heavy loads/tow.