Maintenance

April 29, 2007

I'm getting ready to do some maintenance other than the minor stuff. My '03 Silverado has about 42k on the clock and the ride's feeling a bid spongy so shocks are on the list. I don't do much hauling any heavy stuff and very minor off road driving(deer lease stuff), but I don't want it to drive like a Cadillac Fleetwood. I'm trying to find about a 70 highway/30 offroad split in performance. I know people swear by Blistein, but I don't want to empty my wallet just on shocks. Any suggestions?

Brakes are another thing on my list and again, I don't want brakes to empty my wallet either. What pads do you guys like/recommend? A couple of friends swear by Duralast but I'm not a fan of their batteries and have no experience with their pads. Should I just go with OE brakes? Thanks!

TOTALRECALL · April 29, 2007

Hi, 2002 base 4X4 Silverado with 35,000 miles. Based on my very recent experience, make sure you check the brakes by pulling the wheel and looking at the inside pad. My outsides are at least 50%, the insides are gone. The rotor looks good outside, inside major rust and the finish surface is flaking off the rotor itself. Truck did start out in NH, but I am really surprised by this.

On shocks, if you don't load your truck much, higher end Monroes could be good. If you load more, get Monroe truck shocks for the back, but I am sure the ride will suffer. Many of you will be glad to correct me if I am wrong - in a nice -way, but nothing wrong with a supple ride off road, as long as you have enough suspension travel between you and the ground. Overly stiff just punishes you! I had a F250 diesel with the add-a-leaf up front, 3 huge steel springs. It solved a lot of Twin I Beam suspension issues - quality ride was not one of them - I still loved the truck, just not for the ride over rough roads.

Hope this helps

Mike

Thanks

Mike

az'03Silverado · May 1, 2007

I'm at 55,000 on my '03 and I just put on some Monroe Gas Magnum truck shocks. They're a little stiff but they're good for all-around driving. Highway, city, loaded, unloaded, off-road. They're fine for everything. As for brakes, I've got Raybestos QS ceramic pads all around and love them. Stops real well and no noise at all.

mcaje · May 1, 2007

I just paid Sears $320 bucks for a set of four Monroe Reflex LT's and they gave me the free installation.

The ride is more truck-like, meaning stiff, but small bumps in the road are unnoticeable now. I love them and the LT's maintain your towing and load ability. Great investment in my book.

I haven't had to by brakes yet, but I'll be looking soon enough.

C & A s Dad · May 1, 2007

Ray, I will offer my recommendations.

For shocks you have already mentioned Bilsteins and the price. They are great shocks but I would alos encourage you to look at the KYB Mono Max. They are a great off road shock but will not stiffen up your ride to a point that it is uncomfortable. The quality and engineering is second to none and imo the are equal to or better than the Bilstein. If the price is more than you want to spend, I have heard great things from the Monore Reflex. We (CARQUEST) sell KYB in most of the country and Gabriel in a few areas. KYB will be supplying us 100% very soon.

For pads, I can offer what I feel is very good advise. Our pads are supplied to us by Raybestos and we offer 3 grades. The Gold Ceramics being the absolute best with a lifetime warranty and they are "guaranteed quiet". The Blue Ceramics carry the same warranty and are great pads as well but do not have the same ceramic content as the gold. We also offer an economy "red" line and they are good pads but my suggestion is to stay with the Blue or Gold. I typically do not "beat up" on our competitors but from all that I have heard, seen and read, you do not want the Duralast pads. I recently received a side by side comparison of their "premium" ceramic vs our Blue ceramic and it was emabarrasing. The noise and longevity of their pad was not acceptable.

Hope this helps

May 3, 2007

I finally got the chance to check the pads and was surprised how much material was left on the pads at 43k and the rotors looked good, so I lucked out in that aspect. However, the fluid is very dark, so I'll have to replace the fluid and bleed the system. What's the best one-man brake bleeder kit available and is there a brake fluid that's not as hygroscopic as conventional DOT 3 & 4?

cmoore74 · May 3, 2007

I'm really surprised that your shocks are ready for replacement with so few miles and only 4 years old. Or are you replacing them because you didn't like the ride from day 1? I always find shocks are good to well over 100k miles.

Not sure about the brake fluid, but based on something a saw on-line I built my own power-bleeder out of a garden sprayer, some tubing, a pressure gauge, and a spare brake fuild reservoir cap. I sucked as much of the old fluid out of the reservoir using a turkey baster, fill with fresh fluid, pressurize the reservoir to 15-20 psi, and start bleeding each wheel until the fluid comes out clear. Just be sure to keep an eye on the fluid level in the reservoir and don't go over 20 psi. I found I could do one wheel and then had to top off before doing the next wheel.

With this type of set-up it's a one-man job.

C & A s Dad · May 3, 2007

Ray, take a look at Valvoline's Synpower Dot 4 synthetic fluid. To my knowledge it is as good as you can get in a Dot 3 or Dot 4.

Part #s are 057 for 12 oz or 059 for 32 oz.

cmoore74 · May 3, 2007

I'm really surprised that your shocks are ready for replacement with so few miles and only 4 years old. Or are you replacing them because you didn't like the ride from day 1? I always find shocks are good to well over 100k miles.

Not sure about the brake fluid, but based on something a saw on-line I built my own power-bleeder out of a garden sprayer, some tubing, a pressure gauge, and a spare brake fuild reservoir cap. I sucked as much of the old fluid out of the reservoir using a turkey baster, fill with fresh fluid, pressurize the reservoir to 15-20 psi, and start bleeding each wheel until the fluid comes out clear. Just be sure to keep an eye on the fluid level in the reservoir and don't go over 20 psi. I found I could do one wheel and then had to top off before doing the next wheel.

With this type of set-up it's a one-man job.

BTW, the one I built looks like this one...

http://www.trackhaus.com/0108-late-model-g...tive-p-275.html

I spent about $20 in parts to make it, mostly because I didn't want to wait for one in the mail and I like building stuff.

May 3, 2007

I'm really surprised that your shocks are ready for replacement with so few miles and only 4 years old. Or are you replacing them because you didn't like the ride from day 1? I always find shocks are good to well over 100k miles.

Not sure about the brake fluid, but based on something a saw on-line I built my own power-bleeder out of a garden sprayer, some tubing, a pressure gauge, and a spare brake fuild reservoir cap. I sucked as much of the old fluid out of the reservoir using a turkey baster, fill with fresh fluid, pressurize the reservoir to 15-20 psi, and start bleeding each wheel until the fluid comes out clear. Just be sure to keep an eye on the fluid level in the reservoir and don't go over 20 psi. I found I could do one wheel and then had to top off before doing the next wheel.

With this type of set-up it's a one-man job.

I never really liked the ride from day 1. Right now, the thing floats down the highway with a little too much of a marshmallowey feel. One one short stretch of hightway where I travel, there are a couple of subtle bumps and it always feels like the wheels are about to lose contact with the pavement at 70mph. I want a bit more control with a little less sway.

I like your bleeder idea since it uses a compressor. I've looked at bleeder kits for compressors and they cost $$$! I'll give that a look as well.

Ray, take a look at Valvoline's Synpower Dot 4 synthetic fluid. To my knowledge it is as good as you can get in a Dot 3 or Dot 4.

Part #s are 057 for 12 oz or 059 for 32 oz.

Thanks for the info. I'll be sure to check it out.

superbee · May 3, 2007

Rancho RS5000s are good for the price, I seem to usually find a sale of some kind. Also they fit 0"-2" lift so if you've cranked the Tbars that will also be taken care of.

May 3, 2007

Rancho RS5000s are good for the price, I seem to usually find a sale of some kind. Also they fit 0"-2" lift so if you've cranked the Tbars that will also be taken care of.

Mine's a 2WD stock ride height so I don't have to worry about lifted shocks. I'll check those out too!

GDSQDCR · May 3, 2007

Not trying to hijack, but I came on here today to ask the same exact question about the shocks.

I have Bilstein in my FX4 F150. Love them, but they are pricey.

I see alot of people are suggesting Monroe. What are the higher end shocks you are talking about? What is the longevity of the shocks?

I also have the Cadillac ride in my Sierra, and hate it. I want something a little firmer. I load the bed periodically, and my off roading is limited mostly to my imagination.

Thanks!

Anthony

grantfire319 · May 3, 2007

I used Rancho's RS5000's on my superduty, f350, thing rode like wagon. Put those on there and it rode good. Didn't notice small bumps in the road hardly at all, still was stiff enough not to squat under load.

C & A s Dad · May 4, 2007

Anthony, Monroe's premium shocks are called Reflex and they are good shocks for the money. I do not want to offend anyone who has these shocks but they are not equal in quality or engineering to KYB Mono Max or Bilstiens. These premium brands contain some quality features that simply are not avail on Monroe or Gabriel IE Better seals, seamless tubes, seamless mounting end loops etc. etc. You will pay for these features.