2006 Cc Z71 Suspension Questions

scottmoyer · June 12, 2008

Not sure how to address this as I've seen so much posted and don't know what to do.

The rear of my truck seems to continue bouncing after going over speed bumps or just cruising on certain road surfaces. What inexpensive option is there to stop this? I had helper springs installed incorrectly and the ride was great. When I corrected the install, it got sloppy again. I've heard of diffferent types of helper springs can fix this. I also heard that different shocks will fix this. Which ones? I have an IROC-Z so I prefer a sport suspension over soft, and bouncy is too much. I've read about add a leafs and swapping in 2500 series leaf springs. I don't remember this as an issue on my old 2001 Z71. Any suggestions?

My next issue is the new tires. I have been getting them rotated every 5k miles and the edges are still feathering/cupping like the factory tires did. The tire shop recommended that I replace the shocks. Is it that easy to fix this? My last rotation showed that I may have a bad tire as the truck is now pulling to one side and I am bouncing all over the road. The tire shop put the tires back where they cam from and the truck tracks straight, the steering wheel is straight and minimal bounce on smooth roads.

I just want the truck to ride firm, take the road bumps better and stop trashing my tires. I'd prefer not lifting the truck by doing add a leafs, but if I have to, then I'll also get the coil spring seats that raise the front a little to keep the truck level. Thanks for any help.

bossier62guy · June 12, 2008

Not sure how to address this as I've seen so much posted and don't know what to do.

The rear of my truck seems to continue bouncing after going over speed bumps or just cruising on certain road surfaces. What inexpensive option is there to stop this? I had helper springs installed incorrectly and the ride was great. When I corrected the install, it got sloppy again. I've heard of diffferent types of helper springs can fix this. I also heard that different shocks will fix this. Which ones? I have an IROC-Z so I prefer a sport suspension over soft, and bouncy is too much. I've read about add a leafs and swapping in 2500 series leaf springs. I don't remember this as an issue on my old 2001 Z71. Any suggestions?

My next issue is the new tires. I have been getting them rotated every 5k miles and the edges are still feathering/cupping like the factory tires did. The tire shop recommended that I replace the shocks. Is it that easy to fix this? My last rotation showed that I may have a bad tire as the truck is now pulling to one side and I am bouncing all over the road. The tire shop put the tires back where they cam from and the truck tracks straight, the steering wheel is straight and minimal bounce on smooth roads.

I just want the truck to ride firm, take the road bumps better and stop trashing my tires. I'd prefer not lifting the truck by doing add a leafs, but if I have to, then I'll also get the coil spring seats that raise the front a little to keep the truck level. Thanks for any help.

When is the last time you had your front end aligned? I ate up a set of tires on my 02 due to the alignment being off and she drove nice and straight and the steering wheel was centered....doesn't matter on these trucks. I now get mine checked at least once a year. I don't think shocks are going to fix your tire feathering problem.

scottmoyer · June 13, 2008

I've had the alignment done at least 6 times in the last 10 months. I bought the 1 year alignment package when I got the new tires. The tires seem balanced and the alignment is good. That's what is driving me crazy. With balanced and aligned tires and front end, I shouldn't continue getting the outer edges of the tires worn, but they are.

bossier62guy · June 13, 2008

I've had the alignment done at least 6 times in the last 10 months. I bought the 1 year alignment package when I got the new tires. The tires seem balanced and the alignment is good. That's what is driving me crazy. With balanced and aligned tires and front end, I shouldn't continue getting the outer edges of the tires worn, but they are.

You might consider taking it to another alignment shop and let them take a look at it before the tires are trashed. Like I said I ate up the last set of tires on mine in only 26K miles due to the inner edges wearing badly and I thought my front end was fine. Wish I could be of further assistance.

bossier62guy · June 13, 2008

I've had the alignment done at least 6 times in the last 10 months. I bought the 1 year alignment package when I got the new tires. The tires seem balanced and the alignment is good. That's what is driving me crazy. With balanced and aligned tires and front end, I shouldn't continue getting the outer edges of the tires worn, but they are.

I take that back...it was the outer edge and not the inner edge that wore prematurely. I could actually see the bottom of the tires tilted inward when my truck was sitting in the driveway but thought everything was fine since it was driving perfectly. When I finally took it in to get it checked the alignment tech spent about 2 hours adjusting and driving before he was satisfied it was correct. Unfortunately the tires didn't last much longer after that. I now have a set of Bridgestone Alenzas on the truck and once again had the same guy do the alignment and so far everything is fine. I also purchased the lifetime alignment and get it checked every 6 months now.

bossier62guy · June 13, 2008

As far as the shocks go I don't see them causing your tire issues but they are extremely easy to change. Lot's of folks here like the Bilsteins, KYB's, etc. I've got the Rancho RSX on my truck and they were a vast improvement over the stock shocks. I replaced mine at 40K miles and the stockers were trashed as far as i'm concerned. New shocks should help w/ the rear end bounce and with the front end roll.

scottmoyer · June 13, 2008

I've had the front end aligned by 3 shops. All 3 shops make adjustments to what the other did. I took the truck to the dealer after I bought it because I too could see the top of the tires were out further than the bottom. They said it was fine, but my tires keep wearing. I still have that angle on the tires, but it's within spec.

My truck has 54k miles and I've been fighting this tire issue since day one. The rear end is getting bouncier, but that could also be attributed to a bad tire. As I stated, when the tires were rotated last, the truck bounced around all the time and there was wheel pull to the right. The shop checked the alignment and it was good. They swapped the tires back and the wheel was straight and the bouncing stopped. The bouncing of the tires is a different bounce than "frame beaming" or jounce that I would also like to get rid of. Thanks for the suggestions. Which shock would provide a firmer but better ride? My IROC-Z "feels" the road, but doesn't jar on the bumps. I'd like something to that effect.

the hammer · June 19, 2008

I bet your tire wear has to do with the leveling you have done to the front end. I bet the shops are not adjusting your a-arms, etc correctly. When you look dead straight at the front of your truck from about 30-50 feet, can you tell if the bottom of your front wheels are angled inward or outward? If inward, then you know your answer. They have not adjusted the camber correclty to compensate for the leveling. That was the problem I had when I had my truck leveled in the front, and I have a 06 CC Z71.

As amatter of fact, I have the same bouncing you are talking about, too. I have 42k on mine and I think I am ready to try new Bilstein shocks and dump the originals.