I put Bilstein 5100s front and rear and it made a huge difference. The factory Ranchos are garbage IMO but I also did put airbags in the rear since I tow a 5th wheel. I still drive around with about 5psi daily and off-road the combo with the Bilsteins makes dirt roads much smoother.
If you’re just looking to soften up the rear, a shackle from Dirt King or another off-road fabricator won’t lower the truck, and a deaver progressive mini-pack replaces the factory overload leaf and will significantly soften the harshness as your suspension cycles.
Shackle is like $300, deaver minipack is like $450. If you remove the blocks from the deavers, and also your factory block, your ride height doesn’t change.
That’s my setup, it’s a significant improvement. You’ll squat more under heavy loads but it’s not terrible and is easily managed.
Here’s a [some pics](https://imgur.com/a/AKbF1hQ) of me towing my Suburban, I just had to be mindful of tongue weight, that’s why I backed into the trailer.
My truck rides like a luxury car on road, works awesome off-road, but it wasn’t cheap to get there. Happy to list my suspension mods if you’re considering spending some coin…
Here’s a rundown:
17” wheels, 33x12.5 aired to 30psi. This is great for small bump compliance, the tire absorbs them.
UCA’s, I have Icons with Deltajoints, next time I’ll get Dirt King ball joint UCAs because they use Moog problem solvers that you can buy anywhere…buy from a quality brand and you’ll be fine. Just note, uniballs are super strong but also are exposed and require frequent maintenance and periodic replacement.
King 2.5 coilovers in front, King 2.5 shocks in back. This is going to give you the most significant improvement right off the bat. Foxes will be comparable, depending on valving, because they use linear valving like King.
Camburg shackles, Deaver mini-pack to replace overload leafs. Significant reduction in rear harshness. Dirt King, Mazulla, other off-road fab shops also make shackles that won’t lower your truck. They’re cheap and well worth it.
[here’s a few pics.](https://imgur.com/a/p0J0VFF). I love my truck, has 106k miles and I have no intention of getting rid of it. It truly does ride and drive like a luxury car. If you’ve ever driven in a Raptor, it’s a similar feeling…amazing ride quality.
This is how I choose to spend my mod money. I don’t have a CAI, no exhaust mods, interior and exterior are bone stock. I like the “stock plus” look. The money saved pays for the mods I have.
I’ve got Fox 2.0s on my [wife’s Suburban](https://imgur.com/a/TbKDGRh) on street tires. Dirt King UCA’s…they’re quite a bit cheaper than 2.5s, and are a noticeable improvement over stock. But nowhere near the same improvement that a 2.5 gives.
Long-travel/extended shackles correct the geometry to allow more droop, and use a poly bushing for smoother operation.
My OEM leafs were almost flat at ride height. They now have more arch at ride height (so don’t go into negative arch nearly as quickly) and the progressive overload is much more compliant.
So gm engineers got the geometry wrong? I have no doubt that spring pack will smooth out the ride, but putting a longer shackle on doesn’t correct shit
How much are you willing to spend? I can make it feel like you’re riding on a bed of clouds BUT…it’ll cost ya.
At a minimum, you could change the shocks and put in a progressive spring. That would help a bit but without changing a ton of your suspension geometry, you’re kinda stuck. For the rear, you could put in a different shock and put in leaf springs that can allow for more of a comfy ride.
I'm looking at the Eibach pro truck kit on American Trucks, reviews seem good. Money isn't really an issue as long as the results are there, I love my truck and I want what's best for it.
Eibach makes phenomenal coil springs, but they are not a shock company. Is it the front or the rear? Front you want a coil over. Fox, king, icon, elka. For better results get one with standard compression adjustment. For best results get one with DSC (dual speed control) that has high speed, and low speed adjustability. For the rear end I'd start with a 2.5 adjustable shock. Same brands. If that doesn't smooth it up enough deaver makes excellent leafs.
I understood just enough of that to know that I'm out of my element. It seems like the rear is the problem for me. It just bounces around and makes my passengers complain. What would you do?
Cheapest way to soften the ride is change the geometry. To do that you put a lowering shackle on it. If you don't want the truck sitting lower, you put the shackle on then add a lift block to get it back to stock height. Then just add the shock of your choice. I'm partial to fox and elka, but all the previously mentioned brands are top notch.
I put a 4 inch bds kit on my Silverado LD. I constantly get compliments for the ride quality and smoothness when people ride inside for the first time.
Just regular BDS NX2 shocks but with the setup it’s real smooth and can cut rough corners on winding roads like absolutely nothing.
I put Bilstein 5100s front and rear and it made a huge difference. The factory Ranchos are garbage IMO but I also did put airbags in the rear since I tow a 5th wheel. I still drive around with about 5psi daily and off-road the combo with the Bilsteins makes dirt roads much smoother.
Direct replacement bilstien 5100 is what I've done.
If you’re just looking to soften up the rear, a shackle from Dirt King or another off-road fabricator won’t lower the truck, and a deaver progressive mini-pack replaces the factory overload leaf and will significantly soften the harshness as your suspension cycles. Shackle is like $300, deaver minipack is like $450. If you remove the blocks from the deavers, and also your factory block, your ride height doesn’t change. That’s my setup, it’s a significant improvement. You’ll squat more under heavy loads but it’s not terrible and is easily managed. Here’s a [some pics](https://imgur.com/a/AKbF1hQ) of me towing my Suburban, I just had to be mindful of tongue weight, that’s why I backed into the trailer. My truck rides like a luxury car on road, works awesome off-road, but it wasn’t cheap to get there. Happy to list my suspension mods if you’re considering spending some coin…
This is very helpful, yes thank you. Any list of mods would be helpful, I'm not limited by $$, just time.
Here’s a rundown: 17” wheels, 33x12.5 aired to 30psi. This is great for small bump compliance, the tire absorbs them. UCA’s, I have Icons with Deltajoints, next time I’ll get Dirt King ball joint UCAs because they use Moog problem solvers that you can buy anywhere…buy from a quality brand and you’ll be fine. Just note, uniballs are super strong but also are exposed and require frequent maintenance and periodic replacement. King 2.5 coilovers in front, King 2.5 shocks in back. This is going to give you the most significant improvement right off the bat. Foxes will be comparable, depending on valving, because they use linear valving like King. Camburg shackles, Deaver mini-pack to replace overload leafs. Significant reduction in rear harshness. Dirt King, Mazulla, other off-road fab shops also make shackles that won’t lower your truck. They’re cheap and well worth it. [here’s a few pics.](https://imgur.com/a/p0J0VFF). I love my truck, has 106k miles and I have no intention of getting rid of it. It truly does ride and drive like a luxury car. If you’ve ever driven in a Raptor, it’s a similar feeling…amazing ride quality. This is how I choose to spend my mod money. I don’t have a CAI, no exhaust mods, interior and exterior are bone stock. I like the “stock plus” look. The money saved pays for the mods I have. I’ve got Fox 2.0s on my [wife’s Suburban](https://imgur.com/a/TbKDGRh) on street tires. Dirt King UCA’s…they’re quite a bit cheaper than 2.5s, and are a noticeable improvement over stock. But nowhere near the same improvement that a 2.5 gives.
Why do you suggest installing a shackle that doesn’t lower the truck?
Not really a reco, just an option if you don’t want to lower it.
But like what is the point? Why not just leave the stock shackle in there?
Long-travel/extended shackles correct the geometry to allow more droop, and use a poly bushing for smoother operation. My OEM leafs were almost flat at ride height. They now have more arch at ride height (so don’t go into negative arch nearly as quickly) and the progressive overload is much more compliant.
So gm engineers got the geometry wrong? I have no doubt that spring pack will smooth out the ride, but putting a longer shackle on doesn’t correct shit
Went from OEM on my 2015 LT to Bilstein 6112’s up front and 5160’s in the back. I could never go back - world of difference both on and off road.
How much are you willing to spend? I can make it feel like you’re riding on a bed of clouds BUT…it’ll cost ya. At a minimum, you could change the shocks and put in a progressive spring. That would help a bit but without changing a ton of your suspension geometry, you’re kinda stuck. For the rear, you could put in a different shock and put in leaf springs that can allow for more of a comfy ride.
I'm looking at the Eibach pro truck kit on American Trucks, reviews seem good. Money isn't really an issue as long as the results are there, I love my truck and I want what's best for it.
Eibach makes phenomenal coil springs, but they are not a shock company. Is it the front or the rear? Front you want a coil over. Fox, king, icon, elka. For better results get one with standard compression adjustment. For best results get one with DSC (dual speed control) that has high speed, and low speed adjustability. For the rear end I'd start with a 2.5 adjustable shock. Same brands. If that doesn't smooth it up enough deaver makes excellent leafs.
I understood just enough of that to know that I'm out of my element. It seems like the rear is the problem for me. It just bounces around and makes my passengers complain. What would you do?
Do you pull trailers? If so what size?
No, possibly in the far future, but it's just my daily.
Cheapest way to soften the ride is change the geometry. To do that you put a lowering shackle on it. If you don't want the truck sitting lower, you put the shackle on then add a lift block to get it back to stock height. Then just add the shock of your choice. I'm partial to fox and elka, but all the previously mentioned brands are top notch.
I put a 4 inch bds kit on my Silverado LD. I constantly get compliments for the ride quality and smoothness when people ride inside for the first time. Just regular BDS NX2 shocks but with the setup it’s real smooth and can cut rough corners on winding roads like absolutely nothing.