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2020 vs 2021 suspension tuning


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Hi all, I am new to the GM ownership world.

I recently purchased a 2020 crew cab LTZ with 6.2 and Z71 package. One of the most notable things to me is that its all over the place when you hit road irregularities and upon hitting any large potholes etc. it feels like the whole thing is a giant jello blob. Its so bad that the entire structure squeaks and rattles. The crashing and bouncing is somewhat reminiscent of my 2006 F250.

My truck is currently at the dealer and they gave me a 2021 double cab Z71 RST. Its like night and day difference in the solidity and seems to just skip across road irregularities as opposed to bound over them and get upset by them. One of the differences between the two is that the loaner truck has Goodyear Wrangler A/Ts versus the BridgeStone Dueler A/Ts on my truck.

I have heard that from 2019 to 2020 GM retuned the suspensions of the Silverados and Sierras. I did a bit of research online and it does appear that for example the rear leaf springs have different part numbers between 2019 and 2020 for similarly equipped trucks. 

Is anyone aware of any suspension changes between 2020 and 2021, how much can be attributed to the difference in tires? 

thx!

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Rim size does make a bit of difference on the ride of vehicles, but these new car manufacturers are using sizes from 17 to 22 so they test the vehicles on each of these rim sizes. 
It’s not like 20 years ago when all they had were 17 inch rims/tires and the aftermarket world of 20” rims looked HUGE! , yet they rode “harsh” on the roads, because they didn’t come from the manufacturers ever being tested with those size rims. They now test all these trucks on all different road conditions with different size rims/tires a lot more than they ever used too. 

I do believe after driving a 2021 RST Z71 for the past week while my truck was getting fixed and putting over 1200 miles on that truck, that GM did “tinker” with the suspension a bit because that truck rode more “firm” than my 2019 HC. My HC likes to “float” and is a little bouncy on uneven roads. This 2021 RST Z71 rode differently. It rode like some of the comments going on about the Bilstein 5100s. More firm, less bouncy, and planted. 
My step dads Sierra also rides better, more planted than my HC as well and is noticeably quieter. By no means is my truck loud, I LOVE IT. Was glad to get it back, but it is noticeable. 

If you go back to ALL the reviews on 2019 trucks by any car magazine reviews: there were always 2 negatives: crappy interior and poor/bouncy ride over uneven surfaces. 
GM is taking care of the interior next year (btw, I like the current interior)

And I think they have made these newer trucks more planted. 

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I read somewhere where GM planned to revise their suspensions after the car magazines complained about the '19s.  I'll see if I can find where I saw that.

 

But I'm also starting to believe that Bridgestone tires are just "stiff" compared to some other tire brands. 

 

I got 74K miles out of the OEM Bridgestone Dueler A/T RH-S tires that were rated at 40K miles.  Never had a 4x4 truck tire last that long without a belt separation or other problem. 

 

Appreciated the longevity, and OWL tires of the original type were no longer available, so I replaced them with OWL Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza Plus tires, hoping the new 'highway' tires would be a little quieter, get better fuel mileage, and ride a little softer than the old 'all-terrain' tires they replaced.  Not so much. 

 

In my opinion, the Alenza's ride rougher than the RH-S's did, until you get about 20+ miles of highway trip heat into them.  And the RH-S weren't the softest/smoothest tires I'd ever had.  My GM dealer said they were aware of complaints on the new full-sized SUVs with Bridgestones.  The Firestone/Bridgestone dealer said they are known for tough belts and stiff sidewalls--that's how they get their higher-mileage warranty.  And they drive them on the freeway for 5+ miles to get some heat into them before they'll attempt a rebalance.  Never heard of that before.  Next time, I think I'll go with Michelins.

Edited by MaverickZ71
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Suspension was retuned for the 2020 model year. There’s a thread someplace here that showed different part numbers on the rear springs from 2019 to 2020, even with the same suspension packages on each example. I haven’t heard anything about the 2021 suspension being changed again.

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I've noticed that my 2020 High Country's ride quality has improved after putting about 5,000 miles on it. If your new truck doesn't suffer a manufacturing error you may get a better ride after things break in. 

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I just traded a 2019 to a 2021 Denali and the ride is night and day difference to me.  The 2021 seems to be smoother and not as bouncy and feels more solid on the road.  I also went from 20" to 22" wheels so not sure how much that played into the ride difference.

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Agree, they did make changes after 2019 to them, but the main problem is not the tires, it is the crappy Rancho shocks if you have the off road package. I installed the Bilstein 5100's all the way around on my 2019 Sierra, and it is like driving a different truck. Could not believe the difference. Firmer ride, in a good way, and handles all roads so much better. No more bouncing all over the place over speed bumps or uneven pavement. This thing stays planted now. Money well spent for me. Should have come with these from factory IMO. Bilstein's were standard equipment on the 90's GM Z71's.

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On 1/5/2021 at 8:52 AM, Mike Borowski said:

I felt the same about my 2020, I put Bilsteins on the rear around 500 miles, a few thousand miles in once the leafs broke in it's night and day.  I love the way it drives now.  Worthy $180 investment no doubt!

Same here, Bilsteins on the rear make a world of difference! Tempted to do the fronts too!

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