Need soft shock recommendations (hate my Bilsteins)

23RST · March 14

I have a '23 1500 w/Bilstein 6112 + 5160. They are quieter over bumps which is nice, but they are racecar stiff & I can't stand them after ~4000mi (yes they'll be for sale soon).

Most of my driving is on the road (bad ones) and they are much stiffer than the OE z71 ranchos I pulled off so every little bump (again there are billions) goes straight through my spine.

Can anyone recommend something with less damping that will let the springs travel a little more? I am currently considering these Monroes:

redwngr · March 14

Tires are also a part of the 'suspension'.

Did you stick with the standard 18" rims and factory tires?

Have you adjusted air pressure to match the actual axle weights for your application?

(I'm assuming you aren't running at max rated loads)

Grumpy Bear · March 14

It's less of a dampening issue and more spring rates. It's a truck. You need a coil over with selectable spring rates and tunable dampening. King, Fox or similar. I run Kings with 600# springs and could go lighter but much softer than the 750+ progressives it comes with. Of course you have to concede some load capability. Back half is harder still. Few selections to choose from. I had Deaver make mine with 15% less rate. I'm not full car mode but halfway there. Big improvement and I don't care as I'll never ask my HALF TON to carry a ton and a quarter.

fondupot · March 14

What tires do you have and what PSI are you running.

You could go down to a Bilstein 4600 that’s more of an OEM replacement shock.

23RST · March 14

8 hours ago, redwngr said:

Tires are also a part of the 'suspension'.

Did you stick with the standard 18" rims and factory tires?

Have you adjusted air pressure to match the actual axle weights for your application?

(I'm assuming you aren't running at max rated loads)

I am running the stock 20s at mid 30s PSI when warm.

I am thinking about selling these and going down to a 17" with more sidewall, like Michelin LTX AT2 or just M/S

23RST · March 14

7 hours ago, Grumpy Bear said:

It's less of a dampening issue and more spring rates. It's a truck. You need a coil over with selectable spring rates and tunable dampening. King, Fox or similar. I run Kings with 600# springs and could go lighter but much softer than the 750+ progressives it comes with. Of course you have to concede some load capability. Back half is harder still. Few selections to choose from. I had Deaver make mine with 15% less rate. I'm not full car mode but halfway there. Big improvement and I don't care as I'll never ask my HALF TON to carry a ton and a quarter.

good feedback - what did the custom Kings & deaver leafs run you?

The Raven · March 14

Yes Bilsteins (5100s and up) are really stiff. I hated them too. On my Tahoe I immediately switched to Rancho RS9000xl...they are adjustable and I was able to play around with damping until I found a place where the truck was very composed but the ride was not ridiculous like the Bilsteins. That said, the quality on the RS9000's is not fantastic...though Rancho is a great company to deal with when you have issues. I've heard the new RS7MT's are a great product but I have not tried them myself.

The Fox 2.0's are fantastic both in performance and quality but that's a major price jump from either Rancho or Bilstein.

Grumpy Bear · March 14

3 hours ago, 23RST said:

good feedback - what did the custom Kings & deaver leafs run you?

The entire suspension remake was about $4,500 and for me, worth every penny. A mild 2/4 lower was part of the job that included Bell drop knuckles and Sulastic shackles.

If the lower wasn't part of the equation, then Fox and a set of springs from an earlier half ton would cut cost considerably. Or even removing the middle leaf and a tunable/rebuildable shock (Accutune) with a linear piston and selectable front coils. They work together.

AccuTune Off-Road (accutuneoffroad.com) or Filthy Motorsports | King Shocks and Off-Road Racing Parts

The hardest part of working with these off-road guys it is getting them out of their off-road mentality and into street mode.

:crackup:

I used FMS and the King factory 12 studder 12 valving was good out of the box after a few thousand miles break-in.

If you do this REMEMBER you lose payload. You're tuning to run closer to empty. This, I hope, makes the obverse true as well. Adding weight over the rear axle has the same effect as softer springs. Even makes the shocks ACT softer. (Less progressive)

I actually did both. A spray in Premium Line-X, tonneau cover and the thick rubber matt with it added about 400#, I had to add some nitrogen to the back half.

Edited March 14 by Grumpy Bear

Vincej138 · March 14

The 6112's are essentially a 2.5" shock with a heavier spring. You could step down to 2" shock and a stock spring like the 5100 or the fox 2.0 IFP's use. Which would be much cheaper. Fox makes a in between 2.0 with a new coil that may be a good option for you to pair with the 2.0 IFP's in the rear.

Or like above, the bigger shocks. King/ Icon run 600 to 650lb springs on their coil overs. Fox runs a 550lb spring. But then with the bigger 2.5's you can opt for compression adjusters to fine tune it. Its really about budget. If your up for $3-5K, then look at the Fox/King/Icon route. if your more $1-3K, then look at the Fox 2.0 series or the 5100's with a stock spring. They will be firmer, but nowhere near the 6112 firm.

With any of them, the more your preload the coil for lift, the more firm it will feel. thats the trade off for a lighter spring rate vs. heavier spring rate as well. Most A-Arm is a 2:1 motion ratio so once you have the coil loaded at the point of maintaining ride height/stock weight, then every .5" of preload will be about 1" of lift.

If your 2WD like me, a lift spindle is the best choice since it's doing all the lifting and you can set the shock up to be super plush. CST makes a 3" fab'd spindle, and then Maxtrac makes a 3.5" cast version. CST being MUCH stronger and allows for a 17" wheel. This is what I did. Only thing is your limited to a ball joint upper arm vs. a uniball due to the taper. Lots of options there though.

Edited March 14 by Vincej138

23RST · March 14

1 hour ago, Vincej138 said:

The 6112's are essentially a 2.5" shock with a heavier spring. You could step down to 2" shock and a stock spring like the 5100 or the fox 2.0 IFP's use. Which would be much cheaper. Fox makes a in between 2.0 with a new coil that may be a good option for you to pair with the 2.0 IFP's in the rear.

Or like above, the bigger shocks. King/ Icon run 600 to 650lb springs on their coil overs. Fox runs a 550lb spring. But then with the bigger 2.5's you can opt for compression adjusters to fine tune it. Its really about budget. If your up for $3-5K, then look at the Fox/King/Icon route. if your more $1-3K, then look at the Fox 2.0 series or the 5100's with a stock spring. They will be firmer, but nowhere near the 6112 firm.

With any of them, the more your preload the coil for lift, the more firm it will feel. thats the trade off for a lighter spring rate vs. heavier spring rate as well. Most A-Arm is a 2:1 motion ratio so once you have the coil loaded at the point of maintaining ride height/stock weight, then every .5" of preload will be about 1" of lift.

If your 2WD like me, a lift spindle is the best choice since it's doing all the lifting and you can set the shock up to be super plush. CST makes a 3" fab'd spindle, and then Maxtrac makes a 3.5" cast version. CST being MUCH stronger and allows for a 17" wheel. This is what I did. Only thing is your limited to a ball joint upper arm vs. a uniball due to the taper. Lots of options there though.

You think these 2.0s (highlighted) would fit the bill then? Do you think they'd still yield a much firmer ride than those Monroes?

23RST · March 14

1 hour ago, Grumpy Bear said:

The entire suspension remake was about $4,500 and for me, worth every penny. A mild 2/4 lower was part of the job that included Bell drop knuckles and Sulastic shackles.

If the lower wasn't part of the equation, then Fox and a set of springs from an earlier half ton would cut cost considerably. Or even removing the middle leaf and a tunable/rebuildable shock (Accutune) with a linear piston and selectable front coils. They work together.

AccuTune Off-Road (accutuneoffroad.com) or Filthy Motorsports | King Shocks and Off-Road Racing Parts

The hardest part of working with these off-road guys it is getting them out of their off-road mentality and into street mode.

I used FMS and the King factory 12 studder 12 valving was good out of the box after a few thousand miles break-in.

If you do this REMEMBER you lose payload. You're tuning to run closer to empty. This, I hope, makes the obverse true as well. Adding weight over the rear axle has the same effect as softer springs. Even makes the shocks ACT softer. (Less progressive)

I actually did both. A spray in Premium Line-X, tonneau cover and the thick rubber matt with it added about 400#, I had to add some nitrogen to the back half.

This is very detailed, wow - is there math already available to understand how removal of 1 OE leaf would affect my payload & towing?

I am looking for simplest past to get 80% of what I'm aiming for, hence my hard 180 to an OEM-like solution like those Monroes.

It's sounding like the Fox 2.0, removing 1 leaf, and using accutunes get's me damn near what I'm looking for.

Vincej138 · March 14

20 minutes ago, 23RST said:

You think these 2.0s (highlighted) would fit the bill then? Do you think they'd still yield a much firmer ride than those Monroes?

Yup, those are the ones that come with a new coil. The one above needs a stock coil

https://www.shocksurplus.com/products/fox-2-0-performance-series-coilovers-shocks-set-for-2019-2024-chevrolet-silverado-1500-4wd-rwd

Here are the stock coil version, which may suit you better honestly. Rears between the 2 are the same

https://www.shocksurplus.com/products/fox-2-0-performance-series-coilovers-985-62-012

The Monroe's are gonna be soft, they just dont have the nitro, valving, piston size. its a oil carrier.

Watch this video and some of their other Silverado guides. One of the employee's tested all diff variations so you get a lot of feedback.

Edited March 14 by Vincej138

23RST · March 14

34 minutes ago, Vincej138 said:

Yup, those are the ones that come with a new coil. The one above needs a stock coil

https://www.shocksurplus.com/products/fox-2-0-performance-series-coilovers-shocks-set-for-2019-2024-chevrolet-silverado-1500-4wd-rwd

Here are the stock coil version, which may suit you better honestly. Rears between the 2 are the same

https://www.shocksurplus.com/products/fox-2-0-performance-series-coilovers-985-62-012

The Monroe's are gonna be soft, they just dont have the nitro, valving, piston size. its a oil carrier.

Watch this video and some of their other Silverado guides. One of the employee's tested all diff variations so you get a lot of feedback.

Thank you that 2nd link with the stock springs - what is the rate on them? 550#? 600#?

Regarding Monroe, if soft is what I'm after (I am, to be clear) - are they worth a shot?

Thx also for the video, going to check it out now

Edited March 14 by 23RST

Vincej138 · March 14

7 minutes ago, 23RST said:

Thank you that 2nd link with the stock springs!

Regarding Monroe, if soft is what I'm after (I am, to be clear) - are they worth a shot?

Thx also for the video, going to check it out now

They could be. it would be comparable to how it was stock. A lot of "soft" is subjective person to person. To me soft is rough as your bouncy and any somewhat harder hit you may bottom out. Prior to my Fox 2.5's i had 5100's and like in the video, the firmness was nice cornering and towing. Fox's are kind of best of both worlds IMO.

If your looking to just get back to stock like ride then ya, monroe's will be okay for you. If your wanting any lift and any sort of off-road or track/sporty performance then they will be lacking. I would almost go to a dealer, drive a bone stock RST and then base it off that feel. if thats what your looking for, then monroe. If its too soft, then likely go fox 2.0's since the Bilsteins are too firm for your taste.

Edited March 14 by Vincej138

redwngr · March 15

11 hours ago, 23RST said:

I am running the stock 20s at mid 30s PSI when warm.

I am thinking about selling these and going down to a 17" with more sidewall, like Michelin LTX AT2 or just M/S

I run 18" in winter instead of the 20's the truck came with.

I've done this on several 1500's.

I find they ride better, but don't 'handle' quite as well ( more 'roll' when sidewalls flex in a tight turn)

GM still has these on 2024's I got may take-offs in late 2020.

(I thought they were off a 2020/2021 AT4.

Today they show as standard on SLT and available on Pro and SLE