Are shocks worth it?

[K5Greek]

The k5 is back to dd duty and Im looking to make it a little more comfortable. Im not expecting it to ever ride great, so Im not looking to make it ride like a caddy or anything.

When I lifted it, I bought some cheapo ones, Ranchos I think. I searched around and saw that alot of people like the bilsteins 5100's, so I was thinking about those. Saw some adjustable ones, but Ive never done them before, so Id rather not go that route.

So are they worth it? Or should I just stick to what I got?

 

[blazinzuk]

IMHO shocks are kind of a double edged sword. If everything is kosher (i.e right length mounting not busted up etc) a better shock will usually merit a bit better of a ride compared to a cheaper shock.

The double edged part comes in here, most of the time the ride is more in the springs than anything so a shock can only go so far.

I think a better shock will help some but probably not alot, is it worth it? Who knows, I tend to think so

Yes Bilsteins are considered top notch stuff

 

[JeffsJeep04]

I think you'll be happy with new shocks. The cheap rancho's usually resist compression too much and make the ride jarring. Some bilsteins will make your butt much happier.

 

[Greg Ducato]

The difference in ride quality from my Rancho's to the Bilsteins was amazing, I would not have believed it would make as much difference as it did.

 

[90'K5]

There was a thread about this recently, Miniwally had some good info concerning shocks.

Which 4" springs are you running now?

 

[K5Greek]

There was a thread about this recently, Miniwally had some good info concerning shocks.

Which 4" springs are you running now?

I believe they are either tuff or rough countries. Forget which ones, I got then from ord.

 

[90'K5]

Then they should be Tuff Country. They have both a EZ Ride and a HD.

What are you concerns with your current ride quality?

 

[jeff in co]

What about the Nitro 9000 Gas Shock by Rough Country? Would these fit into the "trying to smooth out the ride" category??

 

[AJMBLAZER]

What about the Nitro 9000 Gas Shock by Rough Country? Would these fit into the "trying to smooth out the ride" category??

Yes. I love them for the price. Need to get some for The Blazer. 80% of the Bilstein HD's and 5100's for half the price.

 

[dhcomp]

In a word, yes. Totally worth it. If your springs are too stiff, they won't help a ton, but still, worth the cost.

I never really bought into anything over the Monroe HD truck shocks. Ran some Edelbrok IAS shocks on the burb for a while, and it road awful. Bought some Bilstein HD's, and NEVER thought it would help as much as it did. That being said, i have stock, 230k mile springs, on a 3/4 ton burb.

 

[Stomis]

As said if your truck rides stiff the shocks will never help ride quality. They may help handling in corners and when its very windy etc.

If you feel like you have no suspension then the correct place to start would be with correcting your shackle angle. Lots of shackle angles are 15-30* forward (the wrong way) with aftermarket lift springs. Moving the shackle hanger forward in the frame will help this a huge amount. Your shackle angle should be 20-35* back at ride height unloaded depending on who you ask and what your truck is set up for.

The next step if its still too stiff is to either get new softer rate springs or pull a leaf from your pack. If this causes you to loose lift the best remedy would be a Zero Rate.

Beyond that the ultimate upgrade in comfort and drive-ability would be a 52" front spring swap with good quality shocks to dampen it, limiting straps, and KEEPING the sway bar or going to an aftermarket one.

Ask Kurt from DIY4X I do believe he once said pretty much every truck they have has at least 52in front springs from tow rigs to wheelers.

 

[dhcomp]

As said if your truck rides stiff the shocks will never help ride quality. They may help handling in corners and when its very windy etc.

I don't agree with this. If you have old, worn out shocks, and your ride is stiff, then yes, it is probably caused by stiff springs, and nicer shocks will not help.

BUT, if you have recently installed cheap, crappy shocks, these may be causing a stiff ride. The Edelbrok IAS shocks i had on my rig were STIFF in comparison to the old shocks i was running. Putting the quality blistein shocks in there as a replacement made all the difference in the world.

 

[Stomis]

I don't agree with this. If you have old, worn out shocks, and your ride is stiff, then yes, it is probably caused by stiff springs, and nicer shocks will not help.

BUT, if you have recently installed cheap, crappy shocks, these may be causing a stiff ride. The Edelbrok IAS shocks i had on my rig were STIFF in comparison to the old shocks i was running. Putting the quality blistein shocks in there as a replacement made all the difference in the world.

Ok yes your right. If the upward damper on the shocks is ridiculous and they are working well then your correct it will appear as though its adding to the spring rate.

And btw just go bilsteins and get it done lol. My truck killed the cheapo gabriel shocks from autozone that everyone uses on a budget in like 6 months,

 

[Keitha]

I think that a good shock will help even with stiff springs. With the stiff springs you still get movement and rebound bouncing, just at a higher frequency (but possibly more forcefully). Think about your truck leaning in a turn: With a stiff spring it is going to lean less but rebound with more force, then occilate a bit if un-dampened. It takes a good shock to contoll this.
One thing that makes a good shock good it it's ability to reliably controll dampening even when they heat up. A good shock will foam less and not fade under severe duty. A stiff spring rate may tend to limit the practicle range of a shock (more movement in a concentrated portion of the stroke), where a softer spring rate will cause a shock to move more through the total range of stroke.

 

[K5Greek]

Ok sounds like Ill probably go for it. I knew that my springs were most likely the cause for my ride. Never thought about the front shackle hangers though. Any threads on that?

 

[Stomis]

Ok sounds like Ill probably go for it. I knew that my springs were most likely the cause for my ride. Never thought about the front shackle hangers though. Any threads on that?

Its pretty cut and dry. You can check my build thread from 2 summers ago.

Remove the rivets from the stock hanger. Punch the hanger out of the frame. Then take some cardboard or oak tag and make a template of the large whole and where the bushing comes through and the 4 mounting holes.

Basically from there you want to slide the template forward so the front two holes are now the rear two holes. Punch the 2 new mounting holes and eye ball the large hole for the bushing to come through. You can use a bi-metal hole saw bit like they have at lowes.

From there you replace the rivets with bolts. I also had to hit the bottom of the hanger bracket with the grinder to get it to clear the radius in the frame.