Max control shocks

[dslmacdown]

Two weeks ago I installed Gabriel Max control shocks on my truck. See sig for specs. After two weeks and a couple hundred miles I like them. When replacing the factory shocks I found the fronts completely shot, was not really surpised, and the rears with a little life left in them. My truck only has 26K and change miles in the past three years. First impressions was a very stiff ride but now the shocks seem to have almost broken in and while stiff not as rough during the first test drive. The truck handles much better with reduced sway during cornering and no nose dive during hard braking. The ride is a little stiffer on small bumps and holes in the road but the shocks really absorb large bumps and potholes. I bought them at Autozone for $50 a piece and I think they a comparable to Bilsteins.



While I have replaced shocks, flipped over the bottom spring on the rear, carried weight in the bed, and played with different tire pressures. I am still in search of a way to make this truck ride like a caddy. I have looked at air ride suspension and systems like Kore, but I can't make up my mind which is the best for ride.



The part numbers for Max Control shocks

Front: 77674

Rear: 77675



Suggestions and experiences would be welcome, thank you



Chris

 

[Hohn]

Chris, the only way to make this thing ride like a caddy is to go radical with the suspension.



First, you need a custom leaf pack in the rear, one that sacrifices some towing ability. Something from Deaver Spring should fix you up.



Second, you need a set of bypass shocks (like the KORE setup) that are valved with VERY stiff rebound and almost no compression. This valving setup puts out a LOT of hear in the shocks, so you'll need some high-end pieces.



jlh

 

[DieselRam30]

IMHO air ride is probably your best bet as far as ride quality alone. It's nice that they can accomodate heavy loads if necessary too. Air ride probably wouldn't be as ideal if you were going offroad, especially fast. Then something like a KORE system would be better.



You gotta remember that this is a truck after all, and making it ride like a Caddy might very possibly require high dollar and/or custom pieces.