Need smoother ride!

[BSkinner]

Hopefully, the title will get a lot of attention.

I posted what's written below in the DieselStop forum but didn't receive much input. I think Dodge guys are more mechanically inclined and might be able to help. Bottom line, I'm trying to find a way to make my friend's new GMC ride as smooth as his Suburban. I know, I know, why didn't I advise him to buy a Dodge. The Dodge dealer in his town is a putz but the main reason is that he needs the lowest to the ground pickup available. Also, this dealership as done a great job of taking care of him.



Thanks, Bob



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Original titel: "How to make a 3/4 ton 4x4 GMC ride like a Rolls"



Well, not a Rolls. How about a 1/2 ton Suburban?



My best friend back in Nebraska just traded for a new GMC 3500 Duramax 4x4 pickup. He traded his 2004 Suburban that had a 5. 3 engine. After towing a light trailer to Lincoln he was so upset with the no-power of the Sub that he traded for the pickup when he got home.



He's only had the truck a few days but is not satisfied with the ride. Just too rough. I would have told him a 3/4 ton truck would not ride as good as his Sub but he never asked me. I just got back from a visit and he DID ask me if I knew of any mod he might do to make the truck drive smoother.



He pulls medium weight trailers on occasions. Nothing real heavy. He hauls some seed corn in the box. He didn't really need weight hauling capacity. He needed engine pulling power. I imagine he would have been better off with a Sub with the 8. 0 (Duramax in a Sub would be ideal).



The only ideas I could come up with was to replace the factory shocks with Bilsteins, possibly remove a couple of the leaf springs and install something like the Firestone airbags and put in an "air ride" seat if they make such a thing for the GM trucks. Right now, he has 8 or 10 sand tubes in the bed and has new Michlin tires aired to 32 lbs.



I rode in the truck. Great truck! (I say that even though I have a Dodge CTD). The Allison is great! I didn't think the truck rode hard at all but I am used to the Dodge, after all [Smile] He's used to the Suburban.



So, if you fellas have any ideas I could pass on to my friend on making his truck "ride like a Rolls", I'm all ears.

 

[surfbeetle]

a few things to look into

kelderman air ride suspension

firestone air bags and/or firestone shackles for the rear leaf springs. I can't remember exactly what they were called but they let the truck ride on these pivoting shackles until loaded then they set down on the leafs to support the load.

 

[Hemiless]

velvet ride

or firestone shackles for the rear leaf springs. I can't remember exactly what they were called but they let the truck ride on these pivoting shackles until loaded then they set down on the leafs to support the load.

They are called velvet ride shackels and they worked awesome on my old 94 1Ton. It was a night and day difference between stock and the velvet rides. They would be my first upgrade on his truck. Ok maybe my second the frist would be a Cummins. :-laf

 

[Hercules130]

a test drive a chevy duramax 4x4 before deciding on the dodge. it had the worst ride out of the big three. the front suspension is to soft and the truck just bounces over bumps and expansion joints. i think the only thing he can do is an air bag suspension. i wouldn't get helper bags and remove some leafs, then you are looking at axle wrap and wheel hop.

 

[nps]

Rancho 9000's set on soft for the rear and medium for the front works for me unloaded. When towing, the front stay the same and the rear go to max stiff.



Had a new 6. 0 Ford owner in mine the other day and he commented on how good the Dodge ride was compared to the Ford (a 4 year old Ram compared to a new SD). Told him my secret after ribbing about the 'bad' Ford springs.