2013 Yukon Denali XL Bilstein Change Help

[satsow]

I’m looking at changing all my shocks to Bilsteins & deleting Autoride and auto leveling completely. Ive seen many advice on rear but nothing much for the front and read somewhere (but couldn’t find in now) that changing the frontside Autoride to Coilovers require aftermarket strut towers. Appreciate advice from anyone whom has converted the front to passive and if additional hardware is required.

Plan is to use the 5100 since it has height adjustment. Or 4600 if I can find some cool spacers to increase by 1-2”. Also appreciate recommendation on where I can find the coil spacers.
Thanks in advance.

 

[swathdiver]

I’m looking at changing all my shocks to Bilsteins & deleting Autoride and auto leveling completely. Ive seen many advice on rear but nothing much for the front and read somewhere (but couldn’t find in now) that changing the frontside Autoride to Coilovers require aftermarket strut towers. Appreciate advice from anyone whom has converted the front to passive and if additional hardware is required.

Plan is to use the 5100 since it has height adjustment. Or 4600 if I can find some cool spacers to increase by 1-2”. Also appreciate recommendation on where I can find the coil spacers.
Thanks in advance.

@kbuskill @Joseph Garcia @iamdub

I've summoned men more familiar with this than I. The advice that I offer is to completely rebuild your front struts and don't just stick a new shock in them. Most pre-assembled struts are of inferior quality. I have the part numbers if interested.

 

[kbuskill]

Your post is kind of confusing.

You mentioned changing over to "coil overs" but later mention Bilstein 5100/4600s.

Are you talking about changing over to actual, aftermarket, coil overs like this...


Or are you just talking about installing factory style struts without the Autoride technology?

If going to aftermarket coil overs, like pictured above, then yes aftermarket mounting brackets are required, Atomic makes some.

If going back with a factory style strut assembly then no, they will just bolt right in. The only thing you would need is resistors to keep the service suspension system message from coming on in your DIC.

I assume it is the latter but wanted some clarification.

 

[Big Mama]

Why delete auto leveling out back? It’s a nice feature to have if you load your rig down or hook up a trailer.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

I went from a non-Z55 suspension (regular, but cheap struts and keeping the original springs in the front, and cheap coil over shocks and keeping the original springs in the rear) that was installed prior to my purchasing the truck, back to the OEM Z55 suspension using original GM parts whenever possible (air and electric in the rear and electric in the front). Also, the electrical connectors to the struts/shocks were cut off and replaced with resistors on all 4 wheels by the previous owner, and I am still working on restoring the electrical part of this Z55 suspension.

On the front, I changed out the entire strut assembly, including the springs and top bearing caps with new OEM struts and Moog springs (the OEM Z55 springs are no longer manufactured by GM) I also replaced both upper and lower control arms and bushings, including the ball joints, since I was in there and had the front suspension all apart, and one of the ball joint's grease boot was shredded.

On the rear, I replaced the entire shock assemblies, including the springs and air compressor. While the original springs were still there, I decided that the springs had to have some age-related fatigue with 140k miles on them.

One of the great aspects of the Z55 suspension is that your truck automatically levels, with or without a load in the rear, so the truck is always level, and you do not need to go through a leveling mod, just to get the truck to sit and look level at all times.

If you are committed to converting to a non-Z55 suspension, you 'should' be able to replace the front struts with non-Z55 struts for the same model year. Please note that I have not personally confirmed this compatibility, but folks on this Forum can confirm strut part numbers for you. On the rear, you can either: (1) replace the shocks and springs with non-Z55 shocks and springs for the same model year (Z55 springs are softer than non-Z55 springs, as the Z55 suspension has air assist shocks, which help the springs support the load), or (2) replace the shocks with coil over shocks and retain the original springs. As previously noted, you will need to add resistors to the electrical connections at all 4 wheels to fool the truck's computer into thinking that the original Z55 suspension still exists, in order to avoid throwing codes and lighting up your dashboard.

Good luck on whatever direction you decide to go in.

 

[Big Mama]

I didn’t mention I just replaced all 4 corners without electronic dampening but did keep the auto leveling out back on my 07 Denali. As @Joseph Garcia mentioned there are lots of options out there.

 

[iamdub]

I’m looking at changing all my shocks to Bilsteins & deleting Autoride and auto leveling completely. Ive seen many advice on rear but nothing much for the front and read somewhere (but couldn’t find in now) that changing the frontside Autoride to Coilovers require aftermarket strut towers. Appreciate advice from anyone whom has converted the front to passive and if additional hardware is required.

Plan is to use the 5100 since it has height adjustment. Or 4600 if I can find some cool spacers to increase by 1-2”. Also appreciate recommendation on where I can find the coil spacers.
Thanks in advance.

Yes, switching to aftermarket coilovers, as Ken showed, will require special adapters on top and bottom to mount them. The strut towers that are part of the frame remain as-is. It's a bolt-in conversion.

You can use regular replacement struts that retain your stock coils and they'll bolt in just like stock. You can use the adjustable 5100 or the 4600 coupled with a spacer and get lift either way. Call Bilstein and see if you can find the difference in the 5100 versus the 4600 valving to determine what'd suit you best. If you go this route, as others have said, it's the perfect time to replace anything that may be worn, rusted, etc. - the top "hat", rubber isolator, etc.

IMO, if you're not sure how much lift you want or if you think you might be changing it later, the spacer method is more ideal. It's cheaper and much easier and faster to install so it can be altered as desired. I wouldn't use them for more than about 2" of lift, though. I ran a 2" front spacer lift for about a year with no problems. It was a ~$25-$30 kit from Amazon, made of billet aluminum. The included bolts were Grade 5 and I meant to replace them with Grade 8 just for peace of mind. I never did but never had any problems and I don't tiptoe around when I drive.

As for the AutoRide, simply soldering in some resistors will disable the system and keep the computer happy. I got a pack of 4 or 5 of the resistors off Amazon for something like $12-$20. I installed mine almost two years ago when I lowered it. No problems, ever. To disable the Auto-Leveling, it's as easy as disconnecting the battery and removing a couple of fuses then reconnecting the battery.

 

[91RS]

If you want to delete the Magride you need to change the front upper strut mounts and springs to the non-Magride version. You will also need to change the rear springs to non-Magride springs.

The Atomic Fab coilover kit looks awesome. I’m actually considering deleting the Magride on mine and going with those since I don’t tow with mine. I’m happy with the Magride but those coilovers look so good.

 

[iamdub]

If you want to delete the Magride you need to change the front upper strut mounts and springs to the non-Magride version. You will also need to change the rear springs to non-Magride springs.

The Atomic Fab coilover kit looks awesome. I’m actually considering deleting the Magride on mine and going with those since I don’t tow with mine. I’m happy with the Magride but those coilovers look so good.

Is this just with MagneRide? I didn't have to replace anything when I deleted my AutoRide. I guess the OP should verify which he has.

 

[91RS]

I don’t reckon you have to but you should for best operation. The springs and upper mounts are different.