So, after I went back to storage to get more tools I finished the job. The top bolt on the rear requires a socket and extension with a ratchet on the inside and then I used my cordless impact on the outside (wheel side). Once I figured out how to access the top bolt, installation was a breeze (as it should have been).
Now the ride..this is the way this damned car should ride from the factory. Now, take my comments with a grain of salt, I purchased my 2015 Suburban with 34K miles on the odometer. From day one, I found the ride to be very choppy, and not very controlled. The tires were the original Continentals (20" wheels) so the first thing I did was swap out tires to a make/model I had used before (GoodYear Wrangler SR-A). This improved the choppiness a bit, but the ride still...well...sucked. Any bump on a highway ramp would send the front end off the bump stops and pogo-ing down the road. Not very confidence inspiring to say the least. Any quick acceleration or braking would be met with massive nose dive and squat.
Enter the Bilstein 5100's. I had used The Bilstein HD's on a few trucks and decided to try the 5100's on my previous 2013 F-150 4x4 because I wanted to lift the front of the truck. I was impressed with them on the F-150 and decided to give them another go around. The biggest plus to the 5100 has to be the digressive valving. I might lose some folks here, but typical shocks have linear or progressive valving which means that as shock speeds go up, so does damping. For reference, think of low speed shock movements as nose dive under braking, body roll in cornering or undulations on the road. High speed shock movements would be potholes, seems in pavement, etc. With a digressive valving, the low speed damping starts higher (body motions are better controlled) but damping forces level off as shock speeds rise which allow the shock to absorb harsh impacts better. Difference over OEM is night and day.
If anyone has questions about the 5100's, feel free to reach out to me. As usual, i didn't take photos (which would have helped all others to have a "how to" posted) because I just attack the job and forget to document, but I'd be more than happy to answer questions about the install, etc.
