Autoride or standard???

[Scasper1010]

so I recently bought a used 2005 Tahoe, and I love the damn thing. The little badging on the side says autoride and sure enough theres a compressor on the rear driver side. The truck sits at the right height but when I went to pull a mid sized pressure cleaning trailer, my back end squatted to the floor and I was terrified driving it. With that said, clearly there is a problem with the rear suspension. Monitarily speaking, is the cheaper/better option to have a mechanic put in some bilsteins? I’m really a sucker for keeping things stock, anyone who’s had the deal with the autoride know what kind of cost I’m looking at?

Thanks,
This is my first post but this forum has been great since I got the vehicle.

 

[MCAT069]

Amazon has the best price that I have found on OEM Autoride shocks. The OEM ones get a bit pricy. 250 a pop for my 04 2500 Suburban. You can get cheaper aftermarket ones if you don't want to keep it factory.

 

[adventurenali92]

Mine were blown when I bought my 2006 Denali with autoride. I like the auto level feature of them, and I like the pretty smooth comfortable ride of the autoride system. I stuck with it. Arnott is the best company hands down if you’re gonna go aftermarket replacement shocks. They sell a kit for our trucks with the compressor, shocks, and airlines that’s a great setup. Worth every dollar if you go that route. I will be doing that hopefully soon.

 

[Scasper1010]

Is it overly difficult to do this install myself on my driveway?

 

[adventurenali92]

Is it overly difficult to do this install myself on my driveway?

It’s not impossible to do it in your driveway. I watched when we did them the second time because the first one went bad, and we had to do a second set, up on the lift at my buddies jeep shop. Getting it off the ground enough to get enough clearance to get the shocks out would be the most difficult. And the bolts on the top side of each shock is a bit difficult only because the quarters are tight at the top of the shock to get tools up in there. But it’s definitely doable. The compressor is easy if that needs to be replaced. A few bolts and a wire harness and it comes off from the frame rail.

 

[Chubbs]

@Scasper1010

Is there a warning or message on the dash display in regard to the suspension? Does the compressor turn on with the ignition? I'm not all that familiar with the system on this model but these are just some things that crossed my mind when I was reading the thread

 

[adventurenali92]

@Scasper1010

Is there a warning or message on the dash display in regard to the suspension? Does the compressor turn on with the ignition? I'm not all that familiar with the system on this model but these are just some things that crossed my mind when I was reading the thread

If all the sensors are in the system are working there won’t be any error messages on the dash. Depending on the load and how long your truck sits between start ups, your compressor will run at start for about 10ish seconds to fill the shocks.

 

[Scasper1010]

I hear what sounds like the compressor but I’m not certain, could be the rear wheel bearings

 

[adventurenali92]

I hear what sounds like the compressor but I’m not certain, could be the rear wheel bearings

It’s a very distinct noise. It should only run while you’re in park on startup, unless you have a leaking shock in which case it will try to fill them up even in drive. The best way to hear what your compressor sounds like, is to have someone start up your rig, and you sit on the rear bumper while it turns over. The compressor will kick on while your sitting on it as it senses your weight and adjusts. then you can hear what it sounds like.

 

[jcoker]

so I recently bought a used 2005 Tahoe, and I love the damn thing. The little badging on the side says autoride and sure enough theres a compressor on the rear driver side. The truck sits at the right height but when I went to pull a mid sized pressure cleaning trailer, my back end squatted to the floor and I was terrified driving it. With that said, clearly there is a problem with the rear suspension. Monitarily speaking, is the cheaper/better option to have a mechanic put in some bilsteins? I’m really a sucker for keeping things stock, anyone who’s had the deal with the autoride know what kind of cost I’m looking at?

Thanks,
This is my first post but this forum has been great since I got the vehicle.