Bilstein 4600 review on a Z71 Tahoe

[Marky Dissod]

Bilstein 4600 Monotube OEM Strut Front Pair for 2007-2014 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 4WD RWD

Fits 2007-2014 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 4WD RWD Bilstein B6 4600 Monotube Gas OEM 24-186926. New parts, expert support, free shipping.

www.shocksurplus.com

Ordered this set of 4 from Shock Surplus. They actually made the mistake of sending a pair of rear 4600,
and a pair of rear 5100. They handled it gracefully, no complaints about Shock Surplus,
except be more careful next time?
No big whoop.

ANYWAY

It's a nobrainer that they are an order of magnitude better than worn out shocks that needed replacing.
(Old ones literally came apart in under 4min after removal - my truck held them together!
I should be made fun of for this.)
Over road irregularities that'd set my wheels aflutter, they now stay in contact with the road no matter what.
HOWEVER
I am clearly an atypical customer. I appreciate the Z71 for its offroad ability,
but I want to cheat on my Z71 with a Z56-PPV.
(I've only ever owned Caprice 9C1s, and a Fleetwood whose suspension I upgraded to 9C1 spec.)
Although I'm objective enough to write a good review about Bilstein 4600 shocks if pressed to do so,
I wish I'd bought the 5100 instead.

In other news, if anyone knows how I can get my hands on a 30mm GMT921 PPV rear swaybar kit,
or a Hummer H2 rear swaybar kit (I've a good welder on speed dial),
my goal remains to see how much I can improve my Z71's ability to swerve / shimmy / hustle
while retaining most of its Z71-ness.

Also, if anyone has a set of nearly new 5100 in the NY / NJ / CT / PA area, who is interested in 4600 ...

 

[Bigburb3500]

Can you find an H2 in a scrap yard and pull the sway bar from that?
I did the Rancho 9000s and new shocks make a HUGE difference. Rears were gone and one front shock puked oil on my as soon as I lifted the truck off the ground. One one “good” shock left and that could have easily been debated lol. Makes the truck handle safer too.

 

[Marky Dissod]

In NYC, there are no H2s in any junkyards. There are a few GMT921 PPVs left at JFK & LGA airports,
maybe I'll risk getting shot in the @r$e,
read the VIN off one of those so a parts mungqi can give me the right stuff.

Heck: anybody got a VIN off a Tahoe PPV?

Hopefully I made it clear: the Bilstein 4600s are good.
I'd be willing to bet they'll behave IDENTICALLY after 5-10 years, 'cause they're Bilsteins.
... problem is
I want to be able to emergency lane change at highway speed without schardting myself on two wheels.