How do I make my 2007 Tahoe 4x4 ride better on washboard roads?

[mikesmith]

Yeah, even the products from Icon and King that I saw only replace the front springs/struts (claiming to add a little travel) but left the rear springs alone and just offer shocks to swap out.

I asked Pure Performance about Tahoe products. Until recently they were showing some pretty nice (and quite expensive!) 6" lift products on their web page that advertised longer travel, better ride, etc. including new rear springs. They took a lot off the web page temporarily, but they told me they are working on a 3" lift long(er?) travel system for the Tahoe that includes longer travel progressive springs for the rear. It sounds like exactly what I'm looking for... I'm just scared about the price!

 

[TheFuzz]

That sounds promising, but I'd be scared of the price too! Maybe they'll sell just the springs eventually. That would at least be a start.

I'll hopefully be picking up the Bilstein 5125s here in a month or so, and once I get them swapped out I'll let you know how the ride is. Washboard is a tough nut to crack from a comfort standpoint though - you almost have to have a shock with preset valving and highly adjustable dampening. King would be the way to go in that regard, but I work on a cop's salary...I don't have 3K to invest!

 

[yates ™]

What is he going to do with just 3" lift springs?

 

[TheFuzz]

Him? Probably nothing. He wants to revamp his whole suspension.

The rest of us who like options? Anything we want. Nobody else even makes decent lift springs for these trucks, unless you want a gaudy 6" lift. So like I said, it would at least be a start. Eventually I would like to see 1" and 2" lift spring options with better spring rates than the OEM variety, for those of us who don't want to go much higher than a leveling kit but still want a better off road ride.

 

[yates ™]

There is not really much of a market for it though, most people that want a small lift are only doing so because of the cost factor.

 

[TheFuzz]

That's been my point the whole time - there's no market for it. I'm trying to provide ideas for him that don't cost an arm and a leg. Guys like him and me who want good performance out of only a minimal lift are the minority. He's trying to come up w/ solutions that don't involve a huge lift because he's going to be driving clients around. I don't want a huge lift either because 1) I think it looks like ass on these trucks and 2) I have a pregnant wife and two little kids that don't want to have to use a ladder to get into the truck.

Lift components that come in the 2-3" range are rare and expensive. I'm trying to make due with factory springs and decent shocks, but to truly solve the issue of good handling on washboard roads, it costs much more money than I'm willing to part with right now.

 

[mikesmith]

The weird thing is that you would think there would be a big market for anything that helps these truck-like vehicles ride better. Most get driven with 1 person most of the time with no weight to justify the spring rates in the rear. Same goes for most pickup trucks. I think there's a good trend developing for the pickups of offering softer springs paired with airbags (note that all 2014 Ram models including heavy duty versions will offer that from the factory). GM has the factory options for the SUVs but there are a lot out there on the road that don't have it, and the ones that have it complain about it breaking.

Think about all the people driving long distance on dirt roads outside the urban areas in the Midwest, West, etc. Who wouldn't want to be able to go faster?

Of course, I'm open to being told I'm wrong in thinking the engineering is that simple...

 

[Zed 71]

I'll hopefully be picking up the Bilstein 5125s here in a month or so, and once I get them swapped out I'll let you know how the ride is.

I believe the 5125s are just universal fit versions of the 5100s. IMO it would be better to get the 5100 because they would be valved specifically for the Tahoe.

You guys are right though, a custom tuned spring and associated shock would be optimal.

Good luck and keep us updated.

 

[wbreaux]

You should probably just do a quick little prerunner build on it

 

[08grey]

Try test driving a 2013 on one of these roads. Tell the dealer you want to specifically ride a washboard road. This will give you an idea of where your current suspension stands vs new oem.


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