Lowered Tahoe takes bumps in rear too hard

[colt45hoe]

Damn that’s a good looking Tahoe!! I’ve been kicking around the idea of those Escalade wheels and I’m pretty sure seeing yours just sealed the deal for me lol are they silver or charcoal ?

I got a 4” drop in the back of mine with belltech shocks and i personally think The same thing. Helper bags helped out a lot with it.if you don’t already have some I recommend it! Can get them through Tony.

 

[Rocket Man]

Hmmm two trucks with Belltech shocks in the rear that don't ride very well over bumps. I have heard they're not good shocks. Might be worth it to try Bilstein 4600's just to see if it improves the ride.

 

[iamdub]

Hmmm two trucks with Belltech shocks in the rear that don't ride very well over bumps. I have heard they're not good shocks. Might be worth it to try Bilstein 4600's just to see if it improves the ride.

All I ever read about the BellTech Street Performance shocks was that they rode "great" and "like stock". I had the 2412FF and they were really firm. I found that I should've had the 2410FF. I threw on some Bilstein 4600s from a Jeep XJ (after minor modding to the bushed ends) and this cured my harsh ride problems. I never tried the 2410FF, though.

Going at it blindly, I'd go straight for the Bilsteins.

 

[chilleblanco36]

I’ll get some pics of the springs at ride height

The wheels are hyper black chrome.

I will try the bilstein 4600’s and see if that helps. Other than that, the ride is great. I do hate all the plastic rattle when going over bumps, but it did that with stock suspension.

 

[iamdub]

I do hate all the plastic rattle when going over bumps, but it does that because GM.

FYP.

Once you get your suspension sorted out and wanna dive into another satisfying project, invest in some felt/velvet tape (something like this: https://www.amazon.com/uxcell-a18020100ux0100-Velvet-Cloth-Adhesive/dp/B07BNLJN5D) and put it everywhere plastic panels meet the metal frame. Put a piece over the slotted hole that the spring clips snap in to, cut a slit down the center with a razor and fold the tape inward.

 

[chilleblanco36]

interesting. I think I will look into that. I plan to replace the carpet first. It looks a mess but was like that when I got it. It was lower mileage but the original owner had small kids.

 

[chilleblanco36]

interesting. I think I will look into that. I plan to replace the carpet first. It looks a mess but was like that when I got it. It was lower mileage but the original owner had small kids.

Here are the pictures of the springs as it sits. Could they be put in upside down? Would that matter?

 

[iamdub]

Here are the pictures of the springs as it sits. Could they be put in upside down? Would that matter?

It would only matter if you were to cut those coils for more drop. The cut end would go up.

If it rides fine and is only harsh when you hit bumps, and now that I see which coils you have, I'm wondering if your problem is soft coils allowing too much movement and, subsequently, bottoming out hard oń the bump stops. Those coils are known for being too soft. How much pressure do you run in those bags, normally/unloaded?

 

[chilleblanco36]

I’m not running any pressure in them. I only do that when I tow. If I put air in them now it will lift the rear of the truck.

 

[iamdub]

I’m not running any pressure in them. I only do that when I tow. If I put air in them now it will lift the rear of the truck.

I'm thinking this is the cause of your bottoming out. Those springs are too soft. Sure, the ride is nice and cushy, but they let the rear travel too far over average bumps. Try ~5 psi in those bags. It shouldn't lift any more than about 1/2" or so. Drive for a few days around your normal areas and see if there's any reduction in the bumping.

If so, and if you really need that ~1/2" of drop back, you can just cut off one or two of those compressed coils on the spring. This will lower the rear the wire thickness of the coil while not changing the way that it rides. Those compressed coils are basically just acting like spacers. So, it'll be a little lower than it is now with no pressure in the bags. But, with a little pressure in them, it'll be back where it sits now and be closer to the factory spring rate. Really, this is exactly how the factory Auto-Leveling Control works. The rear springs in ALC-equipped trucks are a hair softer than those in the standard suspension. The air bags on the shocks are kept at around 5psi minimum at all times. This keeps the air bags in their proper shape as well as supplements the slightly "weaker" springs so that, collectively, the system has the same load capacity.