Stock Air Suspension Question/Issue

[21denali62]

21 Denali with factory air suspension. 41k miles.

About 6 weeks ago I got new tires. Michelin Defender LTX M/S2. Love the tires over the stock Bridgestones. Same size as called for by GM.

Dealership (Chevy dealer) struggled to get alignment correct. Took 3 service visits for them to get the steering wheel straight. It was noticeably cocked to the left when driving straight. I asked multiple times if they were using alignment mode, but they seemed dismissive of it. On the final visit they said it was due to learning they needed to calibrate their new alignment system twice not once when using it.

Shortly after (maybe a week) I started noticing a change in the air suspension. I do have entry/egress turned on. It now seems to drop slightly more aggressive a little once I shift into park, just on what I would call the first level it drops. It then continues to lower but once it gets to the bottom you can clearly see the front raise up one level. This occurs just before the lowering indicator turns from green to white. It is not raising all the way back to the normal drive level. I can only describe it as if you broke the distance it lowers when going into entry/egress into fourths . In essence, it lowers all the way down but then raises a 1/4.

Prior to the new tires and alignment, it never raised back up after dropping down for entry/egress mode. It also never had a that jerk or bounce when it first started lowering.

Air suspension otherwise works fine. I can cycle through the different settings no problem. I've tried driving with entry/exit turned off for while, but once I turn it on it starts doing the same thing.

Any ideas what could be going on? Did the Chevy dealer mess something up? I'm thinking about taking it to the local Cadillac dealer since they see more air suspension vehicles.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Big Mama]

I’ve been wanting to see that function in action. It sounds like the dealer, for some reason, changed some settings though this is a guess. Can you disconnect the battery to have the system reset itself?

Your point about why tires and alignment shouldn’t affect your suspension but the new rigs may require some calibration once the new service is done.

 

[Kpwweb]

The alignment should not have changed the ride height. Also, suspension height should not change steering wheel position—only toe does that (the tires in relation to each other when looking down from the top).

Sounds like the alignment person either didn’t know what they were doing or they were having a bad day.

It took me three times to get the alignment correct since the suspension moves around so much (wouldn’t be because I kept adjusting the height!). It appears GM only adjusts toe and then sends these on their merry way.

Might take it to a different shop that specializes in alignments, especially if you are paying for them.

Also note that the suspension moving up and down can put it in a “bind” until the vehicle is moved, which new tires would exacerbate as they would stick to the pavement better—maybe that is what is going on?