Suspension Ride Quality Discussion

[Showmehomey]

Quick setup, then some questions:

I finally got around to installing the stuff I've accumulated on my '08 Yukon and am having some ride quality concerns.

Ride: '08 Yukon, non-air, 60k miles.

I installed:

Hellwig sway bars front (6785) and rear (adjustable, 7707).
Bilstein rear shocks (24-186933).
Eibach rear Sport springs (3882.520). To drop the rear an inch and a half.
22" CK375 w/ 285 Bridgestone Duelers.

I have Bilstein F4-BE5-E374-H0 front shocks, but haven't had the couple hours it will take to install them.

The rig rides fine on the highway and smooth asphalt roads in town. The problem lies in the ride on repaired asphalt or transitions from one road surface to another (i.e. on ramps in Dallas). When on those road surfaces, i get some wicked shuddering/vibration/feedback seemingly from the front and rear.

I know some of this might be fixed by the new front shocks, but I wanted to get a conversation going about different combinations and the reasoning behind them.

I've been reading all summer and I have seen the different praises thrown around about different setups. Tony provides some great advice about way works. But, we don't talk as much about why things work.

Questions:
(1) How do I get rid of the shuddering/vibration when going over moderately rough roads?

(2) How do different shocks affect the above? Are the Bilstein's too stiff for what I want?

(3) Does anyone else run Eibach Sport springs out back? I chose them because I wanted to level out the rig.

(4) What do the Spohn rear lower control arms do for the ride? Panhard bar?



I'm looking for progress, not perfection,

 

[Goodinblack]

What is Tony's suggestion so far?

He is the "BellTech" guy though.

 

[NORCAL SS]

Quick setup, then some questions:

I finally got around to installing the stuff I've accumulated on my '08 Yukon and am having some ride quality concerns.

Ride: '08 Yukon, non-air, 60k miles.

I installed:

Hellwig sway bars front (6785) and rear (adjustable, 7707).
Bilstein rear shocks (24-186933).
Eibach rear Sport springs (3882.520). To drop the rear an inch and a half.
22" CK375 w/ 285 Bridgestone Duelers.

I have Bilstein F4-BE5-E374-H0 front shocks, but haven't had the couple hours it will take to install them.

The rig rides fine on the highway and smooth asphalt roads in town. The problem lies in the ride on repaired asphalt or transitions from one road surface to another (i.e. on ramps in Dallas). When on those road surfaces, i get some wicked shuddering/vibration/feedback seemingly from the front and rear.

I know some of this might be fixed by the new front shocks, but I wanted to get a conversation going about different combinations and the reasoning behind them.

I've been reading all summer and I have seen the different praises thrown around about different setups. Tony provides some great advice about way works. But, we don't talk as much about why things work.

Questions:
(1) How do I get rid of the shuddering/vibration when going over moderately rough roads?

(2) How do different shocks affect the above? Are the Bilstein's too stiff for what I want?

(3) Does anyone else run Eibach Sport springs out back? I chose them because I wanted to level out the rig.

(4) What do the Spohn rear lower control arms do for the ride? Panhard bar?



I'm looking for progress, not perfection,

Everyone is going to say do this or do that and I dont carry eibach stuff anymore for a while. Ive been thru all combinations even before my esclade I just did but narrowed it down to pretty much the kits that have worked for me for awhile now.

in rear eibachs with billsteins ride way to stiff. Yes some people say i want a stiff shock but with the coilsprings in rear its a ruff ride. The belltech sp shocks are not the STIFFEST but the valving proves to work well with their drop springs.

You only lowered inch and a half so you dont need to do any rear hardware kit or swaybar relocators.


For me I could sell everything to make a sale but honestly id rather stick to stuff i really like and used before. Im not a guy that just sells this stuff and reads out of books and spits stuff on the phone im a guy that tests stuff over and over again just to get a comination that works and back it up with 24/7 support.

Sorry just had to rant there guys lol

 

[Showmehomey]

And to be clear, I'm not knocking Tony's recommendations. He hasn't made any to me directly. I've just read what has been posted on the forum. My question is what is it about the recommended parts that makes them ideal?

I get that the Eibach springs, which are progressive, are stiff. And from what I've read, the Bilstein shocks are stiff. Does that mean that a better riding combination is a softer spring with a stiffer shock? Or does a stiffer spring with a softer shock do the trick?

What are the attributes of the best combination? Not the best supplier combination.

Has anyone changed out the bushings on the swaybar endlinks? Does that have any effect on the ride?

 

[NORCAL SS]

And to be clear, I'm not knocking Tony's recommendations. He hasn't made any to me directly. I've just read what has been posted on the forum. My question is what is it about the recommended parts that makes them ideal?

I get that the Eibach springs, which are progressive, are stiff. And from what I've read, the Bilstein shocks are stiff. Does that mean that a better riding combination is a softer spring with a stiffer shock? Or does a stiffer spring with a softer shock do the trick?

What are the attributes of the best combination? Not the best supplier combination.

Has anyone changed out the bushings on the swaybar endlinks? Does that have any effect on the ride?

I know you weren't at all. Just what one person thinks is to hard other likes you know. Its really hard unless you ride in it before.

Endlink bushings to poly always help as well as swaybars.

 

[Showmehomey]

It's not about the stiff ride. It's the shaking/vibrating/shuddering whatever you want to call it. That may be the result of the stiffness.

 

[NORCAL SS]

It's not about the stiff ride. It's the shaking/vibrating/shuddering whatever you want to call it. That may be the result of the stiffness.

yeah i dont know on that one. Some people say it rides great others say stiff with that combo. Honestly id start with maybe trying other shocks.

 

[Alex33]

Derek, does the shudder seem to move front to back, back to front, side to side or does it seem like each corner is doing it's own thing?

 

[Showmehomey]

It feels side-to-side. And mostly from the rear. I plan to swap out the front shocks with the new Bilsteins. I have some stock Delco shocks for the back i might swap out to gage the difference.

It's experiment time.

Does anyone make a 1-1/2" drop spring with a softer spring rate than the Eibachs.

 

[Goodinblack]

Soft springs are not fun when it comes to load......... If you actually have to use your truck like a truck one day, it will not be fun..... Just a thought.