2010 Escalade suspension issues

[avalonandl]

22 inch wheels do ride harder.

What air pressure are you running 35 psi?

Those Toyo are not known for being the smoothest tire.

 

[Awall10]

one thing you can check is the rear air pump operation.
1. turn the key to run, then listen near the drivers rear tire area, you should hear the air pump run for a few seconds.
2. have a helper turn the key to run while you are listening close the rear drivers side tire, you should hear some air release for just a brief second then you should hear the pump come on for a few seconds.
3. reach under the rear of the vehicle and give the rear shock bladder a squeeze (like charmin) it should have some slight firmness, if it is very hard and you do not hear the brief air release when turning the key to run then the pump air release valve may be defective and it is just pumping the bladders up until they are rock hard and causing a rough ride.
4. alternatively if the pump does not run each time you turn the key to run then this is a sign the pump is probably not working right.
5. if the air pump runs and the shock bladders are not inflated at all then you have a leak.
6. check the shock bladders the next morning (before you turn the key to start) they should be still holding air from the previous day.
7. if you never hear the pump running and the bladders are empty then you probably have a blown air pump.

Like James said the system could probably use a calibration any shop with a tech2 could do it, it only takes a couple minutes. or just buy one of the clones and have it for future money saving troubleshooting.
when the calibration is performed be sure the vehicle is empty (no passengers or anything loaded in it) and be sure it is parked on a level surface, the calibration can be done with the tech2 cable running thru the door window and standing from outside the vehicle.

Did away with rear air, used zw7 rear shocks and they feel great

 

[swathdiver]

Did away with rear air, used zw7 rear shocks and they feel great

Ohhhh. I missed this, thought you were running stock shocks. Does the truck have a spare tire, is it the Sport model? Regardless, the rear of mine bounces around a bit without weight in the back. Even more noticeable without the spare on board. Settles down nicely with passengers in the back or about 50-75 pounds in the back. Likes to run loaded.

 

[avalonandl]

Did away with rear air, used zw7 rear shocks and they feel great

Might be part of your issue.....Are they Bilstein?

The shock valving might be too tight. Big bumps are ok but little bumps it doesnt give.....

And Swath- THIS was not mentioned earlier....

 

[Awall10]

Might be part of your issue.....Are they Bilstein?

The shock valving might be too tight. Big bumps are ok but little bumps it doesnt give.....

And Swath- THIS was not mentioned earlier....

Sorry left this out in the original post. They are acdelco shocks and are the exact ones that came on Escalade esvs with zw7 smooth ride package so they’re oem just from a different suspension package. I found some conflicting info on whether the springs for the rear were the same with zw7 vs z95 but they were recommended by someone on the Cadillac forum as a direct swap and it doesn’t seem like the issue is in the rear.

 

[Awall10]

22 inch wheels do ride harder.

What air pressure are you running 35 psi?

Those Toyo are not known for being the smoothest tire.

I keep them at 35, ive tried running them between 30-40 just to see if there’s any difference and it’s all the same.

Used the toyos on several vehicles and they rode great and seem to last forever but they all had a lot more sidewall to absorb bumps so I could see them possibly being an issue. Looks like you’ve got 22s on your Yukon, what tire would you recommend when I replace them/if they are my problem?

 

[Awall10]

Ohhhh. I missed this, thought you were running stock shocks. Does the truck have a spare tire, is it the Sport model? Regardless, the rear of mine bounces around a bit without weight in the back. Even more noticeable without the spare on board. Settles down nicely with passengers in the back or about 50-75 pounds in the back. Likes to run loaded.

My fault for not specifying what I used. It has a spare and the 3rd row is in it so I assume it’s adequately loaded in the rear. I recently took the spare off to put on each corner to see if I noticed a difference, might not have told me much since it’s 10 years old and could have hardened from age. I’m just feeling a little apathetic towards this rig at the moment, coming from several bmws I was hoping this would be as easygoing as a 2nd gen Tahoe I had years ago and my nightmare of constantly chasing little issues could finally end. I’m sure it’s an easy fix tho, if I could just figure out what it is.

 

[swathdiver]

My fault for not specifying what I used. It has a spare and the 3rd row is in it so I assume it’s adequately loaded in the rear. I recently took the spare off to put on each corner to see if I noticed a difference, might not have told me much since it’s 10 years old and could have hardened from age. I’m just feeling a little apathetic towards this rig at the moment, coming from several bmws I was hoping this would be as easygoing as a 2nd gen Tahoe I had years ago and my nightmare of constantly chasing little issues could finally end. I’m sure it’s an easy fix tho, if I could just figure out what it is.

I never heard of a Cadillac coming with the dumb suspension, thought they all had either Z55 or Z95. It's not going to ride as nice as your original Z95, especially with those low profile wheels and tires. By converting to ZW7, you've lessoned the quality of the ride and I think the only way to recover that is to restore the suspension to original or switch to a smaller wheel with a higher sidewall tire. My ride smooths out once she has a load in the back or a couple of passengers in the 2nd row.

 

[91RS]

Wait, so you put passive shocks in the rear but kept the Auto/Mag Ride shocks in the front? I can definitely see that causing an issue with the handling characteristics, either delete the Auto/Mag ride completely or keep it completely.

 

[swathdiver]

Wait, so you put passive shocks in the rear but kept the Auto/Mag Ride shocks in the front? I can definitely see that causing an issue with the handling characteristics, either delete the Auto/Mag ride completely or keep it completely.

That was my next thought, thanks!