I have a 2010 ESV 2wd with magneride and 22 inch wheels, 200k miles. Ive replaced all four struts/shocks, a hub, upper control arm, lower balljoint, swaybar endlinks, inner and outer tierods, then an alignment. Everything was replaced with correct oem or moog parts. I am still experiencing a rough ride on the highway mainly. Over larger bumps/speedbumps and through dips its perfect, but for some reason it makes seemingly smooth roads feel like washboards. I originally thought it was the front left strut that was bad agin after a few thousand miles so I replaced it again and there was zero change. The tires are all relatively new and recently balanced. I unpluged the front shocks and the whole front end got very soft and wallowy like its supposed to but still feels very rough on smooth roads. The feeling changes with different road surfaces but is more noticeable the smoother the road is. I tried putting the spare on it to see if a softer sidewall might help and even let some air out of the tires to see if that changed anything but it seems exactly the same. The only think I can find with any play in it that may be worn out is the coupling shaft that goes into the top of the steering rack but I cant see that causing this. Its not really noticeable under 40 but is most pronounced between 65-75, havent been much faster since everything was replaced. If anyone has any thoughts or has had a similar experience after replacing the entire front end please let me know. Is it possibly driveline related? It definitely feels like its in the front end. I know these trucks dont ride the best with 22 inch wheels but there is definitely something wrong this isnt just a product of large wheels, it didnt ride like this in the past.
2010 Escalade suspension issues
- Thread starter Awall10
- Start date
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Most vibrations are caused by tire and wheel issues. First question, what kind of tires do you have and who installed them? You can have an out of round tire (or tires) that will never be fixed by balancing no matter how many times they do it. A shop (dealers are required by GM to have at least one) with a Roadforce balancer can check this and then they can sometimes index the tire on the wheel to try and fix it.
mikeyss
Full Access Member
Could the springs themselves be wore out? 200k miles and 20 years old may have weakened them
It’s got Toyo open country ht on it. They were installed at a local tire shop. I suppose multiple/all of them could be causing the problem but I put the spare on it and there was no change. Not sure if it’s out of balance but it’s been my experience in the past that not all out of balance tires feel the same, there should have been some noticeable difference if it were the tires with swapping them or rotating them which I haven’t been able to notice. I’ll look into having them roadforce balanced tho, couldn’t hurt anyway. Closest dealership is a bit away but I’m sure somewhere around here has one.
Never had a spring go bad before that I know of so I’m not sure about that. It doesn’t seem like a worn out spring would manifest itself in this way but again I have no experience with that.
It does it most of the time but sometimes it rides mostly ok so that led me to believe it wasn’t wheel related. I’m probably doing a poor job explaining exactly what the problem is so I’ll try again. On bumpy roads it kind of feels like I would expect it to, but maybe a little too jittery. On smooth roads around here most of the time there are small imperfections/bumps which it seems to amplify. It’s not so much a vibration as it is a stiffness over imperfections that most cars wouldn’t really notice. I’ll see if I can capture it in a video, maybe with a bottle of water on the console or something.
Never had a spring go bad before that I know of so I’m not sure about that. It doesn’t seem like a worn out spring would manifest itself in this way but again I have no experience with that.
It does it most of the time but sometimes it rides mostly ok so that led me to believe it wasn’t wheel related. I’m probably doing a poor job explaining exactly what the problem is so I’ll try again. On bumpy roads it kind of feels like I would expect it to, but maybe a little too jittery. On smooth roads around here most of the time there are small imperfections/bumps which it seems to amplify. It’s not so much a vibration as it is a stiffness over imperfections that most cars wouldn’t really notice. I’ll see if I can capture it in a video, maybe with a bottle of water on the console or something.
Absolutely. My 08 has 140k miles and new front springs raised it 3/4” and my 12 has 180k miles and new springs raised the front 1”. In this case I don’t think it’s causing a vibration but they certainly do wear.
swathdiver
Full Access Member
Do you have a Tech-2 or equivalent? I'm pretty sure you have to recalibrate the suspension positions when replacing the shocks, otherwise they run in a default state/position. If you can read chassis codes, see if C0558 with Symptom 00 is stored in memory. This means Calibration Data Not Programmed.
I don't have this suspension so I cannot speak as to what the Tech-2 menu would say but am reading the troubleshooting guide for yours.
No tech2, probably should invest in one. It was my understanding that when unplugged the shocks revert to the softest ride which is the default, and that happens when I unplug mine but it still feels like riding on a washboard road. I suppose it’s possible the other strut is bad again but it only has like 3k miles on it.
swathdiver
Full Access Member
@sk1dm4rk - Paging Mark but he hasn't been on in a while. He's the only one I know of with an Escalade (Z95 Suspension) and a Tech-2. Anyone else? @Staggered 02
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.
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.
avalonandl
Full Access Member
22 inch wheels do ride harder.
What air pressure are you running 35 psi?
Those Toyo are not known for being the smoothest tire.
What air pressure are you running 35 psi?
Those Toyo are not known for being the smoothest tire.
Did away with rear air, used zw7 rear shocks and they feel great
swathdiver
Full Access Member
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
Full Access Member
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.
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?
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
Full Access Member
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.
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
Full Access Member
That was my next thought, thanks!
