How long does Z95 suspension last

[CapnBob]

Greetings all…2017 Tahoe Premier 5.3…87500 miles
My question is how many miles
Does z95 shocks last?
My truck is starting to ride
A little rough.
Dealer says they need replacement.Seems to me
A little premature so I thought
I would ask the forum how many miles they have before
Replacement was needed.
Thanks for any answers.
I can’t afford to do it right now.
My tires are 4 year old toyos
And I wonder if that is part of the problem.
Thanks guys

 

[swathdiver]

7-8 years on average it seems from the posts on the forum.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Your are approaching the end of life for your original shocks, depending of course on how you treated them over their useful life. As these shocks start to fail, the ride gets stiffer.

If you do any wrenching, this is a job that you can do yourself, with a little assistance from a local shop to disassemble/change/reassemble the front struts, once you have removed them from the truck.

For MUCH better pricing, go to GMPartsDirect.com or RockAuto.com, enter your VIN and locate your shocks, using the Z95 (Magneride) RPO code and a couple of your PRO sub-codes for your suspension. I would estimate the your shocks will cost in the neighborhood of about $375 each from these sites.

If you choose to replace the shocks yourself, we have detailed instructions on the process that you can use.

 

[CapnBob]

Anyone else chime in?

 

[Marky Dissod]

My tires are 4 year old toyos, and I wonder if that is part of the problem.

18" wheels? 20"? 22"? Heavier wheels = replacing shocks (and other suspension & steering stuff) more often.

 

[Tonyv__]

Anyone else chime in?

I’m driving a 2015 Yukon and my front struts started leaking and replaced about 3 years ago at roughly 60-70k miles on the clock. Rear struts are currently leaking, as the compressor comes on pretty frequently on start up. Currently 10 years old with 90k miles.

So yeah. I’m not thrilled with the life span but that’s the cost of air suspension.


Edit. Actually that’s just the cost of suspension on heavy suvs/trucks

 

[Doubeleive]

Anyone else chime in?

Unfortunately your mileage is about right for these to start needing to be replaced on the k2's the front electronic shocks are often reported to fail starting at around 45k, the gmt900's usually made it to about 80~100k. The rear shocks can last longer but if there blown out, leaking air and/or the pump is not coming on then there toast. If the pump is not working that needs to be replaced also

 

[B-train]

Your mileage is right there for replacement. My front struts were replaced under extended warranty at 75k for leaking oil. I replaced them again around 150k because they rode like crap. The rear shocks lasted well past 100k because the air bladders never dry rotted or leaked, but the ride was garbage for awhile after about 140k, so I replaced them around 160k I believe. Truck now has 178k on it and rides like a dream still.

2017 Denali for reference with 22 inch wheels (which are going away for 18 inch ones permanently).

 

[Tahoe guy]

i have a 2018 Tahoe Premier and replaced my shocks/struts at 100k miles. Have 117k now and that's the only work I've had done outside of standard maintenance.

The previous owner did have a leveling kit on it fwiw.

 

[jaxscuby]

bought my 2016 LTZ with Z95..with 132K..pogo started @ ~140K..
so they might have been replaced before..the mileage interval..
so when I get close to 200K I will order replacements ahead of time..

 

[lbenson]

2018 Denali with 20" rims. Replaced front struts at 90K (totally blown out) and rear shocks at 106K (also totally blown out, it was bouncing up and down on freeway). Both sets still working at 133K now.

 

[Campie]

Your mileage is right there for replacement. My front struts were replaced under extended warranty at 75k for leaking oil. I replaced them again around 150k because they rode like crap. The rear shocks lasted well past 100k because the air bladders never dry rotted or leaked, but the ride was garbage for awhile after about 140k, so I replaced them around 160k I believe. Truck now has 178k on it and rides like a dream still.

2017 Denali for reference with 22 inch wheels (which are going away for 18 inch ones permanently).

Great information here! 2018 Yukon Denali w/34k and 22” wheels. We tow a 20’ travel trailer w/600lbs tongue weight. How did you keep the air bladders from dry-rotting? Or was it just luck?

 

[B-train]

Great information here! 2018 Yukon Denali w/34k and 22” wheels. We tow a 20’ travel trailer w/600lbs tongue weight. How did you keep the air bladders from dry-rotting? Or was it just luck?

My yukon got blasted front to back with fluid film when it was new to me from down south in 2019. Nothing was off limits besides the brakes. I've never had a dry rotted bladder since using fluid film.......although they tend to grow a fur over time from dust accumulation.

 

[palerider]

Picked my 2019 up last month at a chevy dealership with 53000 and all 4 completely shot. it was a MA truck and had alot of underbody and corrosion in the wheel compartments. i have to believe that played a role

replaced with strutmasters and love the initial ride. no regrets. i did a complete underbody restoration so hopefully back to new and these new ones will last longer

 

[Campie]

My yukon got blasted front to back with fluid film when it was new to me from down south in 2019. Nothing was off limits besides the brakes. I've never had a dry rotted bladder since using fluid film.......although they tend to grow a fur over time from dust accumulation.

What’s fluid film? We are in NE Ohio so we have ours oil sprayed every year. There’s an Amish farmer who does a great job and mixes his own blend. Same thing, he sprays everything, including drilling and spraying inside door and rocker panels. Hopefully that will do the trick!

 

[Geotrash]

What’s fluid film? We are in NE Ohio so we have ours oil sprayed every year. There’s an Amish farmer who does a great job and mixes his own blend. Same thing, he sprays everything, including drilling and spraying inside door and rocker panels. Hopefully that will do the trick!

Ha! I love it! Could be about anything in that formula. Hard workers, those folks.

 

[B-train]

What’s fluid film? We are in NE Ohio so we have ours oil sprayed every year. There’s an Amish farmer who does a great job and mixes his own blend. Same thing, he sprays everything, including drilling and spraying inside door and rocker panels. Hopefully that will do the trick!

Fluid film is a lanolin based product that creeps, never dries out, and is hard to wash off. Usually one good coating in doors, rockers,and fenders is all you need for many years. Frame rails need to he touched up annually because of getting sprayed off eventually (usually just by wheel areas).

Sounds like you found a good solution on your own. If be curious what the consistency of his product is.

 

[Campie]

Fluid film is a lanolin based product that creeps, never dries out, and is hard to wash off. Usually one good coating in doors, rockers,and fenders is all you need for many years. Frame rails need to he touched up annually because of getting sprayed off eventually (usually just by wheel areas).

Sounds like you found a good solution on your own. If be curious what the consistency of his product is.

The Amish stuff seems a lot like your description of fluid film. Even after several car washes and months of driving it still shows around the edges and seams - which is great but our cars are white so they always look dirty… Better dirty than rusty though!