Premier Smooth Ride

[S1W99]

This thread is specifically for trucks with the premier smooth ride suspension.
I have a 2012 LT and have replaced most of the suspension. All the control arms ACDelco struts Bilstein shocks in the rear and have anything but a premier smooth ride now.

I've asked in other threads about this issue but wanted a specific thread for what works, what doesn't work? What have you done to get a smooth ride for this model truck. Did you find that some struts and shocks didn't work? Did you replace springs etc?.

 

[S1W99]

I have the factory springs still, should I replace those, should I replace them with OEM or Moog?

 

[tom3]

Main items I've found over the years are tires and shocks. Expensive shocks that "improve handling" usually destroy a comfortable ride. Rubber body mounts also get hard and the ride suffers.

 

[S1W99]

What rubber parts can new replaced? Upper and lower control arms came with new bushings.Upper and lower control arms came with new bushings.

 

[CTUBS8732]

Sway bar link bushings, sway bar bushings. I’m having the same issue myself. I’m thinking body mounts. But before I get crazy I’m gonnna do lower control arm bushings.

 

[swathdiver]

What rubber parts can new replaced? Upper and lower control arms came with new bushings.Upper and lower control arms came with new bushings.

In the front strut assemblies you have the mount, coil spring seat, bumper and the upper and lower spring insulators. These all contribute to the ride and handling, especially the first three. A bad mount is not going to let the shock operate properly, neither will a worn out bump stop (bumper).

Sway bar link bushings, sway bar bushings. I’m having the same issue myself. I’m thinking body mounts. But before I get crazy I’m gonnna do lower control arm bushings.

You guys have different suspensions but the same problem. The one thing that you have in common are those Bilstein shocks.

 

[CTUBS8732]

In the front strut assemblies you have the mount, coil spring seat, bumper and the upper and lower spring insulators. These all contribute to the ride and handling, especially the first three. A bad mount is not going to let the shock operate properly, neither will a worn out bump stop (bumper).



You guys have different suspensions but the same problem. The one thing that you have in common are those Bilstein shocks.

That’s funny. I guess these bilsteins are not for me. I should of just went back with oem.

 

[S1W99]

I have ACDelco OEM struts on the front and Bilstein 4600 on the back. Looks like OE springs and the parts @swathdiver mentioned.

 

[S1W99]

Has anyone had experience with changing only springs out? Was the ride stiffer, softer, etc?

 

[iamdub]

Has anyone had experience with changing only springs out? Was the ride stiffer, softer, etc?

I'd like to know this as well.

 

[S1W99]

Well, after lots of driving and thinking on this issue I think my next move is to talk to Bilstein and find out what coils are made to work with the 4600's I have in the rear and the ACDelco front struts.
(ACDELCO 540615 (540-615) Strut).

I'm attaching pics of my codes and the springs currently installed. My assumption is they are original.

I love everything about this Tahoe except for its harsh ride over 40 mph.

My mechanic of 20 yrs drove it and said "I see what you mean but it ain't terrible". I agreed but it did not drive like this off the lot. I want a premium smooth ride.

Thoughts @swathdiver - @iamdub

​

 

[swathdiver]

On your front strut assemblies, what parts other than the shock was changed? Why don't you flip those upside rear shocks around and see how she rides?

Oh, what wheels and tires are you running? How old are the tires and what air pressure do you run in them?

These are trucks that were designed to haul a load. Without a load on, they do bounce around a little.

I had my spare out for about a month once and the ride was noticeably worse. On another occasion, I was carrying around about 75 pounds of junk all the way in the back for about a week and the ride was noticeably smoother.

 

[iamdub]

On your front strut assemblies, what parts other than the shock was changed? Why don't you flip those upside rear shocks around and see how she rides?

Oh, what wheels and tires are you running? How old are the tires and what air pressure do you run in them?

These are trucks that were designed to haul a load. Without a load on, they do bounce around a little.

I had my spare out for about a month once and the ride was noticeably worse. On another occasion, I was carrying around about 75 pounds of junk all the way in the back for about a week and the ride was noticeably smoother.

My neighbor's Tahoe is lowered the same as mine with spindles and BT struts. His is an XFE. We took his out yesterday so I could get a feel for it to see if those struts are just really stiff. I think that's part of it. His front end is stiffer than mine and the rear is really stiff. I hopped in mine right when we got back and was actually a little relieved that mine rode noticeably better.

I never thought about it until you just mentioned it, but I have my third row seats out. I know it'd ride a lot softer if I had them in. But the rear is fine. It's the front that I'm trying to soften up. I think this is @S1W99's main problem as well. Good catch on them inverted shocks.

 

[swathdiver]

Parts selection and tires contribute greatly to the ride quality. I like having over seven inches of sidewall!

 

[justchecking]

My neighbor's Tahoe is lowered the same as mine with spindles and BT struts. His is an XFE. We took his out yesterday so I could get a feel for it to see if those struts are just really stiff. I think that's part of it. His front end is stiffer than mine and the rear is really stiff. I hopped in mine right when we got back and was actually a little relieved that mine rode noticeably better.

I never thought about it until you just mentioned it, but I have my third row seats out. I know it'd ride a lot softer if I had them in. But the rear is fine. It's the front that I'm trying to soften up. I think this is @S1W99's main problem as well. Good catch on them inverted shocks.

I have new OEM struts and springs in the garage for the front. My rear is new and fine. I would also like to know any parts to replace in the front when I do the front renew. What rubber parts SHOULD be replaced?

 

[swathdiver]

I have new OEM struts and springs in the garage for the front. My rear is new and fine. I would also like to know any parts to replace in the front when I do the front renew. What rubber parts SHOULD be replaced?

In the chart above, 1 through 8 make up the parts of the strut assembly. I foolishly re-used #2 on mine, they are still good but they will probably wear out soon and have to be replaced. #3 could probably have been used again but it did have some wear as well. #4 was falling apart and #5 and #7 were well worn. Some just stick a new shock in there, call it a day, and are happy as clams.

 

[iamdub]

Parts selection and tires contribute greatly to the ride quality. I like having over seven inches of sidewall!

True. I do know that my tires are part of my problem since I have the Brickstone Duellers that are OE for the later models. Still, when I had my GoodYear Eagles and stock suspension, it rode about the same as it does now. But, those were really old AutoRide struts. So, the BT struts just ride stiff, like OLD AutoRide struts and (hopefully) not how new ones would. Mark @S1W99 has Michelin Defenders (IIRC, the stock 20" size), so, he's good on tire selection. It's a parts issue for him and me. More sidewall isn't conducive to my driving style or environment.

Mark doesn't have active suspension, so this part is irrelevant to him: James @swathdiver, can you reset the AutoRide suspension controller in these things? I'm under the impression that they firm up the shocks incrementally based on time, mileage and cycles to account for wear. When I unplugged mine, it rode dangerously soft. But, that confirmed that the struts and shocks were worn and the controller was making them firm. I know the suspension controller can be reprogrammed, as they were on the K2xx due to them making the shocks excessively firm when unnecessary. I'm curious if there's something, maybe in the Tech2, that can be done.

 

[iamdub]

I have new OEM struts and springs in the garage for the front. My rear is new and fine. I would also like to know any parts to replace in the front when I do the front renew. What rubber parts SHOULD be replaced?

I have the same questions as the OP, S1W99! Specifically, about the strut mount. Lemme ask James about that...

 

[iamdub]

View attachment 371067

In the chart above, 1 through 8 make up the parts of the strut assembly. I foolishly re-used #2 on mine, they are still good but they will probably wear out soon and have to be replaced. #3 could probably have been used again but it did have some wear as well. #4 was falling apart and #5 and #7 were well worn. Some just stick a new shock in there, call it a day, and are happy as clams.

Is there anything about that mount (#2) that can make the strut feel really firm when it comes to absorbing shocks? My problem, and I believe it's the same for Mark, is that the slower up and down cycling is fine. It's the sudden, sharp upward jolts that aren't absorbed and are transferred to the frame, body and passengers. Like the compression is valved too stiff. I just don't see anything about it that'd affect the ride quality that much, assuming it was in "operable" condition and not completely worn out with lateral slack in it. I'd hate to make a $180+ gamble and get nothing more than clean, shiny metal bits.

 

[S1W99]

On your front strut assemblies, what parts other than the shock was changed? Why don't you flip those upside rear shocks around and see how she rides?

Oh, what wheels and tires are you running? How old are the tires and what air pressure do you run in them?

These are trucks that were designed to haul a load. Without a load on, they do bounce around a little.

I had my spare out for about a month once and the ride was noticeably worse. On another occasion, I was carrying around about 75 pounds of junk all the way in the back for about a week and the ride was noticeably smoother.

I used the Mevotech kit. Uca's, lca's, links, struts. I have new tires.