Softer ride

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7mmhunter

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Sep 23, 2015
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Removing auto ride is pretty easy. You disconnect each of the 4 sensors at the shocks. You then splice in 4- 5k ohm resistors (or something in that range) into the wiring. You can order pre-made resistor packs but you can also just buy resistors on eBay or Amazon. Then solder and heat shrink with a bit of electrical tape to keep it tidy and out of the way.

This will allow you to remove and replace the shocks with aftermarket ones. Just pay particular attention to the rubber shock mounts and their condition (this will effect ride comfort and performance. Also pay attention to the strut expanded length specs. Bilstein 5100 shocks allow a 2 inch over extension or something very close. Shockwarehouse.com can help you out in that regards.

Just note that if you do decide to lift then it's probably a good idea to get all Z71 parts (HD Moog or ACDelco springs) like 7mm hunter did.

Also get new keys springs and bars as well. GM made a multitude of different spring/bar combinations for our body type. It's kind of critical to get the right spring/bar combination or you could end up rubbing the tread off your tire or damaging sheet metal or frame/steering components. Aside from that it would make for a soft ride to have old non-Z71 bars in combination with new keys for instance....no matter how much you crank the keys. Thinner bars have less progressive weight resistance. Much like thicker rubber bands have more resistance. If you use your older/thinner bars they won't be stiff enough.

As far as the lower control arms go....to my knowledge there is no concern here. I have never spec'd out a 2500 lower control arm before and they may fit. Make sure wheel mounting is tight and remove any extras that you are not sure of...like cheap wheel spacers, old or questionable hubs, loose/worn steering linkage parts...etc. Bigger wheels and tires are heavy and increase stress on existing components with which they weren't designed for. All this figuring out is what makes it so fun and a challenge. Your basically building a vehicle just for you. I',m sure 7mm will want to add some stuff here. Good luck friend!

Matahoe pretty much summed it up. Thanks for this as well. I dont rock crawl her but she does go out on trail to get to our campsites. So i do rub the plastics and lost some as well but no big deal, as long as no steel or parts rub. No change either with the lower control arms but this past alignment due to new tread my mechanic advised me to get the cognito upper control arms to improve aligmment. Something about the caster and ball joint to be more in the right position. All this so the new tread doesnt wear inside and improve steering. They’re not cheap. I tried looking for other companies but hard to find.


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7mmhunter

TYF Newbie
Joined
Sep 23, 2015
Posts
9
Reaction score
1
Removing auto ride is pretty easy. You disconnect each of the 4 sensors at the shocks. You then splice in 4- 5k ohm resistors (or something in that range) into the wiring. You can order pre-made resistor packs but you can also just buy resistors on eBay or Amazon. Then solder and heat shrink with a bit of electrical tape to keep it tidy and out of the way.

This will allow you to remove and replace the shocks with aftermarket ones. Just pay particular attention to the rubber shock mounts and their condition (this will effect ride comfort and performance. Also pay attention to the strut expanded length specs. Bilstein 5100 shocks allow a 2 inch over extension or something very close. Shockwarehouse.com can help you out in that regards.

Just note that if you do decide to lift then it's probably a good idea to get all Z71 parts (HD Moog or ACDelco springs) like 7mm hunter did.

Also get new keys springs and bars as well. GM made a multitude of different spring/bar combinations for our body type. It's kind of critical to get the right spring/bar combination or you could end up rubbing the tread off your tire or damaging sheet metal or frame/steering components. Aside from that it would make for a soft ride to have old non-Z71 bars in combination with new keys for instance....no matter how much you crank the keys. Thinner bars have less progressive weight resistance. Much like thicker rubber bands have more resistance. If you use your older/thinner bars they won't be stiff enough.

As far as the lower control arms go....to my knowledge there is no concern here. I have never spec'd out a 2500 lower control arm before and they may fit. Make sure wheel mounting is tight and remove any extras that you are not sure of...like cheap wheel spacers, old or questionable hubs, loose/worn steering linkage parts...etc. Bigger wheels and tires are heavy and increase stress on existing components with which they weren't designed for. All this figuring out is what makes it so fun and a challenge. Your basically building a vehicle just for you. I',m sure 7mm will want to add some stuff here. Good luck friend!

Matahoe pretty much summed it up. Thanks for this as well. I dont rock crawl her but she does go out on trail to get to our campsites. So i do rub the plastics and lost some as well but no big deal, as long as no steel or parts rub. No change either with the lower control arms but this past alignment due to new tread my mechanic advised me to get the cognito upper control arms to improve aligmment. Something about the caster and ball joint to be more in the right position. All this so the new tread doesnt wear inside and improve steering. They’re not cheap. I tried looking for other companies but hard to find.


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SlimJim

Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2016
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I have the bilstein 5100’s on my Yukon with a 3.5 -4” leveling kit. Got rid of the autoride best thing i did. If you want the part numbers let me know.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk9d575cfbb945c488e680ee81d896aa9c.jpg
Hows the ride quality? Ive heard that 5100s are bouncy and rough.
 

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