ZW7 suspension

[Danzigman]

What exactly is the ZW7 Premium smooth ride suspension? Is it just basicly the standard option? Looks like there where 331,000+ built with them in 2005. I also have the G65 autoride option it also has about the same builds. So is this just part of the autoride suspension? What do the non-autoride tahoes have?

 

[LuSe4]

I have the zw7 suspension on mine. It has self leveling shocks in the rear. This is not the autoride suspension though. Zw7 (or nivomat ) shocks actually help hold up the rear of the truck up. Because of this they have softer springs than a z71.

 

[Danzigman]

So I have a 2x4 Z71 with both ZW7 and G65. This means I have autoride correct? So do I not have the z71 rear springs?

 

[jdpber]

easy way to tell.. do you have elec wires to your shocks up front.. that will tell you if you are auto ride or not..

 

[Danzigman]

I will have to look when I get home. The vin breakdown says I have it though.

 

[kses123]

Z71's never had Autoride (Z55). G65 is self-leveling (part of the Nivomat shocks). There is nothing electronic going on in these shocks. I guess since you have a 2WD Tahoe, you can have the ZW7 suspension since your Z71 is actually just an appearance package, not the true "off road" suspension the 4WD models had.

 

[Danzigman]

OK, so the Z55 is autoride. Thanks for clearing that up. I have been reading posts where autoride has been going out and I was wondering if I would have to deal with this eventually. Glad that I don't. So i have the skid plates but not the suspension. Sort of strange. Are Nivomat shocks a future problem also?

 

[LuSe4]

OK, so the Z55 is autoride. Thanks for clearing that up. I have been reading posts where autoride has been going out and I was wondering if I would have to deal with this eventually. Glad that I don't. So i have the skid plates but not the suspension. Sort of strange. Are Nivomat shocks a future problem also?

Nivomats are just really big high pressure shocks. They have no lines running to them. I just replaced mine because I had one blow. They are expensive but I bought 2 used ones with under 10,000 miles for $200 shipped. The cheapest I could find a new one for was over $350 a piece.

As far as I know with lots of research, I have not found that they are usually a faulty part, but they do wear out like normal shocks.

 

[CTLT13]

I called my dealer about my truck and this is what the codes mean they said:
z55 & 265 are autoride, g65 is manual, zw7 smooth ride. My truck only has zw7 code which is Premium Smooth Ride. I still don't know if I have autoride or non-autoride. Just zw7, what is it?

 

[kses123]

AutoRide is Z55 only, it includes G69 "level control" which is an air compressor bolted to the frame and pumps up the rear air shocks. If you have ZW7, you do NOT have AutoRide at all. You have the Premium Smooth Ride, it includes option code G65 "level control" which is a manual leveling system built into the hydraulic shocks in the rear. It is an independent unit. It has no sensors, airbags, compressors or anything.