Opinions on shock choices

[cal30_sniper]

Hey fellas, I'm looking for some experience with different types of shock setups that y'all are running. The vehicle is a 1986 C20 Suburban (3/4 ton, 454, HD suspension).

I currently have KYB Monomax shocks (and have had them for 30k miles). They still feel like the day I put them on, and are definitely not worn out, but I am beginning to tire of having my teeth jarred. I've taken quite a few offroading/dirt road adventures on these things, and I feel like I'm shaking my truck apart every time. They turn washboards into a horrible nightmare, and I feel every bump, rut, and rock in the road, even when going very slow with the tires let down to 25psi or so. I'm sick of it, especially when I'm getting passed left and right by trucks that seem to be go over the same patches effortlessly.

What's the general consensus for a smooth riding shock that will still handle well and take to the occasional heavy load without a problem? I don't tow a lot, but I sometimes load my truck up with 2k pounds or so of stuff and passengers. I'd like to retain that feature, but actually be able to go off-road without knocking my teeth out.

Are Bilsteins going to be any smoother than the KYBs, or are they valved extremely stiff too? I've had terrible luck with the Monroe/Gabriel shocks that I've tried (sloppy to begin with and don't last long at all). Has anybody had good luck with them on these trucks? What about AC Delco? How are the KYB GR-2 or Gas-a-just? Would either of those be significantly less stiff than the Monomax? I like the longevity of KYBs, but they've killed the ride on every vehicle I put them on. Shocks are not hard to change on these trucks, and I'd rather have a good ride even at the expense of more frequent shock changes.

Also, as a final note, I do have the large Air-Lift Air Springs that I will be installing on there as well (I had them on my old '90 1/2 ton burb, just need to swap them over). I normally don't put much air in them at all, and only pump them up when I'm loaded down to get it back to factory ride height. That being said, since I have the air springs, and a 3/4 ton suspension, I really don't think I need the shocks to be very stiff to get good handling/towing. I want the shocks to dampen well, not try to improve the handling by making it stiffer and more jarring.

Thanks for the help guys, I'd love to hear your experiences.

-cal30sniper

[OutlawDrifter]

i run the GR-2s on my camaro as a factory replacement...i know it's not a square body, but they hold pretty firm, and like you i have had good luck with their product.

the 3/4t suspension is never going to give you a soft ride. kind of like my old 79 with hd front springs....it rode like a lumber wagon, loaded or empty.

maybe you could get some good info from a 4x4 performance shop about what brand provides a softer ride?

[cal30_sniper]

I used to have KYBs on my '87 Formula. They felt good until I moved up to Maryland. I thought they were going to break the car in half the first time I drove through Baltimore. I went with Koni Yellows, tuned them all the way to soft, and never looked back. It makes for an awesome daily driven setup that's pretty mean on the Autocross track as well. I wish I could find something like that for a squarebody...

The KYB Monomax rode really stiff on my half ton suburban as well. I didn't really care then, because it had 300,000 miles on it and I didn't feel like I was really tearing up anything valuable when I went flying up and down dirt roads in it. The 3/4 ton only has 80k miles on it, and I'd rather not fill the body full of rattles. Whatever shocks it had on it when I got it seemed nice (they were dark blue, but had some miles on them). I put in the KYBs since I knew they were expensive and pretty much new. I found out on my Colorado trip that that maybe wasn't such a good idea. They're awesome on the street, but they are not friendly with body rattles when you go offroad.

-cal30sniper

[Edahall]

Your issue is probably more of a 3/4 ton suspension issue. I have a 1982 C10 Suburban and it rides like a Cadillac but my 1990 V20 Suburban rides hard like what you're experiencing.

Does your truck have dual shocks?

Here are some things that you might be able do to tame it down.

-Remove some leaves from the rear spring pack and use the air bags to lift it back up to correct height. You want as much load as possible on the air bags. You'll probably only need 3-4 leaves per spring pack to do the trick.

-Swap your front springs from a 1/2 ton. I have not seen this done so maybe someone can comment on this.

[68Timber]

I've only had one pair of shocks I didn't like and they were gas charged. All I do anymore is make sure they're hydraulic and advertised for a good ride and end up OK. As mentioned, you could remove some springs. If you might be interested in a lift, the 3/4 ton Tuff Country lift is reported to have really good ride. They're available in 2", 3", 4", and 6", so you can go mild or big. If you want to keep OEM height, call Husky Spring and they can guide you to a replacement set of springs with a softer spring rate.

[cal30_sniper]

Thanks for the replies guys, definitely food for thought.

I'm not really interested in lifting the truck, it sits plenty high as is for what I do. I'd really rather not change out any springs either.

I'm pretty sure this is not a spring thing. I'm not expecting a 70s Cadillac ride out of a 3/4 ton. I would, however, prefer for it not to ride like the axles are welded to the frame. I've always had this problem with KYBs. They're durable and they have crisp handling, but they get that through very stiff and harsh dampening. The shock is there for dampening, not stiffness. Stiffness is the springs job.

Has anyone tried Tokico shocks on their trucks? They have a really good reputation in the third gen community as second only to Bilstein/Koni. I'm pretty settled on trying either those or one of the Monroe designs. It's getting to the point where I've seriously considered just throwing the old blue ones back in for the time being. The difference in stiffness between the KYBs and what was in there before was insane. I know I want to change out the shocks, I'm just trying to figure out what my best bang for the buck would be.

[Edahall]

You might also look into Rancho 5000 shocks. They are tilted towards ride smoothness rather than handling. That said, I have those shocks on both my Suburbans. The 1/2 ton Suburban rides very smoothly but the 3/4 ton Suburban still is extremely stiff.

[68Timber]

Originally Posted by Edahall

You might also look into Rancho 5000 shocks. They are tilted towards ride smoothness rather than handling. That said, I have those shocks on both my Suburbans. The 1/2 ton Suburban rides very smoothly but the 3/4 ton Suburban still is extremely stiff.

That is what I was going to recommend. The RS5000 shocks are valved for a good ride and don't cost very much. Whatever harshness is left after installing them will be the springs.

[WarBeard]

I have a 6'' lift on my '89 3/4 ton Suburban. It has quad shocks on the front with a HD spring pack, rode like hell. What I did was I removed the bottom load leaf and replaced the 4 shocks with just 2 RS5000 Ranchos. Now it rides much smoother and only lost about a half inch in lift.

[cal30_sniper]

How about y'all's thoughts on the Monroe Sensa-Trac? With their rebate that's going on right now, I could get all four for a little less than $100 from RockAuto. It's been a while since I fooled with anything they made, but they seem to get good reviews from the truck community.

I did some reading on the Rancho 5000s. It seems they're hit and miss, some people really like them, some people claim they are way to stiff. Same thing on the Tokicos.

By the way, I don't have quad shocks up front. Was that even an option on 2WDs?

[68Timber]

I've used those as well, good ride.

[Edahall]

Originally Posted by cal30_sniper

How about y'all's thoughts on the Monroe Sensa-Trac? With their rebate that's going on right now, I could get all four for a little less than $100 from RockAuto. It's been a while since I fooled with anything they made, but they seem to get good reviews from the truck community.

I did some reading on the Rancho 5000s. It seems they're hit and miss, some people really like them, some people claim they are way to stiff. Same thing on the Tokicos.

By the way, I don't have quad shocks up front. Was that even an option on 2WDs?

Yes, I've used Monroe Sensa-Trac's before on a 83 K5 Blazer. They were good at first but wore out very quickly. With only about 25k miles on the set, I took them out and put the old Rancho's back on. The Monroe's were completely wiped out.

The Rancho's are not in any way stiff. If that's the case, it's the truck, not the shock.

[cal30_sniper]

I think I'm going to try the Ranchos then. They have a "shocktober" rebate available for the next two days.

The only problem is, the RS5000 is only available for a 1.5" lift. Since mine is a 3/4 ton, I'd say they're going to be about perfect, but I'm going to measure today and see what the loaded length of the shock is, and then give Rancho tech a call to confirm. They list the same part # for 1/2 and 3/4 ton, and I'd say my 3/4 ton is at least 1.5" taller than my 1/2 ton from the factory. Probably closer to 2" taller.

-cal30sniper

[cal30_sniper]

I went ahead and ordered the Ranchos, we'll see how they work out. Dealing with their customer service was a sad joke though. Their website lists the part numbers for an '86 Chevrolet 2WD Suburban with a 1.5" lift. I called to ask what the actual shock length specs were, since the 3/4 ton 2WD Suburban sits about 1.5" taller than a 1/2 ton 2WD Suburban from the factory. Once I got on the phone with a Rancho "technician", he didn't want to answer my questions, he just kept telling me that the shocks would only fit a 1/2 Suburban. I told him that their website listed it for "Suburban", not "C10 Suburban", and that I knew for a fact that the mounting style and dimensions were the same. He said that if they made one for a 3/4 ton, it would be listed to fit a "Suburban 2500". I didn't even bother to tell him that there's not even such a thing as a 1986 Suburban 2500. He said the valving would be wrong for a 3/4 ton, that it would handle terrible, and that the shocks would no longer be under warranty. I found that funny, because Gabriel, Monroe, AC Delco, and KYB all list exactly the same part numbers for an '86 C10 Suburban and an '86 C20 Suburban. Anyways, I finally drug the measurements out of him, and they'll fit the 3/4 ton just fine. Matter of fact, they have the same travel measurements as the 1/2 ton-3/4 ton shocks listed by all the other manufacturers. And RockAuto lists them as fitting a 1986 C20 Suburban. If nothing else, I can file the warranty claim through them if I ever have problems.

Anyways, end rant. I just hate talking to "technicians" that don't know what they're talking about. Drives me nuts. I'll report back on ride quality after I've gotten them installed.

-cal30sniper

[68Timber]

Sounds like shopping parts at a chain; if it doesn't come up in their screen, it throws them for a loop.

[cal30_sniper]

Just got the Rancho 5000s put on all the way around and took them out for a test drive on the highway, then on the pothole infested dirt road out behind my house. They are exactly what I was looking for. Smooth and controlled on the highway (actually more stable going over rises/dips in the road), and a hundred times better off-road. They take the bumps and holes like a champ, and I'm not getting the insane rattling out of the dash that I had with the KYB Monomax. Looks like this one landed spot on, thanks for the help guys!

[68Timber]

Good to hear it, that's always been my "go to" shock on a 4x4.

[WarBeard]

Yup, Been running them for years.