Is suspension upgrade necessary for...

[Sleeping Bear]

I'm in the process of starting my 1st build.

2019 Colorado z71 crew cab short box
AT Habitat camper, about 320 to 350 lbs
Goose gear drawer systems maybe add another 100 lbs...guessing there

I was watching a video from ARB about upgrading front and rear bumpers and the video mentioned that as you add weight you stress the factory components and he did some additional upgrades to shocks or something to compensate.

Assuming I might add a total of maybe 750 to 1000 lbs to my truck including camper, drawers, gear, upgraded bumpers, etc., am I in need to do something additional to the truck to help support that extra stuff?

Max payload capacity looks to be around 1500 lbs so with all my possible add ons and two adults in the vehicle I should still be under 1500.

Any thoughts? I'm pretty new to all this and any input is appreciated.

 

[shenrie]

If it were me in your shoes I’d run it stock. If your happy with how it drives, run with it as is and replace items as they wear out. If they wear out too fast consider upgrading them as you go.

If you don’t like how it drives after adding the extra weight then you look into making upgrades. Shocks and springs will likely be the first things you look into and if there isn’t upgrades already available it probably won’t take long till they are.

 

[rkj__]

If you are not sure if you need to upgrade your suspension, are you sure you really need those upgraded bumpers? Serious question.

As much as is reasonable, I usually suggest trying to stay as close to stock as possible, and coming to your own conclusions about what needs to be upgraded. My suggestion would be to remove the low hanging front plastic air dam, and go for a drive to evaluate your needs. Find out if you want or need any additional ride height, before making changes to suspension, with only weight carrying upgrades in mind. You do need to consider that the added weight will cause your stock suspension to sit slightly lower, which could leave you wanting more clearance (lift) depending on the terrain you expect to encounter.

 

[smlobx]

I would humbly suggest that you get a better handle on the weights by first actually weighing your truck. You might find it weighs more than you think. Then as mentioned running as close to stock as you can first and based on your experiences add things ..

 

[DaveInDenver]

If you are not sure if you need to upgrade your suspension, are you sure you really need those upgraded bumpers? Serious question.

Legitimate questions. I'd put suspension ahead of bumpers in upgrades. There are reasons to improve bumpers on modern vehicles, add protection and recovery. Suspension is improved to meet whatever you need from adding protection or camping stuff. The only thing I might say is stock suspension is usually tuned a bit more soft than I like so replacing stock shocks with aftermarket can improve the ride, particularly over washboard in my experience.

 

[Sleeping Bear]

All excellent suggestions and advice thank you. Honestly the main reason for maybe upgrading bumpers was:

1. Makes it safer if you happen to hit a deer and hope that never happens
2. Place to eventually mount lights and maybe a winch, but might not ever do either, since I do not do much major off roading that might require a winch.
3. For rear bumper I do really like the option of a swing gate with spare tire mount and a camp table for convenience when cooking, etc.

My 1st round is just the habitat camper and the goose gear drawers.

My 2nd round wouldn't be for over a year probably and that is when I was thinking bumpers, etc.

Part of this is psychological and preservation of my marriage- lol. I am the type who likes to change vehicles every few years but once you drill holes in a truck and add the AT Habitat, chances of trading it go way down. So to scratch my "new vehicle itch" I was thinking that once a year I could add some upgrades to kind of refresh the new feel and look.

I promised my wife I would keep this thing five years minimum.

I appreciate the help everyone thank you.

 

[NatersXJ6]

I grew up in your neck of the woods. For the stuff you will see and do locally, you probably won’t need much in terms of suspension. If you don’t like the ride quality after adding that weight, I would start with a simple airbag kit in the rear. If you decide to go after bigger tires, suspension becomes a different discussion, as does fuel mileage.

Have Fun.

 

[hemifoot]

most of what you want to do bumper wise can be done alot cheaper with hitch mounts.a couple hundred for mounts vs. a couple grand for bumpers is your call to make.as for hitting a deer,you may save the bumper,but the fenders,hood,grill,lights,glass,mirrors?either way i'm betting insurance will be involved,depending on the travel speed on impact.1500 pounds is alot of weight on that truck.you factor in 2 large guys and the dog and you're brushing up against 500 pounds just like that.shocks,springs and possibly airbags.

 

[Grassland]

Are you daily driving this with all of the weight in it all of the time or is this the weekend warrior rig?
Not too familiar with the habitat or how it's mounted so pardon my ignorance.

I ask as my former work truck is now my adventure truck, and it had #1000-1500 in it every day and within two years suspension sagged about 4". Stock shocks didn't do all that great with constant load either. Though I tend towards firmer shocks, compared to most OEM.

Since truck is brand new you might want to drive it a while as other suggested, and see how it is and wait a year.
I have the feeling u will need an add a leaf or air bags or something.

 

[colintrax]

Stock suspension will be fine for that camper and drawers. When/if you get to step 2 then look into suspension options. I have the extended cab 2wd colorado, so payload capacity's are a bit different but mine handles larger loads just fine.

 

[Buliwyf]

All trucks need better damping. But see how it does before modding anything else.

 

[Jay J]

On my 2017 Sierra 1500 I have an ARE z series cap that weighs about 180 lbs. Soon a 200 lb RTT will be added to that. Whenever we head out I’ll load up a 150 lbs of dogs. 50 to 100 lbs of water and guessing up to another 200 lbs of gear.

So very roughly 800 lbs, give or take, of weight in and over the bed of the truck. I’m going to install a set of Hellwig helper/ leveling springs. I’ve seen a lot of favorable reviews. They don’t change the ride much when there’s no additional weight but stiffen up when loaded.

Also there’s a 2.25 level on the front of the truck so I’m lacking that factory rake.

 

[rayra]

You'll want better shocks regardless. Adding ~300# of full ARB or Ranch Hand bumper and wraparound grillguard protection AND a winch is necessarily going to increase wear on suspension components, typically upper ball joints first. But starting with a newish vehicle as you are, it will be a long while before it's a concern. Those of us modding vehicles that came to us with 100k mi already on them are experiencing the increased wear and parts failure much more quickly.