Time to Replace Old Parts

[swrider]

Hello everyone, thanks for stopping by.
Long time reader but never really a commentator, i've gotten to the lpoint where its time to replace.worn out parts.
I drive a 2014 Silverado Z71 with about 150K miles on it. Truck drives great and initially i bought it to hwlp explore the Southwest deserts around Las Vegas, alas, the toy became a work truck, life got in the way and 4 years later i racked up 100k miles of highway/city driving and not much exploring.
And ofcourse, with so many miles driven, parts have gotten worn.
The truck needs new tires and the suspension can use a refresh sooo...
I can now actually justify the cost of upgrades.
Lets start with suspension.
I hear things like lift kits and leveling kits. I understand the concept, but why not use shocks to lift a truck?
Do aftermarket shocks no lift the truck?
I was hoping so because i need new ones. And they need to lift the vehicle enough so that i can comfortably add 33" tires.
Any thoughts???


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[Ari3sgr3gg0]

Shocks are not used to be load bearing. They dampen vibrations and as the name implies, sudden shocks to the suspension. If your suspension springs are worn get new springs and new shocks.
As a side note, overload shocks are available and may get some lift but shock mounts aren't meant to bear loads like that and will break under constant stress. If you wanted adjustable suspension then air bags cannot be beat

 

[Grassland]

@D45 should be able to give you some advise

 

[swrider]

@Grassland thanks for that, i was actually reading thru his build, pretty cool stuff and lots of good information.
I was also looking around for older threads, i remember there was another member with the same year/model truck as mine and if i remember correctly all he did was add king shocks to his truck.
That's why i thought you could do a lift with shocks.

 

[Grassland]

@Grassland thanks for that, i was actually reading thru his build, pretty cool stuff and lots of good information.
I was also looking around for older threads, i remember there was another member with the same year/model truck as mine and if i remember correctly all he did was add king shocks to his truck.
That's why i thought you could do a lift with shocks.

The front of the truck has struts. Which is a spring and shock together. They can be of the lift type by adjusting spring perch settings that change the pre load on the spring part. Bilstein 5100 is a popular and reasonably priced option for this.
The rear is just shocks. And you need new springs, an add a leaf, or blocks to raise the height..outside of being cheap, there are no positives to using lift blocks, only drawbacks.
Ideally a new spring pack would be used but that's the most expensive options.
After years of heavy use I replaced my stock mangled springs and extra leaf for a new leaf pack and it was damn near $1000 CAD to do so. Not even a performance spring either.

 

[CrazyDrei]

Welcome to the wonderful world of actually posting on ExPo!

Your Silverado is a great truck just the way it is and is perfect for exploring the SW desert, it will take you on every trail in Vegas area including Burrow Wash and Rocky Gap just the way it is right now.

Before I dive deep into the world of personal preference have a couple questions that will help you answer your question.

Why 33s? Are you open to 285/75R17 (34") or even 35" tires?
Whats your budget? Are we talking under $1,000, over $3,000 or somewhere in between?
Are you doing the work or paying someone to put the parts in? (4Wheel parts on Russell is my favorite in town)

With that said lets get to your truck. Stock you will make it on every single trail around Vegas, I know because I have seen, driven or spotted stock trucks on all of them. So what are you trying to get out of the new parts?

If you need to replace the shocks because yours are worn or shot, go with Bilstein 5100s up front and 5160 in the rear.

I just installed adjustable 5100s up front in my 07 Yukon XL and was able to take out the old struts, take them apart, put together the Bilsteins and install them with tools I had in the garage by myself in about 8 hours. I ran the 5100s at the highest 1.75" lift setting and that gave me about 2" of lift. That adjustment was perfect with my 200k mile old springs and made the ride firmer but not too overly firm. Your other option would be to run Bilstein 5100s at lowest OEM setting and get either a strut top ($100) or strut bottom ($15) spcers that give you the same 2" lift. Difference between the two is spacers change how high your truck sits and adjusting the perches on the shock stiffens the coil.

As far as the rears go, there is enough room to fit 33s without anything, and if you want to replace the shocks go with the 5160s remote reservoir rather than the 5100s because of the greater oil capacity and a more consistent ride. On a side note regular 5100s have a lifetime warranty where as 5160s do not. Both will last you at least 50,000 miles of nothing but dirt driving, closer to 100,000 if you plan on taking the paved roads to get to the trails.

If you absolutely feel like you need to raise the rear end, start with 2" leaf spring spacers, they are $50 or less on eBay or Amazon and no downsides if you plan on running desert trails.

Start there and figure out which direction you want to head with your truck.

Also hit up Fire Mountain Rd down by Nelson's Landing or Bitter Springs Backcountry Biway. Both are easy trails and will show you a side of Vegas most never see.

Good luck and post pictures and stories of your adventures.

 

[swrider]

@CrazyDrei wow, thanks for ur long reply. Let me try and answer some of the questions u asked.
Budget, all in, i want to (need to) stay less than $2500. Thats anything and everything that has to happen. Tires and anything suspension that needs to be done. I'll be doing the work myself, and if i cannot finish then i'll tow it to the shop on Russell, cause yes, those guys rock.
Why 33's, truly just because. The all season wranglers are done so its time for new ones, might as well see about fitting in 33's, again, why... Well because at 140k miles i feel its time to refresh the suspension. So new shocks, struts, maybe springs, nkt sure yet, but if i can manage to fit in a bigger tire without going too crazy, why not.
And yes i realized, some time ago, that going to 33's only gives me an extra 3/4" from where i set right now. But if i can, why not. Get a chance to minimize the factory rake while im at it.
Bilsteins are definitely what i started looking at, now im weighing in some Fox 2.0 as a comparable, maybe even splurge and get a set of Icons, though that would probably blow my budget depending on tires.
As far as trails around town i've only done a dirt trail on the way to pahrump, and some road up by cold creek to go shoot.

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[MichaelK10]

I've got the GMC twin, 2014 Sierra 1500 Z71 with 157k. I have 20k miles on a set of the Bilstein 5100s, which were an improvement over the toasted factory Ranchos. Pretty similar to Vegas, I live in wide open Wyoming, so there's lots of miles of dirt road to cover, and wish I had gone with Fox 2.0s/equivalent for a little more dampening and fade resistance, but the Bilsteins really do just fine for daily driving. I set the front pair to 1.4"/3rd notch, and I clear my 255/80R17 33s on factory wheels without any rubbing. As far as the tires, I have 3.42 gears and noticed a little difference in power/mpg, but the truck still drives and tows just fine.

I did an addaleaf in the rear to help support my shell/tools, and it didn't hurt the ride.

 

[swrider]

I've got the GMC twin, 2014 Sierra 1500 Z71 with 157k. I have 20k miles on a set of the Bilstein 5100s, which were an improvement over the toasted factory Ranchos.

This is my daily drivee/baby, so im not really looking to get too aggressive. But the wants have a way of outpacing the needs, until the wallet brings u back to reality.
If i could splurge i would go with this:

https://www.4wheelparts.com/p/icon-suspension-1-3-inch-suspension-system-stage-1-k73001/_/R-FRDK-K73001

But add to that the cost of five tires and my budget is pretty much toast.



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[MichaelK10]

This is my daily drivee/baby, so im not really looking to get too aggressive. But the wants have a way of outpacing the needs, until the wallet brings u back to reality.
If i could splurge i would go with this:

https://www.4wheelparts.com/p/icon-suspension-1-3-inch-suspension-system-stage-1-k73001/_/R-FRDK-K73001

But add to that the cost of five tires and my budget is pretty much toast.



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I hear you! Budget is why I went Bilstein. Since these trucks are pretty low, skidplates are good insurance and GM actually makes a set that should have come from the factory, esp on Z71s. Pretty sure it's p.n. 23176881, and not a bad price. Definitely gives me more peace of mind for keeping hard stuff away from the important drivetrain pieces.

 

[CrazyDrei]

I hear you! Budget is why I went Bilstein. Since these trucks are pretty low, skidplates are good insurance and GM actually makes a set that should have come from the factory, esp on Z71s. Pretty sure it's p.n. 23176881, and not a bad price. Definitely gives me more peace of mind for keeping hard stuff away from the important drivetrain pieces.

MichaelK10,

I went with Bilstein 5100s up front because I am very budget minded and was able to snag a pair of open box front 5100a for $135 shipped. I had all the tools and the time to take apart old struts, assemble and install the Bilsteins. Also in the near future I will have 37" tires under my Yukon XL and with a 17" rim that will give me an extra 8" of front axle travel and cushy flotation, for smaller tires 33" and smaller, spending more on Icon, FOX or King is a worthwhile investment.

Icons ride nice and so do Fox 2.0, or any 2.0 series shocks but realistically unless you are racing in the desert and have increased wheel travel the price does not justify performance over Bilsteins.

King 2.0 and 2.5 are phenomenal also.

 

[swrider]

I hear you all, it is tempting to splurge a little, but i don't want to end up having splurged and never really using it. I mean I will, but i will not be racing down the trails in the desert, so I don't need tons of performance. I think of it more of a utilitarian use lol.
can someone out there please edumacate me on shocks, struts and coilovers????
I know what a shock is, and a strut is a shock within the spring as a unit, but then what the heck is a coilover then???

Second question, going with Bilsteins 5100's all around, would that be enough to fit in 33's?

Also, just found these on Amazon, price seems not too bad

 

[MichaelK10]

I hear you all, it is tempting to splurge a little, but i don't want to end up having splurged and never really using it. I mean I will, but i will not be racing down the trails in the desert, so I don't need tons of performance. I think of it more of a utilitarian use lol.
can someone out there please edumacate me on shocks, struts and coilovers????
I know what a shock is, and a strut is a shock within the spring as a unit, but then what the heck is a coilover then???

Second question, going with Bilsteins 5100's all around, would that be enough to fit in 33's?

Also, just found these on Amazon, price seems not too bad

The rear of our trucks use shocks, which are physically independent of the springs. The fronts are essentially struts because the coil spring seat on the strut body. On the Bilstein 5100s you can adjust the level of the lower spring mount, which gives the ability to level the front of the truck. They reuse the factory coil and topseat, and require compressing the spring for installation. Coilovers are essentially high performance struts that come as a package with the coil seated around the body, and are also height adjustable.

As far as cost, if you are installing the Bilsteins yourself you'll get the most value. If you're paying a shop to install them (swapping the factory spring and components over to the new strut), the money you're spending on shop labor could go towards a coilover, since they are faster to install. Either way you'll get a good ride, and as CrazyDrei mentioned, airing down your tires off-road will make a big improvement in ride, for free.

Depends on what size 33s you want to run, and on what type of wheel. My 255/80r17s are pretty narrow, and are somewhat tucked in on my factory rims, so they would probably clear without even a level. Fatter 33s on wider wheels are more likely to rub up front, but that could be fixed by trimming or massaging your wheel well liners. You won't have any problems with 33s in the rear.

 

[swrider]

If i go the Bilstein route i will do most of the work, but probably take the struts to a shop and have them swap out the shocks. Don't really want to mess with compressing/decompressing the springs.

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[jbaucom]

You can get Bilstein 6112s for the front of the 2014-2018 Silverados. They include new springs and would be a good match to the recommended 5160 rears. They're also a good compromise between 5100 front shocks and the pricier options like Fox 2.0 or 2.5, or Icons. The 6112 is adjustable for up to 2" of lift also, with snap ring grooves like the 5100. I feel like the Fox 2.0 is sort of overpriced for what you're really getting.