Love your videos. Have you heard of Sulastic Shackles for your springs, there suppose to improve your ride extensively. Check them out. I would love to see a video about them by you.
Note from an old car guy(72), when you modify anything on a car, expect to have to chase other issues. Stock configurations are engineered to work as a system.. FACT OF LIFE
Just restored/ hotrodded my grandads My ford ranger with a severe duty manual clutch fan, zipties on the throttle cable hack, new battery, new fuses, oem coil pack,radiator cap, waterpump, and flushed all the old dirty fluids out and topped everything off and has brand new drum brake pads, cylinders, booster. Got a proper matching cigarette lighter that doesn't blow fuses and realigned the rear end from when it had Collision damage. Tailgate never really shut right after which is causing alot of wheel hopping at high speeds so Im ditching it for a lightweight air flow style tailgate instead.stops and rides a heluva alot better without out it.
The shock extenders were for people who wanted to keep stock shocks. The rough country shocks are lift shocks so the extenders weren’t necessary. I’m not and expert on shocks but I’ve done so many of these lifts that I’m confident that’s what it’s for. Bilsteins are the way to go regardless though. Great video
I know this is a few years old now but just taking out the shock extension and leaving the rough country shock would give a better test. The rough country shock is built to work without the shock extender, hence why its longer. If you tested the bilsteins with the shock extender compared to the rough country shock without the extender, that would be a better apples to apples test. Either way, great video!!!! I have bilstein 5100s on my lifted truck and even with the spacer style lift, the ride is phenomenal!!!! I'd say its better than stock!!
If you got rough country shocks with the kit then those new shocks are the correct length for the lift kit (without the extensions). So that would be your initial problem with the ride quality, those shocks are already extended for the lift then you add the extensions and now there too long. I believe the extensions only come with the kit because the kit is also available without the shocks in witch case you would need the extensions to use your factory shocks or whatever you already have. This should have been in the directions but im guessing it probably wasn’t. They really need to update/re-write the instructions for these older kits..
I followed the directions to a 'T'. Also had many phone calls with them as well as calls about the extension in specific. Never was I told not to use it... Of course, my thoughts were exactly that.
Wouldn't cranking the torsion bars a little more stiffen the suspension up and help prevent it from bottoming out? And I agree with the guy who said those extensions shoul not have been in that kit which already came with longer shocks. Keep up the great work! Love watching your videos on the Suburban!
Pretty much no. The stiffness of the torsion bar (or spring rate) is a function of the diameter and temper of the bar. Adding more turns to torsion the bar key will raise the front but the spring rate remains the same.
I have the same rough country lift kit and I didn’t use the shock extensions and it drives great I don’t know why they have them but they don’t need them
@@1RoadGarage its an 88 chevy k1500 and i did have some problems i noticed the camber bolts are all the way in and its perfect. as for the bump stops i cut them out because they were rotted but it works fine. but i never installed the shock extensions and no problems for over 5000 miles but as for the lift i actually some how managed 6 inches and as it settled it fell 1 inch idk were i went wrong but i love it
If you wanted a 2-3inch lift you don’t need the shock extension or the upper control arm keep the bilsteins and run the torsion key and your fine , this is what I have. I added a 1 leaf spring and kept the Bilsteins and now I have a level Tahoe
Never liked rc shocks other then a field buggy. Always ran Bilstein on my gm trucks, Yukons and suburban. To me those extensions is a week point I'd loose them. The RC shocks I don't think are supposed to use the extensions because there are ready 2 in longer. If you ran the factory bilstein's then you would have to put the extensions on, but you can order bilstein's in different lengths. Also I usaly load my Yukon or suburban and tow trailers on occasion so on the back i run Monroe MA779. And even though it comes with a kit hook the lines up separate because it would give it extra roll to the vehicle you don't want.
great video; I appreciate your "I'm not an expert" approach; gives me confidence that I can do this stuff. Just bought a new F350 (2023) and plan on doing improvements like better shocks, etc myself . new subscriber
I don't know what's going with my Bilstein's then, rough ride , a bit bumpy and those waves on the highway or cuts make me light headed and nauseous. Could they of been installed wrong, or not tightned down enough to proper level... 2013 Xterra 4x4
@@NoWr2Run Really? You speak for Bilstein? driving on dirt roads or blazing across the desert? Rock crawling or mudding? Bilstein's are well built shocks but vehicle height/weight matters and so does intended use and personal preference. My pickup came from the factory with Bilstein's and I took the rear ones off because they were too stiff on compression. Got tired of my brain getting rattled. Guarantee that if they are built for on and off road they are stiff and if you put them on a light vehicle it will beat the sh*t of of the vehicle and driver on the road.
I have 2 vehicles 1 chevy truck 1/2 ton & a Jeep ZJ with these shocks on. I love them & it's on Bilstein's website what their built for, Yes Really. Your right it depends on intended use & personal preference. Intended use is a BIG ONE for sure, I like a more solid ride & better handling. Tire pressure makes a good bit of difference also with these shocks I've noticed.What kind of pickup did you buy X-Man ? I always had full size pickup's or Jeeps. They say their made specifically for the vehicle their intended to be put on but ?
@@NoWr2Run I have an 03 S-10 ZR2. Original owner. I've owned 3x K5 blazers in the past. One had full roll cage. 2" RC lift 400 HP. Really miss that one. First wife didn't like it because women liked it. Should have ditched her sooner. LoL
Hey Jimmy, firstly thanks for your time and effort on the old suburbans !! I have one and appreciate your input and knowledge. Do you have any videos on lifting the old Suburban?? I’d like to install a 6” lift kit and advice and tips would be much appreciated. Thx Dino from Canada
those shock extensions are probably for use with stock shocks. you should call rough country and verify that. it looks like the rough country shocks are compressed too much when they are at ride height and when you hit a bump they are bottoming out when you compress them and they are making the tires bounce back. i would take the spacers out and put the rough countries back on. i have them on my k5 blazer and they ride great.
What's up man, sometimes you just gotta play with things and figure it out. It sucks that there isn't much info online for these things but it only motivates you to try and find a fix. Similar thing happened when I installed my lift on my suburban. I ended up removing the rear shock extension that came with the kit to be able to use my stock shock and bought appropriate sized shocks. It gave it more play and a softer ride. Trust me when I say you're doing great because I dealt with the same thing in the front shocks also. I know you're not trying to buy the most expensive shocks and you're working with what you got, that's great. In the near future I think you're going to want to get dual adjustable shocks. Those will completely change the ride since you'll be able to adjust to compression and rebound setting. I won't go back to regular shocks after I've had these. Trust me I know you're working on a "budget" but hopefully one day you get to try the dual adjustable shocks to see what a world of a difference they are. If you ever do that I can help guide you some since I had to do my research to completely understand how to pick the settings. Once again, great video and it makes me want to go work on my truck. -Steve-
Haha cool. Thanks for the great comment 👍. Yes, trying to work within a budget and use what I have. I may have to try swapping the rough country shocks back in and removing the shock extension just to know. But that just takes a lot of time especially if I then ultimately have to put it all back together and keep the Bilsteins...
@@1RoadGarage Hell Yeah it takes a lot of time. But the one thing that I reflect on quite a bit is that is that it's a great thing. Taking it apart and putting it back together so many times, like when you were adjusting your torsion bars by having to drive it let it set then adjust and repeat. You become a pro at that particular area. Later with more upgrades come more problems but with more knowledge. Your rig is gonna be a beast. Later, do you plan on having a dual battery system? That'd be cool to see. It's saved my ass man.
So, a few things based on experience with level lifting a 2002 Burb 2500 w8.1L. The torsion bar IFS set up from the factory is a pretty crappy design. It was never really designed for off road or even harsh washboard tracks. Bad design #1, the OE shocks were lengthed (if that's a word) to act as the droop bump stop before the UCA would hit the final metal to metal droop stop. Herein lies the design flaw. Shocks are not strong enough to take this abuse. On road it passes, but off road or rough road they will eventually blow out. Which brings us to bad design #2, the metal to metal final droop stop. What a horrible design. GM couldn't have come up with something better like a polyurethane droop stop. Jeeze. Bad design #3, there is not a whole lot of droop designed between the UCA and the final droop stop. So, when you go to mod it through a torsion crank, you lose even more of that droop. This is where the harsh ride comes from. The wheels drop into a hole with a bang. This also happens when you cycle the suspension on a bump compression and then it cycles the other way with a droop. A bad design #4 is around steering. Weak tie rods and weak pin connection where the drag link bolts at the pitman and idler arms. Ok, so what do you need to do???? #1 longer/ better shock so as to not be the droop stop and be in the right operating range during cycling. Those lower shock brackets are only necessary for oe length shocks, so ditch them. I used extended length Fox 2.0 shocks that worked phenomenally. #2 improve the UCA droop stop. Unfortunately, it does not look like your Rough Country UCAs address this issue. For my '02, Cognito has great support for this, but does not seem they support back to '95. Their UCAs arched up a bit to give a little bit more clearance for the metal droop stop, plus the Moog ball joint could mount below the arm giving yet more clearance and better ball joint angle, and a big improvement was the droop stop flanked the UCA and had a thin polyurethane bump stop installed, so when it did bottom out, it was less harsh. Cognito's proper lifts had extended knuckles that resolved these issues by putting the UCA back at the OE angle, so that was another $$$ option I chose not to do. If I were you, I would start looking to see if there are other brand UCAs that support the '95 and have some of the characteristics I mentioned above. #3 start looking for steering improvements. Cognito does support '95 as far as strengthening the pitman and idler arms connections. For pretty cheap you can pick up a kit that strengthens these points by double capturing the connection points with heim joints. This was the first upgrade I did before putting on larger tires. I would also look for stronger / thicker tie rods. So, keep up the good work. I didn't come to all these conclusions and understanding of this IFS set up over night. I sort of had to figure it out the same way you are.👍
I have the same lift and I love the way mine looks BUT have the same problem with the droop stops I wish the chirp was my problem. My problem is the vibration from aggressive tires being transferred to fame because the A-arm is touching the droop stop going up hill and under acceleration until I ease off on the gas or get back on flap ground.
I have a set of Rancho shocks on my 78 Suburban and they have been great. I would probably stay with the Rancho shocks as they do wonderful with my set up. I probably go off road more than you do and they have been much better than the ones that are more like stock shocks.
so ive got a 2door 1996 tahoe . i really wanna install the bilstien shocks on it . I've got a 2 inch lift kit so i am confused between the 5100 or 4600 . and mechanics here don't even know anything .
Should just get the Bilstein 5100’s for a better ride and more control since you’re Suburban is lifted now. I have them on my ‘04 Suburban Z71 and it rides great!
All you needed to do is take out the extension. The Rough Country shocks were bottoming out because of the extensions. You have to remember when you were at full droop (jacked up), that was the maximum extension. When the weight was on the truck, you had even less compression distance before bottoming out the RC shock. Leave the RC's in the back.
Hey, love your videos thanks so much for uploading these, they are super helpful. Sorry if this is a stupid question, but couldn't you have just cranked on your stock keys instead of doing lift keys. You had plenty of thread left on the stock set up and you had to back off of the lift keys. I'm trying to decide this for my burb, I have well over an inch of thread on stock and just want 2" in the front. What do you think? Thanks Jimmy!
Hey, yes, I could have just cranked the stock keys. If I were you, that's where I'd start. You probably have plenty to get the lift you want. REMEMBER though, you'll need an alignment the moment you touch those keys. I've had nothing but issues with my alignment. ALSO, one of the biggest problems you need to watch for is the 'droop stops'. I don't know why but NO ONE talks about this. After cranking the torsion keys, the upper control arms reach lower... giving you the lift. The problem is as those arms reach lower they get closer to the droop stops. When they are closer to the droop stops you loose down travel of the arms.. For example, when you hit a speed bump, your truck body will move upward and the wheels will attempt to keep contact with the ground. But, with no downward movement the arms will contact the droop stops and... stop. Thus, your wheels will leave the ground for a moment with the movement of the rest of the truck. I know this all sounds extreme but its really pretty simple and very common with cranked torsion keys. Hope all that helps and makes sense. I'm no professional but that's just my experience with the '95 Suburban...
@@1RoadGarage Cool, that's where I'll start then. Did the upper control arms you put on give you a better angle, or are they just beefier? I've also heard of guys just grinding those bump stops off too. Thanks so much for the reply, Jimmy!
I absolutely hate my rough country shocks. I bought a leveling kit for my ram and now i can feel everything on the roads. I hit a pothole or train tracks it sounds like someone just smacked the sh*t out of the dash. Also every since i got them put on my truck now leans on the front passenger side and kinda droops down. Save your money and buy something better quality. I tried reaching out to rough country with my issues and of course...no responses!
With your lift kit, did you have to extend your brake lines? Like your videos, I just got into a 1996 Suburban and it has 270k miles so will be doing a lot of maintenance on it. Keep up the good work!
I recently got a FWD hatchback . I changed both shocks in front suspension and just after that the car started to behave weired specifically after a bump . I noticed on side of front gets a little bit lower than the othe one after passing bumps and this makes the car to behave out of manners when taking turns... Whats that for??? Any answeres???? P.S :The car's fully oem
@@johnreavis9301 It's possible, it's not best practice. If the extensions are well engineered and properly installed they can be an OK jury rig for light duty. If you are running stiff shocks and/or doing any sort of Heavy Duty or high performance use, I wouldn't use them. You can just about bet that if they fail, it will be at the worst possible moment. Picture in your minds eye the force that is impacted on even a common street car's shock mounts when it hits a pot hole at just a modest speed. Broken shocks and/or shock mounts are very common issues on off road vehicles. "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should."
What did you end up with in the rear i lifted my 2016 tacoma and used icon stage 1 with an add a leaf in the rear . I didnt measure the difference from old to new rear shocks but the truck went up about 2.5 in the rear and their stage 1 kit says 0-1.5 in the rear . I feel like its too rough of a ride does that mean my rear shocks arent long enough?
Well, like I said in the video, that was one of the two ways I could have went. Both are a pain and I decided to just swap in the bilsteins. I probably will swap in the Rough Country shocks without the extension to see how that feels. But just got to find the time.
I installed Bilstein 5100s and I'm thinking I should've gotten the 4600s. I haul occasionally for work (in the bed) but not often. Did I make a huge mistake or should the difference be negligible? The 5100s are rated for off road/hauling. The 4600s for highway driving
I think we all told you that RC shocks suck.The hard parts are ok cause it is hard to screw up brackets and what not.I believe RC shocks are made in Mexico.Stick with a company like Bilstien and you will always be happy.
I disagree; have you actually even owed a complete set properly installed? I have on 2 vehicles. 1st set was on a 76 Vega GT wagon, 5 speed manual, factory positrac, & 60 series BFG radial tires - Bilsteins completely altered the handling characteristics for the better! Then on a 98 Grand Cherokee 5.9 hot rod, highly modified - Bilsteins settled down the street cornering while still improving off road control.
@@Arkie407 yes I have, just took a set with 900 miles of a 04 Suburban, garbage, rode rough if your into auto cross racing they probably wouldn't be fine, or people who live where the roads are smooth, they are crap riding in chicago where the streets are rougher than most fire roads out west,
Bilstein's are well built but a bit over priced IMO. There are 4 factors for shocks. Extension length, compressed length, compression stiffness and rebound stiffness. They all matter for intend use, ride height. My pickup came with Bilstein's and I took them off the back because they were to stiff on compression and gave too harsh of ride for my intended use and I like my teeth to stop swapping places.
I still have that ZJ hotrod Jeep. Shocks are finally showing their age & probably get replaced next spring. So many great choices now, I’ll consider something else mainly due to Bilstein exorbitant prices. Besides, I’m retasking it more for laid back off-road hunting & mild trails. Done lost my interest in acceleration & hard cornering in an SUV. I tow trailers with it mostly anyway.
@@Arkie407 Yeah, I went through a similar transition myself. I put Monroe GasMatic LT's (Light Truck) in the back of my pickup. Had them in front for a while but was mashing my bump stops so put the Bilstein's back in front. My ride is so much nicer now. Think of doing this: Find out from Bilstein what the compression number is on the shocks you've got. Then call Monroe and see what you can get that's softer but not too soft. It would take some of the guessing out. The Monroe's are good but less than half the price of Bilstein's
I put a set of 5100 bilstein's on my tahoe k1500 gmt400 even though im only lifted 2-3" in front and 3" in rear rode almost like stock but the upper control arms hit on big bumps,put on some skyjacker upper control arms,and it rides like i didn't even crank it
If you enjoyed this video, don't forget to hit that 👍👍. Sincerely, thank you!
1ROAD I need help with my Nissan Pathfinder 2001 LE 3.5 Suspension system
I have to do my what’s the best
Love your videos. Have you heard of Sulastic Shackles for your springs, there suppose to improve your ride extensively. Check them out. I would love to see a video about them by you.
Note from an old car guy(72), when you modify anything on a car, expect to have to chase other issues. Stock configurations are engineered to work as a system.. FACT OF LIFE
Absolutely correct. When his steering box starts breaking the frame where it is mounted, he might figure that out.
@Island Mike Yeah, your right. Who needs to be able to steer, right? It's certainly NOT BORING when that happens.
Yea i have experienced this first hand with my own errors. I have found you can get a way with moderate changes but yea agree.
I totally agree and I am 32 years
Just restored/ hotrodded my grandads My ford ranger with a severe duty manual clutch fan, zipties on the throttle cable hack, new battery, new fuses, oem coil pack,radiator cap, waterpump, and flushed all the old dirty fluids out and topped everything off and has brand new drum brake pads, cylinders, booster. Got a proper matching cigarette lighter that doesn't blow fuses and realigned the rear end from when it had Collision damage. Tailgate never really shut right after which is causing alot of wheel hopping at high speeds so Im ditching it for a lightweight air flow style tailgate instead.stops and rides a heluva alot better without out it.
The shock extenders were for people who wanted to keep stock shocks. The rough country shocks are lift shocks so the extenders weren’t necessary. I’m not and expert on shocks but I’ve done so many of these lifts that I’m confident that’s what it’s for. Bilsteins are the way to go regardless though. Great video
Bilsteins are designed to be stiff. Honestly the worst option to soften the ride.
You can buy bilstein shocks at specific lengths to match your lift height.
I was about to pose this very question here because i am in process of a lift and need to get new longer shocks.
thx
Rough country = rough ride. I love the 5100 shocks i have.
nice work.. I can tell you put a lot of effort into this.. changing shocks and testing it and relaying the info!
I know this is a few years old now but just taking out the shock extension and leaving the rough country shock would give a better test. The rough country shock is built to work without the shock extender, hence why its longer. If you tested the bilsteins with the shock extender compared to the rough country shock without the extender, that would be a better apples to apples test. Either way, great video!!!! I have bilstein 5100s on my lifted truck and even with the spacer style lift, the ride is phenomenal!!!! I'd say its better than stock!!
If you got rough country shocks with the kit then those new shocks are the correct length for the lift kit (without the extensions). So that would be your initial problem with the ride quality, those shocks are already extended for the lift then you add the extensions and now there too long. I believe the extensions only come with the kit because the kit is also available without the shocks in witch case you would need the extensions to use your factory shocks or whatever you already have. This should have been in the directions but im guessing it probably wasn’t. They really need to update/re-write the instructions for these older kits..
I followed the directions to a 'T'. Also had many phone calls with them as well as calls about the extension in specific. Never was I told not to use it... Of course, my thoughts were exactly that.
Wouldn't cranking the torsion bars a little more stiffen the suspension up and help prevent it from bottoming out? And I agree with the guy who said those extensions shoul not have been in that kit which already came with longer shocks.
Keep up the great work! Love watching your videos on the Suburban!
Pretty much no. The stiffness of the torsion bar (or spring rate) is a function of the diameter and temper of the bar. Adding more turns to torsion the bar key will raise the front but the spring rate remains the same.
I'm going to say that lower shock extension is so you can run factory length shock I think remove bracket and install your Rough Country shock
Yes. Cigar for you.
I have the same rough country lift kit and I didn’t use the shock extensions and it drives great I don’t know why they have them but they don’t need them
What truck and year? Did you have issues with alignment? Issues with hitting the droop stops? How much lift did you achieve in the front?
the extensions were most likely designed for the stock shocks I noticed from a couple suppliers that you can order the kit with and without shocks.
@@1RoadGarage its an 88 chevy k1500 and i did have some problems i noticed the camber bolts are all the way in and its perfect. as for the bump stops i cut them out because they were rotted but it works fine. but i never installed the shock extensions and no problems for over 5000 miles but as for the lift i actually some how managed 6 inches and as it settled it fell 1 inch idk were i went wrong but i love it
If you wanted a 2-3inch lift you don’t need the shock extension or the upper control arm keep the bilsteins and run the torsion key and your fine , this is what I have. I added a 1 leaf spring and kept the Bilsteins and now I have a level Tahoe
When I lifted my 97 suburban I did just keys and a block and I used shock extenders but ran new stock shocks and it rode great
Never liked rc shocks other then a field buggy. Always ran Bilstein on my gm trucks, Yukons and suburban. To me those extensions is a week point I'd loose them. The RC shocks I don't think are supposed to use the extensions because there are ready 2 in longer. If you ran the factory bilstein's then you would have to put the extensions on, but you can order bilstein's in different lengths.
Also I usaly load my Yukon or suburban and tow trailers on occasion so on the back i run Monroe MA779. And even though it comes with a kit hook the lines up separate because it would give it extra roll to the vehicle you don't want.
I have a set of new bilstien 5100 for the rear if you wana pay for shipping you can have them they are for 0-3 inch lift
That's a nice offering, Herb.
nowr2run I wish he would just offer me herbs
great video; I appreciate your "I'm not an expert" approach; gives me confidence that I can do this stuff. Just bought a new F350 (2023) and plan on doing improvements like better shocks, etc myself . new subscriber
Just found ur channel. Using basic scientific method at home is awesome. Great style!
I don't know what's going with my Bilstein's then, rough ride , a bit bumpy and those waves on the highway or cuts make me light headed and nauseous. Could they of been installed wrong, or not tightned down enough to proper level... 2013 Xterra 4x4
The results are SHOCKing👍
Keep in mind, when your rear solid axle suspension articulates, it will want to drop down further than when you just have it on jack stands.
Yes, it is a mistake to put the Bilsteins back on, front or back. They were designed for on road use.
4600 Bilstien's were designed for ON & OFF ROAD, not just for street use.
@@NoWr2Run Really? You speak for Bilstein? driving on dirt roads or blazing across the desert? Rock crawling or mudding?
Bilstein's are well built shocks but vehicle height/weight matters and so does intended use and personal preference.
My pickup came from the factory with Bilstein's and I took the rear ones off because they were too stiff on compression. Got tired of my brain getting rattled.
Guarantee that if they are built for on and off road they are stiff and if you put them on a light vehicle it will beat the sh*t of of the vehicle and driver on the road.
I have 2 vehicles 1 chevy truck 1/2 ton & a Jeep ZJ with these shocks on. I love them & it's on Bilstein's website what their built for, Yes Really. Your right it depends on intended use & personal preference. Intended use is a BIG ONE for sure, I like a more solid ride & better handling. Tire pressure makes a good bit of difference also with these shocks I've noticed.What kind of pickup did you buy X-Man ? I always had full size pickup's or Jeeps. They say their made specifically for the vehicle their intended to be put on but ?
@@NoWr2Run I have an 03 S-10 ZR2. Original owner. I've owned 3x K5 blazers in the past. One had full roll cage. 2" RC lift 400 HP. Really miss that one. First wife didn't like it because women liked it. Should have ditched her sooner. LoL
Hey Jimmy, firstly thanks for your time and effort on the old suburbans !! I have one and appreciate your input and knowledge.
Do you have any videos on lifting the old Suburban??
I’d like to install a 6” lift kit and advice and tips would be much appreciated.
Thx
Dino from Canada
If you really want a plush ride, get some fox shocks, used them on my leveled dually diesel, and the ride was night and day difference.
Good video 💪🏽 I heard bilstein 5100 shocks are the way to go on our lifted gmt400’s. The are longer than 4600’s
those shock extensions are probably for use with stock shocks. you should call rough country and verify that. it looks like the rough country shocks are compressed too much when they are at ride height and when you hit a bump they are bottoming out when you compress them and they are making the tires bounce back. i would take the spacers out and put the rough countries back on. i have them on my k5 blazer and they ride great.
What's up man, sometimes you just gotta play with things and figure it out. It sucks that there isn't much info online for these things but it only motivates you to try and find a fix. Similar thing happened when I installed my lift on my suburban. I ended up removing the rear shock extension that came with the kit to be able to use my stock shock and bought appropriate sized shocks. It gave it more play and a softer ride. Trust me when I say you're doing great because I dealt with the same thing in the front shocks also. I know you're not trying to buy the most expensive shocks and you're working with what you got, that's great. In the near future I think you're going to want to get dual adjustable shocks. Those will completely change the ride since you'll be able to adjust to compression and rebound setting. I won't go back to regular shocks after I've had these. Trust me I know you're working on a "budget" but hopefully one day you get to try the dual adjustable shocks to see what a world of a difference they are. If you ever do that I can help guide you some since I had to do my research to completely understand how to pick the settings. Once again, great video and it makes me want to go work on my truck. -Steve-
Haha cool. Thanks for the great comment 👍. Yes, trying to work within a budget and use what I have. I may have to try swapping the rough country shocks back in and removing the shock extension just to know. But that just takes a lot of time especially if I then ultimately have to put it all back together and keep the Bilsteins...
@@1RoadGarage Hell Yeah it takes a lot of time. But the one thing that I reflect on quite a bit is that is that it's a great thing. Taking it apart and putting it back together so many times, like when you were adjusting your torsion bars by having to drive it let it set then adjust and repeat. You become a pro at that particular area. Later with more upgrades come more problems but with more knowledge. Your rig is gonna be a beast. Later, do you plan on having a dual battery system? That'd be cool to see. It's saved my ass man.
I put bilstein shocks on my truck but they didn't last very long.
So, a few things based on experience with level lifting a 2002 Burb 2500 w8.1L. The torsion bar IFS set up from the factory is a pretty crappy design. It was never really designed for off road or even harsh washboard tracks. Bad design #1, the OE shocks were lengthed (if that's a word) to act as the droop bump stop before the UCA would hit the final metal to metal droop stop. Herein lies the design flaw. Shocks are not strong enough to take this abuse. On road it passes, but off road or rough road they will eventually blow out. Which brings us to bad design #2, the metal to metal final droop stop. What a horrible design. GM couldn't have come up with something better like a polyurethane droop stop. Jeeze. Bad design #3, there is not a whole lot of droop designed between the UCA and the final droop stop. So, when you go to mod it through a torsion crank, you lose even more of that droop. This is where the harsh ride comes from. The wheels drop into a hole with a bang. This also happens when you cycle the suspension on a bump compression and then it cycles the other way with a droop. A bad design #4 is around steering. Weak tie rods and weak pin connection where the drag link bolts at the pitman and idler arms.
Ok, so what do you need to do???? #1 longer/ better shock so as to not be the droop stop and be in the right operating range during cycling. Those lower shock brackets are only necessary for oe length shocks, so ditch them. I used extended length Fox 2.0 shocks that worked phenomenally. #2 improve the UCA droop stop. Unfortunately, it does not look like your Rough Country UCAs address this issue. For my '02, Cognito has great support for this, but does not seem they support back to '95. Their UCAs arched up a bit to give a little bit more clearance for the metal droop stop, plus the Moog ball joint could mount below the arm giving yet more clearance and better ball joint angle, and a big improvement was the droop stop flanked the UCA and had a thin polyurethane bump stop installed, so when it did bottom out, it was less harsh. Cognito's proper lifts had extended knuckles that resolved these issues by putting the UCA back at the OE angle, so that was another $$$ option I chose not to do. If I were you, I would start looking to see if there are other brand UCAs that support the '95 and have some of the characteristics I mentioned above. #3 start looking for steering improvements. Cognito does support '95 as far as strengthening the pitman and idler arms connections. For pretty cheap you can pick up a kit that strengthens these points by double capturing the connection points with heim joints. This was the first upgrade I did before putting on larger tires. I would also look for stronger / thicker tie rods.
So, keep up the good work. I didn't come to all these conclusions and understanding of this IFS set up over night. I sort of had to figure it out the same way you are.👍
I would say the shock mount extensions are there so you can keep your stock shocks
I think adding a spring over on the shock makes it react better. I makes it like a strut.
I have the same lift and I love the way mine looks BUT have the same problem with the droop stops I wish the chirp was my problem. My problem is the vibration from aggressive tires being transferred to fame because the A-arm is touching the droop stop going up hill and under acceleration until I ease off on the gas or get back on flap ground.
Really enjoyed this video. Was wondering if you had any recommendations on how to improve the ride quality of a 2007 Mercedes Benz GL450?
I have a set of Rancho shocks on my 78 Suburban and they have been great. I would probably stay with the Rancho shocks as they do wonderful with my set up. I probably go off road more than you do and they have been much better than the ones that are more like stock shocks.
The Bilstein 5100s would be a great fit for your situation.
so ive got a 2door 1996 tahoe . i really wanna install the bilstien shocks on it . I've got a 2 inch lift kit so i am confused between the 5100 or 4600 . and mechanics here don't even know anything .
You should be a teacher. You did a great job explaining shocks.
Should just get the Bilstein 5100’s for a better ride and more control since you’re Suburban is lifted now. I have them on my ‘04 Suburban Z71 and it rides great!
All you needed to do is take out the extension. The Rough Country shocks were bottoming out because of the extensions. You have to remember when you were at full droop (jacked up), that was the maximum extension. When the weight was on the truck, you had even less compression distance before bottoming out the RC shock.
Leave the RC's in the back.
Hey, love your videos thanks so much for uploading these, they are super helpful. Sorry if this is a stupid question, but couldn't you have just cranked on your stock keys instead of doing lift keys. You had plenty of thread left on the stock set up and you had to back off of the lift keys. I'm trying to decide this for my burb, I have well over an inch of thread on stock and just want 2" in the front. What do you think? Thanks Jimmy!
Hey, yes, I could have just cranked the stock keys. If I were you, that's where I'd start. You probably have plenty to get the lift you want. REMEMBER though, you'll need an alignment the moment you touch those keys. I've had nothing but issues with my alignment. ALSO, one of the biggest problems you need to watch for is the 'droop stops'. I don't know why but NO ONE talks about this. After cranking the torsion keys, the upper control arms reach lower... giving you the lift. The problem is as those arms reach lower they get closer to the droop stops. When they are closer to the droop stops you loose down travel of the arms.. For example, when you hit a speed bump, your truck body will move upward and the wheels will attempt to keep contact with the ground. But, with no downward movement the arms will contact the droop stops and... stop. Thus, your wheels will leave the ground for a moment with the movement of the rest of the truck.
I know this all sounds extreme but its really pretty simple and very common with cranked torsion keys. Hope all that helps and makes sense. I'm no professional but that's just my experience with the '95 Suburban...
@@1RoadGarage Cool, that's where I'll start then. Did the upper control arms you put on give you a better angle, or are they just beefier? I've also heard of guys just grinding those bump stops off too. Thanks so much for the reply, Jimmy!
I absolutely hate my rough country shocks. I bought a leveling kit for my ram and now i can feel everything on the roads. I hit a pothole or train tracks it sounds like someone just smacked the sh*t out of the dash. Also every since i got them put on my truck now leans on the front passenger side and kinda droops down. Save your money and buy something better quality. I tried reaching out to rough country with my issues and of course...no responses!
With your lift kit, did you have to extend your brake lines? Like your videos, I just got into a 1996 Suburban and it has 270k miles so will be doing a lot of maintenance on it. Keep up the good work!
I recently got a FWD hatchback . I changed both shocks in front suspension and just after that the car started to behave weired specifically after a bump . I noticed on side of front gets a little bit lower than the othe one after passing bumps and this makes the car to behave out of manners when taking turns... Whats that for??? Any answeres???? P.S :The car's fully oem
Wow ! I think I'll do the same. You are the greatest.
Love to see a mechanic that likes hand tools
Is it possible that the bilstein's feel better because they have settled over the passed few years as opposed to new/newer shocks
With mine I did not use the shock extenders. I also used the skyjacker kit.I used the hydro 7000 shocks I wanted the M95's but they are pricey.
You can buy rear shock extensions to use with the bilstein shocks,you can get them pretty cheap on eBay
He can get a Mickey Mouse bobble head to put on the dash to go with it also.
@@x-man5056 I've had them for 5 years with no problems
@@johnreavis9301 It's possible, it's not best practice. If the extensions are well engineered and properly installed they can be an OK jury rig for light duty.
If you are running stiff shocks and/or doing any sort of Heavy Duty or high performance use, I wouldn't use them.
You can just about bet that if they fail, it will be at the worst possible moment.
Picture in your minds eye the force that is impacted on even a common street car's shock mounts when it hits a pot hole at just a modest speed. Broken shocks and/or shock mounts are very common issues on off road vehicles.
"Just because you can, doesn't mean you should."
Rough country shocks are cheap af
That’s what they are marketed as...
That’s wassup
YOU KNOW !! That street your on doing the test looks just like its In "Clairmont, SAN DIEGO " ! ha,ha, !!
What did you end up with in the rear i lifted my 2016 tacoma and used icon stage 1 with an add a leaf in the rear . I didnt measure the difference from old to new rear shocks but the truck went up about 2.5 in the rear and their stage 1 kit says 0-1.5 in the rear . I feel like its too rough of a ride does that mean my rear shocks arent long enough?
Bilstein is standard eqpt on FIAT, Ferraris.
Bilstein 4600 shocks are designed FOR ON & OFF ROAD USE, NOT FOR JUST ON THE STREET.
If have 2005 Sierra 1500 with bilsteins and it us bumpy. What could it be?
Solid axle vehicles are the way to go if your gonna lift it.
Do some sweet jumps! For a shock test⤵️
You can make your own spacers from black gas pipe to any size along as you have grade 8 or metric 10 hardware
dude, why didnt u just lose the extension and run the new shocks??
Well, like I said in the video, that was one of the two ways I could have went. Both are a pain and I decided to just swap in the bilsteins. I probably will swap in the Rough Country shocks without the extension to see how that feels. But just got to find the time.
That would make the problem worse.
This is all "shocking" to me😁😁😁
Take the extender off there made for stock shock
I installed Bilstein 5100s and I'm thinking I should've gotten the 4600s. I haul occasionally for work (in the bed) but not often. Did I make a huge mistake or should the difference be negligible? The 5100s are rated for off road/hauling. The 4600s for highway driving
YEAH !!
that is because the rear shock a blown out it bounces 3 times it should only do it once 6:19
You do not need the shock extenders with the rough country shocks those are included if you're going to use your factory shocks
What would recommend for 3" lifted '15 Nissan Frontier
Hi - What’s the website to get extension of shock
You have to call Rough Country. They don't have them on the website but can be ordered by phone.
Mustang
Thank you 🙏 but I’m not in 🇺🇸
A better shock won't fix a rough riding set of springs.
Shocking!
guys its not beelsteen but bil-shtayn
You just found out that Rancho is junk as are their shocks...by the way I didn't see any jounce bump stops..no "clanking" when topping out?....
So shocks take a bit to actually settle. If your a motorcycle guy; you know better than I do
I think we all told you that RC shocks suck.The hard parts are ok cause it is hard to screw up brackets and what not.I believe RC shocks are made in Mexico.Stick with a company like Bilstien and you will always be happy.
Bilstein 4600 are made in Mexico
Make sense.
I.have had no luck with rough country shocks. In my opinion they suck.
Im shocked🤣
You can see the difference. The rc has bad rebound. Horrible.
You bought a cheap kit. Basically, you bought a a set of Monroe shocks disguised as rough country.
They sold you the wrong shocks
RC shocks and overcoils aren't that good at all...they are more for look than function.
👌👍
Rough country really not that good, prolly better than say monroe but Bilstien is way way better.
Way more controled .
Misleading title.
I dont own a truck and have no idea what your talking about.
shocking
Indeed
Rough country shocks suck horribly.
This guy doesn't have a clue
Bilstein are horrible, Internet hype
I disagree; have you actually even owed a complete set properly installed? I have on 2 vehicles. 1st set was on a 76 Vega GT wagon, 5 speed manual, factory positrac, & 60 series BFG radial tires - Bilsteins completely altered the handling characteristics for the better! Then on a 98 Grand Cherokee 5.9 hot rod, highly modified - Bilsteins settled down the street cornering while still improving off road control.
@@Arkie407 yes I have, just took a set with 900 miles of a 04 Suburban, garbage, rode rough if your into auto cross racing they probably wouldn't be fine, or people who live where the roads are smooth, they are crap riding in chicago where the streets are rougher than most fire roads out west,
Bilstein's are well built but a bit over priced IMO. There are 4 factors for shocks. Extension length, compressed length, compression stiffness and rebound stiffness. They all matter for intend use, ride height. My pickup came with Bilstein's and I took them off the back because they were to stiff on compression and gave too harsh of ride for my intended use and I like my teeth to stop swapping places.
I still have that ZJ hotrod Jeep. Shocks are finally showing their age & probably get replaced next spring. So many great choices now, I’ll consider something else mainly due to Bilstein exorbitant prices. Besides, I’m retasking it more for laid back off-road hunting & mild trails. Done lost my interest in acceleration & hard cornering in an SUV. I tow trailers with it mostly anyway.
@@Arkie407 Yeah, I went through a similar transition myself. I put Monroe GasMatic LT's (Light Truck) in the back of my pickup. Had them in front for a while but was mashing my bump stops so put the Bilstein's back in front. My ride is so much nicer now.
Think of doing this: Find out from Bilstein what the compression number is on the shocks you've got. Then call Monroe and see what you can get that's softer but not too soft. It would take some of the guessing out. The Monroe's are good but less than half the price of Bilstein's
I put a set of 5100 bilstein's on my tahoe k1500 gmt400 even though im only lifted 2-3" in front and 3" in rear rode almost like stock but the upper control arms hit on big bumps,put on some skyjacker upper control arms,and it rides like i didn't even crank it
Should have left it alone, you hitting the trails ae ya. City trucks are fine ,you just followed the herd. Why raise or drop a truck?