Are they REALLY Bilsteins?

I just purchased a new Z71.. crew cab loaded up. I was told by the salesman that it has Bilsteins on it. That is actually one of the reasons I was sold on the vehicle. I've ran Bilsteins for years on my other vehicles, and am convinced they are the BEST shock on the market. My question is this:

I don't think I actually have Bilsteins. Truck rides LIKE CRAP. Bounces and jitters, sways a lot.. drives me nuts. I crawled under the vehicle, the shocks are red and look smaller than the nice yellow Bilsteins I'm used to seeing. Did GM quit putting Bilsteins on trucks and not inform everyone about it?

I've been thinking about something else too.. wouldn't gas shocks on the light rear end of a truck make it very jittery? Should I consider putting standard shocks in the rear if I'm not planning on hauling any serious loads?

thx..

Tdturkz71

I just purchased a new Z71.. crew cab loaded up. I was told by the salesman that it has Bilsteins on it. That is actually one of the reasons I was sold on the vehicle. I've ran Bilsteins for years on my other vehicles, and am convinced they are the BEST shock on the market. My question is this:

I don't think I actually have Bilsteins. Truck rides LIKE CRAP. Bounces and jitters, sways a lot.. drives me nuts. I crawled under the vehicle, the shocks are red and look smaller than the nice yellow Bilsteins I'm used to seeing. Did GM quit putting Bilsteins on trucks and not inform everyone about it?

I've been thinking about something else too.. wouldn't gas shocks on the light rear end of a truck make it very jittery? Should I consider putting standard shocks in the rear if I'm not planning on hauling any serious loads?

thx..

Tdturkz71

I would like to know too, because I am getting tired of the ride my truck has. I think mine are blue, probably stock GM no-namers. You reccomend Billstein for rideability? I just want a soft ride, I dont do any offroading as it is a 2wd. I even think one of my shocks is "dead", by the way one side handles and sits a little lower.

If you are out for a soft ride, then I wouldn't consider Bilsteins for a Silverado. They will improve stability and cornering, but they will also stiffen the ride a bit. As far as your truck sitting a little lower on one side, shocks have NOTHING to do with that. Shocks will do nothing to your ride height (unless they are air/hydraulic adjustable). What you are probably experiencing is a difference in your torsion bar height. Many GM trucks actually come from the factory with a lopsided appearance. Just measure each side from fender to level ground, and adjust your bars accordingly. If a soft ride is your priority, I would suggest some monroe Sensatracks or Edelbrocks. You can also contact Bilstein or Deutsch Tech (excellent for the price)and have some custom valved shocks made for your application. .02

If you are out for a soft ride, then I wouldn't consider Bilsteins for a Silverado. They will improve stability and cornering, but they will also stiffen the ride a bit. As far as your truck sitting a little lower on one side, shocks have NOTHING to do with that. Shocks will do nothing to your ride height (unless they are air/hydraulic adjustable). What you are probably experiencing is a difference in your torsion bar height. Many GM trucks actually come from the factory with a lopsided appearance. Just measure each side from fender to level ground, and adjust your bars accordingly. If a soft ride is your priority, I would suggest some monroe Sensatracks or Edelbrocks. You can also contact Bilstein or Deutsch Tech (excellent for the price)and have some custom valved shocks made for your application. .02

I was partial to monroe on my 1977 ford. It rides very nice. The dealer told me the lean was normal too. It was for road crown compensation. but I have eyeballed a couple of GMs in parking lots and they dont seem to have the lopsidedness :dunno:

Yeah, that's the standard dealer answer. So, what are we supposed to do if the road isn't crowned? What good does it really do if your truck sits slightly lower on the crowned side of the road? Not a damn thing. It's an easy fix, just measure each side and crank your bars accordingly. The difference in height won't hurt anything, but looks weird. Monroe's aren't bad either; I have had a few sets in the past with good luck. Whatever you do, stay away from the cheaper aftermarket lift kit shocks; well, most of them. Pro Comp MX6 is probably the best riding shock I have ever owned. I have them on my '03 and they are incredibly smooth.

Those red shocks are not bilsteins, I had them on my truck for 75k miles, then put Bilsteins on--like night and day! This is a '99 Z71, my '98 Z71 came with Bilsteins and they were good for as long as I had the truck--180k miles. Chevy stopped using Steins on Z71's when they went to the new bodystyle I believe. Even worse are the black shocks that come on the 2500HD's. My 04 Duramax rode like crap from day one, some research on the deiselplace.com lead me to replace the factory shocks at 15k miles with steins--like night and day--it was a different truck! 34k for a new truck and they give you the cheapest shocks in the world!