The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network - View Single Post - Original suspension worn out, how to tell?

Jesse B. · 08-29-2017, 01:18 PM

Since I've been down this road, I thought I would share my experience.

I have a 69 Blazer that has an EZ Ride 4 inch suspension lift. The lift was on the truck when I bought it and it was extremely bouncy, so I removed the Tuff country shocks and found three of them totally worn out. I could compress or extend these three with one hand. I replaced all four with Bilstein 5125 series shocks with 255/70 valving.

I drove the truck around the block and found it better, but still bouncy, especially in the front. I decided to drive the truck to work the next day and bounced all over the place. It was almost dangerous. I looked on this forum and saw how many folks just claim these trucks are bouncy because of the short wheelbase, leaf sprung, or it is just the way they were made at that time. I could not accept those explanations because I have owned or still own Jeeps, Broncos (I know Broncos are coil sprung in the front), and Scouts and have never experienced the kind of bouncing my Blazer has.

So I did a little research and replaced the front Bilsteins (255/70 valving) with a set of Bilsteins with 360/80 valving and that fixed the bouncy front end problem. It rides nice and smooth, at least what I would expect a leaf sprung truck to ride like. The higher valving means a stiffer shock.

I don't like using Rancho or other similar manufacturer because it is so difficult to find out what the valving is in a particular shock. They just tell you what fits, and I hate that. There is more to a shock than just being the right length.

The problem you might have is that Bilstein does not make a whole lot of shocks with the stiffer valving, so I am not even sure if they make one in your size. Failing that, you may have to find another manufacturer or go to dual shocks in the front with lighter valving. You could probably run two shocks with 170/60 valving each and be pretty close to what I have.

I'm only sharing my experience and you're welcome to ignore or accept. I'm just sharing what worked for me. Everyone has a different definition of a crappy ride or what is bouncy and what is smooth. Since I've owned trucks my whole life I'm used to somewhat stiffer rides, but bouncing I could not accept.

08-29-2017, 01:18 PM	#6
Jesse B. Registered User Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Carmichael, CA Posts: 91	Re: Original suspension worn out, how to tell? Since I've been down this road, I thought I would share my experience. I have a 69 Blazer that has an EZ Ride 4 inch suspension lift. The lift was on the truck when I bought it and it was extremely bouncy, so I removed the Tuff country shocks and found three of them totally worn out. I could compress or extend these three with one hand. I replaced all four with Bilstein 5125 series shocks with 255/70 valving. I drove the truck around the block and found it better, but still bouncy, especially in the front. I decided to drive the truck to work the next day and bounced all over the place. It was almost dangerous. I looked on this forum and saw how many folks just claim these trucks are bouncy because of the short wheelbase, leaf sprung, or it is just the way they were made at that time. I could not accept those explanations because I have owned or still own Jeeps, Broncos (I know Broncos are coil sprung in the front), and Scouts and have never experienced the kind of bouncing my Blazer has. So I did a little research and replaced the front Bilsteins (255/70 valving) with a set of Bilsteins with 360/80 valving and that fixed the bouncy front end problem. It rides nice and smooth, at least what I would expect a leaf sprung truck to ride like. The higher valving means a stiffer shock. I don't like using Rancho or other similar manufacturer because it is so difficult to find out what the valving is in a particular shock. They just tell you what fits, and I hate that. There is more to a shock than just being the right length. The problem you might have is that Bilstein does not make a whole lot of shocks with the stiffer valving, so I am not even sure if they make one in your size. Failing that, you may have to find another manufacturer or go to dual shocks in the front with lighter valving. You could probably run two shocks with 170/60 valving each and be pretty close to what I have. I'm only sharing my experience and you're welcome to ignore or accept. I'm just sharing what worked for me. Everyone has a different definition of a crappy ride or what is bouncy and what is smooth. Since I've owned trucks my whole life I'm used to somewhat stiffer rides, but bouncing I could not accept.