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Old 05-25-2010, 10:21 AM   #1
DonandJudy_12
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Rough ride in our 05 GM 3500 drw cc

Would the addition of air bags eliminate the feeling of bottoming out on every little crack in the road? The rear suspension seems very stiff and does not seem to "give" much on bumps in the road- The truck is new to us and does not seem to ride as smooth as our old F350 drw cc- We hope to hear from anyone who has experienced this problem- Thanx in advance- Don
 
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Old 05-25-2010, 10:31 AM   #2
ols1932
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by DonandJudy_12

Would the addition of air bags eliminate the feeling of bottoming out on every little crack in the road? The rear suspension seems very stiff and does not seem to "give" much on bumps in the road- The truck is new to us and does not seem to ride as smooth as our old F350 drw cc- We hope to hear from anyone who has experienced this problem- Thanx in advance- Don
Don,
If in fact you are "bottoming out" as you describe it, I would think that the rear suspension was not stiff as you describe it. Even without airbags, my F-250 never did that. I only added the air bags to make the truck more level when towing. The addition of air bags will make your ride even more with less "give."

Orv
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Old 05-25-2010, 11:22 AM   #3
OntMont
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We have an early 07 (same as 06) Chev 3500 diesel dually. We selected it partly because to our senses it rode more "car-like" than the Ford and Dodge that we test drove at the time. I think that there must be something amiss with the rear suspension. I would get the existing suspension checked out, perhaps new shocks, before going to air bags. It may already have been modified in some manner.
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Old 05-25-2010, 01:29 PM   #4
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Don, I had on '05 hevy 2500 that I had an extra spring added to support the weight of the trailer and without the trailer on it, it ran really rough and felt like it was bottoming out, however it was just stiff suspension. I later added the air bags but didn't see much improvement in ride, only wanted to protect suspension with the bags. I would get it checked for possibly and aftermarket add on.
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Old 05-25-2010, 02:12 PM   #5
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Don, Is this happening solo or with the Monty connected? Running empty what you may be hearing and feeling in the helper spings hiting the bracket. I have and extended cab 2005 Chevy DRW and when empty it ride pretty rough, but put several thousand pounds in the back and it rides much better, puts the helper springs in constant contact with the bracket. Mine rides much better towing the Monty than it did with either of my previous SOB TT.
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Old 05-28-2010, 11:57 AM   #6
DonandJudy_12
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We had the rear suspension lowered 2 inches- This helped the feeling of "bottoming out" but did not eliminate the problem completely- Shock replacement is next on the list- Any suggestions on specific relacements? The problem is quite reduced when towing but not eliminated- Will post results of shock replacement next week after the work is done- Thanx for all replies as always- Don
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Old 05-28-2010, 01:30 PM   #7
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Did you just get this truck ? I'd also say, just for the heck of it, check the tire pressure.
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Old 05-29-2010, 06:58 AM   #8
Tom S.
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The springs on GM vehicles are progressive in design. That means they start to compress more easily at light loads but get stiffer as the load/compression increases. Empty, the truck will never ride like a car, and putting a load on the back puts the truck into the middle of the compression, which smoothes things out. What concerns me is your term 'bottoming out'. This should not happen until the spring is near it's maximum compression. Is it possible a former owner overloaded the suspension and weakened the springs? You might want to do a couple things. First, ask to ride in someone else's truck to see if it's the same. If not, take your truck to a spring shop and have them check it out.

BTW: what is the load rating on your tires, and what pressure are you running in them?
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Old 05-29-2010, 09:41 AM   #9
kdeiss
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If this when bed is empty I first would check Tire Pressure than add a few hundred lbs to the bed no way is that bottoming out
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Old 06-03-2010, 02:25 AM   #10
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Shocks installed! Ride improved but still "bottoms out" on bumps- It appears the overloads are hitting the stops- Still considering air bags- Will consult with my mechanic and post final results- Thanx again to all who responded- Keep it up MOCERS!!! Don
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Old 06-03-2010, 12:45 PM   #11
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I had a 99 Chev 3500 dually originally and had problems with springs bottoming out and installed air bags with great success. I didn't have any problems without a load only with a load. When I bought my 02 Chev 3500 dually I installed air bags as soon as I bought it to assist with my race car trailer and my 5th wheel. GM redesigned the suspension in 02 and it was a huge upgrade from 99.I actually found I don't even need the air bags with the 02. I did notice the bottoming out feeling when the truck is empty on the 02 and that is actually just the suspension not having enough weight to work the springs properly. If there is not enough weight to compress the springs it will feel like you are riding on the axles. With the air bags at 8 psi it seems to take some of the road shock out but the best thing is weight. If you are bottoming out with out a load I would have your springs tested by a spring shop. I now run my air bags at 8 psi at all times just to keep the bags inflated a bit. I add no additional air when loaded and have plenty of clearance left.
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Old 06-03-2010, 02:15 PM   #12
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If you are 'bottoming out' you have a serious problem...just MHO, but seems to me it would be something else. As noted earlier, I'd check TP.
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Old 06-10-2010, 12:36 PM   #13
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Problem solved!!!!! The exhaust pipe was hitting the crossmember- My mechanic adjusted some of the hangers to move the exhaust system to provide adequate clearance- Now on to other improvements to make this "my" truck- Will post as the improvements are made- Thanx again for all comments, questions and suggestions- Don
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Old 08-09-2012, 09:12 AM   #14
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Where did you get your shocks? I bought Bilstein shocks from http://truckspring.com/ a couple years ago and they've held up well on my Navion
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Old 08-09-2012, 11:17 AM   #15
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Note..If anything airbags will make it ride even stiffer when not towing. We put air bags on our truck just to get it to ride level when the Montana is hooked up. It dropped about 3 incehs when hooked up.When solo we ride like a ..well..truck.When hooked up we are fine.
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Old 08-09-2012, 11:58 AM   #16
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Guys - this thread is two years old!
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Old 08-09-2012, 01:19 PM   #17
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Wild Horse

Did you just get this truck ? I'd also say, just for the heck of it, check the tire pressure.
Bill

Tire Pressure X2
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Old 08-09-2012, 01:56 PM   #18
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2 years old!!!....... OOPPPSSSSS NEVERMIND,Next subject
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Old 08-09-2012, 02:37 PM   #19
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Old 08-10-2012, 05:54 AM   #20
DonandJudy_12
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THANX to all who responded- RECAP- My mechanic replaced all 4 shocks with Monroe HD- Added air bags [ a definite improvement once the proper pressure was found ]- Tires always inflated to 80#- Ride much improved- It's a TRUCK, not a Caddy- JMHO- Don
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