Ways to improve suspension

[Ice98]

1996 Suburban LT K1500

So I have already installed a fresh set of Monroe air shocks on the back (MA779), and a new pair of shocks on the front (Monroe 37130), and that has helped immensely, but it still feels a little bouncy and rough for my taste

I really have 2 questions

-On the rear, there are kits such as this:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UFRV38...TF8&colid=16IYL0AUL1TA4&coliid=I2E2QCV0JPF70O

Which seem to give an improvement to tired leaf springs without completely dismantling the rear end, but does this also make the ride rougher? is it is a good option for an unlifted suburban that isn't looking to mud or rock crawl?


-On the front, is there a way to tighten up the torsion bar, or something else to reduce the bounce? Is it just my choice in shocks? (I bought the Monroe for $11 each, for that price I couldn't really pass them up)

Any other tips to improve suspension and handling? It really is pretty decent considering that it is a nearly 20 year old truck but things wear out eventually

 

[MarkD51]

Hi,
With many of these vehicles, and at the age they are at, then everything underneath can become suspect.

Worn parts, you name it. Check your truck by bouncing on the front and back, a simple test is that the truck should only rebound once, no more.

Might even be wise to spend a few centavos and let a good shop and tech take a gander underneath for inspection.

Sometimes you do get what you pay for and I wouldn't probably expect an $11 Monroe Shock to be the equal of a $$50-$70 pair of Bilsteins.

Sway Bar Bushings go to hell quickly on the vehicles, changing the mains is not hard, but the end links can be a bit testy, both front and back.

Does your truck appear to be sagging either front or back? A pic or two here might help us see what the truck looks like? Tire-Wheel size, and the measurements you get from ground to fender lip might also help us?

Can such helper springs harden the ride? Sure, but that might not be a bad thing.

 

[lesterl]

I dont know if it could be summed up much better, like Mark said, more $ usually is better ride on shock.....

 

[Ice98]

Hi,
With many of these vehicles, and at the age they are at, then everything underneath can become suspect.

Worn parts, you name it. Check your truck by bouncing on the front and back, a simple test is that the truck should only rebound once, no more.

Might even be wise to spend a few centavos and let a good shop and tech take a gander underneath for inspection.

Sometimes you do get what you pay for and I wouldn't probably expect an $11 Monroe Shock to be the equal of a $$50-$70 pair of Bilsteins.

Sway Bar Bushings go to hell quickly on the vehicles, changing the mains is not hard, but the end links can be a bit testy, both front and back.

Does your truck appear to be sagging either front or back? A pic or two here might help us see what the truck looks like? Tire-Wheel size, and the measurements you get from ground to fender lip might also help us?

Can such helper springs harden the ride? Sure, but that might not be a bad thing.

yeah I have no doubt that a good set of bilstein shocks would be better, but these monroes are half the price normally, and by getting a couple of amazons "used" (see: brand new) for 1/3rd of that price was well worth it, the stock shocks were literally so spent you could compress them fully by hand and they would stay there...lol

The front is a lot better, the back is still a bit saggy, of course I just checked my air and my shocks are at 20psi, about a third of what I normally run them at, so that probably isn't helping much either

 

[Ice98]

Got the helper springs in today, Probably won't get them installed until next week, adding a bit of air to the shocks (65psi or so) helped quite a bit, but I am finding that while my ride is much better with that bit of adjusting, I still get a lot of side-to-side swaying (which isn't terrible) and "shudder" when hitting a significant pothole or such

I am guessing a lot of this is down to old rubber, I have thought about just replacing it all but I don't have the time, garage, or money to do that, so my question now is; What bushings can be replaced without too much time/money that may help improve the ride?


Also, any suggestions on what bushings to go with, looking for something that will have a long life, perhaps not so much a working life but more of a "sitting" life, as I tend to put less than 3k miles a year on it, if that

 

[Ice98]

about 2 years old, less than 7k miles on them

Got the Hellwig helper springs installed, has made a huge difference, especially when towing, between the helper springs and the air shocks I can put some serious weight on the back and still handles great

Found out I will have to have an alignment done on the front soon, so I ordered the parts to replace several bushings before I do