New Bilstein HD's on my '04 Colorado

[mshu7]

I just put new Bilstein HD's on the front and rear of my '04 Colorado Z71 4x4 with 120k miles. Man, what a difference in the ride. I could tell a difference just backing out of my small driveway. The steering feels more taught, there's a lot less lean/body roll when turning, and my truck doesn't feel like it's going to rattle itself apart anymore. These shocks are by far the best $300 I've put into the truck.

As far as the process of installation is concerned, I've never done something this extensive before and I thought it was fairly simple/easy. Took me about 2.5 hours taking my time. The hardest thing in the whole process was getting the bottom of the new front shocks pushed up and into the brackets so I could put the bolt in.

Also, I took height measurements at each wheel, before & after the new shocks. I basically just measured from the ground up to the bottom of the fender flares. Both sides of the rear were exactly the same before/after. The front however, was different by a little on each side.

-REAR-
Driver's side: 36 1/8" before | 36 1/4" after (+.125")
Pass. side: 36 1/8" before | 36 1/4" after (+.125")

-FRONT-
Driver side: 35 1/8" before | 35 3/8" after (+.150")
Pass. side: 35 9/16" before | 35 3/4" after (+.1875")

I had new tires put on at 116,500 miles and had an alignment performed due front camber issues causing pretty bad inside wear on my old tires. I'm not sure if it's normal to have the height different from side to side on the front, but it definitely surprised me. Anyone have any insight on that?

Well, just wanted to share my thoughts/experience upgrading from factory shocks to Bilstein's on my truck. Thoughts & comments welcome!

 

[mshu7]

Just got this explanation from a Colorado board regarding the front height difference:

Quote:
Driver's side usually winds up sitting a little lower because it carries the weight of the driver and gas tank so the torsion bar and leaf spring sag more over time. Its known as the Chevy "lean".

 

[wirelessF]

Bilsteins rock! I had them factory stock on my toyota tundra (has the trd package) and 100,000+ miles later they show no signs of wear or blown when being replaced. I had to replace the factory bilsteins because the lower rubber bushings failed and couldn't be replaced. If they were replaceable I've would've kept them.

Basically they will last forever.

 

[SteveSRT8]

same here. Bilsteins are factory equipment on SRT8's and they are amazingly long lived.

 

[mshu7]

Those are the reasons I went with Bilstein's - all the great reviews. I could have save some money going with other brands, but it just seemed that Bilstein's were so far superior that they were worth the little bit more I had to pay. Definitely worth it.

 

[Bgallagher]

Billsteins are great! Wish they made them for my application. I would recommend going to an alignment shop and having them test it to make sure the shocks didnt throw off the alignment. I installed new shocks and struts on my Equinox and after a few months found myself with two bald front tires. The camber was WAY off because of the struts.

 

[GMBoy]

I agree, Bilsteins are great shocks. Came on my Corvette (but think they need replacing @51k miles), I put a set on my Buick GN like 15 yrs ago and very happy. The only bad experienc I ever had with them was the set that came on my truck. They lasted 73k miles. I just replaced them last weekend but instead went with the new Monroe Reflex monotube shocks. It was mainly a cost decision for me beings I got the Monroes for $52/ea which was much less than the Bilsteins. I am happy with the Monroes and the lifetime warranty. If I were planning on keeping the truck more than a few more years, I would have paid for the Bilsteins for sure. I don't think they last anylonger than other shocks, however. All shocks wear over time, we just don't notice it since it happens so slowly.

 

[Hootbro]

Originally Posted By: mshu7
Just got this explanation from a Colorado board regarding the front height difference:

Quote:
Driver's side usually winds up sitting a little lower because it carries the weight of the driver and gas tank so the torsion bar and leaf spring sag more over time. Its known as the Chevy "lean".


Tacoma's have the same thing and they called it the "Tacoma Lean".

Did you get the alignment checked after the stock swap? Usually is good practice to do that.

 

[hattaresguy]

Bilstein's are the only shocks I'll buy, best you can get. Plus they have a lifetime warranty!

Nice to hear of some good results, I'm going to put a set on my Silverado pretty soon.

 

[mshu7]

I'll be getting another alignment this week. I definitely don't want to take a chance being out of alignment with new tires on the truck.

One of the other nice things I've noticed since I put the new Bilstein's on last night is how quiet my truck is now. It used to rattle like it was going fall apart. It's a very quiet ride now. Even my wife noticed how quiet it was going down the road today. Can't get over how much the truck has changed with these new shocks.