I purchased my ‘17 Silverado LTZ last year in October. Factory Rancho’s made my truck ride like an old school Cadillac…very bouncy. I installed Bilstein 5100’s on the front and rear, and the ride quality was GREAT! Not too soft to the point of being bouncy but not too stiff to the point of feeling every bump in the road. 10/10 recommend!
@@3093456 mine is set on the second groove, which raises it .75”. I have a 2” level also. Plan to change them to the 6112 when I lift it, heard they’re better than the 5100’s when adding a lift.
This is an great video, and personally I used it as reference for installing my own bilstein 5100 struts. But there is one massive clarification that needs to be made. The lower coil over spring metal “seat” that the white nylon thing sits on is NOT removable from an GM OEM strut. It is welded to the OEM GM strut. So if you do not have a Z71 model, this comment applies to you. This video and Bilstein’s guide makes it seem like you can easily tap it off, but it is welded. I used a wheel grinder to grind it off and was able to re-use it since they are currently backordered. I thought I screwed myself when I couldn’t easily tap it off like this guy did cause the part is backordered. Luckily the wheel grinder saved they say and I could re-use it.
I have this problem, i bought this shocks and now i'm unable to install them because I don't have the metal seat (old one is welded to the old strut), is anyone here able to know which part this is? I can't find it to buy it anywhere
I have a 2015 Sierra A/T which shares the Rancho shocks with your truck. Basically my truck is a glorified z71. I bought it last laborday with 77k on it and it belonged to a dairy farmer whom custom ordered it. The first thing I realized is Rancho shocks are just as crappy as they were back in 2007 when I block lifted my old 98 GMC half ton. The slipping, sliding, and fishtailing the rear of my '15 does is mortifying when I'm driving down a dirt road and over the remains of tractor tire tracks. It actually drives and feels better/more stable and grounded when Im hauling lumber and concrete. I actually use my truck, live offroad on a dirt, loose asphalt and caliche road, and cant decide on if i should settle with the same series of Bilsteins you put on your truck or aim for something more performance oriented such as Fox and Kings.
Although the bilsteins are better than the Ranchos I wish now I would have went with the fox 2.0. They are more expensive but I think I would have seen the performance I was expecting.
@@737mechanic Hey thanks for replying. Could you go into detail about your overall driving experience since you did install the bilsteins? I do hear how at first they feel really good but after everything has settled there is a bit of regret in some ways. I know all too well the feeling of floating or like you lose grip with the Ranchos, and most other videos (the few there are) never do long term follow-ups about the Bilstein shocks on these factory height GMC's with the z71 setup. Ive been gawking at Kings for quite awhile but getting your hands on them takes absolutely forever, and I never see anyone put the Fox shocks with the reservoir on factory height vehicles. Its always put on a truck with a 12 inch lift kit ready to jump curbs at the mall parking lot lol. On the other hand I have thought about 4linking my truck and bagging it. I just never have seen anyone do any hauling/offroading after that but a lot of folks say it's the ultimate for a suspension upgrade on a truck.
I know you already had the 2" spacer for your you left the Bilstein set to their stock ride height setting. What if you didn't have the 2" spacer? Would you think it would be just as good moving the shock snap rings to the highest position.
Yeah some people need to get ban from making videos like this some other fool in his garage will do the same thing like this fool and end up killing themselves or someone working with them I pity the fool
Thanks for this video, mush easier than another saying you have to take off the caliper and lower control arm. Would you say there's any trouble with using the 2" lift like you have AND using the next higher ring setting for 0.75" lift for a total of 2.75"? Any danger or trouble with using both?
Those bent bolts on the spring compressor make me nervous. The hell with that my life is worth more to me than the extra money for pre assembled struts. Good content though thank you.
Howdy, big fan of your videos. I’m about to install the 5100’s on my 2016 Chevy 1500 and similar setup on stock setting with a 2 inch spacer. How have yours held up since you installed? Ride still good? Thanks
I would rather have the spacer that way you are not compressing the spring. When you put the strut on a higher level you are compressing the spring making it stiffer and it will ride rougher.
Does anyone happen to know if bilstein makes a model strut and shock assembly for the magnetic ride ? I absolutely hate the mega ride in my 17 gmc Denali
I had a 2015 Denali and I replaced the magnetic ride with a strut master delete kit. It comes with bypass modules for the computer so it won’t throw any codes, and it comes with the new rear shocks and front coil overs. I didn’t realize how bad the ride was until I put these on. Way better! Now I have a 2016 sierra 1500 with the ranchos and I ordered the bilstein shocks and coil overs for it. Very excited to get rid of that garbage wishy washy shit ride!
I have a 17 denali I bought a full bilstien delete kit for.my magnaride it's going in next week I will update how it rides. I currently have 97k on KY truck it rides like it's on cut springs
@@13salinaspride I already had a 2in leveling kit installed so I chose the stock ride height, if you want a little more lift in the front choose one of the other two grooves.
Did you see him put the strut clamps in on the bottom of the strut, the ones that you install with the screw coming in from the bottom/ because i did"nt
Oh brother......... Those spring compressors are sooo sketchy. Do youself a favor. Get something with more meat on um. You just can't imagine how much potential energy is sitting there just waiting for 1 more turn. Parts and pieces would fly off at hypersonic speed. Rest of the work...nicely done. Come do mine fellow texan 🙂
There is no getting around breaking the ball joint loose if you have a leveling kit like the one on this truck. I explained that in the video. The half shaft gets in the way of putting the longer bolts in from the top, with the ball joint loose you can move the knuckle which in turn shifts the half shaft forward slightly and gives the needed clearance to install the long bolts. If you do NOT have a leveling kit you do NOT need to break the ball joint loose.
@@737mechanic not if you turn the wheel towards the left. If I could post the pic here in the comments… I’d prove my point. The half shaft is about 3” inches out of the way and not directly over those bolts.
@@georgeclapenstein7823 I tried turning it all the way from one extreme to the other. There is NO way. The last thing I ever do is take apart more than necessary. Have you ever installed these leveling kit spacers? I have done 5 of them now on different trucks and turning the knuckle does NOT get you any extra clearance.
@@brandensinclair1135 It comes with the metal seat, the only reason I reused my factory units was because they are heavier duty than what came in the shocks but I am sure they will work fine.
@@737mechaniche's talking about the metal seat that the white plastic insulator sits on. Not the top of the shock piece. I guess a lot of guys are finding that part welded onto their shock. You tapped off 2 different pieces in the video. The top of the shock and then after removing that, you removed the lower spring seat and spring Insultaor. That was cracked. The piece the cracked insulator was sitting on seems to be welded to the shock on a lot of the guys shocks
@@bizoyd29 They come with a new seat that you use on the new struts. I used the original ones because they are heavier but you can use the ones in the kit.
I think it's important to note, the shock/strut does not provide any lift, those settings are there so it can be extended if you happen to have a lift kit already.
![Third-Gen ('14 - '19) Chevy Silverado Strut/Shock Replacement [Bilstein 5100]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4yGiwicE7Ho/mqdefault.jpg)
I purchased my ‘17 Silverado LTZ last year in October. Factory Rancho’s made my truck ride like an old school Cadillac…very bouncy. I installed Bilstein 5100’s on the front and rear, and the ride quality was GREAT! Not too soft to the point of being bouncy but not too stiff to the point of feeling every bump in the road. 10/10 recommend!
Did you leave it at stock ride height?
@@3093456 mine is set on the second groove, which raises it .75”. I have a 2” level also. Plan to change them to the 6112 when I lift it, heard they’re better than the 5100’s when adding a lift.
This is an great video, and personally I used it as reference for installing my own bilstein 5100 struts. But there is one massive clarification that needs to be made. The lower coil over spring metal “seat” that the white nylon thing sits on is NOT removable from an GM OEM strut. It is welded to the OEM GM strut. So if you do not have a Z71 model, this comment applies to you. This video and Bilstein’s guide makes it seem like you can easily tap it off, but it is welded. I used a wheel grinder to grind it off and was able to re-use it since they are currently backordered. I thought I screwed myself when I couldn’t easily tap it off like this guy did cause the part is backordered. Luckily the wheel grinder saved they say and I could re-use it.
That’s good info to know.
What exactly do you mean, mine isnt z71 and im gonna install these on my truck by now you have me concerned
Do you have the part number for that piece? Only pictures I see are the white piece.
I have this problem, i bought this shocks and now i'm unable to install them because I don't have the metal seat (old one is welded to the old strut), is anyone here able to know which part this is? I can't find it to buy it anywhere
@stephen king Where can we find them?
Those spring compressors are nicknamed Widowmaker for a reason
I have a 2015 Sierra A/T which shares the Rancho shocks with your truck. Basically my truck is a glorified z71. I bought it last laborday with 77k on it and it belonged to a dairy farmer whom custom ordered it. The first thing I realized is Rancho shocks are just as crappy as they were back in 2007 when I block lifted my old 98 GMC half ton. The slipping, sliding, and fishtailing the rear of my '15 does is mortifying when I'm driving down a dirt road and over the remains of tractor tire tracks. It actually drives and feels better/more stable and grounded when Im hauling lumber and concrete. I actually use my truck, live offroad on a dirt, loose asphalt and caliche road, and cant decide on if i should settle with the same series of Bilsteins you put on your truck or aim for something more performance oriented such as Fox and Kings.
Although the bilsteins are better than the Ranchos I wish now I would have went with the fox 2.0. They are more expensive but I think I would have seen the performance I was expecting.
@@737mechanic Hey thanks for replying. Could you go into detail about your overall driving experience since you did install the bilsteins? I do hear how at first they feel really good but after everything has settled there is a bit of regret in some ways. I know all too well the feeling of floating or like you lose grip with the Ranchos, and most other videos (the few there are) never do long term follow-ups about the Bilstein shocks on these factory height GMC's with the z71 setup. Ive been gawking at Kings for quite awhile but getting your hands on them takes absolutely forever, and I never see anyone put the Fox shocks with the reservoir on factory height vehicles. Its always put on a truck with a 12 inch lift kit ready to jump curbs at the mall parking lot lol. On the other hand I have thought about 4linking my truck and bagging it. I just never have seen anyone do any hauling/offroading after that but a lot of folks say it's the ultimate for a suspension upgrade on a truck.
Good ole RemOil! Not just for firearms ;-)
My 2014 rides like crap and looking forward to this upgrade. Like you I also have a leveling kit in the front but the Ranchos have to go.
Same w/ my 2016. Just building up the nerve both to spend the money and to use spring compressors....
I know you already had the 2" spacer for your you left the Bilstein set to their stock ride height setting. What if you didn't have the 2" spacer? Would you think it would be just as good moving the shock snap rings to the highest position.
Yea I think it would be worth doing it.
Damn , dude working dangeously
Yeah some people need to get ban from making videos like this some other fool in his garage will do the same thing like this fool and end up killing themselves or someone working with them I pity the fool
I called a shop today to have this exact same thing done and they quoted me $600 in labor
Thanks for this video, mush easier than another saying you have to take off the caliper and lower control arm. Would you say there's any trouble with using the 2" lift like you have AND using the next higher ring setting for 0.75" lift for a total of 2.75"? Any danger or trouble with using both?
You could probably get away with that ok.
I'm just wondering why you didn't set them higher and get rid of the rough country spacer
He mentioned a rougher ride with the added pre-load.
I love that you are using Remington gun oil on it lol
Rem oil is some good stuff. I use it on all kinds of stuff including my Remington. :)
I would def recommend using notch before the max height just to be safe.
Notch?
@@Stop_the_cap311 He means second to highest setting, where you can place the split ring. It comes defaulted to the bottom for factory ride height.
Those bent bolts on the spring compressor make me nervous. The hell with that my life is worth more to me than the extra money for pre assembled struts. Good content though thank you.
Howdy, big fan of your videos. I’m about to install the 5100’s on my 2016 Chevy 1500 and similar setup on stock setting with a 2 inch spacer. How have yours held up since you installed? Ride still good? Thanks
Yea they are still doing good.
What is the white plastic piece that you suggested to replace if it is cracked? not sure what to look up for a replacement. Thanks!
amzn.to/3HLfVxV
Would you recommend a leveler spacer or put the bilsteins on a higher circlip setting?
I would rather have the spacer that way you are not compressing the spring. When you put the strut on a higher level you are compressing the spring making it stiffer and it will ride rougher.
My experience has been a better ride with the spacer out and the preload on the spring@@737mechanic
so you have a leveling kit also, are these bilstein 0" ?
Yes, the leveling kit does not need any extra extension from the shock.
@@737mechanic how do you like the 5100 shocks compared to stock ? i'm debating to change on my 100 k miles trucks
@@re1ko They are better than stock but I kinda wish I would have spent the extra money and got the Fox 2.0's.
Does anyone happen to know if bilstein makes a model strut and shock assembly for the magnetic ride ? I absolutely hate the mega ride in my 17 gmc Denali
Any luck getting an answer to this question ? I'm on the same boat.....
From what Ive read these will work for the magneride But you need to get the magneride delete kit.
I had a 2015 Denali and I replaced the magnetic ride with a strut master delete kit. It comes with bypass modules for the computer so it won’t throw any codes, and it comes with the new rear shocks and front coil overs. I didn’t realize how bad the ride was until I put these on. Way better! Now I have a 2016 sierra 1500 with the ranchos and I ordered the bilstein shocks and coil overs for it. Very excited to get rid of that garbage wishy washy shit ride!
I have a 17 denali I bought a full bilstien delete kit for.my magnaride it's going in next week I will update how it rides. I currently have 97k on KY truck it rides like it's on cut springs
@@LM2DeletedDirtymax did you buy the lifted options?
How do you still like them?
I still like them compared to the factory shocks but I would like to try the FOX 2.0 but they are very expensive.
@737mechanic yeah I saw the price on fox then went back to bilstein. How did you know what Grove to use on the front shocks(ride height adjuster)?
@@13salinaspride I already had a 2in leveling kit installed so I chose the stock ride height, if you want a little more lift in the front choose one of the other two grooves.
how do they ride?
Aweosme video my brotha
Where did you get the front struts from since bilstein is on backorder everywhere?
Off Road Warehouse
Thanks! Good video.
Did you see him put the strut clamps in on the bottom of the strut, the ones that you install with the screw coming in from the bottom/ because i did"nt
@@kevinkelly9303 What stut clamps are you talking about?
Oh brother......... Those spring compressors are sooo sketchy. Do youself a favor. Get something with more meat on um. You just can't imagine how much potential energy is sitting there just waiting for 1 more turn. Parts and pieces would fly off at hypersonic speed. Rest of the work...nicely done. Come do mine fellow texan 🙂
I these on my 2015 it drives like crap !! They put it on high setting I got all kinds noises now.
What kind of noises do you have?
@@737mechanic left front knocking everytime I hit a bum feel like it's going break off
He could’ve turned the wheel to the left to avoid having to break the ball joint loose etc.
There is no getting around breaking the ball joint loose if you have a leveling kit like the one on this truck. I explained that in the video. The half shaft gets in the way of putting the longer bolts in from the top, with the ball joint loose you can move the knuckle which in turn shifts the half shaft forward slightly and gives the needed clearance to install the long bolts. If you do NOT have a leveling kit you do NOT need to break the ball joint loose.
@@737mechanic not if you turn the wheel towards the left. If I could post the pic here in the comments… I’d prove my point. The half shaft is about 3” inches out of the way and not directly over those bolts.
@@georgeclapenstein7823 I tried turning it all the way from one extreme to the other. There is NO way. The last thing I ever do is take apart more than necessary. Have you ever installed these leveling kit spacers? I have done 5 of them now on different trucks and turning the knuckle does NOT get you any extra clearance.
Instead of breaking loose the ball joint I just took the 6 bolts out of the axle. Different approach same result.
Can anyone send me a link to the lower metal seats needed for this install?
What metal seats are you specifically talking about? Everything needed should be in the box for each strut.
@@737mechanic The seat that you tapped off of your rancho shock. Mine are welded on. The lower coil spring seat.
@@brandensinclair1135 It comes with the metal seat, the only reason I reused my factory units was because they are heavier duty than what came in the shocks but I am sure they will work fine.
@@737mechaniche's talking about the metal seat that the white plastic insulator sits on. Not the top of the shock piece. I guess a lot of guys are finding that part welded onto their shock. You tapped off 2 different pieces in the video. The top of the shock and then after removing that, you removed the lower spring seat and spring Insultaor. That was cracked. The piece the cracked insulator was sitting on seems to be welded to the shock on a lot of the guys shocks
@@bizoyd29 They come with a new seat that you use on the new struts. I used the original ones because they are heavier but you can use the ones in the kit.
I’ve got a question about the top hat. Could you send me an email so I can send a picture?
mechanic737@hotmail.com
What kind of impact gun is that??
Astro Nano, I did a video on it. ruclips.net/video/NTa4QwcTu08/видео.html
I think it's important to note, the shock/strut does not provide any lift, those settings are there so it can be extended if you happen to have a lift kit already.
Top notch will lift about 2 and a half inches on a none lifted truck. The springs do the lifting
It absolutely gives you near 2” of lift. Or “leveling”
Metric tools 🧰