05 Silverado rough and bouncy

05 Chevy Silverado 1500 4x4 v8 4.8l 149k miles.

I want to make my ride a little smoother. I notice that this truck is real rough and bouncy. Seems like I am going to bounce off the road when the road is rough. Like my tires are too inflated. I have check them and they are fine (tires P265/70R17).

Will shocks or struts help out? I know trucks are suppose to be a little rough but seems to be a little too much.

Thanks all! :runaround:

It's an 05 with 150,000 miles on it. It wouldn't be a far off guess that your shocks are shot. Easy way to tell is to stand on your back bumper, force all your weight downwards and jump off. Basically use your back bumper like a trampoline but only bounce once. Face towards the truck when doing this so that when you land on the ground you can easily watch how the truck rebounds. The truck should only rebound once to one and a half at most. If it bounces more than that the shocks are shot. It is a little tougher to do on the front due to the plastic bumper covers (if yours has one), but you could try just pushing the front end down and see if you can get a bounce going and if you can, that is not a good thing. That means the front shocks are shot as well. I found with my Silverado, the back shocks went at approximately 6 years old and it still had the factory front shocks at 9 years old when I sold the truck. You could also visually inspect the shocks for any damage or if you see any wet markings that appear to be leaking downwards. That could be the oil leaking out of the shock which also means shock replacement. Good luck.

Thanks Kenny, I will try that tonight!

05 Chevy Silverado 1500 4x4 v8 4.8l 149k miles.

I want to make my ride a little smoother. I notice that this truck is real rough and bouncy. Seems like I am going to bounce off the road when the road is rough. Like my tires are too inflated. I have check them and they are fine (tires P265/70R17).

Will shocks or struts help out? I know trucks are suppose to be a little rough but seems to be a little too much.

Thanks all! :runaround:


take the shock lower mount off and work the shock manually..you should have a hard time pushing/pulling..then get new bilsteins and compare.

Well I did the jumping off test and the truck bounces like 4-5 times.

the 5x bounce means you have no shocks..this is bad for springs and other componets, also your tires must look really bad..

I used the bilsteins because they were recommended for being a smoother shock when compared to the off road type shocks..also these are lifetime warrantee..they are on the vehicle now 40,ooomi and ride smooth .. I don't use this vehicle off roading or with any lift so these are great shocks with this..

I stood on the back of the truck and jumped off, the truck continued to bounce 4-5 times. I guess it is time to replace them. How hard is it to replace them from and back. What about cost and what kind does everybody recommend. No off roading at all, just casual driving.

I stood on the back of the truck and jumped off, the truck continued to bounce 4-5 times. I guess it is time to replace them. How hard is it to replace them from and back. What about cost and what kind does everybody recommend. No off roading at all, just casual driving.


Sounds like the shocks are definitely worn out. Shocks are fairly inexpensive. I would select shocks that are designed to offer stability and control, yet still offer the softest ride.

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