Extreme longroof shock testing

By "Extreme Longroof" I mean my extended wheelbase 1 ton Express van...

How do I test the shocks on this thing? I do not have enough ass to junp on the bunper to test. Shocks are no leaking fluid.

Superior Finish wrote:

By "Extreme Longroof" I mean my extended wheelbase 1 ton Express van...

How do I test the shocks on this thing? I do not have enough ass to jump on the bumper to test. Shocks are no leaking fluid.

Easy, take a ride to your local Waffle House. You won't be there long before you find someone big enough to jump on your front bumper.

I do Huddle House on a regular basis.... nobody there big enough.

Any other ideas on how to check this? I do not want to replace if they are still good.

Fat man test,pretty reliable is it? Im sure its very scientific....

it is. Push down quickly by applying weight on the bumper, the release. Car should bounce once and settle. If it bounces more, the shocks are shot and need replacing.

With the 1 ton, I can't push the bumper down enough to check rebound.

Try your local gym. There are a lot of knuckle heads there who probably weigh about 300#.

Really guys?  Fat men or gym goons?

The fact of the matter is that shocks have different valving for different impacts;  it's usually the smallest ones that wear out first.  A bumper test only shows a REALLY busted shocks.  It will not show small impact damping failures.

Have your wife drive the van when it's 50% loaded.  You grab another vehicle and drive alongside, slightly behind, and watch it closely.  Drive over known bumpy sections of road, and at speed.  Watch how the vehicle responds, and also watch how the wheels respond.  It'll be pretty obvious if the van or the tire is not being damped properly.  Look for a "quivering rim" relative to the vehicle, or the front or rear of the van to be less controlled than you like.   Have her whack the brakes once and see how the front end bounces.

For a comparison, go find a brand new big SUV or commercial van and pace it - watch how the vehicle and wheels respond to bumps.

FWIW, I continue to recommend Bilsteins for general vehicles - they just ride so dang nice.   Money for good shocks is money well spent.

Thanks Joel.

I am getting feathering and cupping on the front tires and at 70MPH, I get the "whop, whop" sound of a flat tire.... without the tell-tale signs of a quivering/vibrating steering wheel.

Allignment has been done and the wheels are true.

Hi if your tires are cupping change the shocks, we have two company vans the same problem every 30-40km

Kahuna, that's about HALF the life expectancy of the shocks!!!

That's what I thought, needed a second opinion.

Wanted to make sure it wasn't the front hubs...

I agree on ther life expectancy, yet we do 1000 km a week on Montreal roads. Cupping with the lt tires is normal for us. We use the monroe magnum series and are happy when we get a year out of them. If your autoparts guys are decent they should cover the warranty for you no matter what. Just do not tell them its is for commercial use.Thats what we do for our clients here in town.

What is the mileage on the van and how old are the shocks?


Problem with the fat man test is just getting them to stand on the bumper, can wipe knees out doing that stuff.

I'm responsible for the maintenance of the vehicles where I work, and have 18 of these HD GM vans. The front end of these 1 ton, and 3/4 ton GM vans are an aggravation. Jumping up and down on a one ton is not going to give you any idea of the shock condition. They are just Too stiff bro, I don't care how big you are. Feathering is a issue I've tried correcting on these at work with no good results. First off make sure the van isn't over weight, than make sure the alignment is good, check the bearings, and steering linkage. Shocks are relatively inexpensive, and easy on these, I typically change them every 40K or so, which is a year, to year and a half for me as well. I've had good luck with Cooper Discover H/T's, still some odd wear, but better than most.

Mike

wow! 40K??

The van is 11 years old, 140K and I have NO idea when the shocks were last changed.

Ordering all 4 tomorrow.

"Overweight"? This puppy weighs in at 8K at combat load.... add for 300 gallons of water when in fleet mode.

I have been known to tip the scales at 10,500 pounds..

Sounds like we have established what is wrong.

I am not sure if this helps at all, but I have a buddy that works at a tire shop and he says that some tires just dont work well with Chevy, or Dodge, or Ford suspensions. What works for Chevy may not work well with Dodge....

I always thought it was a bunch of bull, but he swore up and down.

align the front end loaded heavy.  load placement is important,.put the 3000lbs of water in the middle of the van

jm2c

X2 on what Nick said.