Truck Upgrades for the Field: Suspension

To be clear, I’m not recommending a giant lift kit that requires a ladder to get into your pickup. But high-quality shocks and coilovers from brands like Fox, Bilstein, KING, Falcon, and a handful of others will certainly make for smoother sailing when you’ve got your truck bed loaded down with gear and (hopefully) a dead critter in the back heading to and from your hunting spots.

If you’re interested in upgrading your suspension, you need to start by asking yourself three questions. What’s my budget? How do I plan on using this vehicle? How fast am I going to be driving? This will help you focus your search in the vast spectrum of options on the market.

On one end are budget-friendly, daily-driver upgrades that will improve ride and control. On the other end are custom-built, 4-inch-plus diameter shocks for Baja racers that cost more than some cars and have no place on a street vehicle.

When looking into upgrading the suspension on our Silverado 1500, I wanted something relatively budget-friendly that would result in improved rides on bumpy, rutted-out backcountry roads (that I may like to drive a little faster than most on). I also wanted to lift the front of the truck up a bit, leveling it as opposed to a big lift or a full-on long travel kit. The setup that checked all the boxes is the FOX 2.5 coilover leveling kit from BDS. It levels the truck and adds significant performance gains where it counts.

With this suspension kit, the biggest gain is shear damping power. These units can take some serious abuse, absorb big hits, help control body movement, and keep the tires planted when flying down gnarly roads. When you add in some weight from all your hunting gear, coolers, camp gear, and more, the difference in ride quality is shocking (pun intended). On rough roads, it means the suspension works with you, instead of fighting you. So you arrive at the trailhead or back home less beat up and more focused.

When it comes to installing suspension like this kit, we highly recommend taking it to the professionals. While you could technically do it in your driveway, you’ll soon figure out that it’s not going to be a quick and easy job. In this case, we went to the experts at Ressler Chevrolet to have their custom build team do the install. Since you need to get an alignment after a job like this, it’s a one-stop shop. They made quick work of the install and had it back to us in short order.

The results? The truck gained some height up front, which increased its ground clearance and approach angle. But once you get behind the wheel and hit some bumps, even just parking lot speed bumps, the change becomes very apparent. Gone is the boat-like sway when the vehicle hits angled ground. Instead, the truck stays composed and firmly planted. When you hit a larger bump, maybe going a little faster than you’d ordinarily go, the shocks do their job well. The bumps get soaked up, and the truck is back and ready for more almost instantly. There is no additional bouncing; it just feels planted. It’s not just on rough roads either. When cruising down the highway or taking curves, body roll is greatly reduced, and the ride is noticeably smoother.

Mark Kenyon recently took the truck out on the Eastern Montana prairie for a bison hunt and really put the new suspension through its paces.