Straightened front end height out

So the Bilsteins went in Wednesday, still have molten rubber from the old shocks sprayed all over my gloves. But the old ones were definitely soft. The yellow shocks didn't lift it up very much, if at all. Friday I had Monroe lift it up off the bumpstops. They pointed out during inspection that it was sitting on the bumps, but after reading here and learning that is "normal" I looked again and the ones that are in there are SQUASHED, and red instead of yellow. So I have a new pair of GM originals on the way, might even be here today. Anyway, the shop didn't want to go all the way to 23½", pointing out that the DS TB was new and the PS TB was not, plus the PS was "too easy to turn" while the DS was "typically solid." But they got it even side to side and it looks much better.

So now I've got that nose dive. It is only noticeable if you look for it, otherwise it doesn't bother me. So I'm hoping the original bumpstops take care of that to a small extent, and don't make it ride too harsh. I like the Buick feel to the front end and wish the rear was that soft but I did put in Bilsteins so it won't ride like a Park Ave. My only question for you guys is this: How long might I expect those replacement "progressive rate dampener" bumpstops to last? Are you replacing them more than once a year? Seems like if they WERE riding on them all the time, they'd wear out pretty quick. I think the front end is a little higher than original spec, so maybe it'll just tap once in a while.

Overall I like this thing. Its goofy Atlas V motor is a bit of a disappointment but this isn't a dream vehicle, it's an emergency purchase. Maybe Santa will drop off a few goodies I asked for (replacement arm rest, hubcap, roof rails) and I'll use it more like it was intended to. But for now it goes from A to B in three weeks or less so I can't complain. I'll be sure to post some photos on the trails once this salt season is over.

I think I've replaced the OEM bump stops one time. I had aftermarket ones that were longer but I didn't like the stiffer ride since they do not compress like the OEM ones. So let's say maybe I've replaced them once in 100K or more miles.

I used to run extended bump stops but noticed that one was quickly deteriorating and ultimately swapped the OEM's back in. OEM's that I bought my rig with are still holding up great, the rig has 163k miles but bought with only 110k, so I know these OEM bump stops have at least 53k-163k miles lol.

MortallyWounded said:

My only question for you guys is this: How long might I expect those replacement "progressive rate dampener" bumpstops to last? Are you replacing them more than once a year? Seems like if they WERE riding on them all the time, they'd wear out pretty quick. I think the front end is a little higher than original spec, so maybe it'll just tap once in a while.

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I believe you are correct, with the increased front end height the bumpstops should last longer assuming your rig is not constantly nose diving or rubbing on them which will obviously add more wear over time.