The Ride of a Z71 08 Tahoe

justin34

Those that own a 07 and up Z71 Tahoe how does the vehicle ride and fill to you all?

I have a 08 tahoe Z71 and its rides kinda of rough but I do understand that the z71 does not have the auto ride like the LS and LT's. does any body else thinks its kinda of rough or do you think there might be something wrong with my thanks for all your info.

PS everything is still factory with only 26,000 miles

kiawah

The autoride in the LS (if you have that option and/or trim level that it's included), is basically air adjustable shocks. There are sensors on each wheel measuring the distance between the frame and the suspension, and if the load is heavy somewhere it pumps up that shock.

I've never even test driven a Z71, but that is the sport suspension. I would expect the springs themself to be harder, and the shocks more restrictive to movement.....and hence a harsher ride. I don't remember, but do Z71's even have double shocks?

justin34

I am not for sure if it has double shocks or not. Thanks for your info.

justin34

Also has anyone having any problems keeping Alignment on their Tahoe. if you are have you got it fixed and what did they say it was.

kiawah

I had a '97 prior to my current Sub, which I had a heck of a time keeping it aligned over the course of a couple years. I ultimately ended up replacing the lower front ball joints.....there's a lot of weight on those joints.

arrie

I had a problem with my '04 Tahoe from the beginning. Front alignment was so bad that it made front wheels wear very badly at inside edge, i.e. toe was too much open. I had alignment checked and it was well within the toe adjustment range that the alignment machine calls for it.

I asked the mechanic to close the toe to the range limit. This completely fixed the problem with uneven tire wear.

Arrie

guardsix

I just saw this but I had an experience with my '08 Z71 that is kind of interesting.

When I bought it new, I couldn't really tell the ride difference between the Z71 and the LTZ. Even had my wife riding with me on the several test drives and she didn't feel any difference either. If she had thought the LTZ rode better, we'd probably would have bought that but I wanted the Z71 so that's what we finally got.

About three months ago and with 25,000 miles on my '08 Z71 I noticed the road noise getting louder. I took it to my dealer and he did a test drive and then called me back to test drive it with him to make sure he was hearing the same noise. Turns out my alignment was so bad that my tires had cupped out of shape and were making the racket. I told him that no one had mentioned an alignment or tire rotation during the previous 3 visits to this dealer for maintenance. I told him that I really felt that it was his responsibility to ensure I was getting the services I needed and my responsibility to pay for them!

So, he puts on four brand new tires and the noise goes away. Nice and quiet ride. Says he'll do a wheel balancing and alignment which I will have to pay for. I also expected that I'd probably be stuck for at least half the cost of four brand new tires.

Was I surprised when I got the bill and found out the four tires were N/C (No Charge)!!!!! I would have never thought they would have done that but somebody some where at that dealership made the right decision.

So, I've got 25,000 miles on my '08 Z71 and it's riding like it's brand new on four brand new tires. I don't think the ride is rough but I didn't buy it for just the ride anyway. Actually, I think the ride is just as nice as the '06 Lexus RX 330 that I traded in!