We are usually a Toyota/Lexus family. I have owned one GM vehicle since my wife and I have been together. It was a 2003 GMC Yukon XL Denali that we drove from 103,000 miles to 248,000 miles before we traded it in. Our second and current GM vehicle is a 2017 Chevrolet Suburban Premier. The Premier trim is the exact same thing as the LTZ in earlier model year Suburbans, but it does sound fancier. There are zero “poor people” buttons (blank button inserts) on the dash for the Premier trim level.
This also means that our Suburban came with Magnetic Ride Control suspension. This system does create a comfortable ride, but not the pillowy soft ride that most would equate with Suburbans of the past. Also when the Magnaride shocks fail, which they tend to do around 60,000 miles, they cost an estimated $950 to replace one shock. We were looking to return to the comfortable ride of our Yukon XL and could not afford to replace the front struts for close to $2,000. So I started looking for suspension alternatives for the Suburban.
There were numerous lift kits available that ranged from a 3-inch lift up to a 6-inch lift kit. I was not in the market for a full lift kit. Some of the kids are still short and seeing them try to scramble into our 2000 LX470 with its meager 2-inch lift is enough to encourage me to avoid lifts until all the kids are taller. While I was searching for how to bypass the magnetic ride control, I discovered Xineering. They make tools that can help with electronics on your GM vehicles and their products are made in the USA. Xineering creates a kit to bypass the magnetic ride control and allows the vehicle to use conventional suspension components for an affordable and comfortable ride.
My favorite part of the process with Xineering was their list of recommended parts to go with their ODB/SS Module. I purchased two Monroe front struts and two AC Delco air shocks for the rear. All four of those costs me half the price of one front magnetic ride control strut.
The Suburban also needed front and rear brake pads and rotors replaced. I settled myself in and started working on the front of the truck first. I started in the front because I was also replacing the front wheel hub assemblies. For that part of the project, I purchased two Kryptonite Products Lifetime Warranty Wheel Bearings. They have a fantastic, no-nonsense warranty.
While this is a newer truck, I did treat most of the bolts that we were removing with PB Blaster beforehand. I was not worried about rust so much, as I enjoy getting yelled at for the smell of PB penetrating anything and everything in the garage and my clothes. I can still smell that stuff weeks after I finish a repair. The brake caliper bolts worked free cleanly. The only part of the work that slowed us down was removing the bolts for the wheel bearing assembly. Those three bolts are not in the easiest of places and you need to turn the steering wheel two different ways to make it possible to get to all of the bolts. Eventually, we were able to remove everything and start putting new parts on the truck. The Kryptonite assemblies are great because they also come with a new ABS sensor and wire preinstalled. So once you get those pesky bolts back in there, it’s a quick click and a couple of clips settling back into place to finish the installation of the new wheel bearings.
I used new Monroe struts on the front of the Suburban. These were much easier to install than the wheel bearing assemblies since they only had coolant hoses in the way on the passenger side. The shocks fit perfectly and everything was much easier due to the sway bar ends being disconnected during the installation too. The Xineering kits can also come with connector plugs. Once you disconnect the Mangaride shocks, there is an electronic connector that is open. The Xineering plugs fit right in, so none of your electronics are exposed to the elements and any future dirt or debris.
You can disconnect your Magnetic Ride Control struts and not use the Xineering module, but if you do that there will be an error message on your dash for the suspension system. As soon as you plug in the ODB/SS module, the error message goes away and never returns. The computers of your truck will understand that everything is fine with your suspension. The module also does not mess with the rear air leveling system. That function still works in the Suburban once the system is all plugged in.
After I finished the front, I plugged in the ODB/SS module and took the truck for a drive. The difference in ride quality was noticeable immediately and was pillow soft. Because of the Xineering module, there were no error messages on the dash either.
I worked on the rear of the truck later and replaced the rear magnetic ride control air-ride shocks in the back with AC-Delco air shocks. This keeps the rear leveling system in place as well. The rears were pretty easy compared to the front, but mostly that was because we did not change the rear wheel being assemblies too.
All in all, the suspension changes for all four corners of the Suburban cost as much as a single magnetic ride control strut. I am thrilled to have swapped out the electronically controlled shocks for conventional units. The Suburban now rides great. There is a noticeable difference between the way the Suburban rolls with the new wheel bearings on the front of the truck too. It wants to move now.
In the last three months, the Suburban now has new front and rear brake pads and rotors, front and rear struts and shocks, front wheel bearing assemblies, the Xineering OBD/SS module, and new Michelin Defender LTX M/S2 tires as well. The truck is doing great. At least until the next GM component fails…