Shock recommendation for 1 ton Chevy van?

[garyo]

Hi all,

My first time in here. My Chevy 1 ton van (97K miles) is now 7 years old and I'm getting all new tires and some other maintenance parts and it might be a good idea to replace the shocks. The van is a dual purpose vehicle as I use it for a work truck and a van camper for vacations. At any given time (work or pleasure) I only carry about 500 to 600 pounds of gear. I do not have a hitch so no trailer pulling. I do not mind the stiff ride but my wife complains about it during our travels together. Can a replacement shock help to soften up the ride any? I'm looking at either a Bilstein or Rancho RSX. Any opinions?

Thanks

[MCKNBRD]

Well, for one thing, its a 1-ton chassis...it ain't a Cadillac. They aren't going to ride very well. I'd get some OEM replacement shocks (PM me if you want a deal on some, I'm a service manager at a GM dealer) and adjust air pressure in the tires for ride.

YMMV-
Byrdman

[garyo]

Thanks for the quick reply Byrdman. I do not know a lot about shocks, I just thought that a better after market shock might help. I actually like the way it rides, kinda like a sports car getting good feed back from the road. Even though it is a full size van it can be quite nimble. The sports car thing came from my wife who accuses me of sport driving sometimes.