Maintain Safety and Control with your Loaded Chevy Silverado
Looking for a helper spring to install on the rear suspension of your Chevy Silverado? Find out whether or not your truck will need spring helpers for towing, and if so, which ones are best for your truck.
What are helper springs?
An upgrade for a truck suspension could mean a number of things such as:
- A complete modification of the shocks, struts, sleeves, springs, mounts, and the truck’s ability to raise or lower the body of the truck.
- The addition of off-road bump stops to help soften and stabilize the ride.
- The addition of helper springs to increase spring capacity.
Do you have a Chevy Silverado that needs helper springs to assist with towing and hauling?
Today, we’re going to focus on helper springs that *increase spring capacity. One of the products we recommend is made by Timbren SES suspension upgrades.
Why would my Chevy Silverado need a suspension upgrade?
Here’s what you should know about half-tons: Light-duty Chevy Silverado pickups aren’t designed to carry heavier loads – even though you’d expect them to.
Okay. So why is that?
The trucks of today are designed to ride like a Cadillac (or a Lincoln if you’re into Fords). They’re designed to look sexy, offering all the bells and whistles of a luxury car. And that includes a smooth Cadillac ride!
But when you soften the ride of a truck, it comes at a price: reduced carrying capacity.
If you load 2,000 lbs onto the bed of your half-ton truck, you haven’t necessarily overloaded it. But if you back away from the truck about 10 feet and look at it from the side, you will notice that the back is sagging. And this will only get worse as you continue to load it up day after day, year after year.
Here’s the thing: your truck should remain level even when loaded. Sag and squat is a recipe for disaster, especially when you’re towing a trailer.
If you’re driving around in your Chevy Silverado every day without a load, you won’t need helper springs. But if you’re loading it up to the gills or towing a trailer causing the rear of the truck to sag, you will definitely need to *increase its spring capacity. One of the products that we recommend is part # GMRS15 made by Timbren SES suspension upgrades.
*Note: Increasing your truck’s spring capacity does not increase the GVWR set by the manufacturer. In other words, you must stay within the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating – the maximum weight a vehicle is designed to carry – which includes the net weight of the vehicle with accessories, plus the weight of passengers, fuel, and cargo.
Where is the best place to install a helper spring on my Chevy Silverado?
If you have no tools or skills related to modifying a truck’s suspension, we recommend that you have your suspension upgrades installed by a professional.
If, on the other hand, you have a few tools and are able to remove a bump stop, you only need to know which Timbren SES part # is tight for you.
The best place to install a suspension upgrade under your truck is somewhere between the frame and the axle (assuming your truck has factory leaf springs). One of the helper springs we recommend are Timbren SES suspension systems. On your late model Chevy Silverado (2019-2023), part # GMRS15 replaces the factory bump stops on the frame.
What are the best suspension helpers for towing?
Here are three of the most popular suspension helper springs on the market today:
- Add-a-leaf
- Air bags
- Timbren SES
Let’s compare and see which one is best:
Add-a-leaf products (like SuperSprings) help to level the load. Unfortunately, they cost about $600.00 US for the pair. And they’re capacity is limited to approximately 4,000 lbs additional.
Air bag products (like Air-Lift) help to level the load but they’re expensive, costing anywhere from $1,000 - $1,500. And their capacity is limited to approximately 5,000 lbs additional.
Now let’s compare SuperSprings and Air-Lift with Timbren SES suspension upgrades:
Timbren SES - part # GMRS15 - retails for approximately $300.00 and provides up to 8,600 lbs of *additional capacity. Without question, we recommend Timbren SES suspension upgrades for your Chevy Silverado.
*Note: Increasing your truck’s spring capacity does not increase the GVWR set by the manufacturer. In other words, you must stay within the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating – the maximum weight a vehicle is designed to carry – which includes the net weight of the vehicle with accessories, plus the weight of passengers, fuel, and cargo.
Are Timbren SES helper springs the best choice for my Chevy Silverado?
Above, we compared Add-a-leaf products & Air bags to Timbren SES suspension helpers.
So, which one of the three is best?
A quick observation suggests that Timbren SES suspension upgrades have the best price and the most capacity. And if you were to take a closer look, you’d notice that Timbren SES wins big points for:
- best ride quality loaded or unloaded
- best added stability
- best warranty
We highly recommend Timbren SES suspension upgrades for your Chevy Silverado no matter what year it is! Timbren SES kits work effectively for all Chevy Silverado’s from 1999 - 2023.
Think about it: Timbren SES products have been around for over 50 years and are still the best and smartest choice hands down!
Part # GMRS15 is perfect for towing with your late model Chevy Silverado.
“Whether we’re towing with our Chevy Silverado or Toyota Tundra, Timbren SES kits have been a game changer by reducing sag in the rear plus helping the tow rig gain maximum control. Over a year with SES and we would never go back.” @ClicOutdoor
For more information about Timbren SES products, please visit Timbren.com
