I test drove two H3's, a regular and an Adventure model. They drove great, except the on-road ride was too "busy" in my opinion. Rather than absorbing the bumps, both models seemed to amplify them, and the truck never settled down even on smooth roads. Larger bumps were not really a problem. I'm no stranger to a stiff suspension, having own Firebird Trans Ams, Corvettes, and Camaro Z28's my entire life. The H3 is on another level, though, in my opinion. It seems the ride might be able to be improved greatly with different shock valving, something that gave the suspension some give over the small bumps, but kept the damping on the bigger stuff. Has anyone tried any aftermarket shocks yet?

Michael

 

Ive made calls to about 4 different Big name companys to see if they are making shocks for the H3 and they all told me no or not yet.

 

The Edelbrock IAS Shock has made great improvement to the suspensions on my previous 4X4...
No available for the H3 yet.

 

im sorry but its kind of ridiculous to buy a hummer to drive around town . if you buy a hummer go offroading my goodness its built for the rough stuff if you dont like the feel of it dont buy it .

 

None of those are trucks... go test drive a few other truck based (A Jeep Wrangler Unlimited for instance) vehicles so you'll have a more realistic base line. The H3 rides WAY nicer then the 3/4T Dodge Ram CTD that I had.

 

The ride is spongy at times. I some times feel like it is not tracking straight on rain grooved LA freeways. It feels like the right rear wants to lead. I cranked hte torsion bars and I much prefer the ride now stiffer. It definately needs a FABtech fix. But I would not trade it for anything.

 

I owned a full sized GMC Jimmy (5000 pounds curb) before SUVs were a fashion statement, and the Jimmy certainly rode better than the Hummer. So did the 4x4 Ford pickups. I recently drove a 4x4 Dodge Ram 1 ton and 3/4 ton, and they both rode better except for some rear kick with the bed empty. And the H3 doesn't ride as well as the FJ Cruiser, that made it up the Rubicon Trail stock. Thankfully, it does ride better than an Xterra.

It amazes me that some people automatically assume that someone is not planning on taking a vehicle offroad, just because they want to improve the on-road ride. This attitude reminds me of when everyone thought a sports car had to ride like a truck for good handling. Times change. Technology moves on. Also I live in LA, not the boondocks. I have to drive to the offroading areas. That's often hundreds of miles...each way.

My first impression on driving the H3 was, "this thing needs more suspension tuning." I think if they changed the damping curves, the ride could be improved greatly, without sacraficing the offroad capability. They could also offer dash adjustable shocks, which GM uses in other vehicles.

This situation is fixable. They just need to apply 21st century techniques.

Michael

 

I think you're being a little nice to the full size trucks, especially the Rams. But you are talking about personal preferences and opinions on street manners. The H3 is a comprimise between street manners and trail capabilities... It does have some pretty serious body roll, and noticeable nose dive/lift during braking and acceleration. I don't know if a set of good shocks alone would solve these, might improve it, but solve it? Dunno. We'll have to wait until some one starts producing real parts for these things.

I can't stand all the "bling" parts that don't do anything for the rig, and it seems that is where most of the aftermarket is for these at the moment.

 

I don't want to do anything that will degrade the off-road performance. The body roll, dive, lift, etc. are all part of the game when designing for offroad. I'd just like the see the H3 settle down a bit while going straight down the freeway, especially when the freeway is smooth. This can probably be done with some shock valving changes, unless the H3 has body rigidity issues.

I hear you on the "bling" stuff.[:'(]

Michael

 

I am with you on the freeway straight line thing, I have never been so aware when driving as my H3 seems to want to tag the vehicles next to it on the 405. Maybe they can lower it enough for the Craftsman truck series.

Seems to me Robby Gordon should come out with a line of mods. May be diamond plate side moulding?