My 2014 that I have owned since new has a bouncing sensation that happens on irregular roads. Thinking my tires needed replacing after 30k miles, I got new Michelin Pilot Sport ZP. No difference. I’m thinking shocks now. I have 81k miles on the car. I just jacked up the car and looked at all 4 shocks, but see no evidence of leaks. Do shocks fail just by age? And, if not shocks, what is causing the bouncing feeling? Car runs great and on smooth roads, there is no problem.

 

If you've not got a Z51, or, MSRC shocks? Your base C7 suspension is meant to bounce. Somewhat. I'd say it's time for some HD new shocks.👍

 

Well, I’ve had the car for over 8 years and this bouncing thing is new. It does have the base suspension (FE1) and I am considering going to the sport suspension shocks (FE3).

 

FWIW, my C7 with MSRC will bounce on Tour selection. But it's rare.

 

The shocks contain a fluid. If that leaks out and then the residue gets removed by undercarriage wash or driving or whatever, one or more shocks could be useless but look normal on the outside.
Not likely, but possible.

 

Definitely sounds like shocks to me, i.e., everything from age to description. (and, my '18 St'ray doesn't do it)

 

Have your shocks checked - very well could be they are getting worn.

 

A quick test is to push down on one corner of the car and then release it. If it bounces more than once or twice it's bad .

 

Had a similar issue with my truck, Bilstein shocks looked good externally after about 10 years but after replacing them with the exact same ones it did help will the bumpy ride/bouncing on choppy roads. What really smooth things out in my case was replacing my rotors. Shocks work in stages, compression and rebound. Maybe the rebound stage is wearing out. More info below on this.

Interaction between spring and damper

When a car passes over an obstacle, this first has an impact on the spring, which must not be hampered by excessive damping performance on the part of the shock absorber. When a car passes over a bump in the road, for example, the obstacle forces the wheel up into the wheel housing. In the process, the spring is compressed. The shock absorber is now in its compression stage. Once the spring has levelled out the obstacle, the shock absorber has to slow down the movement of the spring as it releases its tension with great force. The shock absorber is now in its rebound stage. Compression stage (compressing of the springs and the damper, e.g. when driving over bumps in the road) = usually approx. 25% of the damping force. Rebound stage (when the spring pulls the damper apart) = usually approx. 75% of the damping force.

Conclusion: A spring with a higher spring rate (sport or lowered spring) will only work at its best in conjunction with the appropriate high-performance or sports shock absorber.

BASIC SUSPENSION KNOW-HOW MADE EASY

 

IMHO, 81k should about do it for a set of shocks. Time for replacements. You might check with some suspension people before you go to shocks that are valved differently. Hopefully Chevrolet matched the shock valving to the springs that are being used in a particular vehicle.