The Ultimate MagneRide Delete Guide for GMC Sierra & Silverado Denali (2015-2026)

You bought a Sierra Denali or a Silverado High Country because you wanted a truck that performs. Somewhere between 60,000 and 100,000 miles, the adaptive suspension that once impressed you becomes the most expensive line item at your dealership. Shocks leak, sensors fail, and you are looking at a four-figure parts bill just to restore what the truck had from the factory.

There is a better path. This guide walks you through what is actually on your truck, what GM charges to put it back, and how to replace it with the shocks you choose rather than the ones someone else picked for you.

Why MagneRide and Adaptive Ride Control Fail on the Sierra and Silverado Denali

First, know which system you have, because GM used two different ones and they are not interchangeable.

• 2015-2018 Sierra 1500 Denali and Silverado 1500 High Country and LTZ: MagneRide, Regular Production Option (RPO) code Z95. Magneto-rheological fluid inside each damper, adjusted by an electromagnetic field up to 1,000 times per second.
• 2019 and newer Sierra 1500 Denali and Silverado 1500 High Country: Adaptive Ride Control, RPO code Z45. A different GM system on a different truck platform, with its own control strategy and its own diagnostics.

Both are wear items, and both are more complicated wear items than a conventional shock. The common failure is seal wear that lets damper fluid escape. Once damping falls outside what the Suspension Control Module (SCM) expects, the module sets a diagnostic trouble code (DTC). An oily, wet film on the shock body is the visual confirmation.

What owners actually report:

• A "Service Suspension System" warning on the dashboard with no obvious cause
• Harsh, choppy ride on well-paved roads, even at low speeds
• A speed limiter engaging once a suspension fault is stored
• Ride height sensor failures adding a second fault on top of the shocks
• A dealer quote that costs more than the truck is worth to keep original

What GM Charges for Factory Shocks on These Trucks

We do not sell shocks, so we have no reason to inflate this. Below are current published prices for the factory MagneRide parts on 2015-2018 Sierra 1500 and Silverado 1500 crew cab trucks, from GM's own parts catalog and from a franchised dealer online parts store. These are part prices only. They do not include labor, tax, shipping, or an alignment.

At list price, four corners comes to $3,663.08 in parts alone. Buying the same genuine GM parts from a franchised dealer's online store brings that to roughly $1,833. Labor is on top of both figures.

What drives the spread is where you buy, not what you get. GM publishes one list price, and franchised dealers who sell parts online discount it by roughly 40 to 50 percent, so the identical GM part in the identical box ranges from about $490 to $979 depending on the counter you walk up to.

We do not publish a figure for 2019 and newer Adaptive Ride Control trucks, because we have not been able to tie one to a specific GM part number with a published price. If you have a written dealer quote for a Z45 truck, send it to us and we will add it here with your permission.

Prices verified 2026-08-05. Dealer and online parts pricing changes without notice. Confirm the current price and the correct part number for your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) before you use these figures to make a decision.

What "Adaptive Ride Control Bypass" Actually Means

When people search for "adaptive ride control bypass" or "MagneRide delete," they are looking for one of two things: a way to silence the dashboard warnings after removing the factory shocks, or a way to exit the electronic suspension entirely and run conventional aftermarket dampers.

A proper bypass does both. It lives on the truck's CAN bus, the network the control modules talk over, and it emulates the signals the Suspension Control Module expects to see. The module sees a healthy system, the "Service Suspension System" message never appears, and the speed limiter that follows a suspension fault is never triggered.

That is a different thing from unplugging the shock connectors or wiring in a resistor. Those leave the fault active and can put the truck into a reduced-power state.

The Kit Trap: Why Pre-Packaged Competitor Kits Limit Your Build

Here is something most guides will not tell you: the biggest products in this space are not selling you freedom. They are selling a different kind of lock-in.

The dominant model is a bundled kit, a bypass module and a set of shocks packaged together. At first glance that seems convenient. Consider what you are agreeing to:

• You are buying shocks chosen by someone else, not matched to your build, your terrain, or your payload
• If the shocks or the module fail, it is not always clear who handles the warranty
• You are replacing components on their schedule, with their parts, at their prices
• You are trusting electronics you cannot confirm were developed against GM's CAN bus specifically

A truck builder in Dallas running a leveling kit has different suspension needs than a family hauling a fifth-wheel out of Chicago. A weekend street truck in LA has different damping priorities than an overland rig. One kit serves none of them well.

The better approach is a standalone module that handles the electronics completely, from the cabin, and lets you source the exact shocks you want.

Introducing the OBD/SS ARC: Three Connections, No Splicing

The OBD/SS ARC is our purpose-built solution for GM 1500 trucks with Adaptive Ride Control (RPO Z45). It is designed, assembled, programmed, and tested in-house in the USA, against the actual CAN traffic on these trucks.

How it works

• The module lives on the CAN bus and has three connections: +12V power at the driver side interior fuse panel, ground at the OBD port mounting screw, and CAN high and CAN low posi-tapped at the pink X6 connector on the Body Control Module (BCM)
• It continuously emulates the signals the Suspension Control Module expects from the Z45 shocks and struts
• All four shocks and struts and all three ride height sensors can come off the truck if you want them off
• No "Service Suspension System" message and no suspension speed limiter
• No wiring runs under the truck. No cutting. No splicing. The posi-taps are supplied and reversible
• The red LED comes on with the truck and goes out when it shuts down

On 2022.5 and newer trucks the job is even simpler. The OBD/SS ARC-R plugs inline at the eight-pin module under the front passenger seat and takes power, ground, CAN high, and CAN low from that single connector. One connection, nothing else.

What stays in the cabin

The entire electronics solution lives inside the truck. That is not a philosophical preference, it is an engineering decision with real consequences. Wiring run under a truck sees heat cycling, moisture, road debris, and corrosion. Cabin-based electronics do not.

Quick Compatibility Guide: GM 1500 Trucks

The right module depends on model year and on whether the truck is gas or diesel. Confirm your VIN before you order, or call our Florida-based support team at (407) 542-4848.

Why 2022 is its own row: 2022 is a split model year, and the correct module depends on which half of the year your truck was built in. Position five of your VIN tells us which one you have. Run it through Find Your Module and we will sort it for you.

Why 2019 is the dividing line: the split between the ARC modules and the OBD/SS Classic reflects a real architectural change. The 2015-2018 trucks run MagneRide on the K2XX platform. The 2019 and newer trucks run Adaptive Ride Control on the T1 platform with different suspension module behavior. Note that a 2019 Sierra 1500 Limited or Silverado 1500 LD is the carryover old body and follows the 2015-2018 path, not the 2019 and newer one.

One difference worth knowing: with the ARC and ARC-R you can remove the ride height sensors along with the shocks. With the OBD/SS Classic on a 2015-2018 truck, if the truck is lifted or lowered and the ride height sensors cannot be reconnected, you also need Ride Height Simulators.

Not sure which module you need? Our Supported Vehicles page lists every configuration by year, model, and RPO code.

Top-Tier Shock Pairings for Your Deleted Denali Truck

Once the module is handling the electronics, the entire aftermarket is open to you. Here is how we break down the top choices by use case:

Our Top Recommendation: Bilstein 5100 Series

For most Sierra and Silverado owners running stock ride height or a modest two inch level, the Bilstein 5100 is a strong pairing with the OBD/SS ARC. The monotube design holds damping consistent across a wide temperature range, it is valved for GM full-size truck weights, and it is stocked at most major retailers so sourcing is easy.

ShockSims vs. Magdelete: The Real Comparison

An objective look at how the ShockSims ARC modules compare against our international competitor:

Step-by-Step: What the OBD/SS ARC Install Process Looks Like

One of the most common questions we get is about installation. Here is the honest answer. It is a straightforward job with hand tools, but it is not a plug-and-go install. You will pull one fuse, remove two interior panels, and attach two supplied posi-taps to a connector on the Body Control Module.

OBD/SS ARC, 2019-2022

1. Turn the truck off and disconnect the battery negative cable under the hood.
2. Remove fuse F56 (SADS 15A) from the under hood fuse box on the passenger side of the engine, in front of the battery. Leave it out permanently. The OEM suspension module needs to stay unpowered.
3. Remove the Z45 shocks and struts and install your chosen aftermarket shocks. The three ride height sensors can come out too if you want them out.
4. CAN connection: the BCM sits to the upper left of the brake pedal. Unplug the pink X6 connector, attach the supplied posi-taps to the blue wire (pin 24) and the white wire (pin 25), then plug the connector back in.
5. Power: pull the driver side interior fuse panel cover and push the red spade connector onto one of the +12V pins, routing the wire from underneath where the module will mount.
6. Ground: loosen the left 7mm bolt at the OBD port, slide the fork terminal under the OBD port flange so it contacts the metal bracket, then retighten.
7. Reconnect the battery negative cable and start the truck. The red LED comes on and no suspension warnings should be active.

OBD/SS ARC-R, 2022.5 and newer

1. Turn the truck off and disconnect the battery negative cable under the hood.
2. Remove fuse F56 (SADS 15A) from the under hood fuse box and leave it out.
3. Remove the Z45 shocks and struts and install your chosen aftermarket shocks.
4. Unplug the eight-pin connector from the module under the front passenger seat, plug our female connector into that module, then plug our male connector into the connector you just removed.
5. Reconnect the battery negative cable and start the truck.

Total install time, assuming the shocks are already off the truck: about 30 minutes for the ARC, under 10 for the ARC-R. No dealer-level diagnostic tools needed.

Unlock Your Suspension Freedom

The MagneRide system on your Sierra or Silverado Denali was impressive when it was new. When it starts costing four figures in parts and limiting what you can build, it is time to make a change.

The OBD/SS ARC gives you a US-built, cabin-based module that clears the suspension faults, keeps the speed limiter from engaging, and leaves you free to pick whatever shock fits your build. You are not locked into someone else's kit, and you are not limited to email support when you have a question you need answered now.