Ron.s

I bought BB EFI tune for my 2016 with 6.2 Engine. Very good results but sold my truck so selling my $599 cost for $250. Has ECU-TCU tune, additional vehicle tunes can be purchased for $225 from BB.

The Black Bear tune made my 8 speed shift well and improved performance as well as made the engine acceleration at take off very crisp. Just sold my truck so selling my tuner. PM for more info.

I’ve owned a $hit load.of new GM trucks starting 40 years ago and have always tried to convince myself that they were wonderful. I hate Fords but for the last decade they have led in many ways including sales. Ram has come a long way in recent years and are closing the gap on GM & Ford. The thing I hate most about GM is the Warranty or lack of..... I keep my truck about 3 years and there are always small issues that they won’t fix. My 2016 is at the dealer now for 4 issues that are repeats not fixed. I actually video issues that I can to prove they exist. Monday I drove to the dealership to demonstrate that my external temperature wasn’t working. As I expected it was OK when I dropped it off....intermittent issues are the worst. GM requires that issues are such that the dealer can verify them...even though some are known and widely reported. Others are considered normal even though they really aren’t. I.e. driveline lash, wind noise drivers window, etc. GM pays peanuts for diagnostics time and a dealer loses money on some issues trying to help the customer. There is no incentive for the mechanic since all work has preset time allowances. This is the only way they can control costs and I assume similar in the industry. My point is that a Quality assessment should be a bigger part of the buying decision and GM hasn’t had good ratings for years. If you don’t care about minor things that don’t work then go for it. Major component failures are covered. I love my quiet cab until I hit the road and get increasing wind noise. This will be my last custom order and I hate to say it but I’m going to test drive Ford and Ram this time.

I’ve been a GM truck guy forever and keep hoping they will get their act together next Gen. The trucks keep getting better but they always seem to put out a truck that’s a little behind the competition. There should be a performance turbo available this Gen. My other observation is that lagging doesn’t result in a more reliable truck. There are always issues and running changes to components and software. I’ve been through hell with my 2014 and my 2016 Denali isn’t much better. It’s all about profit, IMO. I’ve avoided jumping between brands like some because to a certain extent the competition has issues too. We are stuck with Mediocrity and bean counters but we still get to enjoy escalating prices!

I’m running Mobile 1 0-20 synthetic and don’t ever use a quart between oil changes. I go 8-9000 miles usually.

If you are adding another leaf spring it’s a Moot point since you will need new U Bolts. For the cost if it were me I would just have them changed. Just go to a “spring works” and have them make a larger U bolt. Most medium size towns have one-the commercial trucks keep them busy. They make them in minutes and normally charge by the inch. I think 5/8 will fit the GM brackets. In the quest for lower weight GM has made each part as light as possible. I know some contractors use Air Bags rather than add another leaf. More expensive but you can adjust the height to fit the load. There are several ways to test for axel wrap. I saw a YouTube video where a camera was mounted pointing at the axel and a horizontal line on the axel to show if movement. You can sometimes feel it when you get on and off the gas. It’s possible that you could see the movement by fastening a level to the axel and hook up the trailer to see what happens. May not be room to crawl back under. From your description it almost has to be the U Bolts or bad shocks. Some dealers may be able to test shocks but probably won’t under warranty and that’s not likely the problem. If you have axel wrap the movement can trick the shock into thinking that you are rebounding when the shock is compressing or the reverse. So it might be reducing dampening just when you need lots more. Good Luck!

Another possibility is U Bolts not torqued properly letting the axel twist. (Lash) This messes up the Magneride shock function big time.. Maybe more likely than the sag from tongue weight! My 2016 had issues that I first noticed on a section of rough freeway and then again towing about 3000 lbs. It was undulating & then vibrating like I had no shocks. There is no way to check torque since GM uses torque and angle to theoretically stretch the bolt so it’s unusable again. I decided that was the only possibility and made several trips to 2 different dealers. GM refused to replace them and I was told that very high tech equipment made it impossible to have incorrect torque & more BS. I went to a Driveline Shop and had them replace mine with 5/8” vs 1/2” stock so they were able to torque to 135# as I recall. Problem solved for just over $50 including labor. GM has dealers screwed down tight on warranty-if it isn’t a part failure good luck although some dealers will eat some $ for a good customer. My original dealer spent some time with me but there was no place close to duplicate the problem ergo “working as designed”, ha ha. Edit....Forgot to mention that I had a 2014 so I had a reference point. I did tow a Travel Trailer, maybe 7000 loaded and didn’t notice an issue. Only one short trip before I got my WD Hitch installed.

GM released one Turbo maybe another one is in development. I wouldn’t have said this a year ago but...the naturally aspirated engine is about maxed out for power and efficiency and heavy. E assist and Hybrid offer some interesting possibilities to a Turbo powered truck. God forbid me for saying this....but an all Electric model in a few years?

What I’m talking about isn’t soft or quick but more incremental-not hesitating and more power as you give it more throttle.. Both of my 6.2’s have almost had a hesitation more like “turbo lag”. Several others I tested were similar. It’s even worse when it has to decide to downshift 2 gears. At first I thought it might be related to DI but the Black Bear tune fixes it so it’s the GM fuel map, IMO!

There is no reason that the 6.2 and lower gears shouldn’t be available in more trim levels and might make a big difference for some. But the horsepower numbers are misleading, IMO. I read the reviews for the 2014 6.2 by several mags like Car & Driver and the 0-60 times, etc. I owned a 2014 & now a 2016 6.2 and neither came close to working like the reviews until I did a Black Bear tune. I test drove several other 6.2’s and they were mediocre too. I’m wondering if GM has one tune for intro and another for production. The engine is a beast with a lot of torque but my issue (besides gearing) is the sluggish performance at anything but full throttle. I doubt that the B.B. tune adds much power but it does give crisp throttle response at part throttle and makes the truck more driveable & quicker! Lower gears and better power delivery stock and we might not be asking for more power.

You can disagree without being rude. A turbo does change the old the old adage about “no replacement for displacement”. I have a tuned 6.2 Denali and an Audi with a turbo 3.0 making 100 less HP. I have towed about 3000 lbs with both longer trips in mountainous terrain. The smaller Audi actually performs better with much better economy. No it won’t pull 12,000 lbs but my truck won’t either, you need the max tow package for that. I have towed 8000-9000 with my 6.2 and it works but not well. A 3 liter engine wouldn’t tow 12,000 but that’s not my point. A smaller turbo can be designed to work as well as a larger block engine and with a 10 speed tranny, the right chassis and cooling I don’t see a problem. A lot of us run at altitude and a Turbo doesn’t lose HP as the air thins. Towing is all about torque and if you are towing a lot of weight you need a diesel not a gas engine.

If it’s similar to the intro of the 2014 redesign then the engine specs will be out a few weeks prior to retail orders. GM trickles info out to build up the hype and get some free advertising. Pricing was available when I ordered mine the first week that retail orders became available. There was about two weeks before that a dealer could order for you blind without pricing but the orders were in limbo, not accepted by GM. That’s my recollection of how it worked.

I have a 2016 6.2 and thought it was a beast after a Black Bear tune...until I bought an Audi for my wife. GMC 6.2 stock 420HP-460 torque about 5300 lbs. GM needs to get with Turbos, IMO. Our Audi is an SUV with a 3.0 single Turbo- 354HP-369Torque., weighs 4400. Obviously it’s an SUV and couldn’t tow big weight but it tows my RZR with trailer (2300+) at least as good as my truck, probably better and with 30% better economy. Both 8 speeds. Maybe some is superior German technology but the amount of low end torque, stability control and passing power blows me away. Passing at 70 mph it’s not unusual to be over 100 and feel like I’m going 70. I find myself wondering what my truck would be like with a smaller engine and similar power gains from a well designed Turbo. That said Ford has been running Turbos for years and and I’m not that impressed with them. They may be better with the new 10 speed.

I agree and the skipfire is a big improvement over the present gen. The ability to alternate so that the same cylinders don’t shut down each time is a big improvement. We have more power and more torque with smaller engines. Unfortunately the EPA has changed the industry to the point that if anything goes wrong we are so screwed!

I hate to disagree with the majority but keyless and console shifter for me on upper trims. Properly placed you can shift while resting your elbow. And I love the paddle shifters but not the after thought ones on my Denali that are hard to reach. A good keyless system really has no downside except for a slight “getting used to” by the owner. To each his own!