crushNchowda

Mine are AL and they're painted black.

I was in market to buy a '15 GMC, knew I'd eventually level/lift it a bit. Saw this thread from a while back....I was torn on an All Terrain or a Denali (both "loaded" 6.2's), then I remembered this thread and made the easy decision to forego this cluster-F headache of leveling it while keeping an additional $2200 in my back pocket that would have covered the expense of the chrome grill, badges, and fancy cluster that the Denali premium commanded. One thing I don't get is why they offered this magride on the Denali trucks w/o any driver selectable modes, it just "conforms" and adjusts automatically to road conditions?? And then if you wanna level it....sounds like you're just asking for an expensive repair. Kudos to the guys who tried and got it done though, seemed like too much headache for me though

Isn't one of the main benefits of using the bilsteins in place of a regular block level kit (aside from the higher quality/ride over OEM or rancho) that they do not throw off suspension/control arm angles, don't chew up ball joints, and don't throw off alignment specs gradually over time? That is the main driver behind getting these over a level kit

Yeah but 275/65/20's are sweeter....that would probably rub, oh well decisions...

Thanks for the replies...guess I'll just wait on doing the swap until I get the shocks and block...hopefully the goodyears still have the factory paint marks lol If not maybe I could sell local on craigslist or on the forum.

Does anyone know whether you can run a 275/65/20 or 275/60/20 tire on the stock all terrain 20" wheels w/ the stock suspension? I plan on adding the bilstein leveling shocks on highest setting an an extra 1" (so I think 2.5" block) in the rear, but I am picking up my new truck today/tomorrow and in order to get a decent credit on the stock craptastic goodyear tires I'll need to swap them promptly and I won't have the time to get the shocks and block in before doing so - I'd have to drive on the bigger tires for a little bit on stock setup.

I run E85 when I can find it because I enjoy the extra power, and 93 when I can't - I have never run 89 but I do notice knock when running 87 and have even experienced a little knock w/ 91. E85 is the shiznit

Thing is gonna be chewing up parts @ w/ a lift that high and tires/wheels that big, and you'll be down considerably on power - on a diesel HD no big deal as they already are very powerful/torquey and can always up the boost/tune, but I never understand doing this to a 1500 unless you're also swapping gears and doing some power adders - bolt-ons in the very least....at which point you could have bought an HD in the first place. If you're just going for the "dub" look then I don't think you need to lift it at all w/ 24"s, just going to end up having like a 2" sidewall and it'll ride like hell and knock your fillings out - again something else I don't get, Denali on 24"s LOOKS super luxury and will ride worse than a rigid chopper lol! Unless you want to add some airbags.....although I guess if you have the magnaride and drop the sidewall just a bit it isn't too much different than the factory 22"s, but 14" wide seems a bit extreme to me. At the end of the day its your ride and your money do what you want, but any extreme mod in one direction will inevitably mean sacrificing something in the other, which is why I always try to find "balance" in the mod game....like I wouldn't be the guy who superchargers his camaro on the stock suspension, clutch, tires, brakes etc. so I end up w/ a vehicle w/ a ton of power that can't stop, turn, hook up etc. Same goes for the extreme lft guys - you may spend the dough on a full suspension lift and tires, and it may look the part, but w/ 3.42 gears and 355 or even 420 HP, super heavy tires, you're really not any better offroading than a stock truck other than ground clearance, in terms of power to the ground you're heavier and down on torque and gears, what's the point?

tried to find the thread regarding the electrical noise when in 4WD, in fact I believe I posted in it at one point, any resolution regarding that noise?? My dealer says they can't hear it..surrreee. To the OP - I have used the 4WD on my 2014 a BOAT LOAD - 2 heavy duty new england winters and trekking to ski country on a regular basis, the WORST winter by snowfall was this year as well in MA - I can say I have zero mechanical noise and barely any feel in Auto, but do have audible mechanical noises in HI or LO - nothing that seems like damage or abnormal though

mine too @ 33,000

Not buy a truck w/ an expensive ass factory option magnaride suspension? I'm guessing the GM engineers who put that suspension in the DENALI luxury version of their 1/2 ton pickup weren't planning on people wanting to "look like they offroad" or "have the stance of a HD truck"...because if that was the case you shouldn't have bought the truck in this trim. It is meant to have decent off-road capability, towing capability, while maintaining a smooth ride and tight handling. Leveling a $60,000 truck w/ a $35 piece of plastic seems ludicrous to me, PARTICULARLY when the whole point of having that particular suspension is for a nice comfy ride. My suggestion otherwise would have been to buy an SLT model or Denali w/o the magnaride and get a legit suspension lift that addresses all the wear points (so you don't wind pi$$in through ball joints or CV boots for example) or use the bilstein 5100 adjustable shocks (now available for these new model trucks I understand). I simply do not get this leveling thing for the sole sake of "looking cool" when it actually takes away from the truck from a reliability, maintenance, performance standpoint. It's silly really...and you can see that "silliness in action" when someone uses their "tough beefed up leveled truck" to do some actual work, like haul a trailer, and then the rear end is drooping and the front end is all jacked up. Do it right or don't do it at all IMO.

Why would you buy a truck w/ an expensive ride control and then F it up by adding a cheap ass leveling block?

Find me a vehicle other than a 1/2 ton pickup that has the amenities of a luxury car, can tow 10,000+ lbs, carry 2000 lbs, go off-road, through snow drifts, 4x4 hi or lo or essentially Awd w/ 4auto, back to 2wd, handles decent for its size, has 355hp/385tq+, can carry 5 adults, holds its value extremely well, navi, leather, 100,000 mile warranty, 20" or 22" rims, respectable 0-60 and 1/4 mile times, etc etc etc for $50,000 LIST (if you pay exactly sticker your have no one to blame but yourself) Ok go find me something else, I'll give you the keys to my truck if you can, but I know you can't so stop whining!!!! You'll find cars w/ awd that are good in the snow, SUVs that pose as trucks but don't have the nuts or frame to tow, the size to haul, or the resale, you'll find uber expensive German SUVs, etc etc Stop whining, buy a stripper model or move on. Like it or not trucks have morphed with the times, people want their cake and they want to eat it too, and that means luxuriously well equipped, nice riding, off road capable, huge, well built, resale holding luxotrucks. I'm happy about it. Just like I'm happy about a dodge challenger or Chevy Camaro that can actually stop and go around a corner.

Sold my dad's '07 Silverado LTZ ext. cab 4x4 V8 to my buddy who in turn traded it in a few months ago for $17,000 - 83,000 miles on the ODO, on a new '14 Denali. Yeah they're expensive, but what other American made vehicles holds it value like that other than an HD truck or a vette/viper? None.

I had it checked out no issue is what they say, I'll let it ride out for now I have almost 13k on it and hasn't given me any real prpblems

I've only seen a thread w/ a 6.2 getting tuned. I would absolutely get a tune if the shop has any experienced tuning GM direct injected V8's (read: vettes)

Happened to me the other day, started truck and threw it in reverse almost immediately, backup camera came on but when put in D screen was totallk blank, HVAC worked, and radio worked w/ steering wheel buttons but none of the media/radio buttons would respond. Shut it off and turned back on, got the "GMC intelllink" red logo on screen, but then went back to blank w/ same response. Shut it back off and went in to grab my takeout, when I came back out and turned it on 10 mins later when back to normal. ALso bluetooth didn't work. NOT GOOD, happened occasionally on my G8 but that screen was less important. I'm thinking an extended warranty may be in my future, I wanted to keep this truck minimum 7 years 150-175,000 miles, and the thing will be useless as a DD if the engine/tranny runs fine but the electronics are all shot.

Man you got much cooler dealers than I do up here! Lucky!

I hate to play Devil's advocate here, but isn't the dealer just going to say "well you screwed w/ your truck and got it lifted and the wrong size tires so you're SOL"? I know lifted trucks are FAR more prevalent in different regions, but as I've mentioned before for the most part up in the NE the dealer would just deny any warranty work because it is clearly going to put added stress on EVERYTHING - driveline, engine, suspension, speedo, etc. Maybe going to an independant shop that deals w/ modded trucks would be more beneficial? Not trying to call you out just saying you may be barking up the wrong tree w/ the dealer and opening a can of worms.

Looks like in your sig your truck is lifted w/ offset wheels. What is your rear end ratio? You're already asking the truck to work extra hard w/ that setup maybe that has something to do with it? Is it at least engaging the front wheels when there's slippage?

These are the "real" CAI designs, there's a big difference in where they suck the air from, the route the air flows (ie no bends at all, instead a short & direct pipeline right to the TB), and the surface area of the filter itself. I would be interested in one of these types for sure.

Yes vararam or vcm

This is the one I have. It is money IMO, not sure why people keep ignoring what GM has to offer then complain they bought a cheaper tonneau and it leaks....

Yeah I had a banks performance on an 07 silverado 5.3 (I didn't put it on it was my dad's rig and when he didn't drive anymore gave it to me) but I'm coming from LSx muscle car crowd. With the vettes/camaros/GTO/G8 etc. the best intakes were the over the radiator gaping maw type. Don't think they make those for trucks and w/ the shape of the front end and how high it sits not sure if it'd function the same either.

Are you guys going w/ the sealed box or the open style? I would imagine the open air style would make more power but require more cleaning. Isn't Banks performance also a choice among GM trucks? I think I'm also going wait and see what else comes out, as it is I already was probably the first guinea pig for Flowmaster's system...