revitupfaster

I went with the "Ready Lift 2.25" level kit. I have a 2014 Z71 pretty much like yours, and my truck was raised exactly 2.25" in the front. No change to the rear blocks. The end result is that the truck now sits 1" higher in the rear, but to my eye, it's pretty much level. The "Ready Lift" costs substantially more than kits from RC, which apparently do the job fine, but in my case, my dealer sold and installed the kit, so I thought it was worthwhile to have had the "Dealer" handle the install, in case any issues come up later on. I'm from Canada, so prices are sort of ridiculous up here, but my cost for the level kit "All In" including the kit, install, taxes and front end alignment ended up around $600. Not all that bad, when you consider the level kit from the dealer was about $225. I'm not one of those "do-it-your selfers".......I'd rather pay and be sure it was done properly. Here's a few shots of the truck......the first pic almost looks like the nose sits a little high......not the case, the truck looks pretty much level to me. The second pick is taken at the same location, before I had it levelled Rev

I knew you couldn't resist. I thought you said were going to stay "stock" this time around. I know, same thing with me, just couldn't stay with that wimpy "Factory" sound. Let me know how you like it once installed. I don't know if you remember me, but I'm the guy with the "GM Borla" system, and I couldn't be happier. REV

What size Magnaflow muffler do you have? As I understand it, Magnaflow has 22", 18", & 14" sizes. The 22" from what I have read, is not much louder than stock, and the shorter sizes give a progressively louder sound. Again from what I have read, most seem to prefer the 18" model, as the 14" apparently, is quite an aggressive sound. I'm pretty sure having the pipes dump before the axle will transfer significant sound into the cab. My 2 previous trucks had a Magnaflow system, but I always had dual rear outlets, at the back bumper, where the sound can get away, It sounds like you have a single outlet muffler, which to me would concentrate the sound all in the one area, right under the vehicle. Dual pipes out the back or sides, to me would help dissipate the sound away from the cab. I have the GM Borla exhaust on mine, with dual side outlets exiting just behind the passenger rear wheel. I don't hear anything inside the truck unless I get on the throttle, then it's just a nice rumble while accelerating. REV

I have a Z71 Double Cab, with the "factory" 20" Aluminum Wheels, and I have the "Ready Lift" 2.25" levelling kit, and I didn't notice any difference in the ride quality with or without the level kit. I have not ridden in a similar 2014 with smaller tires, so I don't know what the ride quality would be in that case. I would expect that the smaller tires, with the larger sidewall would provide a somewhat better (softer) ride in any case. REV Sorry.....double post....don't know what happened, when I pressed the post button, it added it twice, and I don't know how to delete one, or if it's possible.

I have a Z71 Double Cab, with the "factory" 20" Aluminum Wheels, and I have the "Ready Lift" 2.25" levelling kit, and I didn't notice any difference in the ride quality with or without the level kit. I have not ridden in a similar 2014 with smaller tires, so I don't know what the ride quality would be in that case. I would expect that the smaller tires, with the larger sidewall would provide a somewhat better (softer) ride in any case. REV

Sure would........here's a pic of my DBL Cab, pretty much the same other than the wheels. (I like yours' better) But I have the factory 4" side steps. Nothing like a black truck, with a lot of chrome..........at least when the damn thing is clean. Stay with the chrome........dynamite look in my eyes, and I'm sure a whole lot of other folks. REV

No way.......looks just gorgeous the way it is.....as a matter of fact, a nice set of 4" CHROME tubular step bars would really set it off. I don't know why you would want to de-chrome the truck. In my opinion tons more people will turn and say "wow", was that ever a nice looking truck. I know there are quite a few guys out there that for some strange reason prefer the "so-called clean look". IMHO the "clean look" should be called the "drab" look. Your truck looks great, do you want to remove all the chrome and turn it into something where nobody gives it a second look. Just my opinion REV

$600 is pretty cheap for a dual exhaust set up, installed. As 07Softail said, "Aluminized Pipe" will rust, so that's part of the low pricing you have. Also $50 each for tips is also pretty cheap, I'm in Ontario Canada myself, and if I remember correctly, the "Magnaflow" tips I had installed on my 07 Silverado were pretty close to $100 each. Overall, my system, back in 2007, cost around $900 installed. That's a single in, dual out, with split rear exit using custom stainless pipe, and all Magnaflow parts. All fabricated and installed my a "Magnaflow" dealer. My son now has the truck, and the exhaust system is fine.......even the tips, just a little elbow grease and some chrome cleaner, and they still look as good as new. I guess what I'm saying, is that sometimes when a deal sounds really good, maybe the quality has something to do with it.

I thought the 2015 Denali had "magnetic ride control", or something like that, that for some reason made it so you couldn't level the truck......I'm not sure at all what I'm talking about, but I remember reading something about this somewhere on this forum. Anyway, I have a 2014 Silverado Z71 Double cab, and I went with the "Ready Lift" 2.25" levelling kit, and I don't notice any difference in the ride vs "stock". Perhaps being a Denali, which probably has a pretty plush ride in the first place, any leveling kit that stiffens it up at all, would be that much more noticeable. Just a thought. REV

Well I'm a little late in responding, but I have a 2014 Silverado Z71, Double Cab, and I have the Ready Lift 2.25" Level Kit installed on my truck. Yes, it seems the kit is a little on the expensive side, but this is the kit my dealer sells and installs. I thought it was worth the extra few bucks to have my Dealer do the install just in case any issues pop up later. The whole job, including the kit, an allignment, labour, and taxes (I'm in Ontario Canada, and our tax is 13%) was just slightly under $600, taxes inc. Not all that bad, considering the kit itself was about $280.00. I could have saved about $40 on the kit if I bought it elsewhere, but I just bought it through my Dealer. The quality of the kit is "Top Notch", for what you get.........a couple of aluminum spacers. They look well made and quality machined, but they are still just a couple of aluminum spacers. IMHO the ride is pretty much the same as before the lift kit installation. It is a longer step up into the cab, and I find I am using my step bars a lot more. The kit raised the front exactly 2.25". The truck to me looks pretty much perfectly level, although it still does sit 1" higher in the rear. This is my first experience with doing any sort of levelling/lifting, and as long as I don't run into any pre-mature failure of my front end components, I'll be happy. It certainly does improve the overall look IMO. REV A couple of shots

Here's mine

Be careful what you wish for...........these new 2014 trucks are exceptionally quiet inside, and this really affects the inside sound of a performance exhaust. I have the GM Borla system on my truck, and one day had my son drive it while I was outside. I had him do all the usual moves like take off from a stop, drive by at 40/50mph and then hit it etc. I was very surprised as the sound was much louder outside than I would have expected. The inside sound to me was very reserved, and I also had some reservations that it may have been too quiet. Not the case........much more sound when listening from the outside. I would think if you get the sound up to the level where you can hear it inside at a normal cruising speed, the sound would have to be extremely loud outside. I would get someone else to drive your truck and you listen from the outside before making any major changes........you just might be surprised. Just my thought.

There have been a lot of "In cab" videos posted, but to my ears, none have captured what the real sound is in the cab. I have never heard a video that even remotely depicts the V4, helicopter sound. I think you have to actually ride in the truck to truly "hear/feel" the V4 thing. To me it's a "feeling", as much as a sound. You know how you sort of "feel" the bass in a good stereo....pretty much the same idea. Maybe if you have a real good speaker system, or headphones, you might get closer, but just standard computer speakers.........I don't think so. Its a sound hard to describe.........it drives some poeple crazy, and others don't seem to mind it. My 2007 Silverado had a Magnaflow system, and the V4 thing was certainly noticeable, but really it didn't bother me all that much, and I guess I just got used to it over time. Like I said, you need to hear it in the cab of a truck, In my opinion, for what it's worth, I don't think the V4 sound can be reproduced in a sound clip with any accuracy.........you have to hear it for yourself.

Wow........the 22" Magnaflow's from what I've read, are pretty tame. Did you find there was too much cab noise, or was it the outside sound that bothered you. Just wondering, it's funny how sound levels are preceived by different people. REV

I agree completely, and certainly did not want to start any controversy. I guess I should have just left my comments at saying that this is the quietest "in-cab" system I have heard. Yes, the fact that it is very quiet inside certainly does help me justify the cost, and I would have had "Serious" buyers remorse, had there been a V4 issue. The lack of the "V4" issue was the primary justification for me. I think all of the "Name Brand" so called "Premium" exhaust systems are way over priced, and I still think I'm kinda nuts for spending that much just to get a little more sound, that everyone outside the truck will get to experience far more than me.

Would love to post it for you, but everytime I try to log onto "youtube" I keep getting a message saying "you're not authorized for this service" or something like that. My son was out on the weekend, and I had him drive the truck while I was outside. There was a lot more sound from the outside than in.......damn, these 2014's are quiet inside the cab. I was pleaseantly surprised with the outside sound, it completely comes up to my expectations. Takeoff was just a nice rumble, plenty enough to be heard, nice and throaty. On a drive-by at about 40mph, then hitting the gas, yielded a serious "Bark", much more than I would have expected, given how quiet it is inside the cab. This throaty roar continued of course until you let off. As I said previously, you can very slightly hear the V4 sound, but to someone that had never heard a loud V4 "Flutter" they wouldn't even notice it. Anyone that says they have absolutely no V4 drone/helicopter sound with any of the aftermarket exhaust systems, either can't hear it themselves, or they won't admit that it's there for some reason, or it's so loud inside the cab you can't hear it anyway, or they have turned off the AFM. This GM Borla system by far, has to be the quietest "Inside-the-Cab" sound levels I have ever experienced, and I've had 2 Magnaflow systems on other trucks prior to this. If my wife is standing outside the truck when it fires up, I kinda get the "why do you want something that loud" look, but inside, she doesn't even notice it at all. There is a video, produced by Borla I think, that showcases the GM Borla system. I'm sure it was "linked" somewhere on this thread. It shows a Burgundy coloured 2014 Silverado with the GM system on it. The sound on that video, is pretty much it. If anything, the sound on the video may be just a little subdued compared to "real-life". Maybe mine is already "Breaking-in", and the sound is a little fuller, whatever, I'm very happy with it. Prefect for us "Old Guys"

Finally, the Borla "Tips" came in, and I ran over to my dealer and had them installed. I wouldn't have believed how much of a difference in the sound the tips make. When the system was first installed and I was driving it around for 3-4 days without the tips, I must admit I was thinking that "maybe this system is too quiet, even for me". I'm sure a lot of the quietness, is just the fact that the whole truck is a lot quieter. Anyway, with the tips on, it sounds just like the one I had seen, and tried on the dealers "stock" truck. Nice "Bark" on start-up, and low growl when you get on it. Pretty much exactly the way the GM Borla video describes it. I guess the tips concentrate the sound or provide some sort of "echo" effect ,that gives it just a little more depth to the sound. If over time, the sound enhances even more, that will be just icing on the cake. Overall, I'm a happy camper. Very well made product, great sound, great look (IMHO), V4 issues under control, everything you want but pricey. Here's a few pics of the tips, I have a pretty decent video, but I don't know how to post a video.........is there any tutorial about posting video on the site anywhere? REV

I would bet that even if you could find a part number for the valve, that it will not be a saleable part, and only sold as part of the muffler assembly. I was in the power sports industry for many years, and we ran accross this a few time, where you couldn't buy the part, just the complete assembly. Probably the only "reasonably" priced way to try "Building you own" system would be to buy the exhaust system off a wreck, if you could find one cheap enough, or use one of the valves selling on "E" Bay........don't know if they are original or not. REV

The GM Borla apparently uses the Borla "Touring" muffler. I've read that Borla won't explicitly confirm that, and claims the muffler used is "according to GM Specs". Whatever, the system I have so far is pretty quiet, .......especially inside the truck. As I said I'm waiting for my son to come this weekend, where I'll get him to drive it, so I can give it a listen from the outside. Oddly enough, I think not having the tips on also affects the sound somewhat, especially since I have the dual side exit, and the ends of the Borla pipes are a fair bit under the truck......we'll see once I get the tips on. Anyway, it's supposed to get somewhat throatier once it "breaks-in" If you want to go with the Borla "Sport" version, which I'm sure will be quite a bit louder, you can't get that from GM, so if you get it direct from Borla, you won't get the exhaust valve and bypass pipe. 15LTZZ71 on this board had the non-GM Borla "Touring" set up, and apparently it had the dreaded "Drone/Flutter/Helicopter sound whatever you want to call it, so I would assume the "Sport" version would be the same. Good Luck REV

I'm in Canada, and I don't think there are any "Online" places where we can order genuine GM parts, so I just had to bend over and have my dealer order it for me. REV

Couldn't figure out how, or if I could add another picture to a previous post, but here's a pic of the GM valve........certainly doesn't look as substantial as the Borla version shown in my last post. REV

Had my GM Borla exhaust installed yesterday. As usual, "what can go wrong,, will go wrong", they somehow ended up with the wrong tips being sent, so for now I'm running "tipless".........apparently they should get the proper ones in by the end of the week. I'm a little old to be crawling around under the truck, so I opted to have the system installed by my dealer. This may be an "in your driveway" job for some, but a second set of hands and having the vehicle lifted, sure helps. They took the old system out in one piece, but it was a bit of a chore to feed the thing around the rear axel with all the bits and pieces still intact, and holding the new system in place while the clamps were tightened, this was when the installer called for another guy to come and give him a hand. Anyway, the system is installed.....minus the tips, and it has certainly met my expectations. The sound is very mild.........a few notches over stock of course, but definetly "not" what I would call loud or offensive by any stretch. The difficulty is that you really can't hear what it sounds like outside when you are inside the truck. My son is coming on the weekend, and I'm planning on having him drive it while I give it a listen from outside. As has been mentioned here a few times, the sound does apparently gain a little more "Tone" as the system "breaks in". If so, this will be fine with me as the current sound level is well within my expectation parameters. On my way home from the dealership, I had about a 1/2 hour drive, over good roads, with minimal traffic, so I was able to try all the usual things, to get an idea of the cab sound. The launch sound was a nice V8 rumble as the truck transitioned through the gears, very subdued inside, but with enough of a growl, that I am very anxious to hear what it sounds like outside. Cruising at 50/60/70 mph and the interior noise was pretty much the same as the "stock" exhaust. If you put your foot in it at any speed, and caused a transmission shift, you could hear the V/8 rumble, but again not loud, just a pleasing rumble. As far as the V8/V4 transitions, virtually non-existent as far as any perceptible change in the audio. I won't say there was absolutely no sound change, because there was a very very slight sound while in V4 mode, but I really had to work to hear it. It was so slight, that unless you already knew what you were listening for, you would'nt hear it at all. All in all, my rating is that 99% of the V4 sound is gone between this truck, and my last 2007 Silverado with the AFM, where I was running a Magnaflow system. The "in-cab" sound levels are the highlight of this system, virtually the same as with the stock system, except for just that nice V8 rumble upon acceleration. The external sound, is a nice mild low throaty rumble. I know a lot of the younger guys like that "raspy" tone, and this is not the system for them, but If you want what I would call a "Classy" rumble, that will probably please 80% of those that care, this is the one. The worst part about the GM Bora system is the cost, but if you want that "Adaptive Valve", which I'm sure is what controls the "in-cab" stuff, you have no other choice (by the way, it looks like the Borla Valve is SS, where the "Stock" valve doesn't look to be SS. I don't know, maybe they are both the same, but the original has been in service and that's why it's discoloured) - (See next post for pic of the GM original valve)......I would think the Borla valve will have fewer issues in the long run, whatever it's made of, it looks more substantial than the original to me. I also don't know why the GM Valve is welded directly to the muffler on the outlet side, and the Borla is actually welded in as part of the head pipe leading to the inlet side? What's up with that????? I'm in Ontario Canada, and being that the initial prices for parts are higher, and the fact that we have to pay another 13% Sales Tax on top of everything, makes this a "Pricey" upgrade. I tell myself that over the life of the vehicle, it's really not that bad, but there is that one thought that keeps coming back....."You gotta be nuts to spend that much money just for a little sound". What the hell.....it's only money, if it ends up giving you pleasure, it's worth it. Here's a few pics of the system and the install. Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to try and give a complete review, and try to answer any questions others contemplating the GM Borla system may have..........I know I had a ton of questions before I bought it.

Wow!!!!! Looks like they have a lot bigger issue than an exhaust tone. Could you imagine if your whole damn truck starting to vibrate when it went into V4 mode, and this was considered within spec for that paticular design......... I'll take the exhaust note issue any day. In fairness, this article seems to be referring to trucks iof the 2010-2012 vintage, and not the new versions. Maybe they have some of the problems worked out by now.

Probably an odd question for a GM forum but....... With all the concern and talk about the V4 drone/helicopter sound or whatever you want to call it, I was just wondering, does Dodge/Ram have the same issues. I'm certainly not up on Ram trucks, but I thought I read somewhere that they also use a type of "cylinder deactivation" in their trucks? Just wondering. REV