Epsilon Plus

It will not go beyond the numbers placed into the stock timing tables which are very conservative. It will get better MPG as higher octane burns slower, but not enough to offset the enormous cost difference.

I got the cheapest Realtruck Gator Retractable when it was $100 off for $800 shipped and its great. Aluminum, fits good, does the job. Haven't rain tested it yet but I'm not sure what makes the fancier Retrax Pros worth so much more, this one is solid for me.

I'm already hearing the dreaded "350" nomenclature returning which took years of hearing boomers constantly mis-sizing the LS1 as one. Let's wait until confirmation before throwing that ol trope around. As far as the current L8T.... 400 or 401? Do the CI math with published inch bore/stroke and you have a 400. Do it with the punished mm bore/stroke and it's a 401. Just happens to have 401hp too which GM has occasionally, historically, matched to inch displacement. With GM being metric everything from the 90s on, I'd wager the MM 401ci is real truth. All this to say, nobody really knows the displacement until after confirmation, and well, even then it's foggy.

That's running with IROCs and 5.0s of the late 80s which in context is pretty impressive for a giant heavy brick.

Get a commuter turd-mobile. If not, great deals on the 2.7 Turdbromax. Brother in law gets 26 combined in his commuting and with 430tq and a turbo it won't have any extra difficulty moving 7,000 lbs than the DEF laden mini diesel. Towing with a half ton is going to suck because of the chassis and brakes, not really the engine choices. All of them can move 7,000lbs. Registration costs, taxes, insurance differences, DEF....etc might narrow down your fuel savings if you really did some precise math. I'm not trading my badass HD for a fragile half ton & going through all the swap hassle for $100/mo, but that's just me.

Needless to say the shocks weren't on either even though ZR2 shocks are longer than stock. If y'all can't see the increased travel in ZR2 vs stock I dunno what to tell ya.

That is with both torsion bars out. That eliminates the torsion lift. It's simply the front end droop at its maximum point against the LCA stop. I wouldn't trust fender to hub. Fenders vary. Different flares on standard vs ZR2 and different plastic "squish" variations of how well it attached to the metal.

ZR2s have MORE not less droop. Some pages back where I'm doing the swap I posted a pic with driver side ZR2 and pass still stock and you can see the difference. 1.75" more for ZR2/AT4X

I've had AutoZone Duralast gold ceramic pads on for a good stretch now and they are dead quiet and good performers. Ditch the factory semi-metallics, new revision or not. Its the semi-metallic that is squealing. Its said ceramic doesn't have as much bite, but these trucks have massive brakes and I've noticed no difference even with heavy 37s.

S&B is not an exposed element design. It is just like the factory system albeit with a larger filter and ducting and the elimination of the Hemholtz resonator. The increased flow potential and less overall material with the elimination of the resonator actually has the potential to decrease IATs over stock although I wouldn't hold my breath.

For the 2020-2023 only the LTZ and above trim got the digital. Don't know about the 24+ but it's probably the same. Use only PS fluid, not ATF. The system can be bled although it's potentially messy and doesn't look super easy. PS fluid expands so there is a cold and hot check mark just like the transmission. Check with engine running. You want to really hear it groan? Strap a stabilizer and some 35psi 37" tires to it and do a slow speed full lock turn

The talk of a DPF on gas will kill any hype about these things. They already took a major normie reliability hit from the 6.2 and DOD/DFM/AFM problems. Bringing the secret sauce that killed the reliability of the modern diesel to gas isn't going to help matters. For all those hoping for a return to the "350" that I've seen in this thread, keep in mind 5.7L doesn't automatically mean "350 ci". The LS1 was a 5.7L with 346ci. The Toyota and RAM 5.7 is not 350 ci. The 5.3 is a 325ci not the "327" from yore. In other nit picky news you may not know, the original Ford Mustang 5.0 was actually a 4.9 but didn't sound as cool in a Vanilla Ice song so they lied it up a notch. They made sure to make the Coyote a true 5.0. I've always liked new stuff. Especially new GM stuff. However, the modern "gm" went down a path I'm struggling to follow. Replacing a bomb-proof L8T & 6L90 combo with a new & deproved super-emissions saddled Gen VI with a 10-speed likely on it's 5th valve body revision by then (just take the plastic check balls out and go back to what worked?) won't be in the cards.

Tirerack has them for money off. They took a few weeks as they are likely drop shipped but I saved a good bit. Think I paid like $276 each. Right now they have them at $315 each.

Ended up using the above plug for my AEV diff cover so never tried on transfer case. Next time I change the oil I'll try again.

Regardless of stabilizer, I would recommend the Cognito PISK. It's a substantial strength upgrade. You need a big ass open end wrench though, something like 40mm. I'm an industrial mechanic and have stuff like that I can borrow from work. The Fox HTO are great though. Not so soft that the truck leans or bounces all over but soft enough over the rough that I no longer slow for speed bumps. Like at all, I'm serious. You can feel the front soak it up in one big cushion. The rear feels slightly firmer as it goes over because of the stiff unloaded leafs. They have a bit of King like "faster you go, softer they are"-ness to them. Probably still jittery over washboard, haven't tried, but they eat on the big stuff.

With the constant -20off discount parts.gmparts has, like currently, they are available picked up at dealer after tax for ~520 something vs the new price of $944.95 for Cognito. They used to be $899.99 like last month. This might point to a foreign tariffed part and not Made in the USA like stated. I don't know that I'm ready to throw $500 to drop 400lb rate. I could see the difference on a 5600 bar diesel but something tells me I would notice nothing on my truck. I got lucky and a Milgard window warranty service truck was at the house and I asked if I could peak at the door sticker. Even after explaining why I'm sure the dude had no idea what I was on about. They look painted black from the picture gmcnewbie posted. Maybe if it's a foreign part that's how they are getting around the made in USA tag line. They arrive raw, and then they paint them. Wala. Kind of like China garbage going to France or Spain before coming to US to avoid tarrifs.

I finally found a 4,400lb FAWR truck. Verified by door sticker. When fully closed, this indicator is off by .0035. So the actual measurement is approx. 1.4865" or 37.757mm. I measured fairly close to the sticker like newbie did. Unless these bars have graduated thickness, and given the likely error tolerances of our instruments, it looks we may have an answer?

I didn't have any steering issues until I went to 37s. After that I got a rapid shake above 60mph A Cognito PISK and Rancho stabilizer put it better than stock with no bump shimmy or anything. FYI, Fox and Bilstein stabilizers are gas charged and generally discouraged for this application as they will constantly pull to one side. The Rancho is an oil cushion with no charge. You can pull it out by hand and it will stay in place. Gas charged stabilizers are for dual-opposing set ups on straight axles.

If your main concern is towing and body float/roll limiting, than 5100s for the price are a good bet. They are stiff as a board and control well. The downside is that they are stiff as a board. Unloaded driving is harsh and will knock the phone out of your wife's hand running over an ant.

@Chuck FB I was actually at 45. I dropped to 40 yesterday and looks like I have good contact patch and it feels like the softest it's going to be short of bar and spring changes. Every bump and crevis still transmits but there is no harshness or jolting. I can hit speed bumps at full speed and the truck feels even softer and soaks them up. The combo is working well. I'll try 35 next and chalk line them. Thanks.

Right now I'm at 40. I don't think I'd want to go under 35 but I can see if it helps. TPMS isn't a worry. My Pulsar LT allows me to adjust the threshold.

I purposely hit speed bumps now with zeal. The front soaks them up. The rear still hops a bit on those heavy leafs with no weight on them. The bump is still there, but the jolt you'd normally feel in your lumbar is gone. Day to day it's still a bouncy truck as an HD, but they look out all the harsh "hits" if that makes sense. The Bilsteins were like having a piece of rebar welded between the perches. The only thing they will do is keep the body roll out and probably do better with trailer porpoising if that's an issue on ones set-up. Unloaded they ride like a shopping cart.

Truck should be easily 1.5+" lower in the front. All HDs are raked. Even ZR2s are higher in the rear. I bet your bars are cranked.

Likely more firm than GM black shocks. These are for big tire trucks that like to bound off of speed bumps and fire road dips. No matter what the T1 HD is going to ride like crap. Especially a gas truck with less weight over the nose. 3,500+ lb payload leafs in the back and torsion bar front suspension is a recipe for feeling everything on the road good shocks or not.