BoilerUP

Saw this earlier today and thought it might be of interest...

A good dyno tune (including TCM) totally changes the way 5.3s feel...because GM's torque management sucks ass. But yes, coming from a diesel with peak torque below 2000rpm to a 5.3L is going to leave one's butt dyno wanting...

The TFL truck video showed the 2500HD crew cab standard bed 4x4 diesel LT had a placarded payload north of 3200lb! A new higher GVWR of 11,350 (vs. 10,000lb) puts the 2500HD crew cab 4x4 diesels squarely into 17-19 3500HD SRW territory in terms of tow rating & payload capacity.

This is the slip with truck, full tank of gas, me, WDH, camper with battery and two full propane tanks, normal camping stuff (hoses, etc) in the forward storage and 2/3 full fresh water tank. I would not normally tow with anything in the tanks, so that's 200lb that would be immediately shed shed from the tow slip weight. GVWR is 6,000, GCWR is 12,000, GAWRF is 3200, GAWRR is 3500, truck's placarded payload was 1447lb. I don't camp with 100lb of firewood, a generator, multiple full cans of water/gasoline, or a full Yeti 110. Wife and two young kids are 250lb total; bedding, clothes and food for three nights wouldn't be anywhere close to another 250lb but let's say it was; I'm still 300lb under GCWR which means I've got a little margin to play with. Is it close? Yes, and that's one reason why I upgraded to a Silverado 1500...but it is not over. In my profession, I'm used to going *right to* manufacturer weight limits but never over, because in my industry doing so could cost me my career at best and my life at worst...and will never understand folks on the internet making assumptions that everybody pulling a camper packs the exact same way they do.

No I wasn’t, and I have the scale slips to prove it.

Current-generation Colorados aren't your daddy's old S-10; their capability is FAR closer to 1500s of the late 90s/early 00s. And the reality is precious few folks who own full-size trucks *actually* use them to do "truck stuff". I traded a 2002 Dakota Quad Cab 5.9L 4x4 that I loved for a new 2016 Colorado CCLB, and the Colorado did literally everything better than the Dakota. It was comfortable to drive, easy to park, had more room, got a LOT better fuel economy, had a much larger bed, rode better, etc etc etc. It also was 15-20% less expensive to purchase than a comparable 1500 LT. The Colorado safely pulled a 32.5', 6100lb dry travel trailer within all placarded limits (GVWR, GCWR, RAWRR) when loaded with my family and ready for a weekend camping. The Colorado pulled the camper just fine, but the little 3.6L was turning 3500rpm going 60mph on flat ground and I knew the truck would run out of power on any significant hill, so I traded it in on a 2017 Silverado 1500 CCSB as a better tow vehicle. The Silverado 1500 has more room, gets 2.5-3mpg less than the Colorado doing the same driving, and has more power and is more stable towing the camper. I miss the extra bed length though for hauling stuff, and have been casually looking for at 17+ crew cab standard bed NHT trucks for that reason. If I would have had the baby Duramax, I probably would still own the Colorado as it met all my needs. With the 3.6L engine, I'd have NO issues pulling 5000lb (or 6k that wasn't a wind sail) on a regular basis...and I hope the turbo four-banger finds it way into the Colorado in place of the 3.6L because that engine looks just about perfect for a midsize truck. Wife is glad its gone though...she always thought the Laser Blue looked purple more than it did blue.

I’d guess MANY would pay $221 for a factory-installed foglight option.... Thanks for the info on that! Any insight on SiriusXM?

Earlier this year I installed 1AMRP01771 mirrors on my 2017 Silverado with Phil's harnesses. I am very pleased with the mirrors; the only complaint I have is I get a slight whistle while driving down the road that is not present when the mirrors are folded. I think the whistle is coming from where the forward part of the running light lens meets the front mirror plastic. I cannot hear it with windows up, only with windows down, and it is little more than an annoyance that I think a clear piece of packing tape can fix. For saving more than $500 compared to installing factory DQS mirrors, I can live with a bit of wind noise.

Since GM decided to reorganize equipment packages (and further move away from ala cart options) and decided the 'New Silverado' wasn't worthy of foglights in LT trim, despite them being standard on the All-Star package of earlier trucks...anybody know if one could buy the OE foglamps and do a plug-and-play install? If so, looks like maybe the light switch would need to be replaced? What about adding SiriusXM to a LT truck? I've read somewhere on the interwebs the dealer can update the OE radio for SXM, so it must be true... Figured somebody here would know the answer to both questions...thanks!

Perhaps I missed it, apologies if I did...but what were the final tuned WHP/WTQ numbers?

Simply to tie into OP's post... I hate hate HATE that GM does not provide SiriusXM radio and foglights with the LT All-Star package...or that foglights aren't available period on an LT package. Sure some folks won't care about one or both of those, and they can squeeze more money from buyers who do...but offering less value than 16-18 trucks steams me a bit.

With the same torque as the 6.2L, it'd sure be swell if the 3.0L offered the same tow capacities.

A local 2019 crew cab short bed LTZ 6.2L 4x4 NHT has payload of 1921lb. A local 2019 crew cab short bed LT 5.3L 4x4 NHT has payload of 2172lb. A local 2019 crew cab standard bed LT 5.3L 4x4 NHT has payload of 2120lb. A 2019 crew cab standard bed Denali 6.2L 4x4 NHT with sunroof had payload in the mid-1600lb range. If the 2019 LT All-Star package on 1. fog lamps and 2. SiriusXM radio, I'd almost certainly have traded my 2017 in to get the 300lb+ additional payload and 2000lb+ additional tow capacity. I do wish GM would bump the GVWR of the NHT package back up a bit - at least 100lb if not back to the previous generation's 7600lb GVWR - which would provide a very capable truck competitive with the F150 Heavy Duty Payload Package's 7850lb GVWR...but likely cut into more profitable 2500HD sales.

Can you elaborate any on what the preloaded tunes are on the SCT BDX? I note the 'stock' BDX is $399, and the 5-Star BDX (with three of their custom tunes) is $499 with additional tunes $10 each...just curious what a standard unit gets somebody. I've had my eye on the BDX in comparison to a Blackbear or Diablew...nice to see more feedback on it.

There are a LOT more NHT-equipped 2019s on lots around me right now than there ever were 16-18 model NHTs. All of the NHT-equipped 2019 crew cab short bed 4x4 5.3L LTs I've looked at have had placarded payload in excess of 2050lb, and even a LTZ 6.2L was well north of 1900lb. GVWR between NHT and non-NHT is only 200lb with 2019s, so subtract a couple hundred pounds and do the math accordingly. GCWR for 2019 non-NHT is 15k, NHT 5.3L is 16.8k. I have a 2017 5.3L with 7200lb GVWR, 1702lb placarded payload and pull a 6100lb dry camper...I've run it across a CAT scale and with my wife and two kids onboard we come in under 13k GCWR (max is 15k for my truck) with ample room to spare on the truck GVWR and both axles GAWR with the weight distributing hitch. Bottom line: NHT would give me a warm fuzzy for the additional capability, but IMO is not necessary for the weights mentioned here.