boettcher40

I ended up going with the 87 octane tune, mainly due to the cost of premium around my area and I only have the 5.3. I do tow on occasion, but nothing super heavy. My last big trip was a 8x10 enclosed trailer with 4 dirt bikes and a sh*t load of gear/tools/supplies. I was around 7-12k feet in elevation for a week and it definitely struggled on certain climbs but never skipped a beat after 3k miles roundtrip. I for sure would have been really disappointed if I didn't have the DiabLew tune

Have a few questions, sent you a PM.

I couldn't pass up the deal I got on the XB's, but have been pretty disappointed in the output lately (funny thing is, I really praised em when I upgraded from OEM lol). These look INSANE, I've heard more than just you that say it's not even a comparison between the two. I really was looking for the white fogs, but let me think on it. Damn good price.

Pics/specs on the DD fogs? Can always PM me instead. Looking to swap out my XB's for SS3's.

Well worth it IMO. My butt dyno says improved torque and overall low end feel, truck doesn't search for gears anymore, and the overall experience is noticeably better compared to the canned tunes.

Glad to see I'm not the only one using old VP race gas cans as used oil containers. I just brought two full cans into town to dispose of last week and my neighbor goes "sucks to be the person that ran out of gas!"... no dude, I'm not putting C14 in someone's 4-cyl sedan...

I have always had good luck with the Bosch Envisions. 2 years and counting in the upper midwest and they still work as good as new. However I have all my glass ceramic coated so that might help with longevity.. Might have to go back to OEM when these wear out!

Looks awesome! Good choice on those tires

Big thanks to @pgamboa for the hookup on a painted tailgate handle! As always, packaged great, and he had it shipped within 15 minutes of contacting him. Delivered 2 days later. Now time for a much needed wash.. poor thing has been neglected the past 2 weeks.

Close, just west about 10 miles in Mapleton. Nice to get back to the small town atmosphere with less crime and idiots haha.

Not really K2 related, but finally have my own garage to start working on some more mods in the future! Soon to be wife and I closed on our first house this past Friday. While most of my time will be getting some inside updates done, looking forward to an epoxy floor, mud/tape/paint walls, and setting up my "dream garage" build. I'd say my family and extended family have good taste in trucks!

Phil is the best in the biz! Looking forward to some pictures in the "what have you done to your K2 today" thread!

Look into Diablew custom tune. He does great work on these K2's and I'm more than happy with his tune on my daily 5.3! https://www.diablewtune.com/

Anything aftermarket over stock will be an improvement, especially if you're getting up there in mileage. I have the Z71 package, so mine came with the Ranchos. From my understanding the package is just plastic skid plates and "upgraded" suspension, but not entirely sure what the difference is in struts/shocks between this package and the non Z71 package. At just over 100k I went with the 5100's on the highest clip (1.85" of level) and noticed a huge difference in how the truck handles over both small and large cracks/potholes/railroad tracks/etc. Main advantage was no more of the rear end trying to pass the front and shifting sideways over larger blemishes in the road, especially train tracks. Well worth the upgrade for around $400 IMO. As John said above, truck feels more planted and stable over everything.

How was the application process on the cquartz? I've been meaning to get to mine but will have no time until late fall. Have a whole new arsenal of cutting/polishing products but can't decide on a coating. My top three have been UK 3.0, Gyeon Mohs Q2 and Gtechniq Crystal Serum.

I upgraded to the OEM L86 TB/intake manifold on my 5.3 paired with a DiabLew tune. Only other motor mods are a Airaid MIT and catch can (if you even call that a mod LOL). Well worth the swap IMO. Slight butt dyno increase in performance, mostly in the low to mid range.

This^^!! It was a pretty drastic improvement in ride quality all around after I installed mine. I put them on the highest setting (1.85" of lift on the fronts) and it leveled it perfectly. Only issue I have now is hauling 1-2 dirt bikes/gear/tools in the bed has a slight reverse rake to it, and if I drive at night I like to aim my headlights down a bit. It irritates the hell out of me when someone doesn't know how to align their headlights, or they're just plain stupid and blind everyone with 55W HID's in a halogen reflector housing. Might move the clip to the 3rd notch to see if I can eliminate this. Anyways, the main thing I noticed.. going over train tracks, potholes (when you can't avoid them!), larger cracks in the road, etc. the rear end doesn't feel like it want to pass the front. Sort of feels like the truck reacts better to them and is more stable. All in all, they are a huge upgrade compared to the stock Ranchos.. but I have to say after you get use to them, you'll want to go with the fox 2.0's like myself haha.

I've seen a lot of mixed reviews on this HU.. One option I've been waiting on is the Stinger Heigh10. Only problem is availability and price. $1100 for the HU, $430 for the dash kit and all wiring.. and it's not even compatible with Bose so that put's me out. I assume you can do something with the LLJ Customs Bose harness but at almost $2K I'd rather have the Alpine restyle. https://stingerelectronics.com/products/sr-gm14h

That is WAY too clean for being in MN. LOL looks amazing!

Yep, what Peter said. Here's a link to a cheap all black Denali mesh style grille. The fit and color are actually really good for the price (although I'm not certain this is the exact same one I have, found mine on FB marketplace but definitely isn't OEM).. You'll need to swap the inner plastic shroud from your OEM grille as well as the GMC logo. I also had issues with the tabs for the bumper filler piece fitting into the lower section of the grille, nothing a dremel and sawzall couldn't fix. https://www.amazon.com/HECASA-Bumper-Grille-Square-Compatible/dp/B08PJSPSKN/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=2014+gmc+sierra+denali+grille&qid=1623423626&replacementKeywords=denali+grille&sr=8-1-spons&vehicle=2014-48-548------------&vehicleName=2014+GMC+Sierra+1500&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUE2RVVWQ0FTOTFWTEMmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAxNDkwMzk4NU1HVExBNzhLQ1gmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDk3NDQxNjExMURXR1FJU0xYSUkmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

Maybe I've been thinking this wrong since I did the thermostat mod (I didn't "flip" the pill, I used the 1/4" NPT tap with a brass plug method) To my recollection, the point of the thermostat is when the fluid temp hits the designated temp (180F?) the cooler bypass (tstat) opens up and starts to cool the transmission.. If there is no thermostat, it recirculates fluid at all times causing it to heat up slower? I always thought too cold is just as bad as too hot since the fluid is less viscous.. Like I said, maybe I'm overthinking it and am by no means an expert when it comes to transmissions! I find it pretty funny, on my dads AT4 w/ the 6.2/10spd, hauling a 7x14 all aluminum trailer with 2k lbs in it on the interstate, it runs no warmer than 160F. Wonder what they did in the new 10 speeds that allows for a much cooler temp.. factory trans cooler, different thermostat, etc.

Well worth it! Cruising on 94 down to your neck of the woods Friday I never reached above 170, ambient air temps showed around 97-100. Only thing I worry about is our cold winters, but I never had an issue this past cold season. I think next winter I will install the sure-cool tstat and see how well it heats the fluid up on my short drive to work. Those -20 degree days I only saw about 100F trans temp by the time I reached work, hence the worrying...

Highly recommend DiabLew (Lewis Eaton) custom tune. The stock canned tunes Diablosport provides do not even compare to his. I only gained about 1-2 mpg's but the low end torque and shift points were the main improvements. Free retune updates within a year of purchasing if you end up getting headers, L86 intake manifold/TB, etc.. https://www.diablewtune.com/

Found these somewhat local OEM Denali articulating running boards for a good deal on FB marketplace. Not mine, but hoping to help someone out and score! https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/463982354936578/

Is it weird the first thing I noticed were the green and yellow crocs you had on? Sounds great, how's the drone at highway speed?