Duramax3oh

This thread has some great discussion around MPG so I wanted to share my recent experience now that I've actually towed for the first time. This all takes place between Houston and Austin on 290 which is for all intents and purposes a pretty flat drive. There are some hilly sections but a very far cry from being in mountainous regions. This is stock Crew Cab Z71 with 3.0L, 3.23 axel ratio and the 275/60R20 Bridgestone Dueler A/T RHS at 36psi cold temp. Only additions to truck are spray-in bedliner, Bakflip fibermax bed cover, and AMP research power steps. Had Equalizer WD hitch in bed which weighs ~ 100lbs (edit: and wife in car... driver and passenger combined weight probably 280 lbs) 1) Regular driving mode, Unloaded drive Hou-ATX [one stop at Buc-cees (no gas) and a drive-thru for lunch]: 179.4 miles 26.3 mpg avg(per DIC), largely going 65-75 mph, max at 80 for brief period 2) Tow/Haul driving mode, Loaded with 23' 5,000 lb Airstream drive ATX-HOU [no stops]: 183.1 miles 15.9 mpg avg(per DIC), largely going 60-70 mph although I got up to high 70's without realizing it at all. You gotta watch this pup! 3) Total combined miles of 371.5 (includes unloaded + loaded drives + 9 miles from storage to home) - 17.867 gallon refuel = 20.79 combined mpg (slight decrease in avg from just averaging the above two figures bc truck was idling for a long period at the trailer dealer while doing walk-thru, setting up rear trailer camera, etc.) This was my first experience towing anything. I will say the combination of this truck, the engine, transmission, and the weight distributing hitch far surpassed my expectations (maybe I tend to worry too much). I was extremely impressed with the overall handling and feel. Trailer tracked my truck like a shadow, did not feel any effects from semi's passing me by... it was a very easy tow. TLDR: This truck is a little badass and I love it.

Which Michelins did you go with? Are they the Defender LTX M/S in stock size 275/60R20 by chance? Impressions on ride feel and mileage compared to stock? Thx

Brought home this bad boy today. The 3.0L towed like an absolute champ. Equalizer 4pt WD hitch performed to perfection too.

What are the height settings for the front 5100's, for a 2020 Silverado 1500 4WD LT? In pictures and I believe generally, there's been 4 different settings. I can't find the "lift" for each individual setting just the range (e.g. 0-2.5") I downloaded the instructions from bilstein to see and there's 6 settings on that shee (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5)

Congrats! So you would say hands down better ride now? Don't feel bad about getting the Z71 package. Forget the ranchos, it also came with 2-speed transfer case, automatic locking rear differential, skid plates, hill descent... still worth it ?

Awesome! Welcome to the 3.0 family. I don't hand calculate often, but everytime I do it has been better than what the DIC indicates. Not staggering by any means but a little higher which is great

I've had check engine light come on twice now but go away both times. *1st time was after sitting in my car, idling for well over an hour, turned off for the day. Next morning came out, started it up and light was on. Drove around for a while, still on. Turn car off, came back later started it up and light was off. *2nd time was more recent, light was on. Ended up making a 40+ mile highway drive, still on. Next day it was on, drove around for a while on highway to see if it would go out, didn't. Next morning started up, light on so I set up a service appointment at the dealership. Drove to dealership and the light went of on my way there. lol One of the recall things they had to check and replace was this: N202300791 Diesel Exhaust Fluid System Inactive. Cause: recall. reprogrammed reductant control module with sps wcc: 14yn45480655 If that means anything for you all ETA - it's been running just fine, no light or anything since then. About 500-600 miles driven

Does anyone have pics of your leveled truck while towing a trailer? I'm curious to see the "weight/squat ratio"...

Nice. My wife drove the truck on our last trip back home. She has a lead foot and was absolutely screaming down the highway. I thought for sure a trooper would bust her but luckily not. Definitely 80+ with a heavy foot. I just looked at the DIC for the 280 miles after reset and it shows 24 mpg which I was pleasantly surprised by. Little city majority highway all flat land

This is my favorite thread and hasn't been posted on in 2+ months! Let's see some more leveled trucks! ?

Another question, how do the stock Bridgestone Dueler AT (275/60R20) handle towing a medium sized load of this size? I will have to use stock vehicle set up to start... the KO2s on their own should be a huge improvement right?

Thanks Jared. I've considered the deavers and probably should look into more details on those because I'm not too familiar on what you might gain vs give up. Example: original intent was for just a superior on-road daily driving feel - would that result in a certain spec'd deaver spring.... but now I want the better feel and for sure will be towing ~5000 lbs on occasion, would the original deaver weighting/spec be too soft and I should look at 'stronger'/'stiffer'? I'll probably start off with a block in the rear and stock leafs to get started and look into deaver more

Thanks topgear. Luckily it's a Silverado LT so there will be less (hopefully no) chopping the front wheel well up over the Sierra for the tires. Unfortunately with LT there is no rear block already. This is one part I'm kind of struggling with and I think I'll probably work on the 'stance' of the truck in stages.... wanting to be level day to day but then dealing with a sag when towing. Just ordered the equalizer weight distributing hitch so that will help. I'll probably wait to get exact measurements and then do what I need to do for the rear end (maybe an inch rake under normal conditions).

I think I've pinpointed most all the moving parts (no pun intended) and could use your expert advice to either comfort me this will all be good, or redirect me to better accomplish my end goals. Thank you in advance Goals: 1) Better proportioned, slightly more athletic/aggressive stance of the truck (leveled, not lifted - need to enter occasional parking garage). 2) Better suspension to soak up all the potholes and bumps and provide a superb driving experience (previously had a '17 Raptor and desire a similar suspension feel). 3) Vast majority of time will be a Daily Driver vehicle, with occasional long distance highway driving (think largely pavement princess, but will let her free to have fun every once in a while). 4) Will be used for occasional towing of a 23 foot travel trailer weighing approximately 4,800 lbs dry with 665 lb hitch weight (Edit - went with 23' trailer over 20'). Anticipated Solutions: 1) King 2.5 front coilovers and rear 2.5 shocks, with remote reservoirs (but not compression adjusters), hopefully front lift set to 1.5-2.0" (my natural rake is not near as severe as most, want 'just' enough lift for increased tire size). I have settled on these from Filthy over Fox/Icon 2) BDS Upper Control Arm (https://www.jackit.com/bds-121253.html), this is where I struggled the most, in choosing an UCA. I want a quality UCA and think ball joint > uniball for my purposes 3) Rear block to make sure stance is level, possibly with small rake (probably 1.0-1.5" most likely). 4) BFGoodrich All Terrain KO2 size 275/65R20 on stock wheels (would like the 34" height and to fill up the wheel well a bit more, same width as stock to limit excess "drag" from highway driving). 5) Trailering/Towing - weight distributing hitch for sure (Edit - purchased the Equal-i-zer 4 point) Some main questions: 1) Is anyone familiar with the BDS UCA? Thoughts on it to serve my needs? Should this work with the 275/65R20's and stock wheels? 2) Towing - does anyone have strong recommendations for a weight distributing hitch? Is anyone familiar with Andersen model that uses chains instead of metal rod (https://andersenhitches.com/Catalog/weight-distribution-kits.aspx)? 3) Towing - with the above suspension/leveled/trailer and tongue weight... are airbags warranted to look at? 4) Towing - anyone familiar with Roadmaster Active Suspension (https://activesuspension.com/suspension-kits/)? 5) Rear end - my initial thought is to maintain factory leaf springs and add rear block. Should I consider new/adding rear leafs? I don't want it too stiff during daily driving Thank you again ?

https://www.suspensionconnection.com/883-26-003-fox-silverado-1500-2015.html I just found this online as I continue to debate King vs. Fox now that the front 2.5 coilovers are out. The website states the rear 2.5 for 2007-2020 models but that seems odd, can it be right?

Thanks for taking the time to explain that, very informative. Luckily I won’t even really notice because I kind of baby my truck. But in hindsight I wish I would have looked into that and will be mentioning this at least to people looking to purchase one.

Thank you gents! GU5 (3.23) it is. So would it be safe to say the 3.23 is “worst” for towing but “best” for highway mpg? And 3.73 “best” for towing and “worst” for highway mpg?

Can you explain this a little more please? I love the 40/20/40 front bench so I got that. Have Z71 off-road package but don’t think I’ve seen the Z71 diesel package. What’s the easiest way for me to see what gear option I have?

Thanks. I’m searching for the right UCAs and just can’t make up my mind

Now that’s a fine looking rig there! Did you go with aftermarket upper control arms or still using the stock/oem?

I added DEF for the first time yesterday at 4,025 miles. I had one full bar remaining and it didn’t come full from the dealer. It was a little over half full when I got it. I picked up Blue DEF from autozone. Did you guys know it’s not actually blue? ?

These came today and I put them in. The instructions say to cut the part off the would go under the fabric storage part but I decided to keep it all one piece. The only part I had to cut was around where the jack is stored. Very easy and pleased with them!

I've got the regular single floor mats in the rear and keep getting dog hair all over the carpeting, so today I ordered the GM factory full rear floor liner. Looking forward to being able to just vacuum up the back in a matter of seconds. This is the one most people recommend, correct? Over Weathertech and Husky? https://accessories.chevrolet.com/product/crew-cab-second-row-interlocking-premium-all-weather-floor-liner-in-jet-black-for-at4-z71-84348198?year=2020&make=Chevrolet&model=Silverado 1500&modelId=491&body=Crew Cab Pickup&bodyId=22&wheel=Short Box&wheelId=651&trim=LT&trimId=430&drive=4WD&driveId=8&engine=3.0L L6 DIESEL&engineId=17881&bodyNumDoors=5

The dealership I was working with got the truck I wanted shipped to them and it happened to have the lettering inlays installed already. I wanted to keep things clean and simple so I was a little upset at first but they grew on me instantly. I love the slight contrast. They are a matte charcoal grey which I think looks fantastic on the black truck.

LT = Light Truck P = Passenger LT will be heavier due to its construction, stronger sidewall, better for towing and off road. Passenger a softer more comfortable on road ride but less capable towing/off road.