Another JR

My axle ratings are the same as your regular cab but my gross weight rating is 11,500 lbs vs your 11,100. I don’t know what drives that. Could be any of several things.

Why would I lie?

https://www.gmc.com/trucks/sierra/2500hd/sle-slt/build-and-price/config Have you used this site? It should tell you what’s offered?

I live in a two-plate state, so I ordered the front plate holder (free) but did not have the dealer install it because I wanted it to be removable with no holes left in the lower grille plastic. The parts have been sitting for a few months and I finally got around to figuring how to mount it. The holder has a deep 1x6 inch rectangular recess behind the upper middle that creates a 1x6 surface that almost touches the bumper when the holder is in place. I thought I’d use some of that really strong double stick automotive trim tape (two layers) to hold it on the bumper, with a tight tether holding the lower mounting ears to the grill in case the tape failed so I don’t lose the plate and holder. Unfortunately, the tape didn’t stick well to the smooth plastic. After thinking about it a bit, I thought of filling the recess with bar magnets. Worked great! I still did the tether, but it’s not going anywhere. I have to pull pretty hard to get it off. The mounting ears hold it in the exact position and in fact take the vertical loads. The magnets just have to hold it to the bumper. If I or a future owner want to have no front plate holder, it just pulls off and I untie the safety tether loop. I can post a picture and show the magnets I used - $6 worth of ceramic magnets from Home Depot - if anyone is interested.

I don’t have any particular recommendations, but just in case you didn’t know, Craigslist at least in my area typically has sets of nearly new takeoff 18 and 20 inch wheels/tires from these trucks. You can usually get a set for around $1000.

Yes, assuming the wheel and tire size is the same.

Wrong forum?

Sorry Polaris1man if my attempt at humor delayed people responding to you. Regarding gas mileage, I get a little over 17 unloaded on the highway at 65 over low altitude rolling terrain. Running 70 plus drops it down to 16. I get about 15 with my pop-up slide-in truck camper that weighs about 1700 lbs and sticks up sbout 12 inches above the cab. I can’t offer any towing numbers yet. Like I said, I’m very happy with the gas engine and 6 spd transmission for my use, including some towing of an 8000 lb boat trailer. My only complaint about the truck is not engine specific: the visibility to the front for off roading sucks because of the stupid “I drive a semi” high front end styling, and the giant mirrors seriously block the view of cross traffic and pedestrians at intersections. Even after four months if driving it I still occasionally slam on the brakes turning a corner because i see a car speeding at me from the right in my peripheral vision when really it’s a car passing behind me appearing in the huge mirror that blocks the front third of the passenger window. I’m surprised the DOT allowed those mirrors. I’m hoping for an aftermarket mirror change, but not holding my breath.

There are several recent threads that cover this subject. I’ll sum up: Bottom line is a bunch of us have bought the gas truck and are very happy with it. Meanwhile, the diesel guys tell us we should have bought the diesel.

Thanks everyone, and thanks newdude for posting that chart. That answers my question clearly.

So those two answers above provide conflicting information. Do you know which is correct for a 2021? I’ll ask the dealer, but I’m not sure if I can trust their answer given their track record on technical questions.

I have a 2021 3500HD SLT Gas. I’ve read the manual, which says you can shift into L at any speed, and then use the + and - switch to set the highest allowed gear within limits set by the transmission computer. When I’ve tried it at low speed, the transmission downshifts to the lowest possible gear for the driving speed. Is that what happens if I was to shift into L at 60 or 70 when starting a climb? Shifting down to 3rd or 4th and 4 or 5k rpm, or does it stay in the current gear until you set a lower highest gear? I’ve been too cautious to try it.

I spent some time trying find it again via web search last night. No luck. I know I posted a link to it in a previous string, so I’ll look at my posting history next. I don’t remember the table showing part numbers - just axle ratings with the various configurations and options, which told you how many 400 lb steps you were above the base suspension for your configuration for the camper and plow options.

There are multiple part numbers and stiffnesses of torsion bars depending on the specific cab and bed, diesel vs gas, camper pkg, and snow plow package. There’s a table on line showing all the configurations. I’ll see if i can find it again. You should be able to contact an oem parts dealer and figure out the base torsion bars for your cab/bed/engine. On some of the configurations the camper pkg is one step up and the plow is another step up in stiffness and axle rating. Other configurations just go up the same one step for both options. If you feel your truck rides like a Ford, and if your truck is willing to forgive you for saying that, I recommend you back down to the base torsion spring even if it’s two steps. I have the camper package and, while it’s still a comfortable ride, it’s stiffer than I wanted for our lightweight slide in camper. I’m thinking of installing the base torsion springs.

When i was doing research for my purchase I’m pretty sure I read that the bigger axle gears only are on the diesel 3500hd.

A big part of why the manual recommends speed and towing limitation during a break in period Is to keep the loads and heat generation low on the brand new ring and pinion gears in the axle until they wear a bit and spread out the contact area on the gear teeth. They recommend staying below 55 during the break in period. That can be difficult for users who immediately have to put the truck into full service. You might be getting more noise than you expect because the teeth are not worn in yet. You sure it’s not tire noise? That’s the noise i hear most in my truck at highway speed. My truck has 2000 miles on it and I have original Michelins on it.

Plus THIS gasser is particularly good, and will likely be sought after as a used truck.

Gas engine should do the hauling you describe just fine. I am very happy with the gas engine and the transmission in my 2021 SLT, and glad I didn’t get diesel.

I’ve recently tried to get it to do the hard shift a few times in the same conditions that it previously did it and I can’t get it to do a hard shift. Apparently it learns not to do it eventually. I’m at 1800 miles.

I get the desirability of the jump seat. I ordered it in my Yukon when our kids were younger. I just wanted to make sure the OP recognizes that there are big differences in the seat options and one configuration might be uncomfortable for him. I found the base seating (which happens to have a jump seat in the middle) uncomfortable before I even got off the lot on my test drive. It wasn’t the jump seat that was objectionable, it was the driver seat itself. My point was one should sit in the seats for a while before ordering or buying.

Have you sat in the seats? I don’t remember which seats the LT has but the base seats with the center jump seat are horrible in my opinion and I could tell that almost immediately, whereas the buckets in the upper packages are very comfortable. Make sure you sit in the seats you are ordering.

Regarding your question about total price, we could take a guess at what will be charged (sales tax, license fees, document prep fee, etc) but you’ll get the best estimate by calling the dealer’s finance office (the person you sit down with to sign papers and complete the purchase).

I can only guess what they are for, but maybe they are provisions for a trailer connector that has camera connections. I think all the trucks have those connectors in the bumper but the similar connector in the left rear of the bed for 5th wheel trailers is an option. Maybe they are provisions for that optional connector.

Those are FAKRA connectors, used for video signals and data networks. What trim level is your truck?