Amcguy1970

Here is a life hack OP in regard to maintenance. If you change it to Amsoil, you never have to change any of your fluids again. The up-front costs are all savings after the third oil change as they are lifetime fluid... Now you will be required to attend their yearly company outing to celebrate the top sales leaders and go in for a presentation prior to purchase (similar to a timeshare), but one and done. Well worth it! Tyler

Stick some tie down rings in there. Covers the hole and is useful for tying items down. Win/Win Tyler

No, but it will void the suspension warranty that it interacts with and probably what the OP wants to avoid as a precaution. Ball joints, a-arms, CV joints, tie rods, etc. If you go larger and heavier on tires or offset the rims it can also void the wheel bearing warranty. So no, it won't void your vehicles warranty, just parts it interacts with. They have bulletins out to their techs specifically looking out for pucks, spacers, lifts, etc and what the vehicle is in for warranty work. They don't want to pay if something the owner did broke and nor should they, it will just be denied... Tyler

I can tell when I have double jetskis behind the truck from movements to sounds and the slight drag when accelerating among other clues. Never understood this saying as it would have to be a very light trailer to not notice it. That boats roughly half the truck weight, I hope you know its back there. It is even worse when guys nearly load down their truck to max and want to brag they don't feel it, though it is usually the Tundra guys that say that. Tyler

"That only matters when you have a very short torque curve... these 6.2s are like a 454/8.1 as far as torque curve. " Are we looking at the same torque curve? The 8.1 has over 90% or its torque available around 1k rpm and peaks around 3k, it doesn't like to rev much and is similar to the old V8's making a ton more torque (which peaked way low) than HP and wasn't rev happy. The 8.1 makes peak HP just over 4k rpm, nearly 1500rpm lower than the 6.2. The 6.2 likes to rev, makes only 70% of its peak torque a little over 1k rpm and peaks the torque out over 4k rpm while HP goes all the way to 5600. The 6.2 in the trucks is very similar to the corvette/camaro motor (at the time), not exactly a stump pulling torque monster that 496 or 454 were known for. Gotta rev it to make its power. This is why these smaller turbo motors are great, you get most all the goods of the torque way down low as can still make great power up top. Best of both worlds. Tyler

The higher you go the worse the ride, nature of how that level works. Go with #4, you won't notice a half inch difference. Better to leave some rake as these trucks look nose high when measuring level, the front ends are so large and sit above the bed. Tyler

What are you trying to accomplish with this post? This is the first I or probably anyone has heard of this in the new gen trucks. The last gen SUV's had an issue similar to what you were describing. If you had a previous vehicle do it then it very well could be a placebo effect, or you are just overly sensitive. If it bothers you then trade it in. Could be an isolated issue with yours or nothing is there. Who knows. Good luck though. Tyler

I have heard if you email Mary directly at her work email she sees everything and will fix any complaints a person may have Tyler

Look at that glare from above the hood, oncoming traffic must love you. Tyler

If bugs hit then rocks can and is exactly what happened. Paint on all vehicles is much thinner these days, need to do a clear bra on metal painted parts to protect it or it will chip. Probably SOL on paint parts like that on the front end after that much time/miles. Tyler

They have problems, shoot auto 4wd doesn't work with some of those kits. Stacking kits is never a good idea. Some don't have issues that they share or know about, they will still wear out parts sooner in the long run and have other handling/driving characteristic issues that are more an annoyance than an issue... Not sure why someone would want to do this, it is the equivalent of cutting your springs to drop, just the cheap and incorrect way of doing it that causes more harm than good. Pictures show they have some good angles, not extreme but not good for longevity either. I don't know about you, but I don't care to replace front end parts before 100k if I don't have to. Trail Boss Leveling with Diff Drop? | Chevy Trail Boss Forum Tyler

So the GCWR sticker (truck and trailer capacity) is not law which some of you are arguing? You are also arguing that is can be adjusted with some springs and gear change among other things? That is what the OP is asking. Not what you used to do 30+ years ago and never got caught doing. I do know you cannot change that sticker which the manufacturer sets forth, same with payload which is why some of those guys who tow heavy complain about what their sticker says. Tyler

96k, you didn't spend enough to have the trouble-free version or the repaired in the same week option. Not sure what the amount you paid has to do with it, does that mean you are entitled to a higher priority than someone who spent 50k on their truck? It sucks but times aren't how they used to be. Every company is hurting for people, parts, transportation, etc. It is going to take a while sometimes to get replacement parts and it sucks even more when it is a major part that doesn't allow it to be driven. But these are mechanical items with thousands of parts assembled by people and machines, as things get more complicated more tends to go wrong. Best of luck, if it was a good dealer they should have had some type of back up or paid for a similar rental for the business to keep running. Tyler

So you want to stack lifts, on top of lifts, on top of lifts? You have the factory AT4 lift of 2", we will call that stock but it is a lift. Then you added a preload spacer to go higher, and now you want to add a bottom or top hat spacer to make it 2.25" above the stock AT4 2" height? No good and asking for control arm issues among other things. Read up on here, AT4 forums and Trail Boss forums, tons of info on that subject and why it is not a good idea. I believe even going to 2" above standard AT4/TB height causes issues with the autotrac 4wd system. Either way stacking is bad and this is another example of why I won't buy a used truck. Tyler

Ford has parts sourcing problems too and they are having bigger quality problems than GM. Either way 4 months is too long, but you can't replace what you don't have and these times are still unprecedented. Not sure where the screw up is. They are trying to fix an issue that could have easily been something else with Dodge, Ford, Toyota and so on. Hopefully the dealer is treating you well and look on the bright side, you are saving months of miles and wear and tear on your truck unless there is something you specifically need it for. Tyler

Fixed that for you. The high country is the top end street trim, it should not be blacked out, the people who buy those trucks aren't 19. Chrome has always been associated with luxury and class, that hasn't changed and that is who they are trying to target with these trucks, the ones with money in most cases (they tend to be older). Gun to my head, chrome over black hands down. A balance is much better though. Chrome bumper for sure (they are much more durable than paint), aluminum silver wheels or a gunmetal (everyone and the suburban moms have black wheels which are just plain with no character), chrome trim surround grill with black center and then some painted handles and mirror caps and so on. The blacked outlook fad should be dying any day now. Though offering a package isn't a bad idea... Tyler

Need some more clarification on this. If it had the 4.3 it wasn't a unibody, that was a full framed SUV built on the S10 chassis. Second, those had a pretty solid towing capacity, somewhere between 5k and 6k with the 4.3. A 24' camping trailer should put it under or close to the max capacity. He may have been a little over but not enough where you can't control yourself laughing. Anything made to tow is done so where a buffer is built in, that shouldn't have killed that truck. The 4.3 and 4L60 combo was pretty stout back then. If it failed it is because it was already on its last legs (maybe lack of maintenance or abuse) and if it failed again right after because it had a lemon of a replacement, not because it was so severely overloaded and it cooks it self in a few hundred miles, not sure where the humor is in that with a string of bad luck, but to each their own if that is funny. Granted there is tons that go in to this. Was it a 2 door, was it high miles and neglected. Was it modified, did he move his whole life in to it and the trailer was nearly double the weight? Most 24 footers today are around 4-4500lbs, and those years SUV's tended to have springs that sagged especially as they aged, so that just made it look worse than it really was. we towed a 21ft cuddy cabin boat with a Astron van (same chassis and drive train). It was 3900 dry. so 5k with trailer before anything. We went all around the great lake with a family of 4 with out an issue. That van made it to somewhere north of 200k before we sold it without a major issue, only an alternator. To this day my pops says that is the best vehicle he ever owned. Looking back it was overloaded some (probably about the same as your BIL if he even was), but it took it like a champ. Those were good vehicle, it did sag and eventually replaced it with a 1500 Sierra to tow. I am paying more and more attention to the 2500 6.6 gassers, I may go that route next time. My only issues are ride versus the half ton and the off road worthiness as we do make back country trips out went in our current full size. Widths are about the same and wheel base with the standard bed shouldn't be much difference. Have some time to decide but I am swaying that way as we tow, have toys and want to go more down that route as we get older. Tyler

That is what we call a placebo effect. For as little hp as these types of mods gain they aren't noticeable, just the change in sounds make it seem that way. I added a OTR (over the radiator) set up to my GTO. They really make a difference and track tested a few mph through the traps faster than stock with much lower IAT's (intake air temps). Even adding that I didn't notice any change except when pulling from a dig, the lower IAT's meant it pulled a bunch less timing and I could tell in the summer in Texas. Tyler

Why would we need a warning to know if the tailgate is down? The whole point is being able to drive with it down when carrying large cargo. Atleast a 1/4 of the time I haul something I need to have the tailgate down, last thing I need to hear or see is a light on or beeping. Just secure anything in the bed before driving off, problem solved. If it opens, then it isn't going anywhere. These trucks really need to stop catering to the non-truck crowd. The whole electronic tailgate is silly. I dig the multiflex/pro tailgate, but since it is electronic and how much abuse and dirt a tailgate sees, I will not get one unless they add a manual non-powered version. The more complex these trucks get to cater to the suburban dads the worse off they are becoming for reliability. OP, it isn't that hard to check, just open it and drive... Tyler

New. Lower interest rate, full warranty, 0 miles so you know how it has been driven. Used there are too many dummies who modify trucks incorrectly and cause problems for the next owner. Neglecting maintenance, big level, wide off set tires, wired in accessories, just flat out abuse, etc. I won't chance a used DD, buy new and drive it for a long time pays for itself. 7-10 years later value should not be of a concern, especially when used might cost you more in the long run with any potential repairs. Tyler

You don't NEED it, you WANT it. Just ask the dealer, some may and some may not, only your local dealer will tell you not some guy on the other side of the country. Tyler

You'll be just fine, here is that exact truck on that trail and it does very well. You don't need a front locker contrary to what many seem to think. These things have a front brake-based traction system that will pull 99.98% of anyone up and through what they get themselves in to. You have to be in an EXTREME situation to where a front locker is of any benefit over a front traction system. It may take a second or two longer and be a little jerky while it thinks its way through, but it will be all you need with less of a chance of damage to a fragile front locker set up (there is a reason so few IFS vehicles have ever had one, a locked system isn't good with the geometry and movements an IFS goes through). A rear locker is by far more important than a front locker for anything a pickup will see or do. Here it is on Kane Creek that is a 6 out of 10 on the difficulty rating. Tyler

That's a modification though that significantly improves mpg and hp, so you can't say that with those mods. It's like someone saying they are just bolt ons but have heads/cam set up, that is just misleading... Tyler

Disables fuel saving measures, then complains about poor mpg. Is this a serious thread? Let's do a little math here. Both AFM and stop start are said to save between 5-10% depending on conditions each. So, lets say each saves 7.5%, that is 15% in fuel savings (or lost if you defeat them). If you were averaging 11 mpg and now averaging 9.5mpg, that is almost exactly 15% difference before and after. Granted it all depends on driving situation, but those percentages are optimal really on the high end and suboptimal on the lower end. Either way, that is exactly where you should be after defeating those two devices. No, nothing is wrong with your truck. Tyler

Says that guy that works for BFG trying to make a sale. I remember your posts, they were quite funny from someone not familiar with how a leaf sprung live axle works when driving fast on a rough slick road. Fords, Dodges, even my buddies Tacomas rears get a little happy on certain washboards or rough roads. As stated before, there is NO SAFETY ISSUE, only a driver issue. I am not even going to get in to the loyal overrated BFG part of the post... Tyler