Mossyoakglock

Update two: I was under the truck again and just by chance checked the in CV and noticed some play so I have a few questions... 1. Is this normal amount of play? 2. Could this likely be the noise I'm hearing? 3. Can the inner splines be greased? I had to replace the passenger side (my fault) and when I removed the OE one there was no fluid on the splines. Wasn't sure if the female splines on the diff side were sealed off or if they shared the front diff fluid Other than that play, the front CV is solid. I'm wondering if adding grease to the inner CV splines will help with the noise. Drive Side CV Driver Side CV Driver Side CV Passenger CV Passenger CV

Update... Spent some time going every nut & bolt I could find on the front even including the body mounts and I'm still getting a little clunk. I checked every other conceivable thing that could move and everything is solid. I also loosened the UCA bolts, rocked the truck to settle everything and retorqued. It seems to be more prominent on the little bumps at 25 mph or less. Anything faster or bigger bump it doesn't seem to be there. I did find a random Facebook post in a GM truck group where the guy installed a level kit w/ upper arms and started getting a clunk soon after and it ended up being his lower ball joints. This has me thinking it's either the lower ball joints or just the nature of the coilovers (I don't think a bad hub would clunk?) Or could it just be the valve/piston moving on the slow compressions that I'm hearing? I'm at the point where I'm about to replace the lower arm. I figure I'll get a greaseable ball joint and maybe better lower arm bushings?

I've only had the coilovers on for maybe 2,000 miles so most of that mileage is stock. The active shutters are likely not an issue since I have most of them removed. I just kept the main one in that ties all the arms together. But I'll check it out to make sure nothing looks out of place. Ive checked the UCA bolts as well and they are tight along with the caliper bolts. I might put a little bit of blue loctite on the UCA bolts just in case. As for warranty I'm past the 3-year period so I'd likely have to pay for them. If I'm going to do that I might as well swap out the entire arm and not mess with pressing out the old ball joints.

Is it unheard of or common for a lower ball joint to go out at 28,000, specifically on the T1 trucks? I have DirtKing coilovers and Cognito UCA with bolt-in ball joints. The Cognito ball joints went back pretty quickly and I replaced them with Moog. While that fixed most of the clunk, I'm still getting a slight clunk. Mostly when turning in somewhere that has either a decline or incline. I checked them and did not see any play either. I also checked AllData and the only things listed is testing the lower ball joint or complete lower control arm replacement. Can the lower ball joint be replaced on the T1 trucks? I looks like they are similar to the GMT-900 where there is a lip that needs to be removed prior to pressing out. I have also checked every other nut and bolt associated with the front suspension, drivetrain and steering and nothing else seems loose.

Thanks for confirming

I have a 22.5 (refresh) Silverado with LM2 and MQC 10-speed. I believe the TBV on the gas trucks opens around 145 degrees, but it's the Duramax equipped trucks that I'm getting some conflicting information on. I've read it opens at 158 degrees but also read where it opens at 192-196 degrees. Does anybody know for certain at what temp the TBV opens up at on the Duramax trucks? I recently did a fluid and filter change and I might not have gotten the truck up to the right temp. I checked it at the required 167-176 degree mark but not sure I got it warm enough to circulate through the cooler.

I purchased a set of Cognito's UCA for my 22.5 Silverado refreshed 1500 with the bolt-in ball joint. I just received them and noticed that the ball joint they come with cannot be greased. While I wait for my coilovers, I want to order a new pair that can be greased. Does anybody know what the Moog equivalent ball joint is? I've searched and coming up with both K6292 and K6136. These are the ones I bought - Cognito Upper Control Arms

So I ordered some DirtKing 2.0 coilovers and rear shocks but I was about 12 hours too late. I had them in my cart on the 4th and they were in stock. I didn't get around to ordering them until the 5th and as my luck would have it, they are now 6-10 weeks out. But, DK has made me an deal/offer on the 2.5 remote reservoirs but still puts me over my budget I had allowed. My question is upgrading to a 2.5 from a 2.0 worth it for my driving style? I drive on road 99% of the time which is interstate and your normal in-town roads. I also drive on some backroad/country roads that can be pretty twisty and not always the best maintained. My "off-road" is slow through fields to hunt/fish or gravel roads. If I drive 20-30 mph on the gravel road that's driving fast. I know where the 2.5s would really shine is driving the truck hard offroad but I don't do that so I would not be taking full advantage of what a 2.5 can offer. While I don't haul or tow super heavy, I do use the truck as a truck. If I tow, 4500-5000 lbs would be the heaviest I would tow (I had Airlift bags as well). So, disregarding cost, is it worth it to go with a 2.5 over a 2.0 given my driving conditions and being primarily an on-pavement truck? I'm looking to reduce bodyroll and nose-diving on braking and just overall improving the ride over the stock Ranchos. I know this should probably be a no-brainer but just not sure I really need a 2.5 external reservoir coilover for an additional $1,000+. Part of me says to do it and take advantage of the offer they are giving me to upgrade even though it's still pricey but the other side says stick with the 2.0 since the 2.5 would be way overkill (and I would never come anywhere close to using them to their full potential) and don't want to be "that guy" that has 2.5's just to say they have them.

I think I'll give it a try. I've got a little of the M21 left which I plan on using up in the next week or so and then I'll go with Blackfire. I usually do a full detail 2-3 times a year and top with a spray sealant between. I've had great results with the M21 and figure it lasts about the same since my truck is garage kept. I also think it's overall better than any of the Wolfgang stuff I used. Easier to apply and remove, made the paint slicker and beaded better. Looking forward to trying the Blackfire next.

I'm currently using Meguiars 21 as my main sealant and then I'll refresh it periodically with Griot's Ceramic Speed Shine. This has been a pretty good combination but always looking around for something better and I have been eyeing Blackfire. I'm thinking of trying Blackfire's Paint Sealant and their Si02 spray sealent as a topper/refresher. Have you used either of these and if so, how did you like them?

I looked through a few other sites since it had been a month or two since I last looked and this is what I found. Driver Pass 1500 Z71 85660606 85660607 1500 TrailBoss 85660606 85660607 1500 ZR2 85660608 85660609 I'd like to see them side-by-side for a visual comparison and find out exactly what the difference is.

My thoughts exactly. If the ZR2 does have more travel, etc why are new upper arms not included in either the TB or ZR2 kits. @AJMBLAZER, can you post the ZR2 part numbers? Might bite the bullet and just order them if they are not too pricey compared to aftermarket ones. Just to see if I can see any visual differences compared to the non-ZR2 arms.

My wife's company car (BMW 330i) uses CarPlay and goes full screen and really like it. I think it looks much cleaner. I too would love for screen to be full screen when I'm either listening to the radio or have my phone connecting and playing music. I do like the split screen at times when I'm on a road trip and need music on one side and Waze on the other but if I'm just around town and don't need a map I would like for the music display to be full screen. Another thing that a slightly annoying is that the speedometer is on the left side on the new trucks where it was on the right on my 2008. I know that's trivial but sometimes it's annoying.

Are the UCAs different on the ZR2 vs all the others? I could never get a solid answer. Some people said they were all the same while the others have said the standard suspension and TB/AT4 were the same but the ZR2 was different. I've tried looking up part numbers online but most of them don't have them listed for '23's and up. I'm guessing they are the same because the TB/AT4 kit doesn't come with new UCAs and since that kit is "required" to get the DSSV kit, the DSSV kit doesn't come with new UCAs either. I have the TB suspension but now thinking about adding some coilovers for about a 1" level and would need to do UCAs at the same time. I'd also love to find a set of used DSSVs as I'm not paying retail for them. If I can go with stock ZR2 upper arms vs aftermarket, that's the route I'd like to go to keep everything GM for warranty purposes.

Did you ever decide and pull the trigger on a cover?

I have a 22.5 1500 LTZ with the Trail Boss suspension and toying with the idea of going with coilovers but also using the DSSV. For those that have had DSSV shocks on their non-ZR2 truck for some time now, how do you like them? Did they reduce bodyroll a significant amount? I'm trying to find a used set which could prove tough but I'm in no hurry so I can look for bit. One thing I also want to do is level the truck so looking to add about 1" up front. Do you think there would be an issue using a small strut spacer with the DSSV struts? Was it ever confirmed if the 1500 ZR2 uses a different UCA than the standard or Trail Boss/AT4 suspension to account for the increased angles? If there is a different, I would consider using a factory UCA vs aftermarket for warranty purposes.

Another thing on Retrax. You cannot easily take the canister cover off of the Retrax if you need to clean anything. The cover sits inside grooves of the rails so you actually have to remove the clamps, lift the rail assembly and then slide the canister cover towards the window. Might be hard to explain but you could probably see what I mean when watching an install video. There's a seal/brush on the front edge of the RNL cover which will keep most debris out, but you will get some stuff in the canister. I get those helicopter seeds and other small leaves but nothing major. I'll get sand when we go down to Florida to see family but I'll just take a hose a rinse it out.

No flapping/rattling or noise here when driving either. As for the water on the cover. In addition to the rake of the truck (or probably even leveled), with how the cover is under tension and uses a spring to retract, most of the water will probably be thrown off the cover as it retracts into the canister. If there is any residual water on the underside, it's very minimal and might not be enough to even drip down into the bed.

From what I found in my searching was there is only one retractable cover that can be opened from underneath and that's the Rough Country cover. It operates similarly to the RNL. It does not have an external latch and it does not lock. So with the RNL, you can open the cover with both the tailgate closed and/or open but the the RC, you have to open the tailgate. With the Multi-pro, you probably can just open the center section. As for the vinyl, I had a Pace Edwards on my 2008 for about 9 years before going to the Retrax. The cover was still in great shape when I sold it but the truck was garage-kept as well. I just washed it when I washed the truck and applied a protectant once a month or so. Here is a link to the RC Rough Country Cover

I keep one key in the truck and the second key in my toolbox in the garage. Being able to open the cover without opening the tailgate was another feature that I wanted. There are some retractable covers that do not have an external knob/latch. They have the latch like a tri-fold cover. I definitely like the look of the aluminum cover but with my past experience with the Retrax, I couldn't make myself go with the A-Series.

Yea, the only reason for the key is to lock/unlock the cover. I don't think there is a need to be able to open the cover from underneath since the knob is in the center of the cover. There isn't a good way to grab the mechanism to easily open the cover that way. One other thing, if you have the cover partially opened and want to have it fully opened, you would need to pull the cover all the way closed, turn the knob/latch and then let it open all the way. I don't have the in-bed grab handle, just the handles on the bedrails so I'm not sure if the cover requires that to be removed. If I remember right, I think it does come with a bracket that you use if you do have that handle.

You can open the tailgate with the cover closed/locked but once it's locked, it's locked. And no, the rails don't cover the stake pockets. You still have full access to rear stake pocket as a handle.

They told me that out of the box there should be roughly 9/16" adjustment left on the collar which if needed would be able to give me the additional 1". But, they did say that since all trucks are a little different, they couldn't be 100% certain if any adjustment would be needed. Thanks for confirming though. It's good to get a real world update as well. I'm also checking with them if they advise on using a small lower spacer too. When I had the Halo coilovers (rebranded Elka's) on my previous 2008, they actually sent lower spacers with the kit.

No, you don't have to use the key for any of the open positions. They key is only needed if you want to lock the cover. Either turn the latch to open the cover, let it slide all the way open (the canister cover will kick the latch back to the close position automatically) and then pull the cove to your desired closed position. Or, you can open the cover and then immediately turn the latch manually and the cover will stop in the first open/close position. I've probably only used the key on the cover a handful of times in the 1.5 years I've had it. Typically I only lock the cover when traveling. Around town it's mainly to keep things dry or from flying out of the bed. I don’t keep anything of major value in the bed at all times.

Do you think there is enough adjustment to go up another 1 inch or possibly a little more?