Nanotech Environmental

I had a G80 in my last truck. It was always inconsistent & it eventually stopped working properly. It would often stay locked up, which becomes a real PITA. I replaced it with a Torsen Truetrac, which worked much better and was always very consistent. It always worked. Always. It's also a lot more tractable and predictable. It's far from mickey mouse, as the design will work reliably after 200,000 miles... The G80 I have in my '17 is also inconsistent. It's better than the last one, but far from perfect. The inherent design of the G80 is neat on paper, but not great in the real world. It's also a time bomb, due to its design. IMO, a good test of a rear diff, is to back up a snow/ice covered grade in 2wd. That will tell you how good a posi/locker design really works. A G80 will send the rear sideways(if it even decides to engage). If it doesn't engage, you sit there. You need wheel speed to make the G80 work, which is often not a good thing on snow, as it creates ice under the spinning wheel.. A torsen will do a much better job of keeping the truck going where you want it. It works almost from 0 RPM & does a much better job of getting you going up a slippery hill. A small downside of the torsen is that it can create a shudder at low speeds as it quickly sends power back and forth between sides. No big deal & it's a small price to pay. The torsen also works fine going forwards, even if you want to screw around and hang the rear end out. It will help you do that when you want.

One option is to file a notch on one side of the end of the threaded portion, This way, if the threaded portion extends into the pan a bit, the last bit of oil can still flow thru the notch and out of the pan.

Agreed.

Actually, there's about a 1000 reasons. If what you said is true, things like loctite, special lock washers, safety wire and locking nuts wouldn't exist. Rear shock bolts on pickups are especially susceptible to backing out, or getting loose, even when correctly torqued. The best fix is to use additional methods to secure them.

This isn't a new thing. Same thing would happen on my old '84 GMC Fullsize 4x4. Always the right side upper shock bolt would get loose. I ended up welding extra support on the frame & making many improvements so that it would stay put.

Personally, I just load the bikes (1 or 2) in straight and put all the gear, etc in between them and along the sides; ramps, gas cans, boots, gear bags etc. I then run a ratchet strap between the rear lower tiedowns, thru each rear wheel & around the ramps, and use the loose end to secure any items (if needed). I have a Back Rack on my truck and drilled holes in the bed mounts for tie down points. I use these for the front of the bikes, as they work waaaay better than the stock tiedown points in the box. In 13 yrs have never lost anything, nor worried about it, headed to or from the riding area. Granted, I usually don't have to go down much in the way of rough service roads to get to the trailhead, but do have lots of highway. On some roads, there is a big advantage to having the tailgate down........... ? If there's 3 bikes, I use my enclosed cargo trailer.

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I have a '17 Sierra 1500 DC 4x4 with a 5.3 and a 6 spd/3.42. It's certainly no turd. Stock, they can run into the high 14's, which is right on par or within a tenth or two of the stock EB 3.5's in the same configs. They aren't giving up anything. I expect the 19's are noticeably quicker given they're much lighter. I have a suspicion that these engines are conservatively rated, as they regularly beat the Ram 5.7 hemis which are rated at a lot more power. Now, can we please get back to discussing the positive merits of the new 2.7 turbo 4?

Use a good heavy duty cleaner that does the whole job effectively, easily and safely. Don't waste money on all those fancy expensive products that just drain your pocket book. All you need is a weed sprayer, a good product (like ZOOM), a soft car wash brush, and a garden hose with a spray gun. Don't use a bucket- it's inefficient and can cause other issues. The right product will easily clean dirt, bugs, brake dust, road grime, tree sap, bird crap etc. No need for a bunch of overpriced 'specialty' products.

FWIW, those engines were made in the low point of the idiotic myopic beancounter era 1970-1990. The messes created then is what ultimately caused GM to go bankrupt in 2008. Since the late 80's, early 90's it appears Engineering/Design has gradually gotten more & more of a say in things. GM powertrain has built some real classics since then. 3.8l, LS series, Duramax, and many more. If this 2.7 can go the distance, it will get added to the list. Really, the bar was set pretty low with the Ford egoboosts. All it has to do is be a bit more reliable, last a bit longer and get better mileage than those, which shouldn't be that hard, given all the troubles those motors have had.. This engine really should also go in the midsized twins IMO. That would be a great combo.

I'd suggest that the calipers may be sticking. That would cause the rotor to overheat and extra pad wear. The caliper slide pins need regular maintenance on these trucks.

Almost 75k miles, 2017 Sierra 1500 4x4. Pads and rotors still have lots of life left. Might go 140-150k. Never had brakes go near this long on any vehicle I've owned, not even close & I try to be easy on brakes. Truck still stops real fast when I want it to. When it comes time to replace, I'll just put the factory stuff on again. Why mess with a good thing?

Your comparison to national averages means nothing, as personal averages are a local thing. If you lived in the LA area where traffic is always heavy, you'd be quite a bit below the averages, no matter what you do. Same as in the GTA. It's all fine and dandy to put all the effort into doing what you do, but I can guarantee that you are 'that guy' pissing everyone else off on the roads on a daily basis. You really belong in a Prius, not a pickup truck. At least it would be honest then. Now, since you admittedly don't like the new 2.7 & given that this topic is 2.7 turbo fan club, perhaps your energy would be better spent elsewhere........Jus sayin'

The poster this likely refers to only claims that because he's driving a singlecab base model, never tows, or hauls payload & he never goes over 55mph. I'd ignore his claims as they are apples to oranges & they're simply unrealistic for normal use. I can get those numbers in my '17 5.3 4x4 dbl cab, but I have to drive about 40-50mph steady on flat ground with no headwind. I've done it over a 60 mile average, but again it's not realistic. (it was in a long construction zone on a highway) I think these new 2.7 liter motors are built pretty stout and will likely handle tuning up over 450hp without a problem, so I'd ignore the naysayers on that as well. Left stock, they aren't going to 'pop' any more than a Honda 4 banger. Glad to hear your experiences with the new 2.7. I've been thinking about it as a possibility for my next truck. I drive a fair bit & don't do a lot of heavy towing and would like to save a bit on fuel if I could. On paper it looks like it might meet my needs. However, it won't happen for a couple years at least.

I put one on my truck & love it. So much less mess when changing oil. I have to change oil in my driveway with no hoist. With the drain bolt, I always ended up with a mess no matter what I did. With the fumoto valve, I run a hose into a 10 liter jug & get no mess at all. If a guy is going to forget to close a Fumoto valve, he'll also forget to re-install and or tighten a drain bolt. It makes no difference. At least with the fumoto valve you can shut it off in a second. It's also nice for drawing an oil sample when you want.

For what it's worth, there have been quite a few on here that have made it past 130k no problem. My brother has an '11 with well over that and no issues.

Assuming this reply was to me- I don't need to work in auto repair to know what's what with the 5.3. My first one had 200k miles on it when I sold it & it was still going strong. My current one has 50 k on it and has been flawless. It'll go a long time as well. Not only that, but there are many, many others with similar results. I'm sure you see the odd dud here and there, but remember you only see what rolls in your shop with problems. You don't see the ones that don't have problems, which is the clear majority- probably >90%.

I'd hazard a guess that it can safely do 200-300k miles. All 5.3's can easily do that. Given the actual use it will typically be subjected to, it shouldn't be a problem. In many ways this could be the engine that a lot of 5.3 buyers may actually want. It should tow better(not heavier, just better) and drive better given the torque output.

Got a good coat on there. I think FF can work well for folks that do limited winter driving. I do a fair bit of winter driving & I found it couldn't handle a whole winter of steady splashing and spray from wet salty roads, especially on certain parts of the truck. It does need re-applying, or at least in my case that's what I found.

From what I've seen and experienced, typical undercoatings such as FF, Krown, 'Dripless' oil etc. get cleaned off due to normal driving and have to be re-applied once or even 2x a year. Many of them are also sticky, so attract dirt, which compromises them over time. Re-spraying every year can get expensive and also can leave a window of time open where the vehicle can be vulnerable to rust forming, usually late winter, early spring. If you could buy a really good, effective product for the underside of a vehicle, that you applied once when the vehicle is new, didn't harm the frame wax & that didn't come off from salt spray, washing, etc., & lasted for years, would you buy it?

I'm at almost 75,000km (~47,000 miles) & mine are still fine. They are doing waaaay better than my old '06, which had both replaced by this many KM. I had to replace them on that truck about every 50-70,000km regardless of which brand I used. If it's similar to replacing them as on the GMT 800's, it's about a 1-3 hrs job, depending on a few factors & what tools you have access to.

I got 4 free oil changes at the dealer as part of the package when I bought my truck last June. I've used them all up and typically check the oil thru each cycle. I haven't noticed any significant loss of oil between changes & I usually go 12500km or so between changes. The dealer uses a synthetic blend 0w20.

I think the factory wax is a great product for those that live outside the rust belt. Not so good for those of us inside it.

Mine will occasionally give a very firm downshift at slower speeds, usually when I'm hard on the brakes. Not sure if that's the same as the clunk that the OP is referring to. It only does it once in a while on my truck. At first it alarmed me a bit, as it does seem to hit pretty hard sometimes when it happens. Now, I don't really notice it that much & it doesn't seem to harm anything & I've (probably) semi-unconciously modified my driving style a bit to accomodate it. There have been a few small quirks like this that I've noticed on this truck compared to my previous 2006 Sierra. At first they caught me off guard, then I got used to them, as I slightly adjusted how I drove the truck. They don't really cause notice much anymore. Given how much better this truck is than my past 2006 Sierra, I don't mind making small driving style adjustments. I'd much rather have this truck with a few small quirks, than the old truck.

How many would actually buy this? It's not for me personally. I'd expect it would only be offered in higher trim levels such as the Denali & only a small percentage of them would be purchased with a panoramic sunroof...... Maybe it's not worth it, as the numbers would be too low???