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2015 Silverado NHT Suspension Upgrade Help

wfred

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wfred Enthusiast

wfred

Posted
Posted

All:

 

I just tried pulling my 32 foot travel trailer for the first time with my new 2015 Silverado 1500 Max Tow. The trailer weighs in about 7000lbs. loaded and has about 750lbs. of tounge weight. i do use a Reese equalizer hitch and sway control. To say I was disappointed pulling is an understatement. The truck has plenty of power but is not nearly as solid on the road as my 2500HD that I traded for this truck. Right now I'd switch back to my gas guzzling 2500HD.

 

Can or should I upgrade the rear suspension with Timbrens or Bilsteins? Will I even notice a difference given the max tow package? I know a lot of the wiggle is probably from the Goodyear Eagle LS2 tires compared with the Wrangler SRA E rated tires on my 2500HD.

 

I'm looking for any suggestions to improve the stability of this rig on the interstate. Maybe part of it is just me getting used to the squishy nature of pulling with a 1500. I wouldn't drive more than 60mph with the way it currently feels.

 

 

Jon A Senior Enthusiast

Jon A

Posted
Posted

Will I even notice a difference given the max tow package?

 

Absolutely. A set of E rated tires, airbags and some good shocks will be transformative. The NHT package comes with slightly stiffer springs, but they can't hold a candle to a set of airbags. It also comes with "different" shocks, but they're still a $50 shock so I wouldn't confuse that with "good." And naturally, towing on a set of passenger car tires at low pressure is going to be squooshy.

 

Make those changes and it'll be solid as a rock.

wfred Enthusiast

wfred

Posted
  • Author
Posted

 

Absolutely. A set of E rated tires, airbags and some good shocks will be transformative. The NHT package comes with slightly stiffer springs, but they can't hold a candle to a set of airbags. It also comes with "different" shocks, but they're still a $50 shock so I wouldn't confuse that with "good." And naturally, towing on a set of passenger car tires at low pressure is going to be squooshy.

 

Make those changes and it'll be solid as a rock.

 

I'm heading out on a 3000+ mile trip with the camper in about ten days so my time is limited to do much. What should I run for air pressure and is it worth the $200 to stick Timbrens in my truck?

Jon A Senior Enthusiast

Jon A

Posted
Posted

Your hitch is set up incorrectly.

 

That's also very possible. Definately check things on a scale. Regardless, the upgrades mentioned will help a lot and will handle a bigger margin of error in setup without screwing up your handling.

Jon A Senior Enthusiast

Jon A

Posted
Posted

 

I'm heading out on a 3000+ mile trip with the camper in about ten days so my time is limited to do much. What should I run for air pressure and is it worth the $200 to stick Timbrens in my truck?

 

I can't remember what the max pressure is on those tires, whatever it is I'd run pretty close to it. A set of Timbrens would certainly help and they're fast and easy to install. I like airbags better but they're a bit more involved to install and you may not have time for it. If there's a 4X4 shop near you that could schedule you in they could install a set fairly quickly and cheaply.

 

Before a trip that long I do think it would be worth your time to find a CAT scale near you and weigh the truck empty and then with the trailer with & without WD to get it adjusted so you're restoring 50% of the weight to the front wheels.

wfred Enthusiast

wfred

Posted
  • Author
Posted

 

I can't remember what the max pressure is on those tires, whatever it is I'd run pretty close to it. A set of Timbrens would certainly help and they're fast and easy to install. I like airbags better but they're a bit more involved to install and you may not have time for it. If there's a 4X4 shop near you that could schedule you in they could install a set fairly quickly and cheaply.

 

Before a trip that long I do think it would be worth your time to find a CAT scale near you and weigh the truck empty and then with the trailer with & without WD to get it adjusted so you're restoring 50% of the weight to the front wheels.

I've pulled my 2 trailers with 4 different trucks so far - a '04 extended cab 1500 z71, '10 2500HD crew cab, '13 2500HD crew cab, and this '15 1500 crew cab. I've used the identical hitch setup and configuration until now. This truck sits so much lower that I had to get an adjustable shank for my WD hitch to raise it enough to keep the trailer level. This new hitch head sits about 6" further away from the rear bumper of the truck than my old non-adjustable head so I know that adds to the sag I am seeing with the new truck. Even with my WD bars tight, my truck still sags and won't sit level. I can tip the hitch head down a bit more to get more tension on the bars but that would make them darn near impossible to snap shut. My thinking is I need to control the sag of the truck either with suspension upgrades or by moving as much stuff from the front of the camper to the back of the camper as possible to lighten the tongue weight. I can't imagine how bad this truck will sag once I get firewood and my generator in the bed.

 

It sounds like airbags are my best option and if I can eliminate my truck sag, I might be able to go back to my non-adjustable hitch head that sits closer to the truck and could be a win-win.

 

Thanks!

Fred

tommy wagner Enthusiast

tommy wagner

Posted
Posted

I'm towing a north trail brs28 (32-33 foot) 7600 lbs with no problem. I'm using this hitch http://www.equalizerhitch.com

With the trailer hooked up it sits very level and handles great never towed with a 2500HD but according to all the people that we camp with, this hitch is all the difference in the world.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

peejaykay Enthusiast

peejaykay

Posted
Posted

I use a propride 3P hitch. Tows incredible. The truck sits level and handling is extremely predictable with no wiggle, no sway. I cruise at 55/60 without issue. My tires are OEM 18s, running at 40psi. My tongue is just over 1150 loaded ready to go with full propane tanks.

 

Can you post a picture of the amount of sag you're seeing, or post measurements of before and after sag prior to distributing the weight? What works for me and is a general rule of thumb regardless of what hitch you use is to apply tension to the WD bars until the front measures at within 1/2" prior loading the trailer onto the ball.

Dr. ice Enthusiast

Dr. ice

Posted
Posted

All:

 

I just tried pulling my 32 foot travel trailer for the first time with my new 2015 Silverado 1500 Max Tow. The trailer weighs in about 7000lbs. loaded and has about 750lbs. of tounge weight. i do use a Reese equalizer hitch and sway control. To say I was disappointed pulling is an understatement. The truck has plenty of power but is not nearly as solid on the road as my 2500HD that I traded for this truck. Right now I'd switch back to my gas guzzling 2500HD.

 

Can or should I upgrade the rear suspension with Timbrens or Bilsteins? Will I even notice a difference given the max tow package? I know a lot of the wiggle is probably from the Goodyear Eagle LS2 tires compared with the Wrangler SRA E rated tires on my 2500HD.

 

I'm looking for any suggestions to improve the stability of this rig on the interstate. Maybe part of it is just me getting used to the squishy nature of pulling with a 1500. I wouldn't drive more than 60mph with the way it currently feels.

 

Interesting perspective. I just traveled

800 miles pulling a 7,000 pound enclosed car hauler with my one week old 6.2 Max Tow and it performed brilliantly on all accounts. I too came from a 5.3 Half ton marshmallow and a 2500HD Duramax that rode like a buckboard. I personally consider my current truck as the better all around vehicle for only pulling 7,000 lbs. The truck felt well planted cruising 75-80. Very happy and personally consider this truck the Holy Grail for a half ton truck.

wfred Enthusiast

wfred

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Here is my rig as the hitch is currently setup. As you can see, there is significant sag in the rear of the truck. I might try to re-configure my WD hitch to get another link in the chain and get even more tension on it.

 

I did order Airlift 5000 ulitmate air bags for this truck. I can run another 10 - 12 PSI in my tires as well. I will post once the air bags are in.

 

Thanks again for the help

 

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peejaykay Enthusiast

peejaykay

Posted
Posted

Is that an Open Range? I have a 2015 LT308BHS. Love it. Let us know how the bags work out for you. I may put some better shocks in the rear to help control the rebound on rough highways.

wfred Enthusiast

wfred

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Is that an Open Range? I have a 2015 LT308BHS. Love it. Let us know how the bags work out for you. I may put some better shocks in the rear to help control the rebound on rough highways.

 

This is a Viewfinder Signature 28bhss.

Jon A Senior Enthusiast

Jon A

Posted
Posted

It does sound like your hitch isn't fitting or working properly. You might need to find one that fits the setup better--though keep in mind once you eliminate sag with the airbags the hitch might fit better (looks like you're getting about 3" of sag). You can tow that much without a WD hitch and you'll probably be fine with the addition of the airbags, but a properly working WD hitch, especially with sway control, is going to be the best setup even with the bags. Of course when they're not working correctly they can do more harm than good.

 

I've towed heavier trailers with more tongue weight than that without WD just fine with the bags, but nothing that long that will catch as much wind. Either way, you're going to love the airbags. I also have the Airlift 5000 Ultimates and they work well. With some gear in the back as well as the tongue weight, start out around 50-60 psi and adjust from there. They should solve about 75% of your issues all by themselves. But certainly keep better shocks, tires, etc, in mind for the future.

calgator73 Senior Enthusiast

calgator73

Posted
Posted

With only 750 tw you should be fine with the hitch readjusted. I pulled a lot heavier TT with mine and the majority of the problem was resolved by adjusting the hitch (7 washers?). Even better after the bilsteins. In the end I wasn't happy and upgraded to a 2500.

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