Grumpy Bears 2015 Silverado 2WD

[Grumpy Bear]

10 hours ago, Black02Silverado said:

If you truly want a smooth riding experience. Find a place that will true your tires and rebalance them. Then you’ll never go back. The smoothest riding vehicle you’ll ever have. It’s a dying art not many places true tires anymore.

 

Tire Rack in Southbend Indiana still does tire shaving. Yes, it's good to start with a round tire. The mounting has much to do with that. That inner ring on the rubber just above the lip of the rim is supposed to be a guide but not many even know why it's there. And not all molders provide it. But just watching it spin should get them to remount one that is off visibly. 

Edited July 28, 2024 by Grumpy Bear

[garagerog]

3 hours ago, KARNUT said:

This may seem weird to most people. Every vehicle I’ve owned and every kind of tire I’ve used has some vibration. However slight it’s there. Add to that there’s hardly a perfect road. But when I find one usually the slight variation  goes away. If I went the extra mile for that type of balance work my OCD would drive me crazy. After all these years I finally can drive a not perfectly clean car through a trip without going out my way to clean it. Driving an odyssey as my trip vehicle probably helps. I’m not adding something else to feed my OCD.

I'm there with you Stan on losing the OCD on vehicle appearance and maintenance. Easy to do when you have many more years behind you than in front of you and arthritis makes just getting out of bed in the morning seem like a major accomplishment. Although anything that would make a vehicle ride smoother makes my old bones take notice.

[Grumpy Bear]

Something dad shared with me when I started driving. Even if it's new, put on some good shocks and get a great alignment and a great balance. Be ****** about tire pressures and rotations. Drive like you care about it. Keeps all the screws in the dash tight.  And the loose nut behind the wheel's wallet happy. If that is OCD. I'm all in. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Grumpy Bear]

182,360 Mile Service

 

7/29/2024

 

Alignment.

 

Last alignment done 10/23/2020 at 130,300 miles or almost 4 years and 52,060 miles ago. 

Last settings: Castor 2.2/2.0 Camber -0.1/-0.2 Toe 0.04/0.04 SA 0.00 TA -0.11. 

 

Pre-alignment checks of tie rods, ball joints, A-arm bushings. All snug as new.  

 

Initial Castor     2.2/2.0 Camber 0.0/-0.5 Toe 0.19/-0.04 SA 0.12 TA -0.11

Range Castor 1.4/3.4 Camber 0.7/-0.9 Toe 0.15/-0.05 SA 0.05/-0.05 TA 0.4/-0.4

Targets Castor 2.4 Camber -0.1 Toe 0.05 SA 0 TA 0

 

I prefer a to be light on caster and tenth more negative on camber. A tenth less positive toe. These specs were good for 125K out of the first set of Bridgestone. 

 

Final: 

 

Edited July 29, 2024 by Grumpy Bear

[Grumpy Bear]

2025 Chevrolet Silverado: Fresh Updates, Same Proven Formula | GM-Trucks.com

 

Made a run to Janesville Wisconsin at an uncharacteristic 70 mph and running into a 20-mph headwind on the trip up. Round trip mileage was 17.3 mpg on 66% alcohol. 12% better than the 5.3 E85 number. On gasoline Pepper isn't even on the same planet. 28 mpg lifetime average. 

 

Pepper has a higher payload and GVWR (only 20 pounds but) and is 40 pounds lighter. 5.3 wins hands down trailering. I expect it should. 

 

All this new wizardry and they still don't have her beat, much less an equivalent. I really don't understand. 

[Grumpy Bear]

185,000 Mile Service

 

5,000 mile OCI. No makeup required

 

6 Quarts Red Line HP 5W30

1 Purolator PL22500 filter

 

4 Quarts Red Line D6 drop and fill. About 25%

 

[Grumpy Bear]

11/25/2024 Service Note: 

 

Don't think I shared this from the last tune up. 80K on these plugs. This was the worst of the six. 79,953 actual miles changed at 180,494 miles. Ash deposit. This is the difference between:

 

"Bench Worry" and "Field Results" 

 

Results:

 

 

Worry:

 

 

For oil chemistries to leave a deposit,

foul an O2 or a CAT they must visit the chamber.

Edited November 25, 2024 by Grumpy Bear

[Grumpy Bear]

185,250 Mile Service

 

3/29/2025

 

Wakey wakey. Gave her a spring bath and filled the tank with E-85 (77% test) then off for a wake up run. Get the oil circulating and hot. Battery likes warm weather so I'm putting off a new one for a bit. Tires first. Which I bought a few months ago. Soon. 

 

Last November, the 6th to be exact, was the last fill. Oil and filters were changed just before putting her to bed. 

 

Lowden State park was todays destination. Zero rust on this old girl now 10 years old a bit earlier this month. 

 

[Grumpy Bear]

185,485 Mile Services

 

4/17/2025

 

OEM Bridgestone Dueler 684 II's went 125,363 miles and and dated out 8/18/2020 at 5/32" and were replaced with (When the price at time of replacement doubled):

 

Now retired the Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus II P265 65R17 at 60,122 miles, 65K warranty and on track to make those miles with ease. 5/32 remaining Just short (4 months) of 5 years old. Weather checking between the ribs but very serviceable yet. Very comfortable tire that did all I ever asked of it. No longer in production.  

 

Installed Solaras (Cooper) Starfire P255 70R17. 50K warranty. All new TPMS sensors. Road Force Cross Balance. Road force values 1,1,10,15. Little weight required. Under 3 oz all four wheels. Set 35 psi.  In its last year of production. 

 

 

 

Load check on OEM battery now 10 years old. Rated 730 CCA, Measured 595 CCA. 12.39 volts. State of Health 81% State of charge 73%. I was told to take her for a nice long drive and keep going. Lots of life left. 

Edited May 28, 2025 by Grumpy Bear

[Grumpy Bear]

186,380 Mile Service

 

4/30/2025

 

Replaced 3M hood PPF with Xpel film. Warranty claim. Business (Johnson Tinting) has a 10 year warranty.  

Installed originally 9/20/2016 just under 15K miles. It did it's job. Not a chip one anywhere the film was present although there are a few on the edges and one behind the film further up the hood. Dr. Color Chip time. 

 

Film lifted is the reason for the replacement. 

 

 

Edited April 30, 2025 by Grumpy Bear

[Grumpy Bear]

On 4/17/2025 at 12:52 PM, Grumpy Bear said:

Load check on OEM battery now 10 years old. Rated 730 CCA, Measured 595 CCA. 12.39 volts. State of Health 81% State of charge 73%. I was told to take her for a nice long drive and keep going. Lots of life left. 

 

Took Jason's advice. Ran her a few hundred miles and it hit full charge. State of Health is over 95%. 

 

I expect this exceptional result is based in the way it is used. When down for long periods it gets a milliamp trickle charge. As most of the miles she sees are long haul it gets very few discharge cycles per mile/year. Motor stays is sharp tune. Factory Smart Charging systems is well sorted. Next to zero accessory load. 

Edited May 28, 2025 by Grumpy Bear

[Grumpy Bear]

300,000 Kilometer Milestone!

 

Sometime early today Pepper crossed this milestone ending the day at 300,313 Km or 186,606 miles. 

 

Edited May 11, 2025 by Grumpy Bear

[OnTheReel]

On 5/10/2025 at 10:12 PM, Grumpy Bear said:

300,000 Kilometer Milestone!

 

Sometime early today Pepper crossed this milestone ending the day at 300,313 Km or 186,606 miles. 

 

Will we see 200k this year? Any long summer road trips?

[Grumpy Bear]

187,500 Mile Services

 

6/16/2025

 

187,480 actual

2,500 mile OCI nominal / 7 months & 2 days since last change. 

No measurable consumption

 

6 quarts Red Line HP Euro Series 5W40 (Talk about quite) 

4 Oz. Red Line Break-in additive

1 Purolator Pure One PL22500 filter

 

7 months is long enough. Shortening the OCI from this point to 3,750 miles or 6 months. 

 

If your going to ask why add to a mid-SAPS oil the answer is TBN. The Euro oil is lower and LSPI friendly. I just make the oil I require. 

 

Edited June 16, 2025 by Grumpy Bear

[Grumpy Bear]

187,775 Mile Service

8/25/2025

 

Replace all four headlamp bulbs. Passenger low beam went out and the high beams have never been replaced. So I bought the hundred dollars worth of Sylvania Silver Star H-11 C lows and 9005 high beams and set about it. Hate this job. HATE IT.

 

Love the result. 

 

If I could just remember to turn the DRL's off during the daytime I could double or triple the life of the bulbs. 

 

I miss my $1.50 a bulb 5" sealed beams you replaced about every ten years. This is a racket and good incandescent quads work pretty darn nice. 

 

Side note. Pepper LOVES her new 5W40 lubricant. Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

 

Edited August 26, 2025 by Grumpy Bear