Big Whiskey's 2016 2500HD

[gmcleer]

@ Big Wiskey

 

Just curious, are you getting 17" black rims in the spring?

 

I have the same truck in white, but I have the 245/75 17s on my truck right now. I have been looking at the tire size you chose, looks sooo much better with the bigger tires!!

[Big Whiskey]

@ Big Wiskey

 

Just curious, are you getting 17" black rims in the spring?

 

I have the same truck in white, but I have the 245/75 17s on my truck right now. I have been looking at the tire size you chose, looks sooo much better with the bigger tires!!

Yes, most likely. I kind of feel like I screwed up a little bit, because aftermarket rim choices are quite limited for our trucks in 17", at least in black finishes with a positive offset. But, I really like my tires, and I want to keep them. Plus, I don't want the extra expense of buying new tires and new rims at the same time. So, I'll most likely settle on some aftermarket 17's and keep my tires.

 

And yes, the 285/75/17's look much better than the 245's. I can't believe 245/75's are even an option on trucks this big. Heck, even the 265/70's that came on mine looked terrible. The 285/75's fill out the wheel wells much better.

[gmcleer]

I wished I had pushed the dealer to swap the tires before delivery, too late now. I have noticed more choices in 70 series tires. I want a quiet tire that will not kill mpg. I have been looking at Michelin Defenders in 285/70 17s. Do you think that size would provide a similar look or is 285/75 17 the way to go? I don't want to risk any rubbing or loose too much mpg.

[Big Whiskey]

I wished I had pushed the dealer to swap the tires before delivery, too late now. I have noticed more choices in 70 series tires. I want a quiet tire that will not kill mpg. I have been looking at Michelin Defenders in 285/70 17s. Do you think that size would provide a similar look or is 285/75 17 the way to go? I don't want to risk any rubbing or loose too much mpg.

In my opinion, the 285/75's are the way to go! Mine have never rubbed at all, even with the GM splash guards. When I change the rims, they might rub a little, but I'm prepared to crank the torsion bars a few turns and trim a little plastic if necessary. I'm not sure about MPG loss, because I never drove it with the stock tires. I'm averaging around 12 MPG right now, according to the DIC, but my real MPG is probably a little better because my speedometer hasn't been corrected. There's lots of options in the 285/70 size you mentioned, and that size won't effect your MPG as much. However, I think they'll still look small...even though they'll look much better than the 245's. That's just my opinion though...does't make it right, haha.

[SilveradoSaver]

Added some N-Fab bed access steps this weekend. Ordered them from 4 Wheel Parts. Installation was pretty straightforward. I was working by myself, so holding them in place to get the first bolt started on each side was a challenge. After that, it wasn't bad at all. Overall, I like them. They help hide the frame that hangs down, will protect the rocker panels from rock chips, and serve their main purpose of making it easier to enter and exit the cab.

 

 

 

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I am looking into these for my '15 Silverado. I was just wondering if these secured onto the factory mounts? I currently have the GM factory 6" chrome running boards and am hoping they mount on the same areas.

 

Any issues with these or are you happy with them? I want a lower profile nerf bar as mine are too much chrome IMO and stick out like a sore thumb.

Edited March 31, 2017 by SilveradoSaver

[Big Whiskey]

 

 

I am looking into these for my '15 Silverado. I was just wondering if these secured onto the factory mounts? I currently have the GM factory 6" chrome running boards and am hoping they mount on the same areas.

 

Any issues with these or are you happy with them? I want a lower profile nerf bar as mine are too much chrome IMO and stick out like a sore thumb.

Yes, they secure to the factory mounts. Each step has 3 c-shaped brackets, with 2 mounting points on each bracket. So, there's 6 attachment points on each step (except the passenger side only has 5). They use the factory holes in the body, which I assume are the same ones the OEM steps mount to.

 

I haven't had any issues at all. I'm very pleased with them. My only complaint (if any) is that it took me a few tries to figure out the best way to use them to exit the truck.

[Buckshot556]

Whiskey you inspired me to plastidip my door emblems black. Did you just carefully mask around it with masking tape? I've never used plasti dip before.

[Big Whiskey]

Whiskey you inspired me to plastidip my door emblems black. Did you just carefully mask around it with masking tape? I've never used plasti dip before.

Nope, I actually just masked off a 2"-3" box around the emblems, and sprayed the plasti-dip on the emblems and the truck. Then, once it dries, you can peel it off the paint and it will stay on the emblem. It's super easy to use!

[Big Whiskey]

Installed new LED lights the other night. Went with Xenon Depot's extreme LED's for the lows, highs, and fogs.

 

They're a very nice improvement over the stock halogens. The light is much brighter and whiter. I'm not sure if the high beams carry as much distance as the stock high beams, but it's far enough, and they're much brighter up close.

 

Installation was a bit of a pain. The hardest part was getting the driver, can bus, and wiring to all fit inside the dust cap. They came with a grommet and instructions for drilling a hole in the dust cap and running everything outside the housing, but I didn't want to mess with that.

 

 

My iPhone didn't want to focus with the high beams on

 

Lows & fogs

 

High beams

 

 

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[STINSAN3]

Man, that's a great looking truck! I LOVE the looks on the HD's, especially on the Chevys. Where the front end is such a bold design. Also, I know what you mean about the floor mats, they're absolutely terrible. I think I might get some Huskys this time around instead of the WeatherTech's.

[Big Whiskey]

Man, that's a great looking truck! I LOVE the looks on the HD's, especially on the Chevys. Where the front end is such a bold design. Also, I know what you mean about the floor mats, they're absolutely terrible. I think I might get some Huskys this time around instead of the WeatherTech's.

Thank you! I'm very pleased with it! Yes, the Chevy HD's do have a very bold look to them. I can't believe how much tougher this truck looks when compared to my old 1500. And, I'd definitely recommend the Husky mats. They're a huge improvement over the inadequate factory floor mats.

[STINSAN3]

Thank you! I'm very pleased with it! Yes, the Chevy HD's do have a very bold look to them. I can't believe how much tougher this truck looks when compared to my old 1500. And, I'd definitely recommend the Husky mats. They're a huge improvement over the inadequate factory floor mats.

I thought about getting a HD, but I have no needs for one. I don't tow anything in 2 years, I know that's crazy! lol Plus the gas mileage too lol

 

 

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[Big Whiskey]

I thought about getting a HD, but I have no needs for one. I don't tow anything in 2 years, I know that's crazy! lol Plus the gas mileage too lol

 

 

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Yeah, they're not for everyone. It's a whole lot more truck than the 1500's though. It's nice to have a truck that I know can handle anything I ever want to do with it. My MPG is about 2-3 less than my old truck, which isn't too bad considering this one weighs about 1000 lbs more and has bigger, heavier tires.

[Big Whiskey]

Made some drastic changes to the looks of my truck this past week! First, I cranked the torsion bars 7 turns, which gave me 1.5" of lift in the front. I have quite a few threads left on the bolts, but at 1.5" of lift, there's still a lot of room between the UCA and the bump stop. The ride is pretty good too, just a bit more firm than when it was stock. I still have about 1.5" of rake left, which should be plenty for my use. I put 1000 lbs in the bed, and it sat just about level. It takes a lot of weight to squat these trucks over 2 inches!

 

I also had a new set of wheels installed. Went with KMC XD798 Addict, in a 17x9 with +18mm offset. Compared to the stock 17's, they give me just a bit more clearance on the inside, and stick out 1.75" more on the outside. The tires sit right at the edge of the fenders, but I drove in the rain the other day, and the side of my truck was still clean. My tires never rubbed before, at stock height, but they would rub with these wheels. In fact, even with 1.5" of lift, I'm probably going pull the fender liners back with zip ties, because they're super close when backing up with the wheels cranked. Under the right conditions, I'm pretty sure they'd rub. There's plenty of clearance on the mud flaps though.

 

Overall, I'm very happy with how it turned out! I can't believe how big these HD trucks are! Compared to my old 2012 1500 with a 2" lift, this thing is a monster, haha!

 

Here's a few pictures:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited May 13, 2017 by Big Whiskey

[sbk12rs]

Just what I'm looking to do !

 

Alignment after the crank ?