First Time Truck Owner Build Advice

trucknewbie · November 27, 2018

Hi all,

I'm new to the forums as well as new to trucks. Just about a year ago I got a 2017 GMC Sierra SLT and I'm interesting in some upgrades. I need some help determining the pros and cons of various things as well as if there's anyone with experience who wants to weigh in with things they recommend, dos and don'ts, or even things they would have done differently. I've seen a lot of the forums and I hope im not replicating other posts, but I can't seem to find any feedback on items related to the build I want to do in addition to the fact that being a first time truck owner, I don't really have much to compare various things to.

Top priorities for me: ride quality and comfort (lots of highway driving), looks, and function. I've broken up what I want to do into 3 "steps" (based on finances and affordability timeframe). Money is important, but if I have to wait a little longer to have strong, durable, good quality components, I would rather have it that way.

Step 1 (next 3-4 months):

Level the truck - leaning towards fox 2.0 coil-overs to keep ride quality. I've seen a lot about how spacers diminish ride quality (please correct me if im wrong)
305/55/r20 Nitto Ridge Grapplers - I want do some mild off-roading and trail riding, nothing too crazy, but at the end of the day this is a daily driver and I want a quiet ride. (I have no clue how much louder the tire would be compared to stock, although most say that it is pretty quiet)
20x9 Fuel Maverick rims or SCA performance rims (https://www.scaperformance.com/gmc-products/sca-performance-20-inch-wheel-gloss-black-with-milled-spoke-accents)

Step 2 (maybe within the next 8-12 months):

GM installed 6.2 Cat back (I'm a GM employee and the part discount is a plus for me)
AMP Research Steps

Step 3 (maybe within the next 1-2 years):

4 inch BDS lift with the upgraded fox coil-overs with the reservoirs (non-dsc)
Fender flares - haven't decided between bushwhacker, rough country (more lower profile), or the brawny SCA performance ones (https://www.scaperformance.com/gmc-products/2016-sca-gmc-1500-pocket-style-fender-flares)

Any advice or thoughts on a build out like this would be appreciated! Ride quality and comfort is a huge one for me because I don't want to have buyers remorse since I've not been in many lifted or upgrade trucks, so my only metric of comparison is to a stock vehicle.

Thanks in advance!

1SLOW1500 · November 27, 2018

I have build many cars and trucks from mild to wild.

Best advice I give anyone that asks for build advise. Research and plan what you want and do the build once right. It cost 2-3 times as much to do the build over and over again then to do it once(even with more expensive parts). Also look around people are always selling new or like new parts dirt cheap.

Understand labor is most the cost. If you can do all or most you will save thousands. Also with performance it gets difficult as retuned add up. Hand held tuners are good full tunes better. So that needs to be a bolt all on and one tune it.

I live HPT for tune and you can score them used after you unlock your truck you can to anything you like and free tunes,logs,support.

In my option even with the 6.2 you will be sad about the lack of power. More suspension and heavy tires can feel like a slower truck. But bolt ons and aggressive tune can add huge power.