First Truck Mod Recommendations

SS502 · March 15, 2019

2 hours ago, 1SLOW1500 said:

There is only one right answer to this question. And appearance mods dont count.

You.musy have a catch can big the better. So on a stock intake not power adder still get the clean side separator.

Trust me and save this post at 5x,xxx miles you will understand.

Then comes supporting mods.

Like intake exhaust then tune

In lifted maybe gear or converter.

I would also look at the bang for the buck mods like diodes for light control.

Floor mats.

Also free mods like emblem remove.

And in California. Tint. And lights.

You mean because after ONLY 400 miles mine caught this???

Westen · March 15, 2019

2 hours ago, 1SLOW1500 said:

There is only one right answer to this question. And appearance mods dont count.

You.musy have a catch can big the better. So on a stock intake not power adder still get the clean side separator.

Trust me and save this post at 5x,xxx miles you will understand.

Then comes supporting mods.

Like intake exhaust then tune

In lifted maybe gear or converter.

I would also look at the bang for the buck mods like diodes for light control.

Floor mats.

Also free mods like emblem remove.

And in California. Tint. And lights.

Very helpful! ill look into these! Lucky for me the truck already came with bedliner & chevys version of weathertech mats from factory, so that saved me some money after the initial purchase. Thanks for the suggestions!

Westen · March 15, 2019

1 hour ago, Grumpy Bear said:

I keep stuff 12 to 20 years or more. What decides how long is how log can I keep it mechanically sound. What that means is all the modifications and do-dads in the world cannot be done to a truck whose body and frame have melted away. As much bad press as some mechanical features get, drivelines can be sorted no matter what a hunk of junk they start as.

That said my first modifications are always COSMETIC PROTECTIVE. Everybody has their favorites but clear bra's or even entire body bras if you have the cash are my first. Ceramic solar window tint second. UVA/UVB protection. Undercoating/rustproofing and chip guards. Spray box and rear wheel well liners and bumpers; box corners, mud flaps.. Keep up on it.

Nothing will make you loose interest quicker than a truck full of buckshot and blisters. 10 years from now many cosmetic parts will no longer be available. Trim pieces. Take off boxes dry up. What is left over triples in price and off the wrecking yard it goes with your $30K in fancy modifications to the driveline and a powertrain half spent.

Mabey more than two cents worth but there ya have it.

Very well put, for me i believe if you're gonna spend $50k+ on a brand new truck, you might as well invest a tiny bit more to have the protection and the peace of mind knowing your paint wont get destroyed. Especially the horrifying visuals you put in my head of sending my truck to the scrap yard 10 years from now!

SS502 · March 15, 2019

9 hours ago, Jacoby said:

Intake exhaust tune

in that order

Well...I almost went this way lol...K&N, Borla ATAK but no tune YET for a couple reasons...1) I don’t know a damn thing on how to do it, 2) I don’t believe any 2017 or 2018 transmission can be tuned without an unlocked TCM (and even if I had one refer to reason 2 , and 3) I do have warranty concerns with a tune. However, I do run the Range AFM disable and a RXP catch can which I believe helps. Tune to follow

Westen · March 15, 2019

1 hour ago, Jacoby said:

That's the biggest bunch of crap Ive read on here today

With that said, OP lots of good first mod suggestions on here from performance to protection. Good luck with whatever you choose. You got a great looking truck

Thank you! Still not 100% set on anything, my original plan was just cosmetic items to start with, then after i lifted the truck and voided warranty i was gonna get into speed parts, eventually going towards some sort of forced induction whether it be turbo or supercharger. A lot of great suggestions, main focus right now is simple mods that will give me my moneys worth

Jacoby · March 15, 2019

31 minutes ago, SS502 said:

Well...I almost went this way lol...K&N, Borla ATAK but no tune YET for a couple reasons...1) I don’t know a damn thing on how to do it, 2) I don’t believe any 2017 or 2018 transmission can be tuned without an unlocked TCM (and even if I had one refer to reason 2 , and 3) I do have warranty concerns with a tune. However, I do run the Range AFM disable and a RXP catch can which I believe helps. Tune to follow

If u have an 8 speed then yes you have to get the Tcm unlocked. 6 speed no

SS502 · March 15, 2019

18 minutes ago, Jacoby said:

If u have an 8 speed then yes you have to get the Tcm unlocked. 6 speed no

Yeah 8 speed, I always forget about the 6 speed being tunable

Jacoby · March 15, 2019

I think the 8 speeds need tuning way more than the 6 speeds do for sure

ill second the catch can mod. Definitely a great investment on a DI motor. I ordered one this week

Ravenkeeper · March 16, 2019

Welcome to the forum!!!

One of my co-workers has a license plate holder in the top right corner of his Camero's windshield, beats just letting it lay on the dash to cut your head off during a wreck. Plus, ("no CA plate displayed on front of vehicle") that's how CHP caught the moron that caused the head-on collision that totaled my '15 Silverado.

Bought my '18 Silverado ME in September, and have completed a few mods that I did to my '15 (and loved). The "bullet items" (except the ones at the bottom) are repeat mods that I had done to my '15, and the numbered items are original to this truck.

AM/FM ANTENNA DELETE (SEP18)
TOW HITCH BRAKE LIGHT (Bully CR-007A, Tail Light feature REMOVED) (OCT18)
DIODE MODS:
- PUDDLE LIGHTS ON with DOORS OPEN (GRY1-GRY8 – truck does this without the mod)
- FOG LIGHTS ON with HIGH BEAMS (BRN18-BRN10) (NOV18)
- CARGO LIGHTS ON with REVERSE (PNK26-BRN26) (NOV18)
FRAME PLUGS (NOV18)
2x12 BED CARGO DIVIDER (Was in my garage, from moving)

DRIVER’S ASSIST HANDLE (JAN19)
CLASSIC BLACK CA LICENSE PLATES (DSRTRVN) (JAN19)
REVERSE/CARGO LIGHTS 6K LED (JAN19)
HIGH MOUNT BRAKE LIGHT RED LED (JAN19)

Near future (planned) mods:

New Tail/Brake adapter for Tailgate Light Bar & Tow Hitch Brake Light
Tailgate Light Bar ("Fire/Ice")
CB & Antenna
Scanner
Hidden AM/FM Antenna(s)
Nerf Rail Lights
4 USB ports (power only), replacing DC outlet, in back of center console
Front Tow Hitch w/ License Plate Holder

Westen · March 16, 2019

3 hours ago, Ravenkeeper said:

Welcome to the forum!!!

One of my co-workers has a license plate holder in the top right corner of his Camero's windshield, beats just letting it lay on the dash to cut your head off during a wreck. Plus, ("no CA plate displayed on front of vehicle") that's how CHP caught the moron that caused the head-on collision that totaled my '15 Silverado.

Bought my '18 Silverado ME in September, and have completed a few mods that I did to my '15 (and loved). The "bullet items" are repeat mods that I had done to my '15, and the numbered items are original to this truck.

AM/FM ANTENNA DELETE (SEP18)

TOW HITCH BRAKE LIGHT (Bully CR-007A, Tail Light feature REMOVED) (OCT18)

DIODE MODS:

PUDDLE LIGHTS ON with DOORS OPEN (GRY1-GRY8 – truck does this without the mod)

FOG LIGHTS ON with HIGH BEAMS (BRN18-BRN10) (NOV18)

CARGO LIGHTS ON with REVERSE (PNK26-BRN26) (NOV18)

FRAME PLUGS (NOV18)

2x12 BED CARGO DIVIDER (Was in my garage, from moving)

DRIVER’S ASSIST HANDLE (JAN19)

CLASSIC BLACK CA LICENSE PLATES (DSRTRVN) (JAN19)

REVERSE/CARGO LIGHTS 6K LED (JAN19)

HIGH MOUNT BRAKE LIGHT RED LED (JAN19)

Near future (planned) mods:

New Tail/Brake adapter for Tailgate Light Bar & Tow Hitch Brake Light

Tailgate Light Bar ("Fire/Ice")

CB & Antenna

Scanner

Hidden AM/FM Antenna(s)

Nerf Rail Lights

4 USB ports (power only), replacing DC outlet, in back of center console

Front Tow Hitch w/ License Plate Holder

You've got a nice truck man! Cant wait to see what you do to it, appreciate your suggestions!

Mileguru · March 17, 2019

Catch can for sure no matter what direction you go with for the rest of your mods.

If you're going to do a big lift and are already considering a supercharger or turbo, then PLAN ON THE SUPERCHARGER OR TURBO because it's always going to be in the back of your mind when you feel a sluggish pull (especially with a 5.3). Re-gearing should also be a priority.

I prefer performance based mods, so I went with a catch can, supercharger, meth, and ECM tune on my 2017 6.2L. Haven't done the TCM tune yet. I'd love to do some paint protection of some sort as well, but haven't gotten around to that either.

bowtiemark · June 7, 2019

ive been trying to take off my antenna and it’s like rusted into the bolt??? sadly i already stripped the antenna don’t care for the stock one but was trying to hide it under the fender, anyone knows how i can take off the antenna tried using neddle nose pliers and a 10mm wrench...

slj2008 · June 7, 2019

1 hour ago, bowtiemark said:

ive been trying to take off my antenna and it’s like rusted into the bolt??? sadly i already stripped the antenna don’t care for the stock one but was trying to hide it under the fender, anyone knows how i can take off the antenna tried using neddle nose pliers and a 10mm wrench...

Try a pair of vise-grips ? are you going the right way ?

bowtiemark · June 7, 2019

21 minutes ago, slj2008 said:

Try a pair of vise-grips ? are you going the right way ?

going to try with vise grips and spray some wd40, and yeah righty tighy lefty loosey

16LT4 · June 8, 2019

Mods? Here's what you do: don't drop a single dime on the truck for 10k miles and see if you like the truck enough to keep it. My '17 pissed me off enough that I tossed it after 12k miles, losing the money on tint and rear seat storage that I'll never get back. Let the truck settle in and see if if you need to deal with any common issues before burning good money.

And for the love of Warren Buffet don't void your warranty, you're gonna need it!!!!