Z71 vs Max towing package

[redwngr]

IMHO, max tow rides smoother than Z71.

 

But part 2 is that 18" tires will ride better than 20's.

 

The outside diameter of the 18 and 20's that the factory uses are the same -- therefore, shorter stiffer sidewalls on the 20's.  I had heard this and thought it was exaggerated til I had a purchased a set of 18" wheels/tires to replace the 20's on a 1500 for the winter. 

 

All depends what you're after. The stiffer 20's also gave slightly better fuel economy (was running the same 100 mile round trip daily for a couple weeks either side of when they were switched) and slightly 'sportier' handling.

 

If I was getting another one it would have 18's and not 20's.

 

For the same reason my current HD has the optional 18's instead of the 20's that were included withe the 2500 Denali package. 

[Street Queen]

My friend at the Dealership definitively told me the Max trailer package rides smoother than the Z71 on street. My RST w MTP definitely rides smooth and sporty with 20”. I am almost at 2K in miles. However going over speed bumps is rougher than desired. Do others with the MTP agree?  How are the Z71s driving?

[avalonandl]

Max tow with a 6.2 get the 10 speed transmission. 1st speed is 4.70 ratio.

 

The Rancho shocks I have on my 2015 2500 HD suck. Replaced with Bilstein, much smoother ride.

[Chris walker]

On 4/6/2019 at 4:59 PM, OnTheReel said:

Not true. The Tundra’s 6 speed trans is geared very tall so it needs that kind of rear.

 

When you look at the actual spread, the Toyota with 4.30s is actually very close to the GM 8 speed, 3.23.

 

8L90 has a 4.56 first gear, Toyota is 3.33, and on from there. Can’t just look at axle ratio.

To me the Tundra feels like it has substantially more power than the 5.3....I dont think it shows up in the  HP/TQ stats so not sure how it happens unless its gearing - Not saying you are wrong but thats just my feeling.

Edited April 12, 2019 by Chris walker

[OnTheReel]

The Tundra does have a bit of an edge in power, torque and displacement. The other thing at play is how lazy the 5.3 has been tuned, especially prior to 2019. I don’t doubt that the Tundra has felt stronger than the GMs, I just don’t think gearing is the main issue...the numbers just don’t bear it out. Especially not with the 8 or 10 speeds.

[econometrics]

My RST Z71 rides incredibly smooth. Sure, harsh road bumps and speed bumps at low speeds cause a bit of bounce and harsh recovery, but this is a truck, not a Range Rover with an electronically-tuned suspension. ;) 

 

I upgraded from a 2007 LT Crew. To me, the 2019 RST rides and handles like a sports car with the ride of a luxury SUV. It's hard to believe I'm driving a 1/2 ton truck at times. 

[jclarcher]

On 4/11/2019 at 9:44 PM, Street Queen said:

My friend at the Dealership definitively told me the Max trailer package rides smoother than the Z71 on street. My RST w MTP definitely rides smooth and sporty with 20”. I am almost at 2K in miles. However going over speed bumps is rougher than desired. Do others with the MTP agree?  How are the Z71s driving?

I recently traded my 2019 2nd edition RST crew cab w/Z71 on 20's for a 2020 RST double cab with MTP on 20's - ok, I wanted the tow mirrors and 2k more towing capacity.. anyway.. the ride on the MTP def seems smoother to me, but here's the kicker - the MTP seems to actually sit lower/sag more when I attach a trailer, which makes no sense to me!  I haul a 5800 lb travel trailer currently, but the chains now sometimes actually touch the ground, whereas they did not on the Z71.  The load balancing hitch is still 'tuned' to the Z71, and with that config, the chains did not touch the ground.  I don't know if it is the slightly longer bed that creates an increased tongue load, but it def is sagging more, which really doesn't make sense to me.   I'm going to add air bags to this, and when/if Bilstein comes out with ride height adjustable shocks for the 2020, I'll add those as well to bring it up an inch or so.  In the meantime, I need to have my hitch re-tuned to the MTP height.  I can't seem to find any spec that shows the actual height of Z71 vs MTP.