Winter Mods

manderson7015 · July 29, 2019

Im planning on moving to Wisconsin in the near future. Curious as to what mods i should consider for my 18 Silverado Short Box Z71? What have you done to yours. Any advice appreciated since i'll be new to the cold mid-west winters.

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CamGTP · July 29, 2019

There aren't really any mods you "have" to do for cold weather. I mean it hit -30 degrees for a couple days this past winter here in Minnesota and my truck still ran when it was parked outside everyday.

Having good tires for the winter is a must. Getting a touchless car wash pass is a good idea for the winter. A tonneau cover is great in the winter or all year round, stops snow build in the bed.

Donstar · July 29, 2019

59 minutes ago, manderson7015 said:

Im planning on moving to Wisconsin in the near future. Curious as to what mods i should consider for my 18 Silverado Short Box Z71? What have you done to yours. Any advice appreciated since i'll be new to the cold mid-west winters.

A tip I received when taking my first job in northern Canada was, "see what the locals do." (This also applies to winter clothing!) A block heater is worth having installed ahead of time if your truck isn't already equipped. An electric interior heater working in concert with your block heater speeds up the morning thaw. Of course there is the remote start option but I'm not a fan of leaving a big gas burning truck engine running unattended to operate a heater. Good luck with your move!

davester · July 29, 2019

If the truck is garaged, you don't have to do anything. My unheated but insulated garage stays much warmer than outside temps (ie, it'll be -35C outside, but maybe -25C inside). Nowadays, the battery is more important than the block heater.

In order of "things to do", I would suggest:

1) battery warmer

2) block heater

3) oil pan heater

More recently my truck spends winters outside, so I'll plug in the block heater when it's below -30C. I do have to get a battery warmer, as occasionally I need to attach a battery charger to the batter to get it going in the morning when it's particularly cold out.

I find it doesn't take much time for the gas engine to warm up the coolant, so you start building up heat in the cab, takes about 5 blocks for the coolant to get to about 20C, and then sits at the thermostat temp (90C for me) after that. If you've got a diesel engine, not nearly as good, as it typically builds heat only when it needs to work hard.

Edited July 29, 2019 by davester

cheyenne383 · July 29, 2019

I’ve seen as low as -39F since I’ve had my 2017 Silverado... a lot better than the -73F my 2011 suffered through.

I don’t mess with plugging anything in until below 0F, I have a 4 way plug with trans pan/oil pan/battery/block heater hooked up. I take it easy until trans temps get above 100F and let it warm up 10-15 minutes before I take off.

As long as the battery is in good shape you should be fine, that’s my biggest concern with newer vehicles... there’s a lot of electrical loads now vs my back up beater 95model truck.

dieselfan1 · July 29, 2019

Overkill

I lived in Minnesota for my whole life. 57 years.

I don't do. anything special. Make sure your tires and battery are good. Keep your washer fluid full.

Your biggest worry should be driving on snow and ice. Definitely requires skill if you want to stay out of the ditch

lew-e · July 29, 2019

Overkill
I lived in Minnesota for my whole life. 57 years.
I don't do. anything special. Make sure your tires and battery are good. Keep your washer fluid full.
Your biggest worry should be driving on snow and ice. Definitely requires skill if you want to stay out of the ditch

To add to this. When you get your first snow/ice find an empty parking lot and have some fun. You’ll be learning how your truck turns, accelerates, and brakes under those conditions. Its definitely worth it. Just be sure there aren’t any hidden obstacles under that snow lol

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truckguy82 · July 29, 2019

Stationed in north dakota for 4 years

If there’s one thing I’d want more than any other winter feature it’s remote start

Being half asleep and walking out to the car below 0F was no fun

aseibel · July 29, 2019

10 hours ago, manderson7015 said:

Im planning on moving to Wisconsin in the near future.

Where you moving to?

All pretty good responses so far. These trucks don't need to be babied. As long as your battery will start it, you are good to go. I generally park inside (unheated garage) and have no complaints. That's mostly to keep the frost off the windows and eliminate need to brish off snow in the morning. But if you use remote start, you're fine.

In Green Bay and Eastern WI, we only average a couple days below 0 each year. Less if you are farther south. But if you were going to be up in the northwoods and park outside, then maybe I'd consider a block heater.

Driving in snow is the bigger learning curve if you aren't used to it. Learn how to shut off the nanny systems. Ditch your factory goodyears and purchase some real truck tires and you will be passing people on the way to work like I do.

wforrest08 · July 29, 2019

Lots of good winter gear ideas in this thread.

Cool J · July 29, 2019

When moving from south to north you will need to make sure you use up your windshield washer fluid and replace with a good winter version. I lived in Texas and traveled to northern states on a regular basis and it never failed that my windshield washer fluid would freeze up.

manderson7015 · July 29, 2019

Where you moving to?

All pretty good responses so far. These trucks don't need to be babied. As long as your battery will start it, you are good to go. I generally park inside (unheated garage) and have no complaints. That's mostly to keep the frost off the windows and eliminate need to brish off snow in the morning. But if you use remote start, you're fine.

In Green Bay and Eastern WI, we only average a couple days below 0 each year. Less if you are farther south. But if you were going to be up in the northwoods and park outside, then maybe I'd consider a block heater.

Driving in snow is the bigger learning curve if you aren't used to it. Learn how to shut off the nanny systems. Ditch your factory goodyears and purchase some real truck tires and you will be passing people on the way to work like I do.

Medford/Athens/Rib Lake area.

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aseibel · July 29, 2019

4 minutes ago, manderson7015 said:

Medford/Athens/Rib Lake area.

Ah, some would call that area north of Wausau & hwy 29 "up north".

You'll have more problems removing snow from your truck & driveway than you will have with operating the truck in winter.

dieselfan1 · July 30, 2019

As I told epic LT.

You need a orange parka(in case you go to a Packer game), a taste for bratwurst and cheese .

And Beer .

Medford , Rib Lake area is also in the heart of Wisconsins snowmobile trail system. Good times .

Edited July 30, 2019 by dieselfan1

Bash74 · July 30, 2019

I have engine block heater, battery heater, oil pan heater, and transmission pan heater. I plug my truck in and have it on a timer to come on 2hrs before I leave in the morning if it is going to be -30 to -50 and if it is -50 and colder I will have it come on 4hrs prior. The only other thing done was dropping freeze point of the radiator fluid, and windshield washer fluid. I also change to a winter tire sometimes studded.