Purchasing 14-18 Silverado 1500

steveo2155 · February 10, 2022

Looking at upgrading to a 14 - 18 Silverado 1500 from a 05 Silverado. Any problematic year or common issues? 6 cylinder vs 8 cylinder performance and mpg difference? Will be towing a 5 to 6000 travel trailer at most and sxs.

diyer2 · February 10, 2022

Bad time due to used prices. 1500 for 6k pounds will work for flat terrain towing. Not mountains IMO. My 2012 struggles with that weight here in the mountains of Colorado.

YMMV

JimCost2014 · February 10, 2022

The 18-model year has been great for me so far. They worked out a lot of the issues that I experienced with my 14 and 16.

Donstar · February 10, 2022

My 2015 with a V6 is worry free and can tow a 7k trailer in hilly/mountainous terrain. It has ample power and good mpg's as a daily driver but it can get pretty thirsty when towing heavy!

steveo2155 · February 10, 2022

2 hours ago, Donstar said:

My 2015 with a V6 is worry free and can tow a 7k trailer in hilly/mountainous terrain. It has ample power and good mpg's as a daily driver but it can get pretty thirsty when towing heavy!

What kind of mpg

Grumpy Bear · February 10, 2022

I don't tow, period. But my 2015 V6 RCSB has been trouble free for over 150K. Upper 20's for MPG in the midwest. My old boss has a 16 CCSB with a V6 he tows heavy industrial equipment with that has been a rock. Fork trucks and shop machine stuff on a flatbed.

CamGTP · February 10, 2022

My preference is 2016-2018. The front ends look better and better radio/tech stuff.

They all have their similar issues. Wheel bearings, cooler line leaks, radiator leaks on the early ones. Some have AFM problems with the engine. Some can have torque converter failures on a 6 and 8 speeds.

Maintenance records would be a must have for me, I'd want to know it's history and the lower mileage the better in my eyes.

mikeyk101 · February 11, 2022

My 2016 has the 5.3l engine, 6L80 trans and 3.42 gears. I did have to change out the mirrors to tow mirrors and add a Tekonsha P3 brake controller as it didn't come with the integrated trailer brake controller. I'm just as glad that it didn't because I think the P3 is more adaptable. I tow a Wilderness FSX 190RT toyhauler. 25' and weighs in around 4500 dry. Loaded is probably around 62-6400lbs.

Like was mentioned above, absolutely no problems with towing. I haven't made it to what some may consider mountains yet but I have towed up and down quite a few long steep grades across Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and North Carolina. South Dakota and Wyoming will be coming up in a few months though. What I have figured out is that when coming to a steep grade, I will drop the shifter from "D" down into manual and that makes the trans drop down 1 gear. If I find that the rig is struggling, I will drop down 1 more gear manually and it will cruise right up the grade. Many times I find I don't even have to push the accelerator down any further than I already was. I primarily prefer to travel back roads and avoud interstates because I find it a lot more relaxing.

As far as mpg when towing, I found it did a little better in the hills and got between 10-11mpg towing. Flat lands might drop down to 8-9mpg. I have a 26 gallon tank and just figure in fuel stops around 200-220 miles. I find that unless I really have to be somewhere, I may only use 1-1/2 tanks and then I'm ready for stopping for the night.

I have not had any major problems, knock on wood. No collapsed lifters, no trans problems, nothing major. I did have the leaking shark fin antenna and that was replaced under warranty. I also had leaking 3rd brake light and that too was fixed under warranty. The only real problem I did have was a crack in the front axle housing which again was repaired under warranty. I do use the Range AFM disabler so I run on all 8 cylinders all the time. I am hopeful that this has prevented lifter failures but in reality, I know better. I also did the updated transmission thermostat that should help with trans temps and will find out more this year as well when putting some stress on it with towing. But so far, so good at 63,000 miles and counting..

Donstar · February 11, 2022

11 hours ago, mikeyk101 said:

As far as mpg when towing, I found it did a little better in the hills and got between 10-11mpg towing. Flat lands might drop down to 8-9mpg. I have a 26 gallon tank and just figure in fuel stops around 200-220 miles. I find that unless I really have to be somewhere, I may only use 1-1/2 tanks and then I'm ready for stopping for the night.

This mileage was similar to mine with a smaller trailer and engine. I discovered that the reason for the poorer mpg's on flat ground was my tendency to drive faster. If I dropped my speed, I could easily maintain the double digit mpg's. It seems like the sail behind you creates more of a strain than the weight at higher speeds.

mikeyk101 · February 11, 2022

This sounds reasonable. I would say another factor is that although it may use a little gas going up the grades, when going down, accelerator isn't needed and gas mileage climbs.

And all vehicles have a sweet spot for best gas mileage. I agree with you on flatlands and speed will usually be a little higher. It seems if I can keep it around 60mph, I end up with the best mileage but it gets rather boring traveling for miles at that speed. My mpg without the trailer doing this will also be considerably higher but again, pretty boring...

LDM · February 11, 2022

When my 95 Tahoe finally blew a head gasket a few years ago I decided to get a newer truck. Ended up buying a 2015 Sierra 1500 with the 5.3 and 6 speed transmission. It was a good truck and I towed with it a few times but I really wanted the 6.2, it was just difficult to find one in a double cab or crew cab with the 6.5 foot bed so I settled for a 5.3 as I needed a general purpose vehicle (my Camaros are garage queens). After a while the dealer I bought my 15 from ended up getting in an 18 double cab with the 6.2, 8 speed, and max tow package, in black, which was what I really wanted from the beginning. After some negotiating I was able to get a good deal for trading in my 15 for the 18. Love the 6.2, although I did have the hard 1-2 shift not long after purchasing it. The dealer did the TSB for it and haven't had the issue since. Gas mileage isn't really any different with the 6.2 that I can tell, although I do have a tendency to drive the 6.2 faster since she has a bit more get up and go than the 5.3

16LT4 · February 12, 2022

About to hit 100k on my '16. Fuel, spark plugs and fluids changes are all it's needed. Lifter and tranny issues are overblown, IMO.

Well that's not entirely true. When I added the level kit last fall, I noticed the shock bases were rotting and the UCA bushings looked like they had sat at the bottom of Hell's Gate since '16, so it got loaded UCAs and shocks all around too. But those are normal maintenance items.

Edited February 12, 2022 by 16LT4

steveo2155 · February 13, 2022

I'm looking at a 15 Silverado with the 5.3 and 33,000 miles next week so we will see what happens there. If that doesn't pan out it seems like people that have the v6 are generally satisfied. How does the 2020 with the 4 cylinder compare? Only reason I ask is i seem to come across some of them in my price range, just wondering what people have to say about the new gen with 4 cylinder

CamGTP · February 13, 2022

Lots of people love the 2.7 trucks. They make lots of torque and will tow plenty of weight for the everyday driver. Plus they get pretty damn good fuel mileage for a truck. There are several threads about that engine on here.

16LT4 · February 13, 2022

3 hours ago, steveo2155 said:

I'm looking at a 15 Silverado with the 5.3 and 33,000 miles next week so we will see what happens there. If that doesn't pan out it seems like people that have the v6 are generally satisfied. How does the 2020 with the 4 cylinder compare? Only reason I ask is i seem to come across some of them in my price range, just wondering what people have to say about the new gen with 4 cylinder

That truck is a different chassis, so questions would be best answered in that forum.

FWIW, at nearly 100k miles, my '16 5.3 CCSB 4x4 has a lifetime MPG of 27.9, which has decreased considerably from driving it more in this cold winter. I'm not sure the 2.7 can best that after 100k miles, though I've read it's torque curve shames the 5.3. I'm not a turbo fan though.

Edited February 13, 2022 by 16LT4