2022 Silverado ZR2 road trip.

Firehawk99 · August 28, 2022

So we took a 1500 mile road trip to Myrtle Beach from Buffalo NY this past week. 2 adults 3 kids 7-15 yrs old. My 15 yr old son has a job and saved up to buy his first truck, a 1999 s10 zr2 in NC and we towed it home on a U-haul car transport.

The ride on the way down was fantastic. The dssv shocks work so well. While cruising at any speed they soaked up any large dips or bumps in the road while always feeling stable and planted in the curves. Where I found they really excelled was while towing. The 99 zr2 and trailer had a combined weight of 6,000 lbs. The way the U-haul trailers are designed, most of that weight is on the tongue. The dssv's were phenomenal! No matter how fast I was going when I hit a bump or dip in the road the truck never felt unstable or loose. They soaked everything up! There were many times I would forget I was towing a trailer.

I averaged 18.5 mpg on the way down, the bed was pretty much full with all our stuff.

While towing we coverd 736 miles, averaged 10.5 mpg and had an average speed of 68.2 mph. I had the cruise set at 79 mph for a good part of the way, even while climbing Fancy gap and Flat top in Virginia and West Virginia. The 6.2 had plenty of power and easily maintained that speed up all the hills. It honestly never left me wanting more power. While towing through the hills I left the transmission in L9 so the DFM would be disabled.

My only complaint would be the seats. After about 8hrs on the road my a** was sore. They are too firm for my liking, but better than the ones in my 21 Trail boss. I really do appreciate the new electric shifter as well. It is very convenient to just toggle it back and forth to switch in and out of D and L verses trying to move a column shift while driving. I also don't feel it took up any needed space in the console. We had plenty of room for all our devices and drinks.

All in all I am very satisfied with my purchase and feel the ZR2 package is well worth the extra cost above a Trail Boss. Even if you don't do a lot of off roading. You will still benefit from a much better ride on road and the ability to tow a good amount of weight with confidence!

Edited August 28, 2022 by Firehawk99

ShotgunZ71 · August 29, 2022

10 hours ago, Firehawk99 said:

So we took a 1500 mile road trip to Myrtle Beach from Buffalo NY this past week. 2 adults 3 kids 7-15 yrs old. My 15 yr old son has a job and saved up to buy his first truck, a 1999 s10 zr2 in NC and we towed it home on a U-haul car transport.

The ride on the way down was fantastic. The dssv shocks work so well. While cruising at any speed they soaked up any large dips or bumps in the road while always feeling stable and planted in the curves. Where I found they really excelled was while towing. The 99 zr2 and trailer had a combined weight of 6,000 lbs. The way the U-haul trailers are designed, most of that weight is on the tongue. The dssv's were phenomenal! No matter how fast I was going when I hit a bump or dip in the road the truck never felt unstable or loose. They soaked everything up! There were many times I would forget I was towing a trailer.

I averaged 18.5 mpg on the way down, the bed was pretty much full with all our stuff.

While towing we coverd 736 miles, averaged 10.5 mpg and had an average speed of 68.2 mph. I had the cruise set at 79 mph for a good part of the way, even while climbing Fancy gap and Flat top in Virginia and West Virginia. The 6.2 had plenty of power and easily maintained that speed up all the hills. It honestly never left me wanting more power. While towing through the hills I left the transmission in L9 so the DFM would be disabled.

My only complaint would be the seats. After about 8hrs on the road my a** was sore. They are too firm for my liking, but better than the ones in my 21 Trail boss. I really do appreciate the new electric shifter as well. It is very convenient to just toggle it back and forth to switch in and out of D and L verses trying to move a column shift while driving. I also don't feel it took up any needed space in the console. We had plenty of room for all our devices and drinks.

All in all I am very satisfied with my purchase and feel the ZR2 package is well worth the extra cost above a Trail Boss. Even if you don't do a lot of off roading. You will still benefit from a much better ride on road and the ability to tow a good amount of weight with confidence!

Good write-up! Thanks for sharing. I've come to like the console shifter as well. You're right, the console doesn't loose much, if any, storage.

Also, the L9 trick doesn't work on the refresh trucks. Entirely new electrical system. That's apparently why many mods from 19-21 aren't compatible with these refreshed trucks.

Recneps · August 29, 2022

Awesome truck pulling an awesome truck. My first truck was a 99 s10 with the manual transmission and step side bed. I loved that truck. Thanks for the write up.

BIGDOGx · August 29, 2022

Be sure to have ball joints, idler and pitman arms readily available at your local auto parts store with that 99. I had a 95 zr2 and in 10 years of owning from new it i went through 8 sets of ball joints,6 idler arms and 5 pitman arms.

Gm thought it was ok to use the standard s10 suspension components and throw 31" bfg tires on it and it be ok lmao.

Firehawk99 · August 29, 2022

1 hour ago, BIGDOGx said:

Be sure to have ball joints, idler and pitman arms readily available at your local auto parts store with that 99. I had a 95 zr2 and in 10 years of owning from new it i went through 8 sets of ball joints,6 idler arms and 5 pitman arms.

Gm thought it was ok to use the standard s10 suspension components and throw 31" bfg tires on it and it be ok lmao.

Good to know!

Firehawk99 · September 2, 2022

L9 does in fact disable the DFM system. I have the Borla S-type exhaust and it is very easy to tell if the system is active. When you come to a stop it can clearly be heard. When I put the transmission in L9 and come to a stop the engine doesn't make the sound. My 21 trail boss was the same way and when I had the Pulsar LT installed it also didn't make the sound.

seamus2154 · September 3, 2022

Thanks for posting! Good stuff. I am still amazed how many years everyone has complained about GM's truck seats. They are terrible, too hard, and no back support. My '21 is acceptable and mediocre but they still suck. I love my truck, but it is my #1 complaint. Good luck with the new truck!