Advice for a newbie?

Raven · January 22, 2002

I'm the happy new owner of a brand new 2002 2500HD LS 4x4 Crew Cab Shortbed Silverado. It has the 6.0/Auto combo with most everything else except buckets. I just bought the truck on Saturday at a dealer in Columbus Ohio and am very happy with the purchase as well as the truck.

My previous truck was a 2001 Ford Superduty F-250 XLT 4x4 Crew Cab and I was happy with it also other than the high entry height.

Can you offer any advice for a new guy here? I'm very familiar with how these boards work since I'm a member of the "old guard" on the Turbo Buick Forum.

In particular, I'm interested in info about torsion bar adjustment (can you do it yourself or best left to the pros?), tire upgrades (I've been searching and already found some great info on that), and any peculiarities about these fine trucks regarding maintenance and concerns.

Coming home from Columbus with my new truck (only 80 miles on the odometer) this past Saturday , I have to go up SR 33 through the town of Bellefontaine, Ohio. This town is the highest point above sea level in Ohio and has a long hill to climb. I was surprised to see my truck tackle that hill with not a bit of sluggishness, nor did it ever shift down! To listen to the motor (a very nice sound, I might add, in a VERY quiet cabin), one would think it never even knew there was a hill there.

Yep - I'm definitely lovin' my new Chevy... :love:

Shaners · January 22, 2002

Welcome to the forum, and you'll be happy to know there are several other GN owners here too.

As far as the torsion bar adjustment, you can do that yourself. If you follow the bars back you'll see they tie into a crossmember about the rear of the cab. There is a bolt sticking down on each side, (I think it is 18 mm). To raise the front of the truck you'll want to turn these clockwise or basically screw them in. Start with a few full turns first and then road test and then re-adjust. I measured my truck off of three different points on the frame, but alot of people measure from the fender... (not all fenders are equal)

That is a simple adjustment but if you go to far you will harshen up you're ride... 4-5 full turns should be about the max... The downside is that you will have just screwed up your alignment, and will probably need to get that straightened out. About 1" to 1.5" is all that you can reasonably expect to get out of your front end lift...

285/75/16 tires will fit on your HD if you crank up the torsion bars. I think I will probably put 265's on mine when I change them out.

The 6.0L and 4.10 gears which your truck has will pull almost any grade in OD. That motor and gear combo are a match made in heaven... but fuel economy isn't the greatest. I guess that doesn't really matter though because if it did I wouldn't be driving my 2500HD crewcab!!! ;)

If your old F250 had the Triton 5.4L in it then I know why you are smiling!!! The 6.0L is a much nicer moter and the 4L80E tranny beats the crap out of the E4OD Ford tranny... Believe me... I strayed once and I constantly remind myself of that... ('97 F250 LD) eewwwww!!!

Jpshostr · January 22, 2002

Welcome to the forum.

Torsion adjustment is fairly easy to do, no reason to have a pro do it. As for tire recommendation, it all depends on usage that this truck will see.

Raven · January 22, 2002

Thanks, Shaners. About the Torsion Bar adjustment - does the suspension have to be unloaded (truck off the ground) to make the changes? Or can I just get beneath the truck and make the adjustments and then take it to the shop for a new alignment?

I did have the 5.4 Triton with the E40D tranny in the F250 - and it wasn't that peppy at all. Actually, compared to my Silverado, it was downright sluggish. Plus, on any sort of hill or slight incline, it was always downshifting which was very annoying. The Silverado is so much more refined and it's ride is no comparison versus my F250 - almost like riding in a car compared to the Ford.

My fuel economy on the Ford wasn't anything to write home about either. Since I don't do a lot of towing other than the trailer that carries the sound/music equipment for my band (the occassional weekend gigs), I'm not concerned about it either way. My F250 only got about 12.5-13 at it's best (and that was with a 3.73 regular axle) so I doubt if my 2500 HD will do any worse - hopefully, it will be a little better unloaded and on the highway.

Tire size, I was considering something in the size you mentioned - 285's. Do you know how much speedometer error these create and are there any effects on the shifting/computer calibrations for air/fuel mixture, etc? I've heard that some mods that change the effective axle ratio can have an adverse effect on performance of a vehicle, but I've not heard that in particular to the Silverado HD. Thoughts?

Thanks again.

Firetiger(MN) · January 22, 2002

Welcome.

I turned up my torsion bars while the truck was on the ground. It'd probably be a little easier if you jacked the front end up, but I didn't have any problems. Remember to take a short drive in between measurements to let the suspension settle out after making adjustments. It might take a few runs around the block to get it where you want it. If your truck looks anything like mine did when new, you'll be happy with what it'll look like when the truck sits level after the adjusting.

Yes, 285's throw off the speedo. Approximately 5 mph at 70. A little less at 60, and so on. It's not linear, so you have to make sure you watch your speed! I checked mine with a handheld GPS and it was what I calculated it to be.

I like my 285's and hope to purchase a Hypertech PPIII soon to re-calibrate my speedo. I see that they just came out with the model for the 2002's now, so it's just a matter of time before I get my hands on one.

See link below for pictures of 285's and cranked t-bars!

DigUout · January 22, 2002

Welcome to the Forum Raven. Sounds like the guys have your questions answered so just enjoy that new ride!

SteveSierra · January 22, 2002

Welcome to the forum and GM, Raven! I find what you and Shaners have found, this engine/trans/rear ratio combo is GREAT!!!! There is a guy down in Texas that got a high 13 out of this combo in a crew cab with(I think) basically just a 100 shot of nitrous and he was on 285 All Terrain's!! There is actually a vid of him beating a high mileage fox body Stang at the track.

I'm putting 265's on my ride today. BFG All Terrain's. I'd go with 285's, but that conservative side of me says I really should get 8 inch wide aftermarket rims as well if I were to do that.

The suspension doesn't have to be unloaded to crank the bars. It would make turning the bolts easier, but it's not necessary. I've heard that if you go over an inch, you really should have the alignment checked/corrected, but I've only done 4-5 turns on my past GM trucks(probably 1/2 to 3/4 inch raise) and haven't noticed the alignment out of whack.

Then again, I could be the one out of whack! LOL

Good luck with your truck and if you should decide on duals or whatnot, ask away. In my quest for this setup, I'm learning more and more each day. I'm going to another muffler shop(3rd one) tomorrow to find out about a true dual set up with 2.75 inch or 3 inch pipe coming out behind each of the rear tires on a 45 degree angle. Finally found a decent shop that can bend piping over 2.5 inches.

Yes Shane, that first guy only talked me out of doing it for like 2 days. ;) I don't think he really wanted to do the custom setup. Lazy people I tell ya!

Steve

Raven · January 23, 2002

Thanks for all the replies. I'm hoping to have a chance to crank up the Torsion Bars this weekend so I hope I get the time.

Do I understand correctly - if you don't go too wild on the adjustments (about an inch or so is all I really want - I still want a little rake, just not as much as factory), then you don't need to get a new alignment? I would love to save that money if it's really not needed to be done, but I also don't want to ruin tires and have steering problems either. ;)

So - align or not after the adjustments?

Again - thanks a lot for the replies.

gandolphxx · January 23, 2002

It is really neccessary - save money somewhere else - mine was dead on - raised it 4 turns, and it was out.

My $.02

Raven · January 25, 2002

Thanks. I hope to get the T/B's cranked this weekend and am going to take it for the alignment early next week. Can't wait to see how much better it looks.

Firetiger(MN) · January 25, 2002

The mechanic at my local dealer said that GM recommends an alignment be done if more than four turns to the torsion bar bolts are needed. They raise the front end up in the case of snow plow installations. Just some more information for you before you decide on an alignment. If you're not sure, you might as well do it to save your new tires.

Good Luck!