Jump to content

Ready To Buy, But I Have Some Questions..

timmerk

Recommended Posts

timmerk Enthusiast

timmerk

Posted
Posted

I'm ready to buy a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500 (extended cab, standard box, 4x4 and probably SLE1 trim). It will be my first purchase where I'm buying new, and first GM/GMC. My previous truck was a Ford F-150 and it was time to move on. :D

 

However, I had some newbie questions that I'm trying to figure out before I buy. I was hoping someone could help answer them. Here they come:

 

 

 

- If I get EZ-lift tailgate, is there a panel on the inside of the gate? I ask because I am concerned with the implications of covering it with Line-X. Will Line-X cover it, or no? If it does, will it be impossible to access inside the tailgate, if anything goes wrong? It looks like there are some bolts - does Line-X cover the bolts, or do they remove them, spray it on, then replace?

 

 

 

- The electronic Autotrac with rotary dials lets you drive 4x4 all the time, correct? Does getting the Z71 offroad package or the Max Duty trailering package change this so I won't be able to drive 4x4 on dry road?

 

 

 

- Does Active Fuel Management suck? Any problems? I saw the "ticking noise for over 1 min" service bulletin and read problems about clunking between 30-35 MPH.

 

 

 

- What are the benefits of getting all disc brakes, instead of disc/drum (drums on the back)?

 

 

 

- How could I get in the back of an Extended Cab and close the door if by myself? i.e. can the driver seat tilt and slide forward? If so, can it still if i get the 6-way power adjustable seat option?

 

 

 

- Does the tow package cause the truck to bounce uncontrollably ever? I read someone saying it does.

 

 

 

- Is the whole body made out of metal? I read the wheel flares are made out of metal in the NNBS trucks, which is fine by me, as long as they stick out somewhat so rocks don't scrape the side of the truck.

 

 

 

- The "bench seats" on the SLE1 look like 2 separate bucket seats, but has center seat in middle as well. Is this true? Are they physically separated or not?

 

 

 

- Anyone experience the automatic differential locking whenever you take it out of park?

 

 

 

- Does the Z71 package affect the smooth ride on roads with the shocks?

 

 

 

- Are aluminum blocks bad? Is an iron block better?

 

 

 

- Does the SLE1 trim have 4 speakers and 2 separate tweeters, or only 4 speakers, 2 of them with integrated tweeters? If separate, where are the tweeters - above dash or in lower door?

 

 

 

- The in-seat lockable compartment in SLE1 - what kind of key opens it? Is it specific to the factory key? Can the key cylinder be replaced with a higher security lock, or is it some cheapo lock that's built in?

 

 

 

- What are stabilizer bars?

 

 

 

- Should I got with 3.73 rear axle ratio or 4.10? I will tow a very light Uhaul trailer, carrying less then 1000lbs *once* across country, and maybe 2 Jetskis once a year - less than 200 miles.

 

 

 

- Does anyone know of a site that shows the different colors by showing real photos? The colors on GMC's site on the "Colors & 360" page look completly different than the photos on "Build Your Sierra" page.

 

 

Thanks for all your help! I'm hoping to buy this month to get the March Madness cashback deal.

Bostonsfavson Senior Enthusiast

Bostonsfavson

Posted
Posted

Well Tim, I'll help ya with the first one :D The EZ lift tailgate is not affected by Line-X or any other type of spray in liner (or drop in liners for that matter). The EZ lift mechanism is all internal, so you're good to go.

Steveman Enthusiast

Steveman

Posted
Posted

Ok well the autotrac system works the same regardless of what package you get but I would not recommend driving in 4x4 on dry roads because that can cause a lot of wear on the front drivetrain. I have active fuel management and I think its great. I dop not even feel a difference in the truck when it is shifting into v4 mode, or when it is running in v4 mode, it is totally seamless and smooth.

"The "bench seats" on the SLE1 look like 2 separate bucket seats, but has center seat in middle as well. Is this true? Are they physically separated or not?" Yes it is really 3 separate parts.

"Anyone experience the automatic differential locking whenever you take it out of park?" Never, this should not happen anyway. The differential is designed to lock when wheel slip is detected or one wheel is spinning faster then the other.

 

"The in-seat lockable compartment in SLE1 - what kind of key opens it? Is it specific to the factory key? Can the key cylinder be replaced with a higher security lock, or is it some cheapo lock that's built in?"

Um well the key that is used is the same one that is used to start the truck, so its the main key. I think that it is pretty well secured becuase it is pretty hard to pick a double sided lock.

 

"Does the Z71 package affect the smooth ride on roads with the shocks?" I cant really tell you if it does or not. I have the Z71 package and I think its pretty smooth.

"What are the benefits of getting all disc brakes, instead of disc/drum (drums on the back)?"

Disk brakes are much better at dissipating heat. So if you are going to be towing a lot, then I would say go ahead and get the disk brakes, but for everything else drum brakes are fine.

 

"How could I get in the back of an Extended Cab and close the door if by myself? i.e. can the driver seat tilt and slide forward? If so, can it still if i get the 6-way power adjustable seat option?"

Um I really do not understand what you are trying to ask here. With the extended cab you have to close the suicide door first before closing the driver side door becuase the driver side door closes on the suicide door. But, no I think it would be pretty hard to lean back in the seat and close the door and yes the seat can recline and slide back and forwards.

 

"Is the whole body made out of metal? I read the wheel flares are made out of metal in the NNBS trucks, which is fine by me, as long as they stick out somewhat so rocks don't scrape the side of the truck." Yes the whole body is made out of metal, even the fender flares, but rocks do occasionally scratch the side of the truck.

saxdogg Enthusiast

saxdogg

Posted
Posted

my two cents---

 

I have the SLE1, 6 speakers, 4 regular/2 tweeters in A pillars

 

middlr front seat bottom on bench is lockable with vehicle key (unknown on replacing it)

 

don't need help getting into the back on an ext. cab, I can open it and climb in, no messing with front seats at all

 

aluminum = lighter, weight savings, iron = tougher, but heavier....mine is iron

 

front discs do most of the work anyways...I doubt having rear drums puts anyone at a true disadvantage....

hiker270 Enthusiast

hiker270

Posted
Posted

Just picked up my 2008 GMC Sierra 1500 last friday. It is the crew cab SLE2 with the All Terrain Pkg. I has the Z71 suspension with the Rancho shock upgrade. It is by far the best riding vehicle I have ever ridden in car or truck. I was a bit concerned that the Z71 pkg. would sacrifice ride quality but the truck rides great has no rattles or noises. I could not be happier.

post-31102-1205691145_thumb.jpg

post-31102-1205691145_thumb.jpg

post-31102-1205691145_thumb.jpg

post-31102-1205691145_thumb.jpg

timmerk Enthusiast

timmerk

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks for everyone's replies!

 

Um I really do not understand what you are trying to ask here. With the extended cab you have to close the suicide door first before closing the driver side door becuase the driver side door closes on the suicide door. But, no I think it would be pretty hard to lean back in the seat and close the door and yes the seat can recline and slide back and forwards.

 

The reason I ask is sometimes I'm in the middle of no where, so I sleep in my truck. I was hoping I could sleep in the back, but if I'm by myself, I'm worried that I can't get back there and close all the doors.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • KARNUT
      OCI, not when but why?

      By KARNUT · Posted

      As a matter of amusement I’ll leave this conversation with this. Do you beat the government average fuel estimate? Statistics are a guide to me. Not a rule. Someone once said I have to have the last word. If true and possible may be. I’ll blame that on working in a family business.
    • bluev8
      Intermittent no-code issues on 2022.5+ V8 trucks — what did the shop fail to capture?

      By bluev8 · Posted

      That is a fair point, and I agree that trying to log “everything in the truck” would be the wrong direction.   There are a lot of modules and a lot of traffic. If the product became a full-truck datalogger, the amount of data would get huge very quickly, and most owners would never use it.   I think the first useful version would need to be narrow: - powertrain-side event evidence - selected high-value parameters - communication / voltage / reset events - pre/post event window - short report first, raw log only as backup   One distinction I should make is between active OBD/PID polling and passive bus capture. If you are polling PIDs through OBD, then yes: the more parameters you request, the lower the effective sample rate becomes, and you are adding diagnostic traffic to a vehicle that is already busy running itself. With passive CAN capture, the recorder is not asking all the modules for data. It is listening to traffic that is already on the bus. So it does not consume vehicle bus bandwidth in the same way that a scan tool polling hundreds of PIDs would. But your point still applies in a different way.   Even if passive capture does not add bus traffic, the recorder still has limits: - processing rate - storage rate - timestamp accuracy - decoder workload - event filtering - report size - user attention span   So the answer cannot be “log everything and let the user figure it out.” The product would need to store enough raw evidence to be useful, but only decode, graph, and present the important parts around the event.   A practical report should probably show: - what triggered the capture - how much pre/post data was preserved - which selected parameters changed - how those values compared to baseline - whether the same pattern happened before - whether any voltage, reset, bus-off, lost-message, or communication fault occurred - selected graphs around the event - raw data only as supporting evidence   So I agree with you. More data is not automatically better. The real product is the reduction from raw data into a useful event report.
    • bluev8
      Intermittent no-code issues on 2022.5+ V8 trucks — what did the shop fail to capture?

      By bluev8 · Posted

      That makes sense, and I agree with most of that.   I think the product would need both: 1. a default powertrain template, so it is useful out of the box; 2. user-selected priority parameters, so the owner or shop can choose what they want to see first.   Different users are going to care about different things. One owner may care about oil pressure and voltage. Another may care about misfire trend, AFM/DFM behavior, or U-codes. A shop may want communication events and repeatability first. Your baseline point is probably the most important one. Raw data is not very useful unless the report can show what normal looked like for that vehicle under similar conditions.   The way I would think about it is: - start with a basic known-good baseline - learn normal behavior for that specific vehicle over time - allow the event to be overlaid against baseline - show whether the event was a one-time spike or a repeatable pattern - provide a simple severity level, but with clear limits on what that severity means   For example, early severity could be something like: - Info: event captured, no obvious abnormal pattern - Watch: value moved outside baseline, but not repeated - Warning: repeatable abnormal pattern under similar conditions - Critical: communication loss, voltage drop, bus-off, reset, or severe repeated event   I would not want the first version to say “replace this part.” That would be overclaiming unless there is repair-confirmed data behind it. It would be more honest to say “this pattern deserves inspection.”   On the OBD port question, I think OBD absolutely has a role. OBD is probably the right place for: - DTCs - freeze frame - VIN - calibration information - normal scan-tool parameters - Mode 6 / enhanced diagnostic data if available The reason I am still looking at an ECM-side recorder is that the failure may happen before anyone connects a scan tool. If the owner plugs in a scanner after the event, the pre-event evidence may already be gone unless the ECU happened to save it. So I do not see this as “OBD versus ECM-side.” I see it more like: - ECM-side recorder: always armed, rolling buffer, event evidence - OBD/DLC companion: DTCs, freeze frame, VIN, calibration, normal scan data - phone/cloud: status, notes, upload, report generation, notifications   I agree that phone connection and push notifications would be useful. I just would not want the phone or cloud connection to be required for capture. The recorder should save the event locally even if the phone is not connected. The phone should help with event marking, download, notes, upload, alerts, and report viewing.   For a default GM V8 event report, would this list make sense? - RPM - calculated load / MAP - throttle position - vehicle speed - gear / torque converter state if available - coolant temperature - oil pressure - oil temperature if available - battery voltage - commanded AFM/DFM state if available - actual AFM/DFM state if available - misfire counters / roughness by cylinder if available - fuel trims - relevant U-codes / communication events - bus-off / lost periodic message / module reset / voltage drop events Which of those would you remove, and what would you add?
    • Grumpy Bear
      OCI, not when but why?

      By Grumpy Bear · Posted

      I went to the county a few years back to dispute my property taxes. To do that I hired an appraiser and a lawyer. The County Assessor wished to argue that the homes in my neighborhood the appraiser used were all 'distressed properties" and not representative of the "Market Average".    My response was," Of the 50 homes in our subdivision 43 of them were "distressed properties" under bank foreclosure and as such "Distressed IS the market". Lawyer about choked on his coffee and handed the Assessor the 'receipts'.    I won that case on the evidence provided by the Lawyer and the Appraiser.    We have the same thing going on here. My statements were based on the GOVERNMENTS NATIONAL DATA and yours on local markets in areas of your interest. They are both correct....   Thing is, this divergence was based on NATIONAL and not on LOCAL. I think you even understand that. But like you said, we are both stubborn and hardheaded.    I do not see any advantage to disengagement.  But that said we can step back to compose ourselves. 
    • revmanii
      Looking at ordering a '26 WT because I want a std cab, std bed

      By revmanii · Posted

      Trust me I appreciate the comments and concerns. It's what I was looking for to help me evaluate the situation and what I want to do. I have decided to move forward with the BORA hubcentric slip on 3/8" (.375") with the extended lugs nuts. Fedex says they should be here Monday :). Meanwhile, the dealer got the remote start and Patriot spray in bed liner done over the last couple of days. Also, I installed an inline stop/start eliminator today. Starts back up in what whatever mode you shut it off in, so you don't have to hit the button every time you fire up.

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...