Chevy Silverado 1500 review

[KarenLukens]

After seeing that many of you have or had a 1500, and after a ton of research, I opted out of buying the 2500 Duramax because I felt that I didn't need it. Then people started coming out on here and saying that they have sold their 1500's and moved up to the Duramax, which I had thought about for a long time.

 

This is my 5th Chevy truck in the last 40years and in that time I also have had 3 Ford's of various sizes, and still I did a ton of research. As far as high altitude overheating, I had no problem going over the sumits into Flagstaff, Az that top out at 7300', but I did test the trucks fuel to see if anything has changed in the last 50 years... or 49 being that my 1st Chevy was a well used 68 that a friend owned before me. I did notice that running regular fuel over the summits is still a questionable choice. Years ago with my 76 Chevy 1500Crew Cab, I found out that running higher octane really made a difference and that I could get up to 14mpg by using Octane boost on long hauls, over the 8 or so mpg that I would usually get. Now a days, the 76, known as Big Red has been our primary snow plow for the past 30 years and still runs great.

 

A few days ago, I filled up with regular again, while knowing that we were going to be driving thru the valley and then I put in one last tank full of 87octane to go over the 4500' Oregon/California Siskiyou Summit and it was simply, OK. It made it over but the temp did creep up just a little from normal and my transmission went up from 178° to 196° and the power was simply OK, not great, but still more then enough. Basically the 5.3 litre feels like a standard 350 and tows just fine.

 

Knowing that we were heading up over 7000', I switched over to premium 92octane, like I've been doing forever and had no problems at all accelerating and keeping it around 65, while going over the Flagstaff summit. The speed limit on that section is 75mph and we had a severe head wind and I have noticed that the gas milage really drops when you get over 65 and you can really feel the force in the cab that's being created at higher speeds with the Ollie in tow, neither of which are that aerodynamically designed to drive at that speed. Most of the time I kept it around 65 going over the summit but I did take it up to 75mph and watched my milage drop from around 7.2mpg, going up at 65 to 4.2 when climbing at 75mph. Still though my 50 mile average stayed around 7.2 mpg over the summit. Then on normal flat ground, I'm getting around 13.2 when towing at 60mph in California, which is a far cry from the 19.4mpg that our Mercedes would average... but that's a different story.

 

So all in all, I'm real happy with my choice of truck and just like my friend Mark, who has the Duramax, we both slowed way down going over the summit with the 25mph headwind holding us back :)

 

Running Premium 92 Octane makes a huge difference in the performance of the 1500 Chevy trucks. And if you know beforehand that you will be crossing over a high altitude summit, switching from regular to premium really makes a difference in both power and mpg. So if you own the 1500 and feel like it's dogging over the summits while towing your Ollie,make sure that you switch over to premium for at least that day. Most of the time, when not towing, I just run regular, but they do make Premium Grade Gasoline's for a reason... and that reason is better performance under certain circumstances.

 

Reed

 

[KarenLukens]

As far as the truck itself goes, it is comfortable and is a joy to drive. Being that I opted out of the Duramax, I went ahead and bought the top of the line High Country with the Max Tow Package. This gives me a max towing capacity of 11,000 lbs with the 8 speed automatic transition.

 

I chose the 4x4 package for 2 reasons and mostly for the low range that really is needed when backing the Oliver up my driveway. And for the automatic locking differential also known as limited slip posi-traction, which if you know what you are doing, makes for an excellent choice for driving under slippery conditions. All of the trailering options that I chose come standard with the High Country but I did opt out of the trailering mirrors because I wanted the automatic folding mirrors for when off-roading.

 

 

Back in the day, before everything became automatic, getting a posi rear end was a bit more dangerous to drive because when you hit ice with both back tires spinning, it would allow the truck to slide sideways a lot more easily. But these days with all of the sensors built in and the ability to change your trucks ability to match the road conditions, posi is a good safe option that will allow all 4 tires to spin instead of the old school 2 opposing front and rear tires with the least amount of traction spinning, while the other 2 that are firm on the ground aren't allowed to grip by the differentials. I've always opted for the posi when I have had the choice and I have spun out on icy roads more then once :) But today, in this truck, you have lots of choices to choose from and AWD or All Wheel Drive is one of the choices that I really enjoy. Most of the time when towing on gravel roads, I will choose AWD because it is one of those quick shift on the fly options that puts the tires with the most traction in control.

 

 

Before choosing the Chevy, I did drive and look over every other option available with a tow capacity of 7000 lbs or more, and I chose this vehicle for the Comfort and all of the adjustments that can be made to the seat while driving. Plus it has 2 program-able seat choices that are locked into the memory, that make it easy to switch over when on those long haul days. For me, the Chevy was as comfortable as my Mercedes as far as driving, with plenty of extra leg room, less the vibrating seats that Mercedes offers that really does also help when driving long distances.

 

More to come...

 

Reed

[topgun2]

OK, I know that it is a bit shallow on my part, but, am I the only one that just can't stand the look of those "square" wheel wells on GM trucks?

 

Bill

[Mainiac]

A round peg in a square hole type thing?

[John E Davies]

Reed, my Land Cruiser specifies 87 at all times. I haven’t tried a higher grade, but I do really like the way it runs with ethynol free 87. It is smoother and noticebly peppier. Maverik stations typically have it for 20 cents more. After reading your post I may try a higher octane at higher altitudes (87 instead of 85).

 

Did you install LT tires or does it come with those? The ten ply tires are stiffer and your ride will suffer a little, but stability while towing on curvey roads and emergency maneuvers is greatly improved. Plus you won’t worry about sidewall slashes on gravel roads.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[Try2Relax]

OK, I know that it is a bit shallow on my part, but, am I the only one that just can’t stand the look of those “square” wheel wells on GM trucks? Bill

 

Which is why they are reportedly going back to round in 2019.

 

https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1110519_2019-chevrolet-silverado-1500-spy-shots

[DavePhelps]

Reed,

 

I am also looking and researching a new TV. I really like the Chevy/GMC line of trucks. Although  I was thinking more along the lines of the 6.2 liter. There are also rumors that Chevy may bring back the 4.5 Duramax for 2019 but this is purely conjecture at this point. They are working on a small diesel of some displacement for the 1500 however.

 

The one thing about these trucks that has given me great pause is the size of the gas tank, only 26 gallons. Where we go, gas is often limited, and there have been a few times where I was sure glad I had a 35 gallon tank in my Ford van. Have you been caught short at all, or do you carry extra gas? 26 gallons at 10mpg is not so great a range. I agree with you that upping the octane in the mountains has made a noticeable improvement for me. Nice truck you have there. Can't wait to finally settle on one myself!

 

Dave

 

 

[KarenLukens]

OK, I know that it is a bit shallow on my part, but, am I the only one that just can’t stand the look of those “square” wheel wells on GM trucks? Bill

Bill, I guess it's just preference cause to me it looks like great clearance for wheel travel offroad and was a practical selling point for the type of driving that I do. I'd never thought about it before and I like the different look of the whole thing, while knowing that I won't be even close to scraping fenders off-road.

 

Reed, my Land Cruiser specifies 87 at all times. I haven’t tried a higher grade, but I do really like the way it runs with ethynol free 87. It is smoother and noticebly peppier... After reading your post I may try a higher octane at higher altitudes (87 instead of 85). Did you install LT tires or does it come with those? ... John Davies Spokane WA

 

John, I would do some research, I can't see why you couldn't run high octane and many cars require it for best performance as you know. Because if your at 10,000' high octane is the way to go for power. The first time that I actually added Octane Boost to my tank, I took it up to around 105 octane and I could really feel the difference, it was flat out incredible. I was moving my sister from Los Angeles back to Auburn, Cal. Either way, it was expensive but the additive was well worth it because the milage increase along with the power increase made the summit a breeze.

 

It came with Good Year A/T's that to me, had a tread pattern for streets and they proved themselves to be worthless off of the pavement when they started spinning in my driveway, forcing me to switch to 4wd to keep from tearing it up. So my son works for Wheel Pro's and recommended the Nitto Ridge Grapplers for towing and I love them. The A/T's took 32psi and I have 50 in the front and 60psi in the back with the Ridge Grapplers. They stick to the road a lot better and have an aggressive enough tread pattern to retain decent milage, while still giving me good all around offroad performance... I can back up in my driveway in 2wd again... Lol.

 

Before -

 

 

Too much Chrome for me...

 

After -

 

This is my first set of Ridge Grapplers and I trust our son, he knows his tires and the places that I need to be able to get into off-road :)

 

The one thing about these trucks that has given me great pause is the size of the gas tank, only 26 gallons. Where we go, gas is often limited, and there have been a few times where I was sure glad I had a 35 gallon tank in my Ford van. Have you been caught short at all, or do you carry extra gas? 26 gallons at 10mpg is not so great a range. I agree with you that upping the octane in the mountains has made a noticeable improvement for me. Dave

 

Dave, I carry an extra 5gallons for the generator, but its dual purpose. You can get a 34 gallon tank but with all of the gear, 26 works fine for me. I don't let myself get caught short and these days, there's gas stations everywhere and we haven't had a problem even taking it down to almost empty. The nice thing about the new trucks is that they tell you how many miles you have left to go before needing a fill up. I think of back in the day, when you had a standard 15 gallon tank... I'm averaging 13.2mpg towing under normal flat conditions in the valleys on the freeway, so the milage is good enough. We will be off-road today here in Sedona, Az having some fun down here in the sun :)

 

Reed

[KarenLukens]

I've been stuck with all 4 wheels off of the ground before, while crossing a wash in our big 76 crew cab long bed, then I have also had it bottom out off-road many times. It still gets the job done but tearing up the underside became normal. I really like the short wheelbase on my 78 Chevy Step Side and that truck is a brute with Detroit Lockers front and rear, making it a great ranch truck and we use it to drag trees and pull boulders mostly. But it's a beast and these days our older backs need a better ride while towing, then what that old work truck can give. With the Oliver community, like the Casita and overall Fiberglass trailer community... Going with just what is needed is part of the fun. Plus I wanted the short bed for the shorter wheelbase for off-roading. I ended up putting the Yakima Box from my Mercedes ML up on the roof, and right now that holds our chairs and heavy coats and clothes that we don't use every day, along with our trailer decorations, Solar lights, etc. In the last 5 years, we have gone from summer long tent campers being out for 4 months strait into today, basically full timing in our Oliver. Technically we're not considered full timer's because we still have a home and we still go home every few months to take a break. But this year we are trying out being Snow Birds for the first time and are now wintering here with our Oliver in Arizona. I guess the point is, we have really downsized from back in the tent days and are doing just fine not carrying everything that we can think of that we "might" use. Right now, we're using maybe 2/3rds of the short bed and mostly it has my box of leveling blocks, extra Solar, generator, gas, bbq, tables and screen tent in it. Plus it has room for groceries, etc. We've really cut down on the extra gear that we don't use and we are close to having the perfect set up for us by taking out things that just sit there every time we get home.

 

I really thought about putting a shell on the truck bed, but figured that with more room, comes more places to put more junk... :) And the idea is to take less these days and I'm just saying, we have plenty of room with the short bed and the crew cab. I like being able to see out the windows and over the bed of the truck, which is something that you just don't have with a shell on the back.Yes, you can see fine with a shell, with the mirrors, but there's still a big difference with being able to just look out the back window with the Tonneau cover. I've had plenty of Shells in the past and needed them for all of the equipment needed for different jobs over the years and eventually moved to a Suburban with double back doors for keeping things dry and easily accessible.

 

So... this is my first tonneau cover since highschool... and I like it :)

 

Being in the desert, we need to think about extra water, so we bought a 45 gallon bladder tank that can either be put on the roof, in the truck bed - or on top of the tonneau cover (which is aluminum and rated to hold 350lbs). So, I have 2 options for the extra water and up on the roof, under the roof rack is going to be my first place to try, being that this will allow me to still open up the sliding tonneau when needed. Lots of our friends have different tonneau covers and shells. And I really like the sliding Roll'nLock, so I went this route... But now, after thinking about hauling water... a roll up would have been a better choice for the bladder, being that I could put the bladder up by the window and still reach the back half of the bed by rolling back the cover... Hind sight is only learned over time :) lol. And if I end up hauling it on top of the cover, I will put it on the back end and see if the cover will still slide back with the extra 320lbs of water that I will be carrying in Quartzite at the next Rally. I do really like the Roll'nLock cover though and so far it has done a good job of keeping things dry, though with it being new, and now this new need for carrying more water, it has given me second thoughts...

 

I'm rambling a bit, it's my time of the morning 6am and it's time to get up and make some coffee :)

 

The whole point of this post was to say that I like the shortbed because it still gives me plenty of extra room to add more "stuff" if needed, and it keeps me thinking about what the next item will be. There's another thread that goes over different types of tonneau covers, but right now for me, I can see where the roll back styles can make a difference as long as they have the ability to carry more cargo on top because the fold ups and the slide like I have will be harder to maneuver around with extra gear or in my case, water stored on top.

 

http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/bed-toys-for-the-truck/

 

 

[ScottyGS]

We drove e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.... really EVERYTHING before choosing the F-150.  The silverado was by far the most comfortable.  Even over the large SUV's like the Tahoe and Suburban.  In the end the choice came down to the F-150 and the Silverado.   We went Ford because of the pro backup assist.

 

Things I like about the F-150:   Power (ecoboost engine), pretty comfortable, looks, Pro back up assist and the gas mileage (avg 12 mpg with premium)

 

Things I am not so thrilled about:  trans is not as smooth as others - have had issues with the sync screen - and the dreaded trailer disconnect message (but the Towready fixed that so no more bells ringing)

 

I too am not thrilled about the square look of the Chevy, but when you drive the damn thing you have to admit it is a solid tow vehicle.

 

Reed, Best of Luck with it. Travel safe and thanks for all your posts and knowledge.

 

Scotty

[John E Davies]

 

My son works for Wheel Pro’s and recommended the Nitto Ridge Grapplers for towing and I love them. The A/T’s took 32psi and I have 50 in the front and 60psi in the back with the Ridge Grapplers. They stick to the road a lot better and have an aggressive enough tread pattern to retain decent milage, while still giving me good all around offroad performance… I can back up in my driveway in 2wd again…

 

That is funny since I just upsized to 33 inch Nokian LT Load E snow tires (+2 inches) and bought a single Ridge Grappler in the same diameter which is hanging under the truck as a spare. In spring I will buy three more and use a Nokian for a spare. I bought an extra set of reconditioned factory wheels, so they match. I haven’t driven on Ridge Grapplers but they are very highly rated, quiet, and probably the best “hybrid” AT/ Mud tire on the market. The tire sales guy told me he loves them and runs a set on his own truck. That is always good news.

 

Don’t run those high pressures on your truck when empty, it is not needed and will give a harsh ride when not towing. I am running 42psi in my Nokians with a 5400 pound 200 LC. Ihaven’t felt the need to go higher when towing with a WD hitch, but I certainly would raise the rears with a dead weight tow.

 

[attachment file=81025]

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[KarenLukens]

We drove e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g…. really EVERYTHING before choosing the F-150. The silverado was by far the most comfortable. Even over the large SUV’s like the Tahoe and Suburban. In the end the choice came down to the F-150 and the Silverado. We went Ford because of the pro backup assist. Things I like about the F-150: Power (ecoboost engine), pretty comfortable, looks, Pro back up assist and the gas mileage (avg 12 mpg with premium) Things I am not so thrilled about: trans is not as smooth as others – have had issues with the sync screen – and the dreaded trailer disconnect message (but the Towready fixed that so no more bells ringing) I too am not thrilled about the square look of the Chevy, but when you drive the damn thing you have to admit it is a solid tow vehicle. Reed, Best of Luck with it. Travel safe and thanks for all your posts and knowledge. Scotty

 

The Comfort is what sold me on the Silverado, I liked the F150 but I have a lot more room in the Chevy.

 

Scotty, have you checked your trailer ground? There's a big thread on it. I had the disconnect issue with my Mercedes and had to use the TowReady also, but then I found that I had the bad ground issue with my trailer, ran a ground from the 7 pin connector straight to the trailers frame and the disconnect issue disappeared allowing me to take off the TowReady. Now my trailer charges right away strait from the TV also.

 

Reed

[hellsbay988]

Your truck looks great with the new wheels and tires!  Tires make all the difference when you are in mud, sand or slush.

[ScottyGS]

Reed, We checked just about everything on the disconnect issue.  I traced all the wires and everything was hooked up the way it was supposed to be.  It drove us crazy and that's why I started the disconnect thread.   David S. suggested the Towready and I owe him a  cold one ... or TWO.. at the May rally.

 

Curious as to where you found the bad ground with the trailer.  Did you trace the white wire to the ground block?  That's what I did.  Reluctant to dig into it again unless there is a reason.  It really caused a lot of headaches and using the Towready is cake.

 

The other thing I really like about our TV is the 36 gallon gas tank.  It's nice to have 400 mile range while towing.

 

Thanks and travel safe,

 

Scotty

[KarenLukens]

Reed, We checked just about everything on the disconnect issue. I traced all the wires and everything was hooked up the way it was supposed to be. It drove us crazy and that’s why I started the disconnect thread. David S. suggested the Towready and I owe him a cold one … or TWO.. at the May rally. Curious as to where you found the bad ground with the trailer. Did you trace the white wire to the ground block? That’s what I did. Reluctant to dig into it again unless there is a reason. It really caused a lot of headaches and using the Towready is cake. The other thing I really like about our TV is the 36 gallon gas tank. It’s nice to have 400 mile range while towing. Thanks and travel safe, Scotty

 

I measured the ground on mine at 8.6vdc if I remember, here's the link -

 

http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/2015-oliver-elite-ii-12-vdc-negative-connection-issue/

 

 

[KarenLukens]

Your truck looks great with the new wheels and tires! Tires make all the difference when you are in mud, sand or slush.

 

Thanks :)

 

We live in the snow and the stock tires just spun... Lol...