new ZR2 HD owner

[grouseman]

Hi guys I have a 2024 2500 hd with the duramax on its way sometime in the next 2-3 weeks. I'm pretty excited

What can I expect with driving it? I have only owned half tons so I'm not expecting as smooth of a ride but what tyoically should i expect with a 2500?

any bumps/clunks when truck flexs?
leaf spring squeeks?
more braking distance?
obv less fuel economy?
not as capable in off road situations( more weight )

any other observations you think a 1500 driver should be aware of?

thanks for the responses and I'll send pictures when it gets here

 

[ZR2BIZON]

Welcome good sir.

@securityguy and @8ball_99 both went from a 1500 to 2500

And the wealthy resident @AXE owns both a 1500 and a 2500

I think they would have the most useful info for you.

Am I missing anyone else?

 

[AXE]

Hi guys I have a 2024 2500 hd with the duramax on its way sometime in the next 2-3 weeks. I'm pretty excited

What can I expect with driving it? I have only owned half tons so I'm not expecting as smooth of a ride but what tyoically should i expect with a 2500?

any bumps/clunks when truck flexs?
leaf spring squeeks?
more braking distance?
obv less fuel economy?
not as capable in off road situations( more weight )

any other observations you think a 1500 driver should be aware of?

thanks for the responses and I'll send pictures when it gets here

This is by far the best riding "lifted" 2500HD I've ever ridden in. Mine handles great in a lot of conditions.

When you get it, drive it a while to see what you think. You may want to check the stance and adjust the level on the front end. A few owners have complained of harsh front end, but addressed them by adjusting the setup, replacing the torsion bars with a softer set, and adding a steering stabilizer.

You can run the tires anywhere from 50-55 PSi if not towing. That makes for a good ride.

Certainly the 1500 rides better across the board. But the 2500 is excellent for a truck that weighs +3000 lbs.

The truck sits big and you'll need to adjust how you drive. You can't see vehicles or obstacles off the front right side, also you'll be backing into a lot parking spots cause it takes a lot of room to turn this monster.

Should be a good truck, so enjoy your first big boy!

 

[R2Z2]

I can’t comment on 1500 vs 2500, but I honestly love how these trucks ride. Stiff, but confident. We live off a short dirt road with pretty significant potholes. Jumping from my Colorado ZR2 to my 2500, I actually get less head toss because of the longer wheelbase. I would absolutely buy again.

Axe, are you running 50-55 psi front and rear? I won’t be towing anytime soon and would love to play around with tire pressures. Any weird tire wear or anything?

 

[AXE]

I can’t comment on 1500 vs 2500, but I honestly love how these trucks ride. Stiff, but confident. We live off a short dirt road with pretty significant potholes. Jumping from my Colorado ZR2 to my 2500, I actually get less head toss because of the longer wheelbase. I would absolutely buy again.

Axe, are you running 50-55 psi front and rear? I won’t be towing anytime soon and would love to play around with tire pressures. Any weird tire wear or anything?

I run 53-55 psi cold, so I see run temps up to 57-58. I tried 50 psi, but didn't see any notable improvement in softer ride and thought it slowed steering a bit.

I'll run 60 psi for loads between 5-8k lbs. Anything over 8k lbs, I'll run 65 psi, which is max for these tires.

 

[8ball_99]

I've had both 1500 and 2500 ZR2s. I've also had other HDs and 1/2 tons. If you have no experience with a HD. I think you might have a bit of a learning curve, lol. The ride is pretty good. Going from a regular 1500 to a HD ZR2. The ride quality isn't going to be a big deal. HD is a little stiffer, but its not bad. Driving feel will be the big difference. HDs are bigger and Much heavier. It's a lot like going from a car to a truck when you go from a 1500 to a 2500. I don't mean that in a negative way. I prefer trucks over cars and I like my HD much more over all then I did my 1500. But HDs are less nimble in pretty much every way. The plus side to a HD is it does all the actual truck stuff better with the exception of off roading.

They are built better and stronger. They aren't focused on weight and fuel economy or even ride quality like 1/2 tons are. They are focused more on just capability and durability. You easily feel the difference. You can forget you have your bed loaded with stuff or a small/med trailer behind the HD. The truck will still handle and feel the same. Vs a 1500 with just a little bit of weight in the bed will drive and handle different. I drove around for a couple of days last week with with 4-500lbs worth of stuff in my bed. I literally forgot it was there with the bed cover closed. I drove all over town and didn't even notice I had forgotten to unload my truck from the other day, lol.

 

[grouseman]

thanks guys. Any clunks or squeeks at all? my buddy has a 2024 gasser GMC 2500 that clunks when going over un even ground. This is part of the reason I went with a Chevy because itbwas really annoying

 

[securityguy]

thanks guys. Any clunks or squeeks at all? my buddy has a 2024 gasser GMC 2500 that clunks when going over un even ground. This is part of the reason I went with a Chevy because itbwas really annoying

The GMC and the Chevy are the exact same truck platform and the same mechanically if you're comparing an AT4X to a ZR2.

 

[8ball_99]

thanks guys. Any clunks or squeeks at all? my buddy has a 2024 gasser GMC 2500 that clunks when going over un even ground. This is part of the reason I went with a Chevy because itbwas really annoying

I haven't noticed anything like that. But to be fair I probably wouldn't be the best judge of squeeky springs. I pull a few different trailers and I carry stuff on my bed rack occasionally. Between that stuff rattling, my exhaust and stereo. Lol, Not sure I'd really notice an occasional leaf spring squeek.

 

[AXE]

thanks guys. Any clunks or squeeks at all? my buddy has a 2024 gasser GMC 2500 that clunks when going over un even ground. This is part of the reason I went with a Chevy because itbwas really annoying

There's a problem with the truck. Drive shaft, spare tire, intermediate steering shaft, start looking for the problem and get it resolved.

 

[RCF71]

They are built better and stronger. They aren't focused on weight and fuel economy or even ride quality like 1/2 tons are. They are focused more on just capability and durability. You easily feel the difference. You can forget you have your bed loaded with stuff or a small/med trailer behind the HD. The truck will still handle and feel the same. Vs a 1500 with just a little bit of weight in the bed will drive and handle different. I drove around for a couple of days last week with with 4-500lbs worth of stuff in my bed. I literally forgot it was there with the bed cover closed. I drove all over town and didn't even notice I had forgotten to unload my truck from the other day, lol.

Exactly! I’ve tried to go back to a half ton a couple of times when I didn’t “need” a heavy duty pickup… didn’t work! Won’t do that again.