2005 Silverado 6.0L, heading to Argentina.
- Thread starter pawleyk
- Start date
legendaryandrew
Adventurer
Mines a 3/4 ton suburban so lifting bed isn't an option, no issues with cv axles/joints, but I don't wheel hard
mccustomize
Explorer
I broke a front CV but that was wheeling with 37" Toyos so I knew I was on borrowed time. If you are worried about them you can go RCV but factory replacements are cheap enough to carry a spare.
Climber Rob
Human
I put 140k on my '03, a lot of it driving rough, tight forest service/Jeep roads. Every single issue I had with my '03 was steering related. Other than that, the truck was extremely solid and reliable. If I was planning a trip like yours, I would definitely consider upgrading to the Cognito parts.
locrwln
Expedition Leader
I agree, they are way underrated. Everyone automatically assumes that the IFS is going to grenade as soon as you take it on a dirt road. I had a stock '02 F350 PSD that was never offroaded and was on stock sized tires. BJ's were toast at 75k. My Chevy was a ranch truck before I bought it and I've put 70k miles on it (140k total). I had a weird popping noise on the driver's front. I kept checking and pulling and prying on anything and everything and couldn't figure out what was making the noise. I replaced the BJ's recently. The old ones were still tight, but the noise went away, so I have to assume one wasn't happy. Mine is a worse case example with the diesel and bumper/winch combo.
Other than that, like you said, if it fits, it will go.
You should have a great adventure ahead of you.
Jack
1stDeuce
Explorer
220k on a duramax that was used hard before me, zero issues. Same with 150k oilfield shop truck. All original balljoints on both trucks, and they're still tight. CV's are solid, boots in good shape.
As for durability, you can keep your Ford and your Dodge. I'm with Jack on how well the GM stuff holds up. Most of my friends put track bars, tie rods, and balljoints on their "stronger" solid axle dodges about every 50k miles, or suffer death wobble. Doesn't sound "stonger" to me, and I don't think you can get a GM truck to death wobble no matter what you do...
I too have heard that you won't have problems with fuel. Since you're making the bed, you could always just design in places to carry two 5 gal cans for emergency use. The 15 gallon Ford tank is my best idea yet, though I must admit, I stole it from someone here... I just plan to use a pulse style transfer pump and let it pump dry when I need the fuel.
legendaryandrew
Adventurer
I love hearing about GM IFS success stories, because I love the crap out of my 'burb. Most comfortable long distance vehicle I've owned (15 total cars/trucks). And other than a rear caliper sticking and the fuel pump, both easy fixes, it's dead reliable. Moral is, you take care of it, your truck will get you there and back.
P.S. Maybe check/replace the rear calipers, I just remembered it's kind of a common problem...if you haven't already lol
P.S. Maybe check/replace the rear calipers, I just remembered it's kind of a common problem...if you haven't already lol
pawleyk
Running from Monday..
It's good to see I'm not the only one who loves these trucks. I've received no end of advice telling me I need a Defender, Land Cruiser, or Unimog for the trip... I say the best rig is something you won't have to fix often (sorry Land Rover or Vanagon) and can fix yourself when something does break..
I do have a good Innova OBDII scanner, and was thinking about something like aa Bulldog programmer so I can keep an eye on even more parameters as we're moving. I'm reluctant to mess with the factory drivetrains though.
Any thoughts on increasing milage with the 6.0? A lot of guys say the programmers and cold air will get you a few MPG (which is a lot when you're in the 10-12 range), but I've always felt like maybe those were more just guesses at increases to justify more toys..
I do have a good Innova OBDII scanner, and was thinking about something like aa Bulldog programmer so I can keep an eye on even more parameters as we're moving. I'm reluctant to mess with the factory drivetrains though.
Any thoughts on increasing milage with the 6.0? A lot of guys say the programmers and cold air will get you a few MPG (which is a lot when you're in the 10-12 range), but I've always felt like maybe those were more just guesses at increases to justify more toys..
Cold air intake no. Leave the factory air box alone. If anything only replace the intake tube, I believe airaid makes an intake tube that still uses the factory Air box. And tuners in my opinion are negligible when it comes to fuel economy. Best bet is to just keep the rpm below 2,000.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
mccustomize
Explorer
I do have a couple friends with performance shops here local, and I will say that a custom tune done right, can improve fuel economy.
My wife's truck is a perfect example, when it got switched from the stock 16s and skinny tires to factory 20s with 275/55s it lost 2 full MPG. Now with long tube headers, full exhaust, K&N cold air and a custom tune it gained back those 2 full MPG (as long as she is driving)
Honestly with the weight you are adding I would strongly consider a set of long tubes, a drop in filter (I like AEM dryflow) and a custom tune. It will get you back some of your MPGs if you drive conservatively and bring back some power for grades and passing when you need it.
Keep in mind a custom tune is all about maximizing the efficiency of the powertrain combination, sure most people do it for performance, but driven smart can increase economy too. I have both our trucks with a custom tune (03 Silverado and 04 Silverado) and that was one of the best things I did to the trucks.
My wife's truck is a perfect example, when it got switched from the stock 16s and skinny tires to factory 20s with 275/55s it lost 2 full MPG. Now with long tube headers, full exhaust, K&N cold air and a custom tune it gained back those 2 full MPG (as long as she is driving)
Honestly with the weight you are adding I would strongly consider a set of long tubes, a drop in filter (I like AEM dryflow) and a custom tune. It will get you back some of your MPGs if you drive conservatively and bring back some power for grades and passing when you need it.
Keep in mind a custom tune is all about maximizing the efficiency of the powertrain combination, sure most people do it for performance, but driven smart can increase economy too. I have both our trucks with a custom tune (03 Silverado and 04 Silverado) and that was one of the best things I did to the trucks.
locrwln
Expedition Leader
Oh yeah, stock CV's here. My FIL and MIL both have 1/2t 800 platforms (Tahoe and pickup) and both have over 200k with the entire front ends still being original to include the CV's. Granted they have seen mostly highway use, but I think that speaks to how well they can hold up.
Jack
Jack
I've never broken a 3/4 ton gm CV shaft, broken half a dozen half ton cv's though. I did manage a front driveshaft u joint in my duramax.
Last set of CV axles I bought for my 98 2500 were $43 each aftermarket from rock auto (new, not rebuild, and no core charge at all). At that price carrying a spare or two is easy.
Last set of CV axles I bought for my 98 2500 were $43 each aftermarket from rock auto (new, not rebuild, and no core charge at all). At that price carrying a spare or two is easy.
PGW
Observer
Seems like the most common occurrences of 8 lug CV's breaking are from either doing boosted launches with a hopped up Duramax or improper spacing with a lift. If a lift kicks the WMS out and doesn't correct the CV spacing, the inner tripod joint will bind or come out of the cup too much and explode.
