2015 GMC Canyon

[deadly99]

Taken to a new level, literally and figuratively. Icon 2.5 coilovers installed up front and 2.0 in the rear along with an add a leaf (1.5 inch rise). Combined with the body lift the front now sits 4.25 inches up and the rear 2.75 inches up. Add another inch from larger tires and the trucks has great ground clearance. Changed the front wheel spacers from 1 inch to 1.5 inch per side and the trucks has a very nice stance now. The sway bar was dropped about a cm to alleviate rubbing. I foresee dropping the dif in the near future, just a bit. Performance wise...Icon knocked it out of the park. The road manners are much improved and from the short drive I did I can say it soaks up the bumps better than any truck I have ridden in.

Also had the wheels professionally painted. Sanded then a wet on wet primer before a satin black added. The primer is black so any nicks should not be obvious. They turned out really nice in my opinion.

A few more items on the to do list still to come...

 

[Bushcoat]

This thing is just awesome! I wanted to get into a canyon before buying my Sierra but could not justify the cost compared to the full-size. Don't get me wrong, I don't think they are overpriced but II needed something more practical, had I been in a position where I could have gotten something more for fun I would have definitely gone for the canyon. Will be following along for sure.

 

[deadly99]

After many years of living in the country, my wife and I just moved into a city. The new place has a two car garage in the back and no laneway. This had a major impact on what I could buy. I'd had my heart set on a raptor but there is no way it would fit. This truck fits, just. Maybe 1-2 inch in front and behind it. After 30+ k on it, I dont regret the decision at all. Toyotas just dont fit for me as I am not a small guy. A Jeep jku was high on my list but I felt cramped in it. I annoyed every sales person at every dealership in town and test drove dozens of different trucks. The new Jeep Cherokee trailhawk was a serious contender.

Everyone has different needs and wants and this truck seems to be a good match for what I want/need.

Time will tell how reliable it is. I havent been gentle with it, by any means.

This thing is just awesome! I wanted to get into a canyon before buying my Sierra but could not justify the cost compared to the full-size. Don't get me wrong, I don't think they are overpriced but II needed something more practical, had I been in a position where I could have gotten something more for fun I would have definitely gone for the canyon. Will be following along for sure.

 

[deadly99]

You'll be happy to know the AT version has the exact same shocks as your version. This has been proven on the GM forums. Lots of pissed of people as they were sold on the "better suspension". But if you dont believe me I'll sell you my stock AT shocks

The All-Terrain package adds different shocks, wheels, hill descent control, and a transfer case shield. There is no difference in the bed, body or stance. I considered that package but could not get it with anything other than black seats. I drove both the All-Terrain and an SLT before ordering mine and could not discern any difference in the suspension. I did order the transfer case shield with mine...but I'm not sure how well it would hold up to a hit. It is only connected at the front of the shield so it seems that it might bend rather easily. It does at least offer some protection for the all-too-vulnerable plug on the bottom of the transfer case.

And on another note, I just read that the Canyon is one of the finalists for Motor Trend's 2016 Truck of the Year.

 

[moabian]

Just curious...where did you mount the switch for your light bar? I received the bull bar yesterday and the 20" Rigid E2 series light will be here Monday. I haven't looked closely yet, but I did feel behind the lower dash panels and there seems to be a metal brace behind just about every square inch of the panels.

Edit: I think I've found a spot to mount the switch. The small panel containing the useless card slot on the left side of the steering wheel looks like it might work.

 

[deadly99]

I have mine stuck on with an adhesive (temporary solution) beside the 4x4 selector switch. I'll likely end up with 3-4 switches (lights, compressor, etc) so I'm trying to source a location large enough. The sunglass holder space seems like it will work. If I was just going to have one or two switches then I agree with you the card slot seems ideal, albeit a bit hard to reach if turning the switches on and off is something that will be done frequently while driving. I have also pondered the slot under the heat controls but I am hesitant about cutting up the nice dash and having it look amateur hour once finished

 

[moabian]

I was looking for a surface-mount 12v switch but could not find any. I considered the sPOD (very popular with Jeeps) but I don't anticipate needing multiple switches since my compressor is portable and I don't need to direct-wire the fridge as I did in my Jeep. sPod does have several different options for switch panels, one of which is shown mounted to an overhead sunglasses holder on their website. If you plan on numerous switches, that is a nice system since you only have to route one wire inside the cab. Their RAM mount option is also interesting. The sPODs are expensive though. I've used freestanding switch boxes from Galls in previous vehicles when I needed as many as 6 switches.

I also considered the slot under the heat controls. It looks like that panel should pry out easily. The switch with my Rigid 30" bar is a small round, lighted switch, so I think it will fit on the card slot and look good. Hopefully, the switch is identical on the new 20-incher that will be here tomorrow. Once the panel under the steering wheel is removed, I think the card slot might be easily accessible...perhaps can even be pried out with the trim removal tool. You might be able to cut the slot out and mount a panel for 3 or 4 switches there, depending on switch size.

And speaking of the 4WD switch, I've discovered something I don't like about the Canyon. There is no indication in the instrument cluster when 4WD is engaged. You have to look at the switch, which is not easy to see while driving. The display shows when a shift is in progress, but there is nothing after that in the display which indicates status. Every 4WD vehicle I've owned has had some type of status indicator in the instrument cluster.

 

[Bushcoat]

You mentioned the TCAT trail you plan on doing next year. Your location states Ottawa, are you planning to head east and get started from there heading west everything in one shot or were you thinking of more than one trip? Some guys may be interested in meeting up to do parts of the route. I know for myself, I plan to do more off-road travel and exploring around Chapleau Ontario this summer, as well as around Thunder bay/Nipigon. My brother does an annual ATV ride between Thunder bay and Sioux lookout with his ATV group, not sure what the conditions are currently up that way as I haven't been up there in years.

 

[deadly99]

Cleaned the heck out of the truck and took a photo

I had a set of Rigid Dually lights kicking around from a bike. Bought the brackets for them and mounted them. I am undecided if I like the look or not.

 

[deadly99]

You mentioned the TCAT trail you plan on doing next year. Your location states Ottawa, are you planning to head east and get started from there heading west everything in one shot or were you thinking of more than one trip? Some guys may be interested in meeting up to do parts of the route. I know for myself, I plan to do more off-road travel and exploring around Chapleau Ontario this summer, as well as around Thunder bay/Nipigon. My brother does an annual ATV ride between Thunder bay and Sioux lookout with his ATV group, not sure what the conditions are currently up that way as I haven't been up there in years.

No plans yet. I've already done the majority of the route from Nfld to Wawa, ON as well as chunks of it out west

 

[deadly99]

Added a protective sheaf over the fluid hose between the shocks and the reservoirs. It seemed quite vulnerable as it was. Rubbing on the bracket under the UCA and exposed to rocks, etc being kicked up off the tires.

Also finally found where my left wheel was rubbing (which got worse after this suspension upgrade). On the drivers side wheel well, the cover bulges out a bit where it covers the emergency brake line. I will be taking a dremel to this area and cutting back the wheel well cover. I suspect it is just the cover that is hitting the wheel when turning left, if in fact it is the metal tube the ebrake line is in then it will have to be altered.

 

[calicamper]

I have always wondered about those lines running to the reservoir. All the installations I've seen chaffing on shock towers was my first thought. Though you never hear about anyone talking about it. The biggie always seems to be loose nuts and needing to double up to keep em tight, I learned that one the hard way.

 

[deadly99]

I have always wondered about those lines running to the reservoir. All the installations I've seen chaffing on shock towers was my first thought. Though you never hear about anyone talking about it. The biggie always seems to be loose nuts and needing to double up to keep em tight, I learned that one the hard way.

I intend to give it a once a year service. Fluids and grease. This will happen each spring, as well as once a month I will clean and lube the shaft of all 4 shocks. After a month of using the truck (3 more weeks) I am going to take the wheels off and triple check for tightness, etc. I've had similar setups in the past and they certainly aren't something you cant pay attention to. I bought the Icons for a bunch of reasons but one reason that set them apart from the other brands was the cap on the UCA and the neoprene covers for the coil overs. 3-4 months a years our roads are covered in salt, sadly. I didn't pay attention to a nice Camburg setup on a previous truck and paid the price for it ($). Icon provides fairly decent maintenance instructions for their products, I just think not everyone reads them

 

[sjz]

This might have been mentioned as I'm going through this thread for the first time and haven't gotten to the end (great looking truck btw), but if you don't have cell reception, you probably won't have wifi hotspot reception... they work off of the same tech.

 

[deadly99]

I didn't renew the wifi or onstar. The minimal allowed bandwidth made it next to useless.