[Burt]

Looks great. Did they make some for the rear seats yet?

Not yet that I'm aware of, I'll definitely get some when/if they do.

 

[cwatson6]

Looking good so far!

 

[Burt]

I ordered a Leer 100XR topper on Monday, expected lead time of 3-4 weeks. I won't have a use for the Tyger tri-fold after that, if anyone is interested in it let me know. Shipping would be impractical, but I'll let it go cheap if someone picks it up.

 

[2023WTGuy]

Since I've only had the truck a week, I haven't done much in the way of "mods" so far. I did remove the Colorado lettering, LT lettering, and dealer sticker from the doors and tailgate:
View attachment 456762

For the bed, I'm planning to bed line it and get the aforementioned topper, but for now I have a bed mat to keep more delicate items from being scratched up in the bed, a 2x10 wood bed divider, and a Tyger Auto tri-fold soft tonneau on order:
View attachment 456763

The bed mat is from RealTruck.com's house brand, and seems to be made well. It ships rolled up, so I'm using the divider and some other scrap wood to flatten it out.

I'm prepared to drive the truck in the snow, but I've driven in enough snow to know it's not hard to get stuck, even when prepared. To that end, I'm planning on adding the front recovery points from the 4wd models. Last night I removed the front air dam to verify that the mounting points in the frame horns were included on the 2wd trucks, and that the undertray has opening for the hooks to be installed. Here's a little before and after with/without the air dam:
View attachment 456764

I don't know how much highway fuel economy is affected by removing the air dam, but I quite like the look so I believe I'll find out.

Love the look of this! I’m trying to do this exact same thing with my white WT. will have to look into do this.

 

[Burt]

I've been busy, so while I haven't had time to put the splash guards on, the topper was installed today. I ordered the topper with three options: a removable front window so I can clean it and the truck back glass with the topper in place, power keyless entry for the back glass, which works with the truck's lock/unlock buttons and fobs, and the roof rack rails. I may or may not add sort of roof rack or kayak mounts in the future, but ordering the top with the rails preserves the topper warranty.

The good: the paint match is good, and overall the top is well designed and feels sturdy. The keyless access works just as advertised, and the standard LED dome light is great:

The bad: the fit and finish aren't great, as in the gap between the tailgate and tailgate cap/window bottom is big enough that I've already been asked if I latched it correctly. The dealer adjusted the two catches for the back glass, but the right side still takes more effort than the left to latch, so closing it is a two-handed affair.

My main gripe is the front glass, either during shipping or install someone put a hell of a dental in the inside window frame, and it was handed over to me like this:

I had to get back to work today, but tomorrow I'm going to swing back by the dealer to see about getting that fixed.

Minor complaints aside, I've already hauled tires and a shelving unit in the back, and the pawpaw life is treating me well.

 

[Spotman]

View attachment 460817

I've been busy, so while I haven't had time to put the splash guards on, the topper was installed today. I ordered the topper with three options: a removable front window so I can clean it and the truck back glass with the topper in place, power keyless entry for the back glass, which works with the truck's lock/unlock buttons and fobs, and the roof rack rails. I may or may not add sort of roof rack or kayak mounts in the future, but ordering the top with the rails preserves the topper warranty.

The good: the paint match is good, and overall the top is well designed and feels sturdy. The keyless access works just as advertised, and the standard LED dome light is great:

View attachment 460818

The bad: the fit and finish aren't great, as in the gap between the tailgate and tailgate cap/window bottom is big enough that I've already been asked if I latched it correctly. The dealer adjusted the two catches for the back glass, but the right side still takes more effort than the left to latch, so closing it is a two-handed affair.

My main gripe is the front glass, either during shipping or install someone put a hell of a dental in the inside window frame, and it was handed over to me like this:

View attachment 460819

I had to get back to work today, but tomorrow I'm going to swing back by the dealer to see about getting that fixed.

Minor complaints aside, I've already hauled tires and a shelving unit in the back, and the pawpaw life is treating me well.

View attachment 460820

Looks great! How is the fit between the cap and the bed?

 

[Burt]

Looks great! How is the fit between the cap and the bed?

Thanks! I think it fits the truck well, the leading edge of the topper matches the countour of the cab, and the gaps between the sides of the topper and the bedsides aren't excessive and are consistent. Here are a couple pics, and one of the plastic lip that covers the top of the tailgate, with isn't as neat and tight a gap:

 

[.456741]

Nice truck and add ons!

You should go out front this weekend and start yelling at the clouds and get a head start!

 

[Spotman]

Thanks! I think it fits the truck well, the leading edge of the topper matches the countour of the cab, and the gaps between the sides of the topper and the bedsides aren't excessive and are consistent. Here are a couple pics, and one of the plastic lip that covers the top of the tailgate, with isn't as neat and tight a gap:

View attachment 460830
View attachment 460829
View attachment 460828

Thanks, Burt!

 

[Burt]

I've got an appointment tomorrow morning to have the high output tune installed at the dealer, also going to have the dealer reprogram my tpms sensors, the truck hasn't wanted to keep them synced since I mounted the snow tires.

In the mean time, I got the rear splash guards/mud flaps installed yesterday. I didn't love that I needed to break out the drill for the rear mount on the guard, but it appears GM put a hole in the bed side so you're just drilling through the plastic trim if everything is lined up correctly. On the passenger side, once I had the other screws in place and everything lined up, I still wound up drilling the hole in the bed side panel as well as the plastic trim. My gripe with the drilling is that the splash guards are primarily there to protect the truck's paint/other coatings from debris thrown by the tires and the associated corrosion long-term from the paint damage, but I have to punch a hole through the paint drilling the hole in that same area. Hole aside, the splash guards are rock solid and have the factory engineered fit and finish you would expect. The fronts require drilling and rivets in the wheel wells, I'll put those on when I have time to get the truck in the garage and the front wheels off.

(Yes the truck is filthy, we're fully in "mud season" for the time being)

Side note, I've had some big moisture issues since installing the topper. I've put some things in the bed by the tailgate, closed the topper, and driven in the rain, and after the drive the stuff in the back of the bed is soaked. I didn't have this issue with the $250 tri-fold tonneau, but here I am dealing with it on a $3900 topper. My guess is it's one of two things: either the seals around the topper back glass aren't sealing, or the low pressure area created behind the tailgate and topper is pulling air/water in around the tailgate.

I understand shoving the big brick that is the bed and topper through the air creates the low pressure area behind the truck (the same thing happens behind SUVs with relatively vertical hatches/rear end) that pulls road spray up against the back of the vehicle. I'll look into sealing around the tailgate, I'm hoping that's the issue rather than the topper seals just working this poorly.

 

[Burt]

Man, I haven't posted in here innquite some time. Update time!

The high output tune is definitely worth the money, I can see why GM made it standard on the L3B for 2024. I don't know whether WOT pulls are any quicker, but in-gear acceleration, especially around 2,000 rpm, feels much stronger.

I made the trip to VIR back in March, and the truck did great. It was pulling the weight of ~3,100 lbs. of Civic Type R and ~2,000 lbs. of trailer, and directly in/over the bed were the topper, a second set of track wheels/tires, three tool boxes, a floor jack, a pop-up canopy, cooler, etc. Plenty of torque and plenty of brakes for the job, which was especially important since the trailer and the brake controller fought the entire trip. I'm pretty sure the issue is a ground on the trailer, not the battery voltage issue some have experienced with the factory trailer brake controller.

The weight did squat the rear of the truck a decent amount, and even without the trailer my normal load of the topper, a roadside repair kit, and a small toolbox are enough to keep it looking a little saggy. I think the ride/handling balance is pretty good as-is, so I'm probably going to start small with a set of 1" lift shackles, then look at helper springs or bags if the shackles aren't enough.

I wanted to economically run a second set of wheels/tires during the warmer months when I don't need the snow tires, so I ordered a second set of tpms, got a set of WT steelies from a local guy for next to nothing, and voila, the truck looks more aggressively old-man than ever. I think a set of Method 321s would look good, and I really like the way 265/70R17s look on these trucks, but I don't want the taller tires to hurt the gearing. Maybe someday we'll have aftermarket gears for these trucks.

 

[Burt]

I decided to add some helper bags to the truck, but things haven't gone to plan. I ordered Airlift Co.'s kit #59533, which they list as fitting 3rd gen Colorados and Canyons. I looked at the instructions online, and the pictures did look like our leaf packs, bumpstops, etc.

My kit was delivered yesterday, so last night I got to work. All of the parts were there, everything seemed made and packaged well:

I assembled both sides, got the rear wheels off and the axle supported with jack stands to simulate normal ride height and is part of the instructions. I installed the passenger side bag between the frame and leaf spring, and this is when things went sideways.

Accounting for the internal structure of the ends of the bag as best I could, that airbag is about 3/4" from bottoming out. The bumpstop has at least 2.5" of travel before it starts to touch the frame. I removed the bag, put the wheels back on the truck, and called the technical support line this morning. According to the rep I spoke with, my rear suspension is significantly different from what they expect, and their kit is based around having 5.5-7.5" of clearance between the installed upper and lower brackets. I only have 6" from the leaf spring to the frame, which the brackets probably eat up another 2+ inches of. Airlift suspected my leaf packs were sagging and worn out, but the truck has 10K miles on it and the truck still has about 3/8" of rake (rear higher) at ride height, even with the topper installed. It doesn't look like it in this picture, but the rear wheelwell opening is higher.

I'm shipping the kit back to Summit Racing tomorrow, and I sent Airlift the measurements I took today. I would order the Chevy accessory rear air shocks, but that wouldn't let me add Bilstein or Eibach rear shocks down the line.

 

[FireNative2]

I decided to add some helper bags to the truck, but things haven't gone to plan. I ordered Airlift Co.'s kit #59533, which they list as fitting 3rd gen Colorados and Canyons. I looked at the instructions online, and the pictures did look like our leaf packs, bumpstops, etc.

My kit was delivered yesterday, so last night I got to work. All of the parts were there, everything seemed made and packaged well:

View attachment 473542

I assembled both sides, got the rear wheels off and the axle supported with jack stands to simulate normal ride height and is part of the instructions. I installed the passenger side bag between the frame and leaf spring, and this is when things went sideways.

View attachment 473543

Accounting for the internal structure of the ends of the bag as best I could, that airbag is about 3/4" from bottoming out. The bumpstop has at least 2.5" of travel before it starts to touch the frame. I removed the bag, put the wheels back on the truck, and called the technical support line this morning. According to the rep I spoke with, my rear suspension is significantly different from what they expect, and their kit is based around having 5.5-7.5" of clearance between the installed upper and lower brackets. I only have 6" from the leaf spring to the frame, which the brackets probably eat up another 2+ inches of. Airlift suspected my leaf packs were sagging and worn out, but the truck has 10K miles on it and the truck still has about 3/8" of rake (rear higher) at ride height, even with the topper installed. It doesn't look like it in this picture, but the rear wheelwell opening is higher.

View attachment 473544

I'm shipping the kit back to Summit Racing tomorrow, and I sent Airlift the measurements I took today. I would order the Chevy accessory rear air shocks, but that wouldn't let me add Bilstein or Eibach rear shocks down the line.

The air shocks you wanted to install would make your ride more "floaty" on the road and/or absorb more of the off road bumps at mid level speeds?

I ask because my next truck will be a Colorado Trail Boss and my first 4x4 and i will start to do some light then mid level off roading. I plan to get an Icon or similar 2" lift and put 285/75/17 (33.8") after i change the stock rim to 17s. I would be going mostly mid level speeds off roading with occasional slow crawling. So i was wondering if the air shocks would help with off roading without making it too floaty on the road

 

[Mr Stig]

The air shocks you wanted to install would make your ride more "floaty" on the road and/or absorb more of the off road bumps at mid level speeds?

I ask because my next truck will be a Colorado Trail Boss and my first 4x4 and i will start to do some light then mid level off roading. I plan to get an Icon or similar 2" lift and put 285/75/17 (33.8") after i change the stock rim to 17s. I would be going mostly mid level speeds off roading with occasional slow crawling. So i was wondering if the air shocks would help with off roading without making it too floaty on the road

Air bags are not designed to help offroad. They supplement the leaf springs to make the vehicle carry more weight competently. If anything they could hamper articulation in the rear axle during offloading, depending on design. You don't need air bags unless you have excess weight or tow with excessive tongue weight. I've had many trucks with air bags, and they are great for some things, but not offloading.

 

[Burt]

The air shocks you wanted to install would make your ride more "floaty" on the road and/or absorb more of the off road bumps at mid level speeds?

I ask because my next truck will be a Colorado Trail Boss and my first 4x4 and i will start to do some light then mid level off roading. I plan to get an Icon or similar 2" lift and put 285/75/17 (33.8") after i change the stock rim to 17s. I would be going mostly mid level speeds off roading with occasional slow crawling. So i was wondering if the air shocks would help with off roading without making it too floaty on the road

I wanted them for load leveling, whether I have a bunch of stuff in the bed of I'm making a trip like this one yesterday:

Airlift even mentions in their instructions limiting the amount of time the rear suspension is at full droop, so an offroad/articulation situation could potentially stretch or tear the bags.

I did measure the wheel well heights as the truck sat in thar picture, compared to no trailer on level ground the rear was squatted about 1-5/8", and the front was up about 1/4". The steering wasn't light, braking was strong, (I actually re-wired the trailer brakes before the trip, they work better than ever) and the motor was a freight train as always. Reset the trip odometer about 100-120 miles into the trip, and for the remaining 400 miles it self reported 16 mpg. Not bad for ~3700-3800 lbs of trailer plus the added drag and rolling resistance, pulling long grades with cruise set at 77-78 mph.

 

[FireNative2]

Air bags are not designed to help offroad. They supplement the leaf springs to make the vehicle carry more weight competently. If anything they could hamper articulation in the rear axle during offloading, depending on design. You don't need air bags unless you have excess weight or tow with excessive tongue weight. I've had many trucks with air bags, and they are great for some things, but not offloading.

thanks the only experience I have with air bags/air ride is a friend had a old catty that had an air ride so I figured it was air bags from the factory and it was kinda "floaty" on the road. Maybe it was old and worn out or maybe thats the ride cadillac was going for. I am looking to tow a custom toy hauler that will weight about 5k to 6,500ibs about 4 times a year around the country so maybe air bags and adding a leaf will help with the close to tow ratting towing. And I intend on off roading but we will see how much I do. And I plan to do mid range off roading and adding a 3" total Icon suspension ( I guess it removes the factory 2" lift and puts a 3" lift in its place so 3" total and not 5" of lift), so that should help with off roading also.

 

[Burt]

thanks the only experience I have with air bags/air ride is a friend had a old catty that had an air ride so I figured it was air bags from the factory and it was kinda "floaty" on the road. Maybe it was old and worn out or maybe thats the ride Catolack was going for. I am looking to tow a custom toy hauler that will weight about 5k to 6,500ibs about 4 times a year around the country so maybe air bags and adding a leaf will help with the close to tow ratting towing. And I intend on off roading but we will see how much I do. And I plan to do mid range off roading and adding a 3" total Icon suspension ( I guess it removes the factory 2" lift and puts a 3" lift in its place so 3" total and not 5" of lift), so that should help with off roading also.

I've considered the add-a-leaf too, from what I've heard they add a pretty significant amount to the spring rate when unloaded, so it will ride on the stiff side normally.

Another option I'm considering is Deaver's full leaf pack instead of the add-a-leaf. They have one set designed for 1-2" increase in normal ride height for trucks that usually have 2-300 lbs of weight in the bed, which would be perfect for my topper and toolbox. Their claim for not ruining ride quality is that the leaf packs use 10 thinner springs compared to four thicker springs in the o.e. pack, so the increase in spring rate is more linear, and the same would go for articulation offroad. They're about a grand for a pair of leaf packs, so not an inconsequential amount, but they might be the way to go.

 

[FireNative2]

I've considered the add-a-leaf too, from what I've heard they add a pretty significant amount to the spring rate when unloaded, so it will ride on the stiff side normally.

Another option I'm considering is Deaver's full leaf pack instead of the add-a-leaf. They have one set designed for 1-2" increase in normal ride height for trucks that usually have 2-300 lbs of weight in the bed, which would be perfect for my topper and toolbox. Their claim for not ruining ride quality is that the leaf packs use 10 thinner springs compared to four thicker springs in the o.e. pack, so the increase in spring rate is more linear, and the same would go for articulation offroad. They're about a grand for a pair of leaf packs, so not an inconsequential amount, but they might be the way to go.

Thanks ill definitely check into it. Searching now. That left package sounds like it would fit my driving, off roading, and towing.

 

[Mr Stig]

Thanks ill definitely check into it. Searching now. That left package sounds like it would fit my driving, off roading, and towing.

I have an add a leaf. Partially for the small amount of lift it provides, and partially because I tow a trailer regularly.

 

[Burt]

The damndest thing happened last night. I modified the truck, and it turned out...better than I expected?

I ordered a set of CCE 1" rear lift shackles, which were delivered yesterday:

I measured the rear wheelwell opening heights before I started, 35-5/8" on the passenger side, 35-3/4" on the driver side. Install is pretty easy, although you do need to unbolt the shocks at one end because they will bottom out before you can get the relaxed spring low enough to install the shackle. 21mm bolts ans nuts for both ends of the shackle and the lower shock bolts, and multiple places online listed the torque specs for all of the above at 118 ft-lbs. You should also assemble everything without tightening the shackle nuts or the shock bolts, but the truck back on the ground as normal, bounce the suspension a bit, then tighten and torque everything with the truck at ride height. This will ensure the bushings are in their neutral position and aren't bound up at normal ride height.

I drove the truck up and down my driveway (which has a few tall tree root-based speed bumps) and parked it in the same spot to re-measure. The passenger side measured 36-5/8", and the driver side measured 36-7/16". Not only did they pretty much nail the advertised 1" lift, but the side-to-side lean actually reduced from 1/8" to 1/16".

I figured I was imagining things, but it seemed like the rear suspension was a little smoother over the bumps in the driveway. I took the truck for a quick test drive last night and drove it to work this morning, and it does seem to ride slightly better. It's not a big difference, and it may just be the placebo effect, but I can think of two reasons to back it up.

The first is the bushing "stiction." The leaf spring eye and frame side bushings use bonded rubber, so they twist and stretch with suspension travel instead of rotating. With a longer shackle, the same amount of spring expansion under compression equates to fewer degrees of rotation for the shackle, so the bushings aren't twisted as far and don't resist the spring movement as much. The second is the direction of movement of the leaf spring eye. I didn't measure before or after, but it certainly looks like the lift shackle is closer to vertical than factory. As the spring length expands/contracts thriugh the spring travel, the longer more vertical shackle results in less vertical motion than the shorter angled shackle.

Here's a side shot of the truck from this morning after 6-7 miles of driving. Overall I'm very pleased with the results, especially for the money. Hopefully I'll be back to level instead of squatted when I add my sandbags for the winter next month. Since the shock bottoms out before the spring get to full droop, I may look into the relocated lower shock mounts GM sells as part of their factory lift kit.