2500 HD Lovers

[izquik72]

Just got a White CC SB D/A 2500.
I need to find the best lift I am set on the 6" RCD with bilsteins
But what wheels and tires?
Has anybody put performance chips on?
I have heard of some people that have and it voided the warranty. What type of chip or programmer Can I install that will not void the warranty?
Exhaust and intake what are people running?
I am thinking about a billet grille also where is a good place to go?
Also where is best prices on this stuff.
I appreciate any and all help

[twistedpair]

Congrats on the new ride. Check with your dealer on performance upgrades. Usually stuff that is 'Dealer Modified' is warrantied. I'm sure it will cost more, but at least the warranty will be intact. If you haven't taken delivery yet, you should be able to add up the mods like options, and just put them on your monthly payment.

[gramps]

Do you have the DuraMax or the gas engine?

[izquik72]

Hey Gramps sorry for the confusion and acronyms
CC Crew cab
SB Short Bed
D/A Duramax Allison
First Diesel Love that Turbo. Wierdest thingto be pulled into the seat at 2500 Rpm's

[Lightning]

check out thedieselplace.com - you will find all you need there. I have the same truck - 2004, white 4x4

[Mrs Luvnlife]

2500 HD Lovers.....that would be me :D......we have the 6" RCD with 16's and 35" BFG's......love it!! We installed the Hypertech and we can 'de-program' it when need be. :)

[Magic34]

The chips for the new LLY motor are finally shipping.:)

[BowTie Rick]

Most GM dealers do not worry about exhaust or intake. In fact, we have quite a few that sell our goods right there. As for a chip, now you are pushing it. They generally do not like them. Your warranty is never void. What happens is they do not have to repair something under warranty that breaks if the cause of the failure can be conclusively attributed to the aftermarket part. In other words, your programmer causes a short in the ECU. They're not covering that but the warranty on the paint, seats, etc. is still good and not void. Remember, dealerships are independent franchises and that leaves warranty issues open to interpretation. Some dealerships are way more lenient than others. I go to Richard Hibbard Chevy in Claremont. They do lifts, drops, K&N intakes, rims & tires, etc. I have even seen them working on trucks with aftermarket superchargers on them. There are others that freak out if you don't use AC Delco filters. Drop some hints at the one you would go to if you have a problem and see what they say.

[Cheetin Brad]

Check w/ Westcoast deisel, they have the lly chip and the best price. 909-260-5205

[likwidsukr]

I guess there are some out there....who would of thought.:wink: :wink: :wink: :D

[BowTie Rick]

Originally posted by Lightning
check out thedieselplace.com - you will find all you need there. I have the same truck - 2004, white 4x4
Don't take everything you read as gospel on the web sites. This site and quite a few other diesel sites are sponsored by, run by, and administered by aftermarket companies. The high posters that people assume are mechanics are actually employees of the companies. Turns out, they are more misinformation rather than information. Can't do a thing about it either as they are protected by 1st amendment rights. Kind of a new spin on the old west snake oil pitches from a soap box. Don't get me wrong, there is some good info on them but read it with discretion. If you see bashing of one company or heavy preference of a certain product, you can bet this is an employee posting under different names.

[gramps]

I have a 2003 2500 HD sh0rt bed with a shell on it and the same engine and tranny as you are getting. I got it in Oct. of 2002 and have put 52,000 miles on it. At first I thought about doing a "chip" on it, I spoke with Southwest Diesel in St. George, Utah. They can add A BUNCH of horses and torque but.....................I'm glad I left it stock. It tows damm near anything and when I'm not towing I get 20 mpg on the highway. When its loaded down with all the toys and stuff I can still get 18 mpg out of it. You might want to keep it stock for a while and see if you really want to chip it. The one thing I did change was the complete air intake, went to the K&N intake and filter.

[CARGUY]

BowTie Rick would be correct. When it comes to mods a dealer can refuse to warrant a component if they can prove the failed component failed as a result of the mod.
Find a dealer with common sense(yes we do still exist), that is not anti-lift(most are), and you won't have a problem. The only problems we see are on shoddy lifts and usually involve alignments, or abs concerns.
Congrats on your choice of truck!!!

[RiverLife]

Congrats on the new ride!!!!!! I sold my '03 HD a couple months ago and R-E-A-L-L-Y wish I didn't! I agree though, those things can tow anything anyone on here has, upgrades like chips aren't really necessary. I'd leave it for a little while, you'll be amazed at how well it tows. I did the complete air intake, and dual Flowmaster exhaust cut 3 feet from the cat. Sounded better than most boats I've heard, and helped the gas a bit. I went to Orange Muffler to get mine done and spent half what my buddy paid doing the exact same thing from 4 Wheel Parts.
BTW, Whiplash (http://www.whiplashsuspensions.com) has a killer 8 and 10" lift for them.
Have fun!!

[Havasu Cig]

The lift and tires will void the warranty on the Allison. I already went down this route when we ordered our 04 2500 HD diesel. I was shown a letter by the sales manager from Allaison saying they would no longer honor warranties on lifted trucks.
I have bought several trucks from this dealership and have lifted most of them and the sales manager wanted to give me a heads up before he placed the order.
Towing 12k pounds I don't want to be without the warranty.

[Mrs Luvnlife]

Originally posted by Havasu Cig
The lift and tires will void the warranty on the Allison. I already went down this route when we ordered our 04 2500 HD diesel. I was shown a letter by the sales manager from Allaison saying they would no longer honor warranties on lifted trucks.
I have bought several trucks from this dealership and have lifted most of them and the sales manager wanted to give me a heads up before he placed the order.
Towing 12k pounds I don't want to be without the warranty.
I wonder how this works when a lot of the dealerships these days are actually putting lift kits on the brand new trucks and selling them that way. The lift was my concern when we bought ours brand new, I called Chevy about the warranty and they said nothing actually voids the warranty, but if something does happen it's possible they could point to certain 'after market' products that 'could have' caused the problem. Hopefully we'll never have to find out!! :D

[dicudmore]

good luck w/your new ride...

[plaster dave]

cst lifts are the best from what i saw @ sema show for your chevy good luck with the tie rod if your go with tires bigger then 35" if you do then get hime s/p joints to replace those tie rods just some advise from someone that carries extra tie rods in the truck :D

[CARGUY]

Originally posted by Mrs Luvnlife
I wonder how this works when a lot of the dealerships these days are actually putting lift kits on the brand new trucks and selling them that way. The lift was my concern when we bought ours brand new, I called Chevy about the warranty and they said nothing actually voids the warranty, but if something does happen it's possible they could point to certain 'after market' products that 'could have' caused the problem. Hopefully we'll never have to find out!! :D
If a dealer sells a vehicle new with mods already done they are responsible for any warranty concern that the manufacturer declines as a result of the mods for the term of the manuf warr(i.e. 3/36). My business has gone through this a couple of times and in all instances they were minor fixes that weren't that much $$$, and we gladly took care of them. But I have researched this and the law is clear.
I also hope you never have to find out, but if you do you now know the law.

[JET-O-VATOR]

ITS ALL ABOUT THE SUPERDUTYS.........POWERSTROKE BABY:D

[Jordy]

Talk to Keith at Diesel Dynamics, STV_Keith here on the boards. He'll hook you up with the Edge and Attitude (they just came out for the LLY). IMHO they are the best thing out there as they moniter the EGT and will back fuel out of the equation when you get to the upper limit. This will keep you from burning your truck down. None of the others will do that. As far as the Hypertech and the like, I ran one before I got the Edge on my truck and while it was ok and picked it up a little, for every positive there was a negative. It was really more of a pain in the ass than it was worth.
I'm running the cold air K&N intake on mine with a Gibson exhaust. If you would like to go the Gibson route, I'm a dealer through work and can get you a great price and set up a 3rd party pickup, which means no taxes (out of state sale) and no frieght. Can't beat that. ;) THis route will work for all you Cali folks who want to pick it up at the Gibson shop in Corona.
*** Just noticed that you're in Cottonwood. Let me know when you're in town and I have the exhaust and an LLY box at my shop if you want to take a look at them. I'm in Phoenix off the I-17 at 19th ave. Work for the Allison dealer. :D

[izquik72]

I appreciate all the input. The best deal i have found is 1600 for a rancho 6in. Has anybody heard of how they hold up?
Jet-O-Vator Why would you even look at this thread?

[TIBURON]

Dude I have a Powerstroke, but I would get a tuner instead of a chip. I have the Diablo Predator and it kicks ASS.
The good thing is I always put it back to stock when it goes to the dealer. I wouldnt take any chances cuz I have heard some stories. I am even nervous to put my air intake on because I had heard that if your turbo goes out they can blame it on to many particles getting through the air filter and wont warranty it.
Oh ya, if you tune it dont forget the GAUGES.... You'll need some of those, at least a PYRO and a BOOST. Oh ya and exhaust.
Good luck. Once you get a feel for those extra 100 or so ponies you'll never go back. Its awesome!!

[izquik72]

I am also curios as to what the lift kit will do to the ride?

[34MagicOnHavasu]

2003 2500 hd crew cab, short bed
8" fab tech lift
18 x 9 diamo 8k wheels
37 x 13.5 x 18 pro comp x terrain tires
edge computer with attitude monitor
magnaflow exhaust
runs AWESOME
i pull a 34 magic with it, barely knows it's there
i also pull a 38' fifth wheel toy box 15,000 lbs. plus - it knows it's there, but i wouldn't tow it with anything else.

[34MagicOnHavasu]

pic

[34MagicOnHavasu]

b.t.w.
i paid $1,850 for my 8" fabtech lift delivered to my door from www.sportztrailers.com in new mexico. they also sold me the
37 x 13.5 x 18 pro comp x-terrain tires for $1,120 (set of 4) delivered to
my door. the tires are awesome.

[izquik72]

did it come with shocks? How long did it take to ship? I gotta get this thing off the ground

[Jordy]

Originally posted by TIBURON
Oh ya, if you tune it dont forget the GAUGES.... You'll need some of those, at least a PYRO and a BOOST. Oh ya and exhaust.
As far as gauges I highly recommend them to anyone with a diesel. Look at it this way, by the time you spend the money on the gauges, pod, and tuner you could have easily picked up the Edge with the Attitude that has the gauges built in, and also backs fuel out when you get too much heat going with your EGT. :D

[TIBURON]

Originally posted by jordanpaulk
As far as gauges I highly recommend them to anyone with a diesel. Look at it this way, by the time you spend the money on the gauges, pod, and tuner you could have easily picked up the Edge with the Attitude that has the gauges built in, and also backs fuel out when you get too much heat going with your EGT. :D
But can you easily put it back to stock if you have to take it back to the dealer? If so, I am all for it. With my predator I can read any code my computer trips, and also clear them if I want to. For example, I removed my speed limiter and after doing about 110MPH, my computer showed a overspeed code that I cleared.
I wouldnt want the dealer knowing I going 110 if my motor decides to go out... ya know

[RiverLife]

JBM Motorsports across from my work is having a sale on lift kits right now. May want to check them out. I see some pretty sweet rides coming out of there (let alone the monster holding the sale banner).
They are in Orange, on Katella and Glassell (between the Pond and the 55)

[34MagicOnHavasu]

yes, fabtech 8" lift came with 4 shocks, and i received it in about 3 business days. i'm in so. cal, and it was drop shipped from corona i believe.
they have an option for dual front shocks, don't know what it costs. my truck still rides very similar to when it was stock. haven't done any serious off-roading with it since the lift, but thus far have not seen any need for the dual front shocks other than they look pretty cool.

[Havasu Cig]

Originally posted by Mrs Luvnlife
I wonder how this works when a lot of the dealerships these days are actually putting lift kits on the brand new trucks and selling them that way. The lift was my concern when we bought ours brand new, I called Chevy about the warranty and they said nothing actually voids the warranty, but if something does happen it's possible they could point to certain 'after market' products that 'could have' caused the problem. Hopefully we'll never have to find out!! :D
The letter I saw was from Allison. If the lift was done by the dealer they are responsible. You are most likely going to get screwed on price for the lift in you buy it from a dealer, but then you don't have to worry about the warranty.

[Jordy]

Originally posted by TIBURON
But can you easily put it back to stock if you have to take it back to the dealer? If so, I am all for it. With my predator I can read any code my computer trips, and also clear them if I want to. For example, I removed my speed limiter and after doing about 110MPH, my computer showed a overspeed code that I cleared.
I wouldnt want the dealer knowing I going 110 if my motor decides to go out... ya know
You can just unhook the 4 plugs and they'll never know it was there as it goes in behind the ECM, no reflashing involved. As far as codes, I haven't had any since I got rid of the Superchips programmer I had.
One downfall, if it is a big one, is that it doesn't remove the top speed limiter. Honestly, with the Superchips programmer it did, and I never ran it out. With the Attitude, it shows a corrected speed based upon tire size and I know my truck will hit 103 before it shuts down at the factory 97 shut off on the dash speedo. Fast enough for me.
Originally posted by Havasu Cig
The letter I saw was from Allison. If the lift was done by the dealer they are responsible. You are most likely going to get screwed on price for the lift in you buy it from a dealer, but then you don't have to worry about the warranty.
Ya also don't have to worry about it if you work for the Allison dealer. ;)