comments, and a word of caution

[James S]

Hey Folks,

I need to stress, I do not mean to offend any of you, but I have to voice some concerns. [Moderators, please respond with any concern to my comments.] I find I am starting to see a trend develop here on the forum. As you look through the duramax forum, 2500HD/3500 trucks and drive train, and the 2500HD/3500 accessories forums, I am starting to notice that many people are having problems with their trucks. I am finding that these are because of performance boxes and other stubstantial modifications. I fully agree with you, mods like: tires, tool boxes, caps, tonos, lights, guages, exhausts, running boards/bars, bed protection, waxes/cleaners, cold fronts, stereos, etc, are all perfectly reasonable. However, the mods like suspension enhansements, lifts, huge tires, regearing, etc, are having significant negative consequences for some. I am just trying to say, as a concerned poster on this forum, I want to raise the "WHITE FLAG" for some and say, "SLOW DOWN!!!" Think about the negative affects and the expense these mods are costing you, and is it really worth it to go ahead with them>??? I have found for example that the ones who are getting ****ty milage are the ones with the lifts etc, not naming names. Also I came across a web site on drag coeficiants, for caps, tonos, tail gate on, off, down, tool boxes, etc. I have lost the address but if I find it, i will post it. These trucks are great, HOWEVER, they are NOT sports cars, and NEVER will be, and those trying to make them sports cars, are running in to all sorts of problems. As one of our auto detail places say,
"Don't hurt the one you love"!!!!!!
Perhaps that should be "one of the ones you love". I love my truck, but my girlfriend more, and HOPE you love in the same order as well. Any way, enough ranting from me. I am just saying, there is a fine line between modifying the truck, and modifying it to an extent which the truck just simply CANNOT handle, thus resulting in significant problems.

James

[king D]

james i read your post and you made some good points.however it is going to be up to the idividual as to how and what they spend thier money on.i agree that some mods will affect mileage but chips usually give better mileage if one can keep a foot out of them.also if one wants a lift or bigger tires to make them happy with their 40k plus investment i feel they should do whatever they feel like they can afford.i agree the more you play the bigger the chance you are going to have to pay.i dont agree with tearing something up and then trying to warranty it.i have never done this nor do i ever intend to.your post is a little confusing at first you say you see how tool boxes bed covers ext..are all reasonable but then latter refer to drag on these items and the exspence of lost mileage.still good points a bit conflicting but accurate.as for these trucks notbeing sports cars you are absolutely correct i mean you could never haul a 10000 ld trailer with a sports car, just a playful jab not wanting to incite a war here.as far as a lot of problems with these trucks if you look across the dodge and ford boards you will see that these dmaxes really are fairly trouble free and most of the problems the trucks have are not caused by performance or aftermarket add ons.when i look i really dont notice a lot of problems but perception iis in the viewer everones opinions differ often from looking at the same material.anyway thtas about all i have to say i appreciate your ppost and your p[oints i hope you can see from the other side of the fence as well....jess

[Tsckey]

James,

You sound a valid cautionary note and anyone contemplating a performance upgrade should consider the possible adverse consequences of such mods. But, I think if you go back a ways and look at the full spectrum of discussions that come up from time to time, you will find a measure of balance, still favoring the performance side, but not totally out of whack. This is an enthusiast site, so I guess we should expect a range from the too-much-is-not-enough school of thought to the more moderate examination of longevity -enhancing add-ons like supplemental fuel and oil bypass filters, better air mangement, and freer exhausts. Were I younger and wealthier I might be tempted to try out for the lab rat role and stack a bunch of boxes and a dash of propane just for the hell of it. But I'll leave that to the guys who either can afford it or, like JK, can fix it if it breaks. In the mean time, I know that somewhere out there someone is stressing the living poo out of his truck and he is bound to find the edge of the performance and durability envelope. When he does we may finally get a read on the ultimate capabilities of these terrific machines.

TC

[gardnerteam]

You posted some good points. I am probably the toughest person on tires on this forum, but it has nothing to do with my 4" lift nor 33" tires. My fuel consumption at the same speeds is about the same as before the lift and larger tires. My tire wear and fuel consumption are directly related to truck weight (9200 lbs) due to the heavy bumpers, canopy, winch, fuel tank, etc AND my size 14 right foot. Speeds over 73 mph in this truck kill fuel mileage - the faster you go the more fuel it uses, in a graphical equation that keeps curving upward with increased speed. I am not overly worried about tire and fuel costs (others are), but am a fanatic about dependability - where I go I cannot break down. I have no performance mods and may not even install the Megafilter I have sitting on the shelf until the air issue is settled. My D/A has yet to fail me in 40,000 miles of hard driving and rough roads. Best truck I've had yet in over 20 new trucks. Everybody does their own thing - it's the American way - Mexican too!

[steeltech]

Hello all of you good people. I've been religiously reading the posts on this site since we bought our first new truck ever(2 months ago). We have owned several used powerstrokes in the past and felt they were pretty good trucks. We then decided to look at new, and the Duramax was the last truck we testdrove (the dealer let us have it for the weekend) and that was all it took.

I firmly believe the information passed around is for all types of owners, I suspect the actual number "visiting" is pretty big. I too respect a person's decision to get crazy with mods, but also feel that if you play you pay.

After all my reading and researching the available info. on this site, I did the following things to my wife's grocery hauler. I went with the stanadyne fuel treatment because after much internal debate, decided the OEM post of last month (GM accepting stanadyne)was powerful information. Bought the fomoto drain valve--a great idea, and a few spare plastic bleeder screws for the fuel filter.

Sorry for the long-windedness, I won't make comments too often. One more thing, the dealer offered a free first oil change so I took them up on it. Big mistake, noticed oil spots on driveway within a few days of oil change, crawled under truck and turned the filter by hand over 1/2 turn. Went back to dealer, chewed them out,and made them feel bad.

[wangotango]

Thanks Mom.

[oyazi]

wangotango ~ you're too cool :cool:

James, agreed ~ BUT like trucks that are black and those that are blue, I think they're tops AS LONG as someone else owns them. So are the envelope strecthing performance mods. Very few of us are cut from the same bolt of cloth. smile.gif

[56Nomad]

I spent lots of money on my beautiful truck.
I haul a toybox and have no need to race anyone
off the stop light. We really enjoy our
truck and I do enought crazy stuff on my
ATV...... so no need to break stuff on my truck.

I must be a real pussy, but don't like to
throw money away.

On the other hand, boy it is fun to go fast and
every dollar I spent on my hot rods was worth
it!!! Money pit and more.......... $$$$$$$

Push the envelope on our engines and trucks at your
own risk........ enjoy, but be prepared to
pay the piper. Don't complain when when
something breaks!

[ 05-05-2003: Message edited by: 56Nomad ]</p>

[Burner]

James,

We all have an opinion about the way we believe one should conduct their self. We in the United States of America, have the right to express our thoughts openly, we are blessed. As long as we are not "breaking" the law, perhaps bending it, there will not be a problem. Our FREE society allows us the FREDOM to make changes without consent from our piers or moreover, our government. That FREEDOM allows us to make money or lose money, make good decisions or make bad decisions. ;) Most of the people here will agree that purchasing a Duramax is a good choice, some will not. However, I "believe" that general selection will weed out those who cannot handle a 40,000 + dollar truck. If you are sharp enough to make 100+ a year then you must be knowledgeable enough to understand that the freaking warranty will be voided if you "hop-up" the truck. If there is someone out there that is stupid enough to think that their warranty will not be affected by "performance options" then they are one of three things, they are RICH or they are IGNORANT (i.e. -misinformed or having lack of knowledge) or CRAZY. I think that even the simplest person here can understand warranty information and how performance additions will derogate the warranty. If there happens to be "someone" that just happens to make enough money to buy one of these 40k "trucks" and "hop-it-up" and get burned on warranty...well, it's just not there day and there's not one Liberal protector out there that can do a damm thing about it. I know that had I bought a new 512R and "slapped a turbo or nitrous" on it that I would "poof" my warranty. Would I be stupid to do that? I don't think that making my own decision on hopping up a 156,000 dollar car would be bad. You know, it's my money and I earned it and I'll do with it as I please, thank you. If I

[HD-Nate]

James,

Are you sure your not my Dad, you sure sound a lot like him smile.gif

I am a Hot Rodder at heart, every

[sdaver]

I agree...........to each their own :D dave

[GMC-2002-Dmax]

James,

just poking fun here so don't take anything serious, BUT are you from the "left" coast, say California?? :eek:

Seriously though, I expect poorer mileage because I have a truck, I need to haul weight and carry tools so yes I will increase my drag with extra weight and an open bed.

I like larger tires I think the stockers looked wimpy.

I wanted more power so I bought a JUICE and gauges to keep an eye on things. I am an American so last time I checked I am free to do these things.

I am also spending my money that I worked hard for so that I can enjoy things I like :D .

So if I break it I'll pay for it. If I use more fuel so what, I would rather drive a truck than a Ford Focus or Honda elo-vehicle.

Come on here, most of us spent 35k plus for our trucks before we modded them, we sure should be able to enjoy them the way we want.

L8TER,

GMC ;)

[BassinRVer]

You only live once is my motto. I am having fun with my truck and 30 foot Travel trailer. It is nice to have a hot rod and one heck of a towing beast.

[britannic]

Necessity is the mother of invention! So power..., lofty driving seat..., cleaner fuel etc.!!! :D :D :D :D :D

He who dares wins???? James makes excellent and valid points, but some of us buy our rides for more than just a daily driver - more of an itch that needs scratching in the performance and individuality department.

My wife agrees with James and won't let me improve her Duramax from stock - I think that's a waste of fuel and right foot performance, but respect her wishes. Anyhow, I have my CUCV 6.2L toy, which is now at least 100% faster than before and about to undergo yet another performance mod in the form of a wastegated turbo and intercooler to assist my high performance 4911 pump and injectors.

Getting under the hood and improving my truck is my hobby and I believe GM and other's deliberately detune their products for us to find ways to improve them (and of course they also dumb them down for the insurers, EPA, Feds, State, our mothers, grandfathers and just plain cost of production etc., etc.).