jackrook

proud papa of a brand new 2012 2500HD LT Z71 gas 6.0, upgraded from a 2006 1500 LS. BIG DIFFERENCE!!!!!!

now that thats out of the way....im wondering how "off road ready" my truck is? it is 4x4, its a Z71 if that means anything.

Michelin LTZ A/T2 LT265/70R18 tires

locking rear differential

4hi 4low

skid plates

is my suspension off road ready? i am attaching a few pictures to help you guys out. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE for all your help.

LIST OF GLOVE BOX CODES


FRONT DRIVER WHEEL


REAR PASSENGER WHEEL


GROUND CLEARANCE

jackrook

55 views and not even a "youre good to go"? or "needs work?

country_09

looks good to me. Other than it's a heavy truck with street tires. Has a "ok" limited slip axle and all the 4wd bells and whistles.

jackrook

yes i understand these tires are the very agressive offroad, thick and deep tread that you can get on some 38inch swampers, but after spending all day at work(hehehehe) reading reviews about these tires, it seems theyre capable of doing some nice work in the dirt.

the "ok" limited slip axle??? is that the same as my locking rear differential?

sorry if i sound like a noob but the truth is, in the 4wheel game, i am a noob.

ericnottelin

You have the g80 (third line down, 7 over) mechanical LOCKING rear axle. when the axle has a difference of 100 rpms between the left and right tires, there is a mechanical tumbler that will "lock" the axle up. When the rear tires are going anywhere between 25 and 35 mph, the centrifugal force will cause the tumbler to disengage and open the diff for maximum fuel economy (as much as you can get from a 6.0L ) You still have the standard front limited slip front axle. Now these axles are not designed for really heavy off road use. And as mentioned earlier, you are driving a much heavier truck. I would not take my truck thru the local mud pit. But for camping and taking the dirt bikes to the trails after a rain storm, no problems.

In regards to your tires, I have to agree with the above posts. They look more like street tires. Don't get wrapped up in how deep the treads are. You want distance between the tread lugs. And you REALLY want aggressive sidewall lugs. The more space, the easier the lugs will self clean (ie spin away mud vs it staying in between the tread lugs) so they can grab more mud. There are tons of guys that will tell you all sorts of different tires. If you are going to seriously take this thing off road, I would DEFINITELY get rid of those tires. You can not go wrong with a set of BFG A/Ts. I personally like the Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo2. I have had them on numerous trucks. They worked great off road, but had awesome on road characteristics.

Hope this helps

Eric.

jackrook

so then is it a"locking differential" or a "limited slip differential"?

and how do i know what kind of shocks came with my truck?

basically, is my stock 4x4 z71 2500hd considered off road ready with all my current parts?