Ready To Pull the Trigger, Advice?

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44sixpack

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I've been looking at ZR2's for a couple years and been a forum member for some time. I wanted one but couldn't get one anywhere so I ended up ordering a '23 TRX and I love it. but my wife needs a new pickup and since I can now buy a ZR2 at invoice I'm looking at a couple. a red Bison edition and a white standard with 6.2's. so I have a few questions from guys that own these, there are none in stock around here I'm going to another state.

I'm really having a hard time convincing myself the Bison is worth the money. but some should be recovered on resale? am I wrong?

Is the ride and handling decent even with this suspension?

I know the fuel economy is poor, but is 17 on the HI way doable with conservative driving? it says you can run 87 octane, is that a problem if you do? 91 isn't available in card locks but there is a station in the county with it. we can get it but it's inconvenient.

I was looking at the platinum extended warranty? good idea ?

I read the lifter problems can be eliminated with the Range chip. but they don't have one yet for 24's. is this a problem?

Anything else I should know? thanks
 
44sixpack said:
I've been looking at ZR2's for a couple years and been a forum member for some time. I wanted one but couldn't get one anywhere so I ended up ordering a '23 TRX and I love it. but my wife needs a new pickup and since I can now buy a ZR2 at invoice I'm looking at a couple. a red Bison edition and a white standard with 6.2's. so I have a few questions from guys that own these, there are none in stock around here I'm going to another state.

I'm really having a hard time convincing myself the Bison is worth the money. but some should be recovered on resale? am I wrong?

Is the ride and handling decent even with this suspension?

I know the fuel economy is poor, but is 17 on the HI way doable with conservative driving? it says you can run 87 octane, is that a problem if you do? 91 isn't available in card locks but there is a station in the county with it. we can get it but it's inconvenient.

I was looking at the platinum extended warranty? good idea ?

I read the lifter problems can be eliminated with the Range chip. but they don't have one yet for 24's. is this a problem?

Anything else I should know? thanks
Click to expand...
not sure if bison is worth the extra cost as i have a 22 ZR2. buy the GM warranty for piece of mind if you are in it for the long haul. def get an aftermarket exhaust. good luck.
 
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Bison Edition is worth it if you value the skid plates, bumpers, and different wheels. The rest is just cheap badging. For the $9k, I don't think they are charging a lot of money if you look at the quality of materials and construction. If your wife is going rock crawling she'll appreciate the extra protection. I like the looks of the bumper on the standard 1500 ZR2 better than the Bison, so I went with it. However, I like the 2500HD ZR2 Bison bumper better than standard, so I went with it.

Mine runs fine on 87, but mostly run 91. If anything bought get slightly less performance.

You can easily get 18 on the highway, but consensus for average mileage is between 13-16 mpg. Get the 3.0 diesel if you want mileage.
 
I tend to agree the standard ZR2 looks better, and I hate the black AEV wheels. but every time I get practical, I end up regretting it.

I'm not really as worried about the cost of the fuel it's just getting somewhere and getting back. gas pumps can be a long way apart around here. the diesel is interesting, but I like V8's, and the local dealer service manager told me to run away from the diesel screaming like my teeth were on fire.
 
44sixpack said:
I tend to agree the standard ZR2 looks better, and I hate the black AEV wheels. but every time I get practical, I end up regretting it.

I'm not really as worried about the cost of the fuel it's just getting somewhere and getting back. gas pumps can be a long way apart around here. the diesel is interesting, but I like V8's, and the local dealer service manager told me to run away from the diesel screaming like my teeth were on fire.
Click to expand...
6.2l with exhaust cant be beat. L9 in tow mode makes for a very spry hot rod imo.!!
 
44sixpack said:
I tend to agree the standard ZR2 looks better, and I hate the black AEV wheels. but every time I get practical, I end up regretting it.

I'm not really as worried about the cost of the fuel it's just getting somewhere and getting back. gas pumps can be a long way apart around here. the diesel is interesting, but I like V8's, and the local dealer service manager told me to run away from the diesel screaming like my teeth were on fire.
Click to expand...
I can get a little over 17 in town driving conservative but where is the fun in that. We buy these trucks for the power and fun factor.
 
Bison isn't a bad deal if you want the bumpers and skids. Trying to do that after purchasing is a challenge. No options really aftermarket. One thing to consider is the 1500 bison only has around 1k payload. That's really low for a half ton. Toss a family in there and hook up to a boat, could easily get you over that payload rating. Heck just four guys in the cab and maybe a cooler in the bed could get you over, lol.

I could get 17-18 pretty easily with 6.2 ZR2. But my average was more like 14.8. TRX also says min octane of 91 doesn't it? Should be the same deal. Lots of opinions on it. Personally I always ran premium in mine. It's a high compression engine that strongly suggests premium. If premium was hard to come by in my area. I'd probably try to get something that didn't call for it.
 
I personally prefer the looks of the Bison. After having the flimsy plastic front end on my 2018 Colorado ZR2 get whacked, I really appreciate the solid chunk of steel the AEV bumper provides. I’ve run about three consecutive tanks of 87 octane in mine and haven’t noticed any issues. I’m averaging around 16mpg in mixed driving so 17 highway seems doable.

If you get the 6.2L with active exhaust, you may not need to do an aftermarket exhaust if you run it in sport mode. I appreciate running in normal mode till I get out of the neighborhood. I’m definitely a bit antsy for Range or someone else to release a DFM disable for the 2024’s. I’m mostly remembering to switch off the AutoStop when I start it up, but I can tell when it’s doing the DFM switch and it makes me uneasy.

I didn’t opt for the extended warranty when I bought mine. I’m going to see if I can get my dealer to let me see the oil and take the filter to cut open and examine when I get my first oil change at around 1,200 miles or so. If it looks pretty good I’ll let it ride. If it doesn’t I’ll probably get with them to get the extended warranty then.
 
I called Range and they said they're working on it, but they've been at it a year now I'm wondering if they're going to. they seemed optimistic though.

Not too worried about the payload I have other rigs for that. probably tow a short enclosed snowmobile trailer a little but other than that just a car and hunting rig.

Yes the TRX requires a minimum of 91 and 93 is better. but nobody has that anywhere I've seen. I can do 91 for the ZR2 and use 87 when it's not an option, which will be fairly often .

If I can disable the valves, I'm not too concerned about the mechanical issues with a 60k factory warranty. it's all the electrical that scares me. they told me the center display that basically runs my entire TRX was $4100 if it dies. that alone would way more than pay for the warranty. but that's probably being overly pessimistic.
 
glocktogo said:
I personally prefer the looks of the Bison. After having the flimsy plastic front end on my 2018 Colorado ZR2 get whacked, I really appreciate the solid chunk of steel the AEV bumper provides. I’ve run about three consecutive tanks of 87 octane in mine and haven’t noticed any issues. I’m averaging around 16mpg in mixed driving so 17 highway seems doable.

If you get the 6.2L with active exhaust, you may not need to do an aftermarket exhaust if you run it in sport mode. I appreciate running in normal mode till I get out of the neighborhood. I’m definitely a bit antsy for Range or someone else to release a DFM disable for the 2024’s. I’m mostly remembering to switch off the AutoStop when I start it up, but I can tell when it’s doing the DFM switch and it makes me uneasy.

I didn’t opt for the extended warranty when I bought mine. I’m going to see if I can get my dealer to let me see the oil and take the filter to cut open and examine when I get my first oil change at around 1,200 miles or so. If it looks pretty good I’ll let it ride. If it doesn’t I’ll probably get with them to get the extended warranty then.
Click to expand...
I bought an extended warranty just because of all the electronics on these new trucks. One issue and it will pay for itself.
 
If you want a great price on a warranty, call Knapp.

Home | Vehicle Warranty Website

Why pay full retail prices for your Chevrolet-GMC-Cadillac-Buick warranty plan when you can buy the GM factory-backed Chevrolet-GMC-Cadillac-Buick protection plan right here at deeply discounted online pricing?
www.knappvehicleservicecontracts.com www.knappvehicleservicecontracts.com
 
Those are good prices. the 72-72 would probably fit me great. and only $80 more for zero deductible that's amazing. from Ram it was a lot more.
 
44sixpack said:
I've been looking at ZR2's for a couple years and been a forum member for some time. I wanted one but couldn't get one anywhere so I ended up ordering a '23 TRX and I love it. but my wife needs a new pickup and since I can now buy a ZR2 at invoice I'm looking at a couple. a red Bison edition and a white standard with 6.2's. so I have a few questions from guys that own these, there are none in stock around here I'm going to another state.

I'm really having a hard time convincing myself the Bison is worth the money. but some should be recovered on resale? am I wrong?

Is the ride and handling decent even with this suspension?

I know the fuel economy is poor, but is 17 on the HI way doable with conservative driving? it says you can run 87 octane, is that a problem if you do? 91 isn't available in card locks but there is a station in the county with it. we can get it but it's inconvenient.

I was looking at the platinum extended warranty? good idea ?

I read the lifter problems can be eliminated with the Range chip. but they don't have one yet for 24's. is this a problem?

Anything else I should know? thanks
Click to expand...
when you are ready to pull the trigger, make sure it is pointed AWAY from you. I made that mistake ONCE!
 
It's a 600 mile drive home from where the rig is at, I'm going to have to get the high clearance off road steps on it for my wife but the dealer can't get them by the time I planned to pick it up. am I going to sandblast in front of the rear wheel well without them? lots of rock on the roads out here. it looks a little like the old square body area that got blasted on this new body style.

If it's a bad problem on these I might wait to get them.
 
44sixpack said:
It's a 600 mile drive home from where the rig is at, I'm going to have to get the high clearance off road steps on it for my wife but the dealer can't get them by the time I planned to pick it up. am I going to sandblast in front of the rear wheel well without them? lots of rock on the roads out here. it looks a little like the old square body area that got blasted on this new body style.

If it's a bad problem on these I might wait to get them.
Click to expand...
Personally, I don't think you'll have any issues, but you need to do what makes you feel most comfortable.
 
If you're not seeing major damage on yours it's probably not a major problem . it's going to be a daily driver I'm not expecting to keep it perfect I just don't want to trash it the first day.

I can take ducks tape guess if I start seeing bare metal. nothing jazzes up a new pickup like duct tape.
 
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