Newb Advice needed: Going to pick up auction PPV [Picked up!]

[OldSchool73]

You were also a fan of P71s? How 'stock' did you keep it? By which I mean, how much did you try to improve it by stretching your definition of 'stock'?
I'm a Caprice-9C1 enthusiast (and OBD1-LT1 tuner); thanks to those cars, my definition of 'stock' is considerably expanded compared to most people's.
I'm no Kuato, but I'll suggest very strongly that you ... open your mind to a more freeing definition of GM OE.

More to ponder:
GM OE tire size for every GMT921 that is NOT a PPV, as well as every other GMT900 suv, and many GMT900 pickups, is 265/70R17.
GM OE for Tahoes PPV is 265/60R17 (not 16"). Yes, it may throw the speedo off. So what? - how badly do you REALLY need the speedo?
Don't worry about the ABS & Traction Control, so long as all 4 tires (not wheels) are the same diameter/circumference, they still work.

Have you shopped & compared 265/60R17 vs 265/70R17? Go to TireRack, few 265/60R17 to choose from (NONE I'd use on my Tahoe).
If keeping the speedo accurate is priority (?), 245/65R17 has 10x as many tires to choose from as 265/60R17, nearly all of which are better tires.
If you merely want to minimize speedo error, 255/65R17 (30.05") also has many tires to choose from, many of which are better than what 265/60R17 offers.
Quite a few other 17" tire sizes between 265/60R17 & 265/70R17, by the way:
265/60R17 - 29.51"
245/65R17 - 29.53"
255/65R17 - 30.05"
245/70R17 - 30.50"
265/65R17 - 30.56"
255/70R17 - 31.05"
245/75R17 - 31.46"
265/70R17 - 31.60"
GoodYear DuraTrac RT, Falken WildPeak A/T4W, Pirelli Scorpion WeatherActive, Cooper Discoverer Road&Trail AT, Nitto Nomad Grappler, Yokohama GeoLandar CV4S
GoodYear Assurance WeatherReady2, and more if you want to pay more, like the Michelin Defender LTX M/S 2 (beware, there are lesser Michelin Defenders)

Did I mention tuning? Disable Engine Half@$$, improve TCC behavior for better longevity and durability, make engine & transmission more responsive & fun ...

Would 265/65R17 be a decent compromise between OEM and 70 series?

 

[Marky Dissod]

Would 265/65R17 be a decent compromise between OEM and 70 series?

Long story short, just pretend your PPV is a civilian, and go with 265/70R17. The selection to choose from can't be beat, really.
I'll give you the longer story when I get back ...

 

[Sparksalot]

Would 265/65R17 be a decent compromise between OEM and 70 series?

Depends what you’re doing with your PPV. I have KO2 all terrain tires that size on thecopcar, leftover from when I used it for overlanding. They are load range E, so pretty stiff. The ride isn’t much different on pavement from the Goodyear RSA tires. Off road, they allow for airing down.

 

[OldSchool73]

Depends what you’re doing with your PPV. I have KO2 all terrain tires that size on thecopcar, leftover from when I used it for overlanding. They are load range E, so pretty stiff. The ride isn’t much different on pavement from the Goodyear RSA tires. Off road, they allow for airing down.

No off-roading for me

 

[Marky Dissod]

Long story medium ...

Would 265/65R17 be a decent compromise between 265/60R17 & 265/70R17?

Not if you factor tire costs into the mix, no.
If money is no object, then just compare the tire sizes I suggested and choose the tire with the most impressive performance characteristics as you see them.

No off-roading for me.

Makes sense, since (your) PPV is RWD (only), that you don't NEED thicker sidewalls. That said ...
In your case it'd be wise to use the lightest 18" wheels you can possibly find, put 255/65HR18 or 265/65HR18 tires on them.
Til then, there are PLENTY of 265/70R17 that are cheaper AND better bang for the buck than any 265/60R17 or 265/65R17.

 

[OldSchool73]

Long story medium ...Not if you factor tire costs into the mix, no.
If money is no object, then just compare the tire sizes I suggested and choose the tire with the most impressive performance characteristics as you see them.Makes sense, since (your) PPV is RWD (only), that you don't NEED thicker sidewalls. That said ...
In your case it'd be wise to use the lightest 18" wheels you can possibly find, put 255/65HR18 or 265/65HR18 tires on them.
Til then, there are PLENTY of 265/70R17 that are cheaper AND better bang for the buck than any 265/60R17 or 265/65R17.

I Love the look of the stock PPV wheel and don’t really have budget for wheels at the moment. That being said, I am really torn between an AT or HT tire. The Bridgestone Dueler is under $200 a tire at Walmart. Had me thinking that might be a decent choice. So many choices. Do you have an opinion of those?


Outside of tires, I have a to do list already cooking. As follows:

1) Change oil with synthetic M1 5w30 and a good filter.
2) Replace air filter.
3) Clean MAF sensor.
4) Replace wipers.
5) Remove adhesive from doors.
6) Wash/clay/glaze/seal paint.
7) Detail Engine bay.
8) Detail interior.
9) Apply skin to cracked dash.
10) Ceramic coat windshield.

 

[OldSchool73]

Oh and also fix the horn

 

[Marky Dissod]

Bridgestone Dueler is under $200 a tire at Walmart. Had me thinking that might be a decent choice. So many choices. Do you have an opinion of those?

There are 21 different all-season BridgeStone Duelers. Which one is available at WalMart?

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=Geolandar+CV+4S&partnum=67TR7GCV4SXL&fromTireCompare=Y

That's what I recommend - pretty solid compromises between on-road & soft-road (not really off-road), dry vs wet vs snow vs ice, & ride vs handling.
Better tires cost more and are still forced to compromise one way or another.

 

[OldSchool73]

There are 21 different all-season BridgeStone Duelers. Which one is available at WalMart?

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=Geolandar+CV+4S&partnum=67TR7GCV4SXL&fromTireCompare=Y

That's what I recommend - pretty solid compromises between on-road & soft-road (not really off-road), dry vs wet vs snow vs ice, & ride vs handling.
Better tires cost more and are still forced to compromise one way or another.

This is the one I found

Bridgestone Dueler A/T RH-S All Terrain 265/70R17 115S Light Truck Tire - Walmart.com

Buy Bridgestone Dueler A/T RH-S All Terrain 265/70R17 115S Light Truck Tire at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

 

[Marky Dissod]

Compare it to the Yokohama GeoLandar CV4S, then decide for yself. Think you know which I'd choose ...

 

[OldSchool73]

Compare it to the Yokohama GeoLandar CV4S, then decide for yself. Think you know which I'd choose ...

Thanks for the advice! I pulled the trigger on them.

 

[OldSchool73]

A couple of things I’ve noticed:

One, the horn doesn’t work. Is that an easy fix usually?

Two the interior lights don’t come on when I enter the vehicle. They actually flash sometimes. Anybody know what that’s about?

Getting tires mounted in a few days and will report back on things.

Thanks!

 

[Sparksalot]

A couple of things I’ve noticed:

One, the horn doesn’t work. Is that an easy fix usually?

Two the interior lights don’t come on when I enter the vehicle. They actually flash sometimes. Anybody know what that’s about?

Getting tires mounted in a few days and will report back on things.

Thanks!

The horn ring was probably disconnected during the siren removal. It’s a single light brown wire below the center of the dash. I don’t recall the label on wire though. Happened with one of my PPVs.

 

[OldSchool73]

Did I mention tuning? Disable Engine Half@$$, improve TCC behavior for better longevity and durability, make engine & transmission more responsive & fun ...

Got the tires installed today and it rides 1000X better. Thanks for the detailed info on tires and all!!!

What are the best options for tuning? Any reason to go for an exhaust upgrade? I found some that looked pretty good on Americantrucks.com.

 

[Marky Dissod]

What are the best options for tuning?

Any option that lets you keep the ecm & tcm in the truck for zero downtime is usually best (your TCM is soaked in ATF).
BlackBear is the typical recommendation here @ TYF, there are others, shop around for a bit and do your due diligence before you decide.

Any reason to go for an exhaust upgrade?

Unless you spend the majority of your time on the road OVER 3000RpM, there'd only be one reason left:
do you like the sound?
Again, do your due diligence; in this case that means listening til you find something that sounds seksy.
If you've a significant other, she'll likely notice drone even more than you, so deleting the rearmost resonator is unlikely.

 

[OldSchool73]

Once again thanks for the info!

 

[CrashTestDummy]

Congrats on the new truck! Did that thing sit outside before you bought it? If so, I'd run a Q-Tip in the door drain holes so you get the mud and accumulated water out of them so no sloshing around when driving. The right rear door on our '10 needed cleaning about once a year.

Dual batteries? Replace them as a pair, always. One 'sick' battery will put extra stress on the other, and usually, the other goes out soon after replacing the bad one anyway.

We got a BlackBear tune on our '10. They pulled some of the torque management out and helped a bit with the throttle response. It really woke the truck up. Other than an Air Raid tube (kept the rest of the intake tract stock) and K&N filter, those were the only mods we did to the drivetrain. We did install a BellTech 2/3 drop kit in the truck and replaced the old OEM shocks with new OEM shocks. The truck handled well with those mods.

Enjoy!!

 

[OldSchool73]

Thanks Crashtestdummy lol! The vehicle sat in a parking deck for about a year. It’s just really dusty. I am definitely considering the Blackbear option. Is the consensus that it helps with engine/transmission longevity? I really don’t want to eff either up. I think my PPV is a bit of a creampuff with just over 90k miles and 2000 engine hours. Just threw a new radiator and rear brakes on it along with new tires all around. Seems to be running pretty nice. Got a lot of cosmetic work to do on it but so far, i think I got lucky with this one.

 

[OldSchool73]

Cerakote Trim Restore FTW!!!

 

[Marky Dissod]

Is the consensus that it helps with engine/transmission longevity?

Consensus notwithstanding, it's the TRUTH, so long as a thorough tune is performed by a competent tuner.
That means none of those tunes-in-a-can will do anything for longevity/durability.

... my PPV is a bit of a creampuff with just over 90k miles and 2000 engine hours

Based on a lifetime average speed of 45MpH, it likely spent lots of time in 5th & 6th gear, quite possibly with the torque converter clutch locked.
One of the things missing on your list was changing your ATF & filter. Get that and the tune done at your first convenience.