It is of course worth noting that this particular truck was outfitted with the Z71 Off-Road and Protection Package, which includes Rancho twin-tube off-road shocks. Tuning is no better over larger impacts, but I never experienced any lack of control or confidence in the truck’s footing as a result. Even small road imperfections are channeled through the seat and wheel, often looping into an uncomfortable resonance on Southeast Michigan’s decrepit roadways.
With no real weight over the rear axle when unloaded, the truck's ride is rough. Those impressive tow and payload ratings require dedicated engineering solutions, with a chassis and suspension setup designed to cope with those weights. While GM has done a great job emulating the experience of its smaller trucks with this latest batch of HD offerings, there are some unavoidable compromises. This is a welcomed livability improvement, and was particularly noticeable during longer highway journeys. The system also helps alleviate some of the busier road behavior older HD trucks could experience on the highway, with a significant ramp up in steering effort at those speeds. While it feels disconnected from the heft you know is beneath you at lower speeds, the light effort makes navigating lots or side streets less of a chore. The system is designed to mirror the feedback and lighter effort provided by the brand’s electronic power steering system in the half-ton offerings. This LTZ-spec model came equipped with the brand’s Digital Steering Assist, which is a computer-controlled hydraulic steering system with variable weighting. The brakes in particular never let you forget about the amount of truck surrounding you, requiring a lot of pressure to bring the truck to dead rest.
That mass is felt in the controls, regardless of the modern engineering trickery at play. There’s simply no getting around the fact that the Silverado HD has a curb weight of over 7000 pounds, however.
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