2016 Silverado sluggish in 1st and 2nd gear?

Jeremybj · March 9, 2016

Hello to all,

New to the forum but long time reader.

I just bought a 2016 Silverado Crew LT with the 5.3 in it yesterday to replace my aging 2008 Silverado extended cab.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with the truck but it feels funny to me. It seems like when I take off under light acceleration from a stop light the truck seems like it doesn't have much power in first and second gear, then it hits third gear at about 25ish mph and I got all kinds of power.

Is this a normal feeling or is it something I should ask WTF at the dealership about? I know I'm starting off with 1 post with a dumb question, so my apologies in advance.

Thanks for any feedback,

Jeremy

AaronIROCZ · March 9, 2016

I would say it is normal, I have a 2016 Silverado LT 5.3 as a loaner till they get my 2016 I ordered finished and it snaps alive at first right at tip in then it totally falls on it's face, I have to then step on it 1/2 or so throttle in order for it to actually take off, more than likely all in the tuning. I am driving it like my old 2014 6.2 that was tuned and the amount of throttle I gave my 14 at take off this thing barely moves. I can't wait to get some miles on my truck when I get it so I can get it tuned and be like a real truck.

Tek74 · March 9, 2016

Factory tune. An after-market tune improves everything. I didn't believe it until I drove a friend's 2014 Silverado with a tune. I am doing a tune the day after my warranty expires.

Jeremybj · March 9, 2016

Who do you guys recommend for a tune? Which brand of tuner or whatever? Probably not gonna do it today or tomorrow, but I could see myself doing it in the future

Jeremybj · March 9, 2016

I guess I would mention I am looking for a plug it in, tune it, unplug it tuner, not really looking for something mounted on my dash or windshield

16z71Tom · March 9, 2016

I just got one too. Have 1200 miles now. She gets peppier just gotta get a little bit of mileage on her. Test drove one with 3k miles and she was faster then mine with 1200. But if u really granny foot it the 1-2 shift really puts the rpm's low and feels sluggish.

AaronIROCZ · March 9, 2016

Blackbear is who I use.

SkiDooNick700 · March 9, 2016

My 15 feels the same way. It's interesting because the RPMs are generally in the same range for the first couple shifts. It's just funny that all of a sudden in 3rd or 4th gear it feels like it's coming on boost lol. I notice that if I'm not resting my head back and i begin accelerating at a consistent throttle position, I can feel my neck start to go back. Maybe I'm weird

Edited March 9, 2016 by SkiDooNick700

Sir Dan · March 9, 2016

Recently upgraded from 2008 w/ 4 speed to 2016 w/ 8 speed trans. It is a significantly different truck even tho both are 5.3L. The 8 speed is very "busy" shifting somewhere all the time it seem but most (not all) shifts are very smooth and almost unnoticeable. After 500+ miles it is starting to get better. I have had a few shift flares between 1-2 or 2-3 and one really bad clunk/jerk at about 40 mph. It also seems to shift funny first few times after sitting overnight which I've read from other people too.

fondupot · March 9, 2016

Blackbear Performance is among the best in the business for tuning GM trucks. Their tunes are custom made and you can also buy a hand-held device from them called an AutoCal. It allows you to change tunes on the fly. From a 87-89 octane tune, to a 93. One with AFM on or off....changing transmission shift parameters. You name it. They can tweak a lot and you can just upload them at your leisure.

Also with that device you can return to stock tuning, in less than 5 minutes if need be.

Edited March 9, 2016 by fondupot

twoheeldrive · March 10, 2016

Sounds like like my truck when it was new. Drivability will improve as you get some miles on it. The transmission is in school, learning how to shift and the engine is settling in. Now that I have 2500 miles, I don't have any issues or complaints. She's very zippy and smooth shifting. I did a "cold boot" (pulled the negative battery cable off for 30 minutes) at ~100 miles and then again last week at ~2400 miles and that seemed to help a lot. The last "boot" was just after I filled up with a tank of premium fuel. Premium seemed to make a pretty big difference and now runs and shifts even better and the MPG has improved about 15%.

RhinoGuy · March 10, 2016

Run some e85 if you have a yellow gas cap. It will wake the truck up

nluchau · October 12, 2016

Reviving this thread

Mine is acting the same way. I sure hope as miles are put on this behavior goes away on my new 2016 as well. I have just over 750 miles on it. Has anyone else notice the behavior change once you got a few thousand miles put on the truck?

Silvern Sentry · October 12, 2016

The engine / drive train does not reach peak power till ~4000k+ RPMS

You can look at any number of dyno charts for these engines to get a quick gauge of how much of that 355 HP is available at start and through the curve until it reaches these peak numbers.

Its normal it is all tied to fuel economy and design. Its not the gear it is your RPMS

Edited October 12, 2016 by Alpine Truck Life

Blackout Silverado · October 12, 2016

Gas pedal also has play in it. A shim back behind it helps with initial acceleration. A thread discussing this issue is on here. Believe me, it helped.