On the K2XX Silverado 1500 this is about as simple as truck maintenance gets: six 22 mm lug nuts per wheel, the same size on steel, painted alloy, and chrome-clad wheels, on the 4.3 V6, 5.3 L83, and 6.2 L86 alike. The only real work is lifting a 5,000-plus pound truck safely and dealing with lug nuts that a tire shop ran up with an impact gun.
What varies is the tire setup, not the tools. Most trims run the same size front and rear, so a forward cross pattern is fine. If you have directional tires or a staggered setup, rotate front-to-rear on the same side only. The thing people get wrong is torque: 140 ft-lb with a torque wrench on the ground, in a star pattern, then re-check after 50-100 miles. Also skip grease on the studs, and if your DIC lists pressure by corner, do the TPMS relearn or the display will point at the wrong wheel.
| Item | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| Wheel chocks Pair Block the wheels staying on the ground before lifting. | Safety | shop |
| Tire pressure gauge 0-60 psi digital or dial Check and set pressures before and after the rotation. | Required | shop |
| Breaker bar 1/2 in drive, 24 in Loosen lug nuts that are often over-torqued from an impact gun. | Required | shop |
| Lug nut socket 22 mm 6-point, 1/2 in drive (thin-wall or protective sleeve for alloy wheels) All 2014-2018 Silverado 1500 lug nuts are 22 mm. | Required | shop |
| Floor jack 2 ton minimum, 3 ton preferred, 18+ in lift Raise each corner or axle; short-throw jacks struggle with lifted or Z71 trucks. | Required | shop |
| Jack stands 3 ton pair (four if lifting both ends) Support the truck any time a wheel is off the ground. | Safety | shop |
| Torque wrench 1/2 in drive, 25-250 ft-lb range Set lug nuts to the 140 ft-lb spec in a star pattern. | Required | shop |
| Impact wrench or cordless ratchet 1/2 in drive Speeds up removing and running nuts down; final torque still by hand. | Recommended | shop |
| Wire brush Hand-held Clean rust and scale off the hub face so the wheel seats flat. | Recommended | shop |
| Anti-seize or brake lubricant Thin film on hub pilot only, never on studs or nut seats Prevents the alloy wheel from rusting onto the hub center. | Consumables | shop |
| TPMS relearn tool GM-compatible activation tool (or scan tool with TPMS relearn) Reassigns sensor positions so the DIC shows pressure at the right corner. | Recommended | shop |
| Tread depth gauge 0-1 in Check wear differences and decide if the rotation pattern should change. | Recommended | shop |
| Torx bit T30 (some wheel center cap / flare fasteners) Only needed if you remove a center cap or trim to reach a nut. | Recommended | shop |
No difference by engine - 4.3 V6, 5.3 L83, and 6.2 L86 trucks all use 6 x M14x1.5 studs with 22 mm nuts at 140 ft-lb. Only the wheel and tire package changes: 17, 18, 20, and 22 in wheels may need a thin-wall or sleeved socket to clear the lug pocket, and door-jamb pressures differ by package.
| Wheel lug nuts (6 x M14x1.5) | 140 ft-lb (190 Nm) |
| Spare tire carrier / hoist bolt | verify in the service manual |
The 22 mm lug socket and 140 ft-lb torque are correct for all 2014-2018 Silverado 1500 wheels across the 4.3, 5.3, and 6.2; confirm your exact tire pressure on the driver door jamb label since it varies by wheel and payload package.
22 mm, six per wheel. A 7/8 in socket is very close but will round off swollen chrome-capped nuts, so use a true 22 mm 6-point, ideally thin-wall or with a plastic protective sleeve on alloy wheels.
140 ft-lb (190 Nm) in a star pattern, applied with the truck's weight on the ground. Re-check after 50-100 miles, since aluminum wheels can settle.
The system will still warn you about low pressure without it, but the corner shown on the driver information center will be wrong. Run the relearn with a GM-compatible activation tool or scan tool, going left front, right front, right rear, left rear.
If all four tires are the same size and non-directional, use a forward cross: rears move straight forward, fronts cross to the opposite rear. Directional tires or staggered fitments rotate front-to-rear on the same side only.