AEV Chevy Colorado ZR2 Partnership announced
AEV (American Expedition Vehicles) has announced they are launching a series of production aftermarket products with Chevrolet for the Colorado mid-size truck line.
The announcement was made at the Overland Expo West in Flagstaff, AZ on May 18, where AEV revealed a pair of 2018 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 trucks featuring the AEV Colorado Snorkel and AEV Crestone DualSport Beadlock Wheel – the first aftermarket parts to be made available.
Though shown installed on the Colorado ZR2, AEV executives pointed out that these parts can be installed on any variant of the current Colorado lineup including those equipped with both the 2.8L Duramax Diesel and 3.6L V6 gas engines.
The decision to develop and market these parts was a result of the successful exhibition of Colorado ZR2 Concept and ZR2 Race Development trucks by AEV at the 2017 SEMA Show in Las Vegas last Fall. This is the first collaboration with Chevrolet by AEV who is already well-known for their aftermarket parts and vehicle upfits for Jeep Wrangler, Ram 1500 and Ram Heavy Duty trucks.
Colorado Snorkel Kit
The lightweight AEV Colorado Snorkel installs directly into the factory airbox on the Colorado and offers an available self-cleaning Pre-Filter to further maximize trapping of particulate matter, keeping it out of the engine.
Crestone DualSport Wheel
The cast aluminum AEV Crestone DualSport Beadlock wheel offers high-strength with minimum weight. The wheel can be customized in three ways: fully functional beadlock for very low tire pressure off-road, a Protection Ring for both street and off-road use and ‘no-ring’ for that minimal look. Rings are interchangeable. The wheels have recessed valve stems and are compatible with Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems.
The AEV Colorado Snorkel and Crestone DualSport Beadlock wheels will be available through the AEV dealer network.
AEV Colorado ZR2 vehicles at SEMA 2017
The ZR2 AEV concept and the ZR2 Race Development Truck featured a Chevrolet Performance development suspension that included
- Front and rear jounce shocks, plunging front half-shafts, high-angle upper ball joint and increased stiffness high-angle tie rods
- Long-travel rear leaf spring suspension, anti-wrap link and rear differential cover
- Specially tuned Multimatic DSSV Shocks
ZR2 AEV Concept
Unique content from AEV included:
- AEV front and rear off-road bumpers, complete underbody skid protection, expedition bed rack, high clearance fender flares and high-rise snorkel
- DualSport beadlock wheels
- 35-inch BF Goodrich KM2 Mud-Terrain tires
- Front and rear high output LED auxiliary lighting
- ARB refrigerator/freezer, Equipt aluminum storage cases, NATO-style fuel cans and James Baroud USA awning in the bed
- Recovery shackles, Hi-Lift jack, Warn 9.5xp-s winch and MAXTRAX
ZR2 Race Development Truck
The ZR2 Race Development Truck was based on the ZR2’s desert-running capability with a long-travel version of the stock truck’s DSSV shocks tuned for high-speed off-road use.
Unique parts validated by Chevy Performance Engineering and legendary off-road racer Chad Hall in the Best in the Desert were:
- 5-inch body lift
- 33-inch Goodyear Wrangler MT/R tires
- Rear shock skidplates
- Rear differential skidplate
- Steel driveshaft
- Wheel spacers with extended-length wheel studs
- Off-road air intake and performance exhaust
The ZR2 Race Development Truck also shares the 3.6L V-6 and segment-exclusive eight-speed transmission with ZR2. Both trucks leverage the electronic locking front and rear differentials, Off-Road Mode and additional elements from the regular production ZR2.
2018 Colorado ZR2
The Colorado ZR2 is the top-of-the-line, off-road capable, mid-size pickup from Chevrolet.
Priced from $42,995 – it is designed for daily driving as well as running the outback under all kinds of conditions including serious rock crawling, narrow rugged trails, overland where necessary plus high-speed desert running.
Key features include:
- Two powertrains available:
- 6L V6 with 8-speed automatic – 308 hp /275 lb.-ft. torque
- 8L I-4 Turbo-Diesel with 6-speed automatic – 186 hp/369 lb.-ft. torque
- Front and rear track widths widened 3.5 in. over a standard Colorado
- Suspension lifted 2 in. higher than a standard Colorado
- Class-exclusive standard front and rear electronic locking differentials
- Multimatic Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve (DSSV) damper technology
- Exclusive cast iron control arms for exceptional strength
- Functional rocker protection for better performance over rocks and obstacles
- Front bumper tapered ends to increase tire clearance when approaching obstacles
- Thick, aluminum skid plates protect the radiator, engine oil pan and transfer case
- Aggressive grille and hood (with a black insert)
- 17 x 8-inch aluminum wheels with 31-inch Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac off-road tires
- Modified rear axle with a 3.42 ratio
- Standard trailering package w/ integrated trailer brake controller
- OnStar 4G LTE with built-in Wi_Fi
- Available, dealer-installed, bed-mounted spare tire carrier
Links to Chevrolet Colorado and AEV:
- Chevrolet Colorado: http://www.chevrolet.com/trucks/colorado-mid-size-truck
- American Expedition Vehicles: https://www.aev-conversions.com/?v=7516fd43adaa
More on In Wheel Time:
