2027 Chevy Silverado 1500 ZR2 Spied: Finally a Raptor, RHO Fighter Riding on 35s?

Could the 2027 Chevy Silverado 1500 ZR2 finally be stepping up to take on rivals with factory 35″ tires straight from the factory?

A spy photographer snapped pictures of a prototype truck showing off what appears to be 35″ tires and it sure looks like GM is stepping up to its rivals. This prototype was spotted about a week after a 2027 GMC Sierra 1500 prototype was spotted.

2027 Chevy Silverado 1500 ZR2 prototype

The spy photographer had this to say:

The Chevy Silverado 1500  ZR2 will be returning for a second generation, and we just caught a prototype returning from a muddy test drive as it hustled back to the safety of the GM Proving Grounds.  There are some key upgrades that are immediately apparent on this new prototype that will help it better match the Ford F-150 Raptor and Ram RHO.  Just how far the new ZR2 will follow the Raptor down the baja trail is the real question.

Finally riding on 35s

The new 2027 Silverado ZR2 prototype looks formidable, with a very generous ride-height.  While the current Silverado platform can only accommodate 33-inch tires, this new ZR2 test truck is riding on a set of 35-inch Goodyear Territory MTs, sized at 285/75 R18,.  The current Silverado ZR2’s tire-size limitations are seen as one impediment to being a proper competitor for its Raptor and RHO crosstown rivals, so its certainly noteworthy that GM has addressed this shortcoming for its second run at a full-size ZR2 offering.

A True Raptor-Fighter, or Still Raptor-Lite?

Like the current Silverado ZR2, this gen-2 ZR2 prototype clearly has an off-road-focused high-clearance front bumper, and its Multimatic DSSV dampers are visible at all four corners.  With its new 35-inch tires, the question is whether the new ZR2 will remain more of a rock-crawler—like an F-150 Tremor—or if GM preparing to truly take on the high-speed, high-flying baja nature of the the Raptor and RHO.  To do that, GM will have to improve the ZR2’s wheel travel.  The current Silverado ZR2’s 9-inches (front) and 10-inches (rear) of wheel travel can’t match the RHO’s 13- and 14-inches, or Raptor’s 14- and 15-inches.  The Raptor and RHO both famously feature flared, wide-track body modifications to free up space for optimum wheel travel, while the current  ZR2 keeps its width unchanged from lesser Silverados.  Is there a wide-body design hiding under the camouflage of this Silverado ZR2 prototype?  It’s impossible to tell for sure, but we don’t see any clear evidence of wide-body-modifications, compared to our initial shots of 2027 Silverado prototypes.

Other changes coming: engines, transmissions

What about the engines? Are the 10-speed transmission issues fixed?

First, there will be new V8 engines produced at the GM Tonawanda plant after it received a record, for GM, $888 million investment. These new engines will address any leftover concerns about lifter failure and will include electrification in the form of hybrid or a plug-in hybrid setup according to the latest rumors online.

What will be under the hood of the ZR2? Currently it uses either the 3.0-liter inline 6 Duramax diesel producing 305 horsepower and 495 lb-ft of torque or the 6.2-liter V8 producing 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. Both of these fall well short of the competition with the Raptor coming in at 450 horsepower with a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 and the Ram RHO producing 540 horsepower out of the inline 6 twin-turbocharged Hurricane engine.

GM does build a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine it uses in sports cars producing over 600 horsepower. And many aftermarket companies offer supercharger options that bolt-on increasing horsepower to those numbers as well. GM could decide to go this route and get ahead of the competition and take the ZR2 to the level of the Ford Raptor R with its supercharged V8 and the Ram TRX which is going to return for 2027 with a supercharged V8 as well.

Either way, GM really needs to do something.

Next, the 10-speed automatic transmission has had some issues with rear wheels locking up at high speeds as we have detailed and with new valve bodies on their way to dealerships after a recall was issued, it appears the issue has been fixed. We are keeping an eye on that one.

This will be the only transmission option most likely offered.