noJeepshere
Adventurer
Interesting, sounds like you know what you're doing to get the effect without compromising performance like many do...
cent frum a smaert fone
cent frum a smaert fone
2001 Suburban K2500 - Summer Camping & Winter Commuting
- Thread starter snowblind
- Start date
snowblind
Adventurer
We'll see won't we. ;-) Even with Depos I am unimpressed with the headlights. I've been thinking about 4 x Hella Micro DE driving lights mounted in the grill...
As for your question on fuel economy improvement with the Black Bear tune. My answer is yes on the highway and no around town. For reference my truck has 3.73 gears and 285/70/17 tires.
I have an Edge CTS monitor that gives me a real time fuel economy readout. It is very hard to see double digit economy if my foot is touching the gas pedal. That is the nature of the 8.1 for sure. Therefore it's not surprising that I'm averaging about 12mpg with a mix of city and highway. All city will drop that to 8-9mpg. But on the highway it's pushing into the 16-17mpg range, especially if using cruise control.
Matt
snowblind
Adventurer
Northern California
Loaded up the Suburban and headed west. Camped for 4 nights in Lassen County. Beautiful country.
Then we headed to the coast. More beautiful country.
On the drive back I averaged 14mpg over the 400 miles from Sacramento, CA to Wendover, NV. Considering the roof mounted propane tank, side awning, XL Yakima Box and the three bikes on the trailer hitch I'm OK with that mileage.
Matt
2001 Suburban 2500
Loaded up the Suburban and headed west. Camped for 4 nights in Lassen County. Beautiful country.
Then we headed to the coast. More beautiful country.
On the drive back I averaged 14mpg over the 400 miles from Sacramento, CA to Wendover, NV. Considering the roof mounted propane tank, side awning, XL Yakima Box and the three bikes on the trailer hitch I'm OK with that mileage.
Matt
2001 Suburban 2500
snowblind
Adventurer
Dual Batteries and New Lights
The Suburban has been kicking *** in what little snow we've seen this year in Utah. I run 285/70/17 General Arctimax tires for the winter. They are a little louder than the Michelins and a good bit rougher riding but they have MUCHO grip in snow and ice!
This winter has been very warm in my area so last weekend I took advantage of the nice weather and did some work to the truck.
On the 2000-2006 Chevy trucks/SUVs there is an OEM option for a second battery located on the passenger side of the engine compartment. Here is a photo of the stock (non-battery compatible) brace in that area.
This is replaced by GM Part# 15246518 Battery Tray
I will add wiring and isolator photos later.
I then removed the billet grille and went back to a "stock" front end. This was to provide options to mount auxiliary lighting.
For the auxiliary lighting I decided to go with Hella Micro DE projectors. These are an older design from the 1990s that uses 35w halogen H3 bulbs in a small, heavy-duty, magnesium projector housing with very thick glass lenses. Made in Germany. I got mine on Amazon for $120/pair.
I have run the Micro DEs on vehicles in the past. They proved very durable and very resistant to water. They have a nice, sharp cutoff and are fairly bright. They also come with a quality wiring harness and mounts. They are labeled as a "fog" light but I think they are too bright/white for fog. I would call them a "wide-beam" or "flood light" and as I said, they have a really nice, sharp cutoff.
The only real negative that I have found with the Micro DEs is that they run HOT. This is not very fun in the summer but it is actually a "feature" in the winter in that snow and ice melts off very quickly.
I decide to go with TWO pairs for the front of the Suburban!
Here's a sideways behind the grill shot showing the trans cooler and the back of the grille.
Here is the grill cut-out. It's a single "section" of the grill. The hole in the middle is for the light mounting bolt.
Overhead shot of the back of the grill with the lights mounted.
I will add wiring, aiming and beam pattern photos later.
Matt
The Suburban has been kicking *** in what little snow we've seen this year in Utah. I run 285/70/17 General Arctimax tires for the winter. They are a little louder than the Michelins and a good bit rougher riding but they have MUCHO grip in snow and ice!
This winter has been very warm in my area so last weekend I took advantage of the nice weather and did some work to the truck.
On the 2000-2006 Chevy trucks/SUVs there is an OEM option for a second battery located on the passenger side of the engine compartment. Here is a photo of the stock (non-battery compatible) brace in that area.
This is replaced by GM Part# 15246518 Battery Tray
I will add wiring and isolator photos later.
I then removed the billet grille and went back to a "stock" front end. This was to provide options to mount auxiliary lighting.
For the auxiliary lighting I decided to go with Hella Micro DE projectors. These are an older design from the 1990s that uses 35w halogen H3 bulbs in a small, heavy-duty, magnesium projector housing with very thick glass lenses. Made in Germany. I got mine on Amazon for $120/pair.
I have run the Micro DEs on vehicles in the past. They proved very durable and very resistant to water. They have a nice, sharp cutoff and are fairly bright. They also come with a quality wiring harness and mounts. They are labeled as a "fog" light but I think they are too bright/white for fog. I would call them a "wide-beam" or "flood light" and as I said, they have a really nice, sharp cutoff.
The only real negative that I have found with the Micro DEs is that they run HOT. This is not very fun in the summer but it is actually a "feature" in the winter in that snow and ice melts off very quickly.
I decide to go with TWO pairs for the front of the Suburban!
Here's a sideways behind the grill shot showing the trans cooler and the back of the grille.
Here is the grill cut-out. It's a single "section" of the grill. The hole in the middle is for the light mounting bolt.
Overhead shot of the back of the grill with the lights mounted.
I will add wiring, aiming and beam pattern photos later.
Matt
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rayra
Expedition Leader
Nice Sub, OP. Wish I'd found a white one instead of black. Just bought my black '02 before Thanksgiving and I've already needed to wash it more times in 3mos than I washed my white C-10 in the last 3yrs.
And nice timing on the 2nd battery tray info, just what I've been looking into. Couldn't find such in my LMC catalog and thought that was the likely spot. Or under the main electrical bus housing. I haven't looked to see what's under that huge box yet.
And nice timing on the 2nd battery tray info, just what I've been looking into. Couldn't find such in my LMC catalog and thought that was the likely spot. Or under the main electrical bus housing. I haven't looked to see what's under that huge box yet.
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Littlehouse
Adventurer
This thing is awesome! I think I need to upgrade my dad's 97 2500 suburban for him.
Awesome rig. I have the GMC cousin of your truck. Really interested in seeing how you wire the second battery. I've really been wanting to do this and to wire all my extra accessories to the second battery. Ideally, I'd like to have the second battery charged by the alternator, but not run down by interior lights, etc. I've killed my battery a couple times because on hunting/camping trips when everyone is in and out of the truck it's always running down.
snowblind
Adventurer
Camshaft Position Sensor and more!
I threw a Check Engine Light a few months back. Code came back as Camshaft Position Sensor. Symptom was intermittenrt hard starting.
It turns out the Camshaft Position Sensor on the 8.1 engines is a weak spot. Maybe it's a poor design but this will be the third CPS replacement motor has seen in 102,000 miles. It also turns out that different model year 8.1 engines DO NOT share the same Camshaft Position Sensor and that the sensors for the 2001 engine are becoming hard to find and expensive.
Digging on the web I found out that the early 8.1 engine can be updated to work with the Camshaft Position Sensors from the later 2004-2006 engines. Summary: Replace with later model parts - Timing set (Cloyes C3222/Napa 103222 ), Timing cover (GM 12589846), Camshaft Position Sensor (GM 12591720) and a wiring pigtail (Standard HP4240). Thanks to Raylar Engineering for spreading the knowledge -> http://www.raylarengineering.com/vortec8100-camshaft-position-sensor-camshaft-gears.html
Truck starts immediately now and CEL is gone.
Matt
I threw a Check Engine Light a few months back. Code came back as Camshaft Position Sensor. Symptom was intermittenrt hard starting.
It turns out the Camshaft Position Sensor on the 8.1 engines is a weak spot. Maybe it's a poor design but this will be the third CPS replacement motor has seen in 102,000 miles. It also turns out that different model year 8.1 engines DO NOT share the same Camshaft Position Sensor and that the sensors for the 2001 engine are becoming hard to find and expensive.
Digging on the web I found out that the early 8.1 engine can be updated to work with the Camshaft Position Sensors from the later 2004-2006 engines. Summary: Replace with later model parts - Timing set (Cloyes C3222/Napa 103222 ), Timing cover (GM 12589846), Camshaft Position Sensor (GM 12591720) and a wiring pigtail (Standard HP4240). Thanks to Raylar Engineering for spreading the knowledge -> http://www.raylarengineering.com/vortec8100-camshaft-position-sensor-camshaft-gears.html
Truck starts immediately now and CEL is gone.
Matt
snowblind
Adventurer
More front lift...
About a year ago I added 285/70/17 tires and Kryptonite Upper Control Arms to my Suburban and cranked the torsion bars for about 1.5" of lift. I have been happy overall but I still run into occasional tire rub problems when reversing.
Yesterday I had the torsion bars cranked up a little more to provide a bit more front lift. The truck sits level now so I estimate a 2.5" total lift from stock.
It does feel like the ride might be a bit stiffer now. Hard to tell exactly but the truck seems to dive under braking less. Front to rear feels much more balanced now. Like the front and rear spring rates are a closer match.
Matt
About a year ago I added 285/70/17 tires and Kryptonite Upper Control Arms to my Suburban and cranked the torsion bars for about 1.5" of lift. I have been happy overall but I still run into occasional tire rub problems when reversing.
Yesterday I had the torsion bars cranked up a little more to provide a bit more front lift. The truck sits level now so I estimate a 2.5" total lift from stock.
It does feel like the ride might be a bit stiffer now. Hard to tell exactly but the truck seems to dive under braking less. Front to rear feels much more balanced now. Like the front and rear spring rates are a closer match.
Matt
upcruiser
Perpetual Transient
Hey Matt, how did you find the difference of going from the stock shocks to the Bilsteins? I am considering a set for our truck before our big 2 month trip this spring. I haven't had a chance to really drive the truck a ton yet but want to have a smooth, non jarring ride when we are out in the sticks touring on dirt. Will be airing down of course but curious how the 2500's ride off road at slow speeds. What kind of PSI do you run on the highway, and in the dirt? My other rigs I found 15-20 gave a good ride on BFG's or my latest Duratracs for dirt road bombing and more technical stuff in the rocks. I imagine, just due to the sheer weight of the Burb the pressure needs to be a bit higher than what I am used to. Thanks!
snowblind
Adventurer
I've had Bilsteins on two different trucks now. 1972 Blazer and 2001 Suburban. Both trucks were noticeably "rougher" riding. It's a shock valving thing. Their shocks "reduce body roll, improve handling, etc, etc" But they can't do that without compromising the ride a little. I personally like the valving. The stock truck dives a LOT under braking and they help control that a bit.
The stock suspension on these is a bit of a conundrum for me. The front wallows even unloaded and the rear is STIFF AS HELL unless you are seriously weighted down. Hit a speed bump at 10mph and the front will bottom out while the rear tosses everything and everybody 12" in the air. Loaded with fridge, food, wood, fuel, water, 6 people and a rear hitch bike rack the rear ride finally settled down to the point where the shocks could control the rebound of the springs.
Gotta go. I'll post about tire pressure later.
Matt
snowblind
Adventurer
Rear-Facing Auxillary Lighting
Ever since I started camping out of the suburban I've been thinking about fitting some kind of rear/side-facing auxiliary lighting. It looks like those thoughts are finally going to become reality.
Picked up these puppies a couple of weeks ago. 4.3" square LED flood lights on Amazon.
Some test fitting. These things are BIG.
Lights are advertised as 48watt. I tested the lights briefly using a spare battery. They are VERY bright. Bright enough that they were impossible to look at directly without sunglasses.
I don't really have the proper mounting hardware yet but I was still able to get a pretty good test-fit for my intended use. There will be one light on each side of the vehicle, with independent on/off switches. I hope to run the wiring through the roof by going under the final roof rack foot.
Matt
Ever since I started camping out of the suburban I've been thinking about fitting some kind of rear/side-facing auxiliary lighting. It looks like those thoughts are finally going to become reality.
Picked up these puppies a couple of weeks ago. 4.3" square LED flood lights on Amazon.
Some test fitting. These things are BIG.
Lights are advertised as 48watt. I tested the lights briefly using a spare battery. They are VERY bright. Bright enough that they were impossible to look at directly without sunglasses.
I don't really have the proper mounting hardware yet but I was still able to get a pretty good test-fit for my intended use. There will be one light on each side of the vehicle, with independent on/off switches. I hope to run the wiring through the roof by going under the final roof rack foot.
Matt
snowblind
Adventurer
Trailer time!
I've been trying to figure out how to flex my camping equipment to cover 7 people and 2 dogs versus the 3 people and 1 dog I've been running for the last two years.
The answer I came up with? M101A3 Trailer!
Here it is stock with 37" tires.
And from behind showing the high-clearance axle.
Stock compared to Hummer H2 wheel with 285/70/17 tire
And with the H2s mounted
This thing can hold a LOT.
That is a Yakima SKYBOX in there for reference!
Mods have begun already. Stripped the pintle and surge brakes and will be adding a Lock-n-Roll hitch.
I've been trying to figure out how to flex my camping equipment to cover 7 people and 2 dogs versus the 3 people and 1 dog I've been running for the last two years.
The answer I came up with? M101A3 Trailer!
Here it is stock with 37" tires.
And from behind showing the high-clearance axle.
Stock compared to Hummer H2 wheel with 285/70/17 tire
And with the H2s mounted
This thing can hold a LOT.
That is a Yakima SKYBOX in there for reference!
Mods have begun already. Stripped the pintle and surge brakes and will be adding a Lock-n-Roll hitch.