This is really an apples to oranges comparison in my opinion. Do you need a "real" truck to pull, haul, big interior space? Or do you just need something big enough to haul 4 people and some gear? Is parts cost and availability a major concern for you or not?
I have a '98 Tahoe, I'll explain why thats right for me, and the upgrades it's gotten, and if the shoe fits in your situation, well then.....
I play with hotrod cars quite a bit, so I need something that can actually tow a heavy load, such as a loaded car trailer. I need the interior space for hauling buddies, gear, parts, or all of the above. I'm 6'4" and like the big interior space. I consider myself married to this truck, so parts availability is a big deal because I do all the work myself. Around where I live, parts stores stock nearly everything my truck would ever need, or I can always get on Craigslist and buy something from one of the seemingly endless supply of dumb hillbillies on there that have Chevy truck parts coming out of their ears. In short, there isn't anything I can't have for the truck in a matter of days at the most, that is a big deal to me. Where I live, I can count the number of FJ80s I see on one hand in a year.
Now for the "bad". The stock limited slip rear differential is absolute garbage (G80 or Gov-Loc) and if it even works on a used truck, it won't be working for long. At that rate, the stock 8.5" rear axle is not all that strong as a whole. So the common thing to do is scrap it for a readily available 9.5" semi float rear axle. These can be found in the 1/2 ton 6 lug bolt pattern and essentially bolts into the truck. The 9.5 SF axle is a very strong axle, the factory limited slip in these axles is decent, but I'd strongly recommend an upgrade to the Detroit Truetrac.
I found that the rear spring rate was too soft for me and the factory shocks were underdampened for my taste as well. Some simple add-a-leafs form JC Whitney and a bit of crank on the front torsion bars along with a set of Bilstein HD shocks transformed the truck. I realize stiffer springs are not often needed for offroad use, but it's what I needed for my situation since this is a dual purpose truck.
Most Tahoes have the pushbutton NP246 Autotrac transfer case. For 208k miles mine worked flawlessly. My actuators never let me down and I always had 4x4 when I needed it. I'm currently replacing my transfer case with a NP241 manual unit because my original unit is making crunching sounds. It's been a good unit up to this point, but it's not exactly the hot setup for off road. As a testament to GM interchangability, the manual NP241 bolts right in the truck, I just have to mount the shifter. I'm also installing a manual front differential engagement to get rid of the electric actuator, so when I'm done I'll have a full manual 4x4 engagement.
Otherwise I've left the truck alone and it's been much more capable off road than I ever thought it would be. It's big, so narrow trails are a problem, but it is capable in the snow, mud and deeply rutted trails I've found myself on so far. People will say the front end is fragile, but I don't agree. People that abuse the stock IFS with 35" or larger tires are likely to have a problem. Wheeling a modestly sized tire with some common sense, I've never seen anyone have a problem. Last spring myself and my buddies all took our GMT400 trucks wheeling and camping for a weekend. One truck had 260k miles, one had 175k and mine had 200k at the time. None of these trucks have ever had front end work since they left the factory and all of them have some sort of torsion bar crank to fit 33s, mine is cranked the most. We were wheeling in rutted logging roads so deep I was dragging the front skid plate at times. We all drove with common sense, and no one had a problem.
I don't need to go on about how reliable these trucks are, especially if they've been maintained. I've put 100k miles on mine and all it's needed besides normal maintenance was a fuel pump, starter, alternator, EGR valve and now a transfer case. The rear axle swap was done because I wanted a strong working rear diff, not because the rear axle stopped working.
Sorry for the book but thats my story. I wanted to share the good and bad of owning a full sized Tahoe. For what I do, I think it's been the best choice.
I have a '98 Tahoe, I'll explain why thats right for me, and the upgrades it's gotten, and if the shoe fits in your situation, well then.....
I play with hotrod cars quite a bit, so I need something that can actually tow a heavy load, such as a loaded car trailer. I need the interior space for hauling buddies, gear, parts, or all of the above. I'm 6'4" and like the big interior space. I consider myself married to this truck, so parts availability is a big deal because I do all the work myself. Around where I live, parts stores stock nearly everything my truck would ever need, or I can always get on Craigslist and buy something from one of the seemingly endless supply of dumb hillbillies on there that have Chevy truck parts coming out of their ears. In short, there isn't anything I can't have for the truck in a matter of days at the most, that is a big deal to me. Where I live, I can count the number of FJ80s I see on one hand in a year.
Now for the "bad". The stock limited slip rear differential is absolute garbage (G80 or Gov-Loc) and if it even works on a used truck, it won't be working for long. At that rate, the stock 8.5" rear axle is not all that strong as a whole. So the common thing to do is scrap it for a readily available 9.5" semi float rear axle. These can be found in the 1/2 ton 6 lug bolt pattern and essentially bolts into the truck. The 9.5 SF axle is a very strong axle, the factory limited slip in these axles is decent, but I'd strongly recommend an upgrade to the Detroit Truetrac.
I found that the rear spring rate was too soft for me and the factory shocks were underdampened for my taste as well. Some simple add-a-leafs form JC Whitney and a bit of crank on the front torsion bars along with a set of Bilstein HD shocks transformed the truck. I realize stiffer springs are not often needed for offroad use, but it's what I needed for my situation since this is a dual purpose truck.
Most Tahoes have the pushbutton NP246 Autotrac transfer case. For 208k miles mine worked flawlessly. My actuators never let me down and I always had 4x4 when I needed it. I'm currently replacing my transfer case with a NP241 manual unit because my original unit is making crunching sounds. It's been a good unit up to this point, but it's not exactly the hot setup for off road. As a testament to GM interchangability, the manual NP241 bolts right in the truck, I just have to mount the shifter. I'm also installing a manual front differential engagement to get rid of the electric actuator, so when I'm done I'll have a full manual 4x4 engagement.
Otherwise I've left the truck alone and it's been much more capable off road than I ever thought it would be. It's big, so narrow trails are a problem, but it is capable in the snow, mud and deeply rutted trails I've found myself on so far. People will say the front end is fragile, but I don't agree. People that abuse the stock IFS with 35" or larger tires are likely to have a problem. Wheeling a modestly sized tire with some common sense, I've never seen anyone have a problem. Last spring myself and my buddies all took our GMT400 trucks wheeling and camping for a weekend. One truck had 260k miles, one had 175k and mine had 200k at the time. None of these trucks have ever had front end work since they left the factory and all of them have some sort of torsion bar crank to fit 33s, mine is cranked the most. We were wheeling in rutted logging roads so deep I was dragging the front skid plate at times. We all drove with common sense, and no one had a problem.
I don't need to go on about how reliable these trucks are, especially if they've been maintained. I've put 100k miles on mine and all it's needed besides normal maintenance was a fuel pump, starter, alternator, EGR valve and now a transfer case. The rear axle swap was done because I wanted a strong working rear diff, not because the rear axle stopped working.
Sorry for the book but thats my story. I wanted to share the good and bad of owning a full sized Tahoe. For what I do, I think it's been the best choice.
