1998 K2500 Suburban Build
- Thread starter BorntoVenture
- Start date
Gas mileage
Hi let me introduce my self, mo name is santiago and i live in mexico, we have a 1999 sburban we are starting to get ready for expedition travel, we have consers on gas milege, it too has the 7.4 it is giving us 9 to 10 mpg. I have read a lot on oxigen sensors and erg valve, will that change my gas milage?
Thanks
santiago
Hi let me introduce my self, mo name is santiago and i live in mexico, we have a 1999 sburban we are starting to get ready for expedition travel, we have consers on gas milege, it too has the 7.4 it is giving us 9 to 10 mpg. I have read a lot on oxigen sensors and erg valve, will that change my gas milage?
Thanks
santiago
86cj
Explorer
I have had a 98 dually with a 454 since new. It gets 8-10 MPG almost no matter the load or weather conditions. I got 12.7 Once in cool temps unloaded with no stopping at all, exit ramp to exit ramp on flat ground and must have had a tail wind.
If either sensor goes bad it will hurt the mileage but I would guess yours are ok mine are original. When I put a new cap, rotor, wires and plugs it had noticable power increase at part throttle but not a big change in MPG.
When the OBD II controls came out in 96' people were reluctant to make changes, so I put a single dual in, dual out 70 series Flowmaster muffler on instead of true duals and saw no performance increase at all. 5 years later I put two 70 series 2 1/2" Flowmasters on it with a H pipe and it woke up noticeably. The 70 series is a big quiet Flowmaster, at idle it is Very quiet with some drone at speed but not a racerboy exhaust. My buddy has a Duramax and when He rode in my truck the other day with the window down he said he forgot what pulling a load in a strong 454 sounded like, he was jealous..............
If either sensor goes bad it will hurt the mileage but I would guess yours are ok mine are original. When I put a new cap, rotor, wires and plugs it had noticable power increase at part throttle but not a big change in MPG.
When the OBD II controls came out in 96' people were reluctant to make changes, so I put a single dual in, dual out 70 series Flowmaster muffler on instead of true duals and saw no performance increase at all. 5 years later I put two 70 series 2 1/2" Flowmasters on it with a H pipe and it woke up noticeably. The 70 series is a big quiet Flowmaster, at idle it is Very quiet with some drone at speed but not a racerboy exhaust. My buddy has a Duramax and when He rode in my truck the other day with the window down he said he forgot what pulling a load in a strong 454 sounded like, he was jealous..............
BorntoVenture
Adventurer
After weeks of delays due to work, weather, family, and everything else that has popped up the lift install started today! I wish I could say I made a lot of progress but it's been slow-go so far. Right now after ~8 hours of work and ~4 hours of head scratching we concluded that Tough Country's instruction writers are idiots! 
The front bumper is also getting ready to go on. I ran into a snag with the factory power steering cooler. It was a double loop tucked inside the left frame rail. It's now removed and a new cooler is mounted above the transmission cooler. (Pics to come tomorrow, ran out of daylight tonight) To the person that asked where I got the bumper it was OffroadUnlimited.com.
I'll have pics tomorrow since I ran out of daylight today.
The front bumper is also getting ready to go on. I ran into a snag with the factory power steering cooler. It was a double loop tucked inside the left frame rail. It's now removed and a new cooler is mounted above the transmission cooler. (Pics to come tomorrow, ran out of daylight tonight) To the person that asked where I got the bumper it was OffroadUnlimited.com.
I'll have pics tomorrow since I ran out of daylight today.
TheOtherSide
Observer
Hey, nice to see someone lifting up a IFS Burb... been contemplating doing it since I bought mine last week. Sold my Jeep.... sad... got a big block burb...fun!!
What a beast they are. Anyhow... looking forward to updates etc... and maybe some inspiration for mine in a few years. Mine is currently getting ready to haul a travel trailer for a few years till my wife allows me to begin modding it!!
:coffeedrink:
What a beast they are. Anyhow... looking forward to updates etc... and maybe some inspiration for mine in a few years. Mine is currently getting ready to haul a travel trailer for a few years till my wife allows me to begin modding it!!
:coffeedrink:
BorntoVenture
Adventurer
What a long journey this has ended up being. If you can imagine something going wrong..... it has! Months of welding, repairs, parts hunting, and blood pouring are done for now and the lift has been installed. Despite being urged to ditch the truck and find a new, none wrecked chassis, I went through with the repairs and am very happy I did!
Turns out this 'Burb has had extensive front end damage even though Carfax reported a clean history. Evidently it was wrecked and fixed without getting an insurance company involved. This caused a nightmare to say the least. After spending almost a month at local frame shop everything is straight as an arrow once again. Two more weeks of work and a little cutting and welding later the lift is on!
Link to full gallery of the quick flex testing.
These are the only pics I have since the camera bit the dust on the last shot, but my new camera is in and going to put to the test very soon.
-----------------------------------------------------------
***Note to anyone planning an IFS lift on an 88-98 2500 GM***
This lift required specialty tools that were not mentioned in the description, instructions, or by the sales staff! I ended up having to buy several 12" to 18" long drill bits in 3/4", 7/8", and 1" sizes. Over $400 was spent at Fastenal and McMaster Carr just to be able to mount the front IFS components.
------------------------------------------------------------
Now that it's said and done the lift is amazing. The truck rides like a dream! If I were to run a A/T type tire it actually rides better and handles bumps better than it did stock! :smiley_drive: This lift also does not have the axle-breakage issue that most IFS lifts have. The front shafts are at the factory angle, so the only added stress is from the larger tires. Overall I am very happy with the finished product.
The next round will be new skid plates which I'm hoping to be able to protect the majority of the underside and a complete rework of the exhaust system. Right now the exhaust is dead center of where the front driveshaft needs to be. I'm hoping to be able to tackle this in the next two weeks to be able to get ready for camping season. Also coming up is a DIY awning and a custom roof rack later this winter.
She's going to be built at a snail's pace due to budget restraints but I'll get there, a little at a time! Sorry it took so long to update this post but everything should be back in order and I plan to be much more active here on the site.
Thanks for looking!
Turns out this 'Burb has had extensive front end damage even though Carfax reported a clean history. Evidently it was wrecked and fixed without getting an insurance company involved. This caused a nightmare to say the least. After spending almost a month at local frame shop everything is straight as an arrow once again. Two more weeks of work and a little cutting and welding later the lift is on!
Link to full gallery of the quick flex testing.
These are the only pics I have since the camera bit the dust on the last shot, but my new camera is in and going to put to the test very soon.
-----------------------------------------------------------
***Note to anyone planning an IFS lift on an 88-98 2500 GM***
This lift required specialty tools that were not mentioned in the description, instructions, or by the sales staff! I ended up having to buy several 12" to 18" long drill bits in 3/4", 7/8", and 1" sizes. Over $400 was spent at Fastenal and McMaster Carr just to be able to mount the front IFS components.
------------------------------------------------------------
Now that it's said and done the lift is amazing. The truck rides like a dream! If I were to run a A/T type tire it actually rides better and handles bumps better than it did stock! :smiley_drive: This lift also does not have the axle-breakage issue that most IFS lifts have. The front shafts are at the factory angle, so the only added stress is from the larger tires. Overall I am very happy with the finished product.
The next round will be new skid plates which I'm hoping to be able to protect the majority of the underside and a complete rework of the exhaust system. Right now the exhaust is dead center of where the front driveshaft needs to be. I'm hoping to be able to tackle this in the next two weeks to be able to get ready for camping season. Also coming up is a DIY awning and a custom roof rack later this winter.
She's going to be built at a snail's pace due to budget restraints but I'll get there, a little at a time! Sorry it took so long to update this post but everything should be back in order and I plan to be much more active here on the site.
Thanks for looking!
Well, this project has certainly thrown you some curve balls! Glad you stuck with it, it looks great! I admit when I saw your tires sitting on that pallet, I thought they'd look way aggressive! Now that I see them on the truck, they just look like they belong.
As a long-time Sub pilot, I'm always paying attention to the new stuff for those rigs. I think the IFS has gotten an unfairly bad rap. It seems like an ideal setup for overlanding and I'm eager to see where this mod lets you go with yours. So tell us more about your experience installing the lift! I can kind of see needing long drill bits (the damn things seem to be shorter every time I buy some!), but 18 inches? Sheesh! Heck, maybe you can rent out a 'kit' of special tools to other DIY installers.
Also, would you recommend Suspension Connection? I tried to go back to their web site and it wouldn't load.
As a long-time Sub pilot, I'm always paying attention to the new stuff for those rigs. I think the IFS has gotten an unfairly bad rap. It seems like an ideal setup for overlanding and I'm eager to see where this mod lets you go with yours. So tell us more about your experience installing the lift! I can kind of see needing long drill bits (the damn things seem to be shorter every time I buy some!), but 18 inches? Sheesh! Heck, maybe you can rent out a 'kit' of special tools to other DIY installers.
Also, would you recommend Suspension Connection? I tried to go back to their web site and it wouldn't load.
BorntoVenture
Adventurer
I agree, IFS does have a bad rap almost anywhere you look. There are a few issues with the GM IFS like I have but fortunatly I've headed one off before it became an issue. Normally on a 3/4-ton IFS a lift as small as 2" causes enough extra strain to grenade axles at an almost unbelievable rate. A wheeling trip in eastern Tennessee back in 2007 saw my friend's '97 K2500 truck go through 5 axles in 2 days, and believe me when I say this was a light trip with most trails a stock truck with 31" A/T's could handle.
Another issue is the diff itself. Re-gearing is somewhat expensive and there are only a few locker choices. Last I checked a Detroit Tru-Trac was the strongest locker offered.
The only other real issue I'm aware of is the vacuum/electronic engagement of the diff but it's much better on the 3/4-ton models since the vacuum portion is mounted up high leaving only 2 small wiring harnesses dropping to the diff.
Yeah the drill bits were a big problem when the only place that sells them in my town (Fastenal) happened to be out of stock! The reason for the bits is for the front upper a-arm brackets. You have to drill through the new bracket and completely through the frame. Then the outside hole has to be enlarged for a crush sleeve to be put into the frame. This really does sound like a trivial task but it was the major problem area!
Another un-mentioned problem was that the diff would no longer fit up into the brackets. The new brackets and supports required some of the fins on the top right of the diff to need to be trimmed flush.
Definitely! When I received the lift I checked it and found several bolts were missing. Called them up and they overnighted another FULL hardware kit free of charge. I was also sent the wrong shocks which they made up with overnight shipping and of no cost to me. I also found a footnote in the instructions stating my year model would need axle spacers that were not part of the kit. I called them up again to order the spacers and they shipped them to me free of charge because "they felt they should be included in the kit if they are required."
This is the only dealing I've had with the company so far but it was an amazing first impression. Needless to say I'll be going back when I need something else!
Awesome suburban! I have the same truck, and am constantly impressed at it's abilities for a Overland vehicle. The question I have, is with regards to the bumper. I can find no listing at all for an ARB bumper for this truck? Did you modify it? If you have a part number for it or any info on it I would greatly appreciate it! It looks awesome on your truck!
Thank you for any info!
Thank you for any info!
TheOtherSide
Observer
Love the Burb.... I replied to this post about a year back... had a 3/4 ton Burb.... ended up selling it and am almost done building my 93 1/2 ton Burban. Found the 3/4 ton way to harsh on the road and didn't even take that one off road. So plans changed and hope to be exploring this summer still. (you can find my build in the link in my sig)..... I'll post up the full build when it's all done on this board.
But back to this thread.... how do you find the 3/4 ton offroad? Is it extremely harsh? Or does the lift change it so it's more manageable?
Thx
But back to this thread.... how do you find the 3/4 ton offroad? Is it extremely harsh? Or does the lift change it so it's more manageable?
Thx
TurboChris
Adventurer
Great Looking Suburban! Bringing back this thread....OtherSide....I find it interesting your k2500 rode so much harsher than your 1500....My 2500 rides SO nice...ESPECIALLY off road...coming from a 01 Powerstroke CrewCab F250 with a 10" lift and these same tires....it's night and day...I can ride down your average fire road with a CAN of coke in the cupholder and not spill....sure can't do THAT in a straight axel truck.
Judoka
Learning To Live
Ifs
Ok, I also have a half ton Burb, and I love the ride, but I am so worried about the IFS dependability, that I am considering SAS. This said, I am looking at spending at least 5-6K on setting it up for axle swap; and that is if I get a good geal on axles. If anyone can tell me of a kit or of a system to make this truck strong and reliable for the same price...or less, I am all ears. In short.. I WANT IT ALL...CHEAP! Seriously though, let me know if it is possible. IFS that can run BAJA, stand up to the sands of the desert, and run through 3 feet of mud is what I am looking for.
Ok, I also have a half ton Burb, and I love the ride, but I am so worried about the IFS dependability, that I am considering SAS. This said, I am looking at spending at least 5-6K on setting it up for axle swap; and that is if I get a good geal on axles. If anyone can tell me of a kit or of a system to make this truck strong and reliable for the same price...or less, I am all ears. In short.. I WANT IT ALL...CHEAP! Seriously though, let me know if it is possible. IFS that can run BAJA, stand up to the sands of the desert, and run through 3 feet of mud is what I am looking for.