2001 Suburban K2500 - Summer Camping & Winter Commuting

[snowblind]

Shocks

Hey Guys.

My Burb does have the Autoride. noJeepshere you may be confused because the 3/4 tons could get Autoride - variable valved shocks, whereas the 1/2 tons could get Autoride - variable ride height.

 

[snowblind]

I dun learned it too because i thought the same thing that you did lol.

Nice burban though, really clean. How is the 8.1? ive had 3 Suburbans but all OBS style with all 3 engine options that were available. Im completely unfamiliar though with the 8.1.

Thanks AZ. I think the 8.1 is awesome and is the only engine I would want in a 2000-2006 Suburban.

Here's why:

I like fast cars. I primarily drive small cars with small displacement, turbo-charged motors making >200hp and >200lbs of torque with a minimum of 5 forward gears. The only V8s I have owned were a 1968 Firebird and a 1972 Jimmy. Both had no emissions and were "warmed over" a little.

When I test drove a 6.0 Suburban with 3:73 hears and it was one of the slooooooooooowest feeling vehicles I had ever driven. I knew there was no way I could be happy with that. Nothing against the 6.0. I'm sure it's an awesome motor with a different transmission and final drive... but not with the 4-speed and 3:73s.

The 8.1 was a different story. The torque just PULLS that thing forward. You don't even want to downshift... a downshift would be... unsporting. Seriously, even with the torque restriction in lower gears it pulls really well. The 3:73s are now a feature! RPMs at 75mph are under 2500rpm now with 285/70/17s.

I was scared by the fuel economy but I new that I would be under 15mpg in pretty much anything I drove once it was loaded for camping. At 8.1 liters you have a 1 liter water bottle in EVERY cylinder. That is CRAZY. Around town mileage is 10-12 mpg but on the highway I've been surprised to see close to 15. I really can't complain about that given the vehicles capabilities.


Matt

 

[snowblind]

Regarding your shocks - do you have the "autoride" electronic shocks or regular shocks?

If you have the autoride, be prepared for sticker shocks if you try to replace them with stock parts. If you go with an after-market, you'll have to "trick" the sensor or else you'll get an error message in your computer display. I did a lot of searching on the web and found a way to beat the system by cutting of the leads to the shocks and wiring a resistor in place. I didn't know I had the autoride shocks when I bought my truck with approx 20k on the dial. The factory shocks are close to $400 each - I wanted the Bilstein 5100s. Hence a lot of research, a few resistors (sorry, I don't remember which one) and the problem was solved. By the way, I have a 2000 2500 with the 6.0 (and agree the acceleration could be better).

I've since replaced the entire front end with Moog parts (Cognito doesn't list the 2000s as fitting when I was doing the work), dialed up the torsion keys to level it out (did that both before and after the rebuild).

Next step is to get a new steering gear!

Thanks for the heads up RacerX. I was vaguely aware of the shock price and resistor requirements so it's great to have confirmation. I was hoping to do the suspension this month but I think it's going to be a July project.

 

[82fb]

Hurry up and finish building this thing so I can see what mine can turn out like!!!

 

[snowblind]

Fridge and cargo slide.

Quick update from the garage:

I'm in the middle of putting in a cargo slide paired with a "BaseCamp", (Edgestar clone) fridge. We leave Friday for 5 days of camping in Idaho and I'm trying to get this all done.








Matt

 

[snowblind]

Updates - 12 months later!

Hi All.

It's been a long while since I updated this thread! LOTS of life happening and not so much time for the interwebs. The Suburban performed flawlessly on it's maiden voyage. Here's a few pics from last summer.

The arrival.


The campsite


Fun.


Fire.


Guard dog.



More updates to come.


Matt

 

[snowblind]

Front lift/levelling.

Here's a few shots in the winter after the addition of a 1.5" lift on the front end. The lift was achieved via cranking the torsion bars. I also replaced the upper control arms with Kryptonite units from dmaxstore.com and added longer swaybar endlinks, Bilstein 5100s and GM bump stops. No lift to the rear.

I had expected to clear the 285/70/17 General Arctimax tires with the 1.5" lift but they still rub occasionally at full lock. I'm guessing I'll need more lift and some inside fender adjustments to get the clearance for off-road driving.








Matt

 

[noJeepshere]

I kept an eye out for Suburban this winter while I was driving the ski bus up and down the mountains, but to no avail. Glad to see some updates.

 

[snowblind]

I kept an eye out for Suburban this winter while I was driving the ski bus up and down the mountains, but to no avail. Glad to see some updates.

I'm only ever in Little Cottonwood.


Matt

 

[noJeepshere]

Darn, I preferred Big Cottonwood because it's more of a driver's road with all the curves and whatnot, Little Cottonwood is just a steep climb, but prettier up top. But now I won't be driving a bus up either canyon again as I'm now driving the frontrunner living my childhood dream.

cent frum a smaert fone

 

[AA1PR]

nice looking rig

I've slept in mine one too many times as well

 

[snowblind]

Exhaust, BlackBear Tune, Lights, Debadged

During the winter I added a few upgrades to go with the suspension.
Gibson Stainless Dual Sport Exhaust
Black Bear 89 tune via AutoCal



The Gibson exhaust is very quite as far as performance exhausts go. I think that is a good thing but others may prefer more noise. Surprisingly it is the loudest at idle with a nice little rumble. At highway speeds the noise virtually disappears.

The AutoCal with Black Bear tune is a very nice upgrade. Big improvement in transmission shift action and shift points. Trans just seems a lot smarter now. Engine performance is up also with better torque and smoother revving up high.

This Spring I installed new Depo headlights, Anzo LED bumper lights, and Spyder LED tails. I also pulled off the door molding and all the exterior badging.











I really like the Depo headlights. Excellent upgrade for anyone with a Suburban, Tahoe or Silverdo looking for better headlights. VERY reasonably priced and a large improvement over stock. I also really like the Spyder LED tailights. Bright and very up-to-dated looking.

 

[noJeepshere]

I agree on the light upgrades, but I think you should have gone with chrome instead of black housings, but that's just me. Has your fuel economy changed with that blackbear tune?

cent frum a smaert fone

 

[snowblind]

I think you should have gone with chrome instead of black housings, but that's just me. Has your fuel economy changed with that blackbear tune?

I agree with you that chrome would be better in it's current state but I'm going to paint the grille black in the near future. The plan is to use 4 or 5 coats of 2 parts clear + 1 part black to "tint" all the chrome and then lay 1-2 coats over the headlights and bumper lights. I don't want to darken the headlight glass much at all and the black housings will help the overall headlight look "black".

My main reason for tinting the front lights are the UGLY led bumper lights. They are very functional and won't burn bulbs like the stock ones but the two-tone nature of the housings is not to my liking.

 

[snowblind]

Black Grille

This is what I'm thinking for the grille and lights.




Matt