2003 gmc yukon xl 2500 quadrasteer question

[schmaged88]

I am thinking of buying a 3/4 ton suburban or Yukon XL for a family trail trekking rig, my question is does any one have any experience with the quadrasteer, is it worth it or is it just one more thing to fail on the trail? And what engine has the least amount problems?

Thanks y'all!!
Justin

 

[bfdiesel]

More crap to fail

 

[SDDiver5]

x2.

I have driven one before. They are very interesting. IMO, not completely trail worthy. Cool concept...but they only made them for a limited time for a reason.

 

[TooTall'sTruck]

The main reason they were not sold was people couldn't justify the $8000 rise in cost above the standard axle, they ended up adding it for a loss ($2000) or less before the option was dropped. The axle would be great added to any truck, but I am unsure if it was ever offered in the SUV chassis, as the rear axle is 5 inches wider track because of the added components. Thats why you can easily identify a quadrasteer vehicle. They are required by DOT law to add side marker lights on the bed, I would love to add one of these axles to my OBS Yukon and be able to turn on a raisin and make grape juice! (whatever is better than turning on a dime and giving change). The added axle width would be a challenge to hide and probably not making a huge difference in my vehicle.

The ECM controller for the axle has been the main problem prone to failure, and with a limited production run that simple part will get more expensive and harder to find as time goes on.

The Suburban is a long wheelbase and will never be a Jeep, but if you could find a 2500 quadrasteer burb with a 6.0L (or 6.6L) I would be all over it...there was a built duraburb on ebay a while ago...

This is information I have gathered in my search for a 5.3L quadrasteer donor vehicle to swap the powertrain into my OBS Yukon.

 

[John G]

quadrasteer

Hi Justin,

You will find a few quadrasteers on here if you do a quick search, albeit 1500HD's. Devin has a pretty sweet setup on a thread titled Belly dragging no more - 2003 Silverado 1500HD Crew Cab 4X4 Quadrasteer - not sure if link will work.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/74069-Belly-dragging-no-more-2003-Silverado-1500HD-Crew-Cab-4X4-Quadrasteer?highlight=quadrasteer

I've enjoyed mine with no issues so far although my 1500HD has relatively low miles - 77xxx. I am always concerned about how low and vulnerable the rear tie rods are when picking my lines. The steering motor has a pretty stout skid plate so a little less concerned with that. It will depend on the wheeling you plan to do. I have seen them with well up to 300,000 miles when I was searching for mine. The rear axle is a dana 60 so it is pretty stout but that also means it only has the limited slip diff, not the G80 locking diff. If the system does have an error it would revert back to 2WS so you can still drive with no issues. Likewise, you can select 2WS when wheeling if you don't want the rear moving around over rocks.

I assume the 2500 suburban would have a 6.0L engine. I've had no issues and I think you will find they are pretty reliable albeit not the most full efficient setup in the world. I've played with mine a little - electric fans, banks power intake, headers, exhaust and programmer and with a 3.73 axle ratio I will still only see 11 ~ 12 in town and anywhere from 14 to 16 on highway (depending on how the wind is blowing - but that always does mean a few mountain passes for me). I would assume a little better for the suburban based. The only real reliability issue I've corrected was the transfer case oil pump rub which was relatively easy and only ~ $100. Mine was worn pretty good but another Yukon that I did with 100k miles didn't have any wear at all so may not be an issue for you. By in large, I wouldn't be afraid of the quadrasteer at all, would just depend if you like it and if it is a good deal. I'm not sure what I will do after this truck because you really get spoiled with the turning radius and the handling in canyons.















John

 

[brian90744]

Buy it, and love it

I have a Q/S and no problems off road. More crap to fail that's just BS =you have the same axle on the front of most 4x4's, any problems?? mine is 2003 Chevy Silverado LTZ 1500 HD crew cab, 4x4 Quadrasteer , (4 wheel steering)6 Lt Engine. 4.11 gearing. HydroBoost Brakes, 6” Lift by ProComp, 17” Hummer wheels. Firestone Airbags. Dual batteries. Electric Engine Fan. Buckstop front bumper with Warn winch. 6.5ft bed. The Chevy Bed is 7ft wide and the NorthStar Camper is also 7ft wide,
brian

 

[TX-4ws]

x2 to what John said. Delphi spent 10 years developing the rear-steer for these trucks, and they were subjected to pretty rigorous off-pavement beatings to ensure the quality of the components and design. As far mileage goes, my truck has the Hypertech MaxEnergy tune, K&N and muffler delete and I get 19 mpg @ 65-70 mph. Average is 15.2 mpg right now with mostly city driving and a cautious foot. I have the 5.3l.

The only problem I've run into is finding aftermarket support for lifts. The only kits that say "Quadrasteer compatible" are 6" lifts, and I don't want to run 35" tires and average 11 mpg. I have a sneaking suspicion that most kits will work since the spring mounts are the same as non-4ws (afaik). If anyone knows otherwise, please correct me.

As a daily driver, I highly recommend a Quadrasteer truck. I live in a large suburban area with lots of tight turns and small parking lots and spaces and have never had to make a 3-point turn. It's safer, negligible additional fuel consumption, improves tire wear (so I've read) and turns heads.

 

[oldestof11]

2500 Quadrasteer is definitely a reality.

 

[bfdiesel]

I have a Q/S and no problems off road. More crap to fail that's just BS =you have the same axle on the front of most 4x4's, any problems?? mine is 2003 Chevy Silverado LTZ 1500 HD crew cab, 4x4 Quadrasteer , (4 wheel steering)6 Lt Engine. 4.11 gearing. HydroBoost Brakes, 6” Lift by ProComp, 17” Hummer wheels. Firestone Airbags. Dual batteries. Electric Engine Fan. Buckstop front bumper with Warn winch. 6.5ft bed. The Chevy Bed is 7ft wide and the NorthStar Camper is also 7ft wide,
brian

Except you now have two front axles, steering setups and another computer to crap out, but no one has ever had issues with the one steer axle they have. Esspecially not GMC.

It is an expensive option that is expensive to fix, hence more crap to fail. That is not to say on trips to the mall they are not cool.