GMT900

So not the best forum for this, however, this is the only vehicular based forum so far that defeats the new filter I have at work! Yay! Has anyone here built a gmt900 suburban for more of a street oriented build? Wife and I regularly make trips up to Sacramento and Tahoe from San Diego. Also have to drive across country every few years as well for work. Anyone made the sub a little more sporty and street-y?
 
We have an "overland" GMT 800 suburban that's mostly a highway cruiser in between daily driving. A few handling upgrades have made quite a difference in the handling. I found a used Hotchkis performance suspension system that made it pretty sporty- included new f&r sway bars and bushings and new rear lower control arms. The rear control arms are way beefier than the stamped factory pieces. Of course the stiff rear sway bar made the ride harsh on anything besides smooth pavement, so I found some Eibach sport lowering springs (think same as PPV Tahoe rear coils) and put the factory sway bar back in. Almost the same level of handling, but none of the harshness when a tire hits a pothole, etc. Bilsteins all around to freshen up the shocks. Even with the suburban sitting somewhat low, we've done a couple forest service trails that have impressed me. It helps having the G80 rear locker, which hasn't blown up on us yet. I picked up a set of the Moog replacement coils for under $50 for a 2500 Mile road trip hauling a horse trailer. Though it sits 3" higher in the rear with these springs, they keep the burb handling pretty well with the added spring rate and are pretty easy to swap when needed.

It ain't glorious, but our boring 03 burb has taken us lots of places. Get some good monotube shocks, some firmer rear coils (the lower the better for handling, depends how loaded you usually are), and upgrade the sway bar bushings to polyurethane. Spohn makes good replacement rear control arms, too. Won't be a Corvette, but you'll notice a difference.
 

phsycle

Adventurer
So more “streety/sporty” than it already is? Trying to understand what you’re looking for. Like lowering springs and 24” rims? Neon lights and 30” sub?
 
We have an "overland" GMT 800 suburban that's mostly a highway cruiser in between daily driving. A few handling upgrades have made quite a difference in the handling. I found a used Hotchkis performance suspension system that made it pretty sporty- included new f&r sway bars and bushings and new rear lower control arms. The rear control arms are way beefier than the stamped factory pieces. Of course the stiff rear sway bar made the ride harsh on anything besides smooth pavement, so I found some Eibach sport lowering springs (think same as PPV Tahoe rear coils) and put the factory sway bar back in. Almost the same level of handling, but none of the harshness when a tire hits a pothole, etc. Bilsteins all around to freshen up the shocks. Even with the suburban sitting somewhat low, we've done a couple forest service trails that have impressed me. It helps having the G80 rear locker, which hasn't blown up on us yet. I picked up a set of the Moog replacement coils for under $50 for a 2500 Mile road trip hauling a horse trailer. Though it sits 3" higher in the rear with these springs, they keep the burb handling pretty well with the added spring rate and are pretty easy to swap when needed.

It ain't glorious, but our boring 03 burb has taken us lots of places. Get some good monotube shocks, some firmer rear coils (the lower the better for handling, depends how loaded you usually are), and upgrade the sway bar bushings to polyurethane. Spohn makes good replacement rear control arms, too. Won't be a Corvette, but you'll notice a difference.

Awesome man, that's really the kind of thing I was looking for. Just some slight improvements so it isn't a wallowing barge.

So more “streety/sporty” than it already is? Trying to understand what you’re looking for. Like lowering springs and 24” rims? Neon lights and 30” sub?

I know it won't ever be an autocrosser but the above guy is really what I was looking at. Maybe a slight lower but just something isn't a wallowing whale at the slightest hint of a corner.

I think I see why your employer blocked these forums

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

To be honest, I'm less productive now. There's only so long you can sit in front of a computer hoping something will come up without reading material
 

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