Suburban/Tahoe question..... is 4WD really worth it anymore?

ManglerYJ

ManglerYJ

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2005
Location
Lexington, NC
So, now that the wife and I are getting older, we are contemplating getting a pull-behind camper (still has to be able to sleep 5, so heavier than my current Toyota Sienna can pull and stop safely - somewhere around 4000-5000 lbs.). My wife has always been against getting anything 4WD, until now. I pulled the "if we pull the camper to anywhere other then Disney World, the campgrounds can get very hilly and slick" card. She definitely didn't want to get stuck when pulling the camper to a campground at Myrtle Beach, etc.

So now that I have finally convinced her that the extra coin for 4WD is worth it for pulling a trailer, I went and checked out some 4WD Tahoes and Suburbans and the 4WD appears to be high range only. What the heck? Does that help enough to be worth it? Would I be better off just getting a 2WD Suburban and having an ARB locker installed in the rear? Save on the weight and gas for something not used 99% of the time.

I know the world of off-roading changed for me dramatically once I locked the rear of my Jeep. Stuff I used to have to run in 4WD was now passable in 2WD.

What say you?

Pickup truck is out of the question as I occasionally need to haul 8 people. Suburban/ Tahoe with 3rd row would be my only option. @Ron 's Suburban got me thinking towards this option. That one has more miles than I want, but the price seems good for what it is.
 
With the gear ratios of the new 50 speed auto transmissions, first gear in the trans is probably as low as older transmissions plus a low range transfer case. Do they come with limited slips in the rear? I would be surprised if they didn't, but I'm not a GM guy so I don't want to assume. I think that plus 4wd would be sufficient for anywhere I would be taking a camper.

Duane
 
This isn’t a sales pitch because assuming dudes check is good in the am when the bank opens it’s sold.

that said when we were shopping I was set on a 4wd only. We went to get a 4wd but it wasn’t as represented. They had the 2wd we bought there also and it had numerous features the 4wd didn’t and was 4K less and the wife wanted it. I relented reluctantly. That said after 6 years of owning it, it’s never been an issue a single time.
Thoughts
1) it’s too damn long to do any even mild wheeling so 4wd not needed for that
2) unlike a truck there is enough rear wheel weight that wheel spin has never been an issue
3) fuel mileage better
4) ride better
5) less shit to break between the axle half shafts, the hubs and the tcase

All that said… the replacement rig is awd.
 
2wds are badass until you need to back uphill on gravel.
 
Ours has done at least a few hundred miles in 4wd in the 2.5 years we've owned it. Low range, not so much.

ponykilr said:
Most Tahoes and Burbs will have G80 in rear.
Click to expand...

I don't know how universal this is, but ours has a gov lock.
 
At least in the 2015-2020 generation, the max tow package gets you a low range transfer case. I'll never buy anything intending to tow with it that isn't 4wd.
 
We used too ok have a 2wd XJ years ago. Never again. We live too close to the beach to not have something 4x4 so we can head out there and drive on the sand.
We also occasionally go skiing and to the mountains in the winter. 4x4 was used for peace of mind. Maybe we could have gotten away with 2WD but ya never know.

with any of my vehicles we can pack and head skiing, surf fishing, or cruise through URE, even the Volvo.

have we actually NEEDED 4x4? probably not. But it lets me make less than a responsible decisions on what we should be doing and have some fun. It’s worked out well so far. :)
 
My 02 suburban 5.3 2wd with Yokohama Geolander XAT and some kinda rear factory locker that magically kicks ass has gotten me through more stuff than I ever ever thought possible. Once I got "stuck" with trailer/rig loaded (8800lbs), turned traction control off and let that LS scream and daiuuum she was bad ass. At horsepower park event while raining, everyone was getting stuck in parking lot, 4wds everywhere stuck, we pulled right through all of it just chillin with some slow momentum...4wd trucks stuck were like wth. I'm so impressed with this suburban and these Yokohama XAT dont care for 4wd..and I get 18mpg with 334k original miles on everything!
So my 2cents as others stated get a good 2wd with good rear locker and some kick ass tires and your set!
 
shawn said:
don't know how universal this is, but ours has a gov lock.
Click to expand...
Is this much better than the G80? Maybe that's what I have cause I swear the rear end acts like a full Detroit in it every time I want it to lock in or need it to, like every time no matter. Just wondering
 
shawn said:
G80 is a gov lock (gov bomb). Our is in a 14 bolt, though, so it gives no fucks.
Click to expand...
Oh oops I feel stupid lol. Oh well, I love mine. As my 9th chevy Tahoe/ suburban, this one i guess was built on a Tuesday haha
 
The G80 code is pretty much always a Gov Lock unit from 7.5 in 10 bolts all the way to 14 bolt full floaters.

Shawn beat me to it.
 
Our work suburban is 4wd and even with some decent all terrains it will get stuck in wet grass so I don't see the point in 4wd unless you are willing to sacrifice some road comfort and step up to mud terrains
 
YotaOnRocks said:
Our work suburban is 4wd and even with some decent all terrains
Click to expand...
that's cause you need a good tire. I've ran nothing but Yokahama Geolander AT for years now and even at 60psi they straight up kick ass. I've never not been able to get up my off camber wet grass hill every time, even with my emty 1800 trailer behind it. Of course that's with this G80? rear that somehow works like a full locker lol but tires is everything. Now they hooked me up with free set of Their new line of the MTs!!!
 
@marty79 the G80/gov lock acts like a limited slip due to spider gear separation in normal driving. When one wheel slips a certain amount it mechanically locks the clutches together. While not as strong as a geared locker, they will worked well if not seriously offroaded.

My neighbor has an Avalanche and came up my steep gravel drive pulling about 8k trailer the other day. I was riding with him and felt the gov lock working.

A lot of trucks, even 2wd, come with them. Especially SUVs.
 
ponykilr said:
@marty79 the G80/gov lock acts like a limited slip due to spider gear separation in normal driving. When one wheel slips a certain amount it mechanically locks the clutches together. While not as strong as a geared locker, they will worked well if not seriously offroaded.

My neighbor has an Avalanche and came up my steep gravel drive pulling about 8k trailer the other day. I was riding with him and felt the gov lock working.

A lot of trucks, even 2wd, come with them. Especially SUVs.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I've owned 9 now, 6 have had the G80 but none has ever worked anything close to this good lol. Just impressed with how well it locks in every time and once it does it stays and with these kick butt tires, freaking suburban would probably go places stock 4wd street Cherokee wouldn't lol
 
marty79 said:
Yeah, I've owned 9 now, 6 have had the G80 but none has ever worked anything close to this good lol. Just impressed with how well it locks in every time and once it does it stays and with these kick butt tires, freaking suburban would probably go places stock 4wd street Cherokee wouldn't lol
Click to expand...
No, cherokees are magic.
 
LBarr2002 said:
No, cherokees are magic.
Click to expand...
They have their place but stock xj on street tires 4wd my suburban would kick its ass. This coming from someone whose owned and built and wheeled nothing but xj for 18yrs. Open diff stock tires they get stuck on the smallest off camber wet grass haha, but I still love em for off road built rigs.
 
marty79 said:
t locks in every time and once it does it stays
Click to expand...

If one tire spins too much (usually takes about a full rotation on one side with no movement on the opposite side), a gear pops out, locking the spider gears and essentially turning it into a spool. You'll hear a thunk in the driveline when this happens. This engagement behavior is also why they break. They're generally okay with mild driving and stock-ish tires, but if you have a heavy right foot and/or tall/heavy/knobby tires, 10-bolts and 12-bolts will break the carrier. It can happen with 14-bolts, but takes a much bigger tire/more weight/less careful driving/etc.
 
shawn said:
If one tire spins too much (usually takes about a full rotation on one side with no movement on the opposite side), a gear pops out, locking the spider gears and essentially turning it into a spool. You'll hear a thunk in the driveline when this happens. This engagement behavior is also why they break. They're generally okay with mild driving and stock-ish tires, but if you have a heavy right foot and/or tall/heavy/knobby tires, 10-bolts and 12-bolts will break the carrier. It can happen with 14-bolts, but takes a much bigger tire/more weight/less careful driving/etc.
Click to expand...
Ah gotcha, well good thing this dont get abused haha. The couple times I had to get on it, I waited till it locked in (herd clunk) then disabled traction control then I get on it. I've learned how to immediately work the pedal so it engages right away too. To my knowledge it's never been serviced but from what most people say, now doubting that its original 334k unit?!
 
Ron said:
This isn’t a sales pitch because assuming dudes check is good in the am when the bank opens it’s sold.

that said when we were shopping I was set on a 4wd only. We went to get a 4wd but it wasn’t as represented. They had the 2wd we bought there also and it had numerous features the 4wd didn’t and was 4K less and the wife wanted it. I relented reluctantly. That said after 6 years of owning it, it’s never been an issue a single time.
Thoughts
1) it’s too damn long to do any even mild wheeling so 4wd not needed for that
2) unlike a truck there is enough rear wheel weight that wheel spin has never been an issue
3) fuel mileage better
4) ride better
5) less shit to break between the axle half shafts, the hubs and the tcase

All that said… the replacement rig is awd.
Click to expand...


That's along the lines of my thinking. My days of trail riding are long over, so the 4WD would only ever get used in emergencies or when towing in questionable terrain. The G80 code sounds like what I'm looking for if I can't find a reasonably priced 4WD rig. Seems like the Carolina Squat crowd has driven up the priced of Suburbans/Tahoes to the silly range just like they did with Diesel Dodges, etc.

I am amazed that even with the new 10 speed transmission and Auto Stop in the 2021's that they still have sub-20 mpg. Also a bit confusing is that when I compare towing capacities of the 5.3 vs. the 6.2, the 6.2 is lower. When the time comes, odds are low that we will be getting brand-new, but I won't rule it out if the prices are still silly.

For anyone who has towed with both... Will there be a big difference in stability with the Suburban vs. the Tahoe? I am looking at trailers that are about 35' long, so I'm thinking the additional length of the Suburban may be a help for stability (tail wagging the dog), but the combination is going to be rather long. Most of the planned travel will be either Disney World or Myrtle Beach. Possibly a trip to Michigan.
 
ManglerYJ said:
Will there be a big difference in stability with the Suburban vs. the Tahoe?
Click to expand...
Yep big difference. All I've ever towed with is 7 Tahoe and 2 suburbans and with this LS suburban, 14k weight distribution hitch and a sway bar, I can finally feel very comfortable doing 70 on the highway and so does wifey..to a degree lol. A good weight distribution hitch is money very well spent!
 
Back
Top