Trailering / Suspension / Transfer Case questions...

Howdy all,
Let me begin by saying that I am a car guy at heart but I have had no experience with trucks. I used to take my zippy little sports car to the road course and for long drives on twisty roads and i ma not afraid to get my hands dirty under the hood. I understand and love cars. Trucks are new to me. My second kid was born recently and the need for something with a lot more interior room has become evident. I live in the suburbs of Washington DC, where we occasionally get big blizzards, but the road cleaning crews here are slow. I have an AWD car (old Volvo Cross Country) and I think that it's a must. I have aging parents and in-laws so the need to get up and go in any weather to help them or pick up the kids etc is paramount. I also have a job that may at times require me to be on-site regardless of the weather... so I think it's time for a big SUV...

I will not be towing a trailer, I will not be off-roading (though it will see snowy and icy roads).
I can see that the Max Trailering Package also gives me a different transfer case, suspension and rear-end gearing. Are those things worth having if I am not pulling a trailer? I kind of like the idea of being able to choose 4hi or 4low or 2wd (though I think it would stay in Auto most of the time anyhow)... is this just a gimmick, or something useful?

And what about the Z71? Again, not for off-roading but for on-road comfort. Is it worth the tradeoff of not having the other stuff?

Thanks!

Personally I think that you could buy any of the new generation of large GM SUVs and IF you receive lots of snow just place winter tyres on the vehicle. No need for anything else.

We've recently had cold snowy/icy weather and I just left my '16 Yukon Denali with the OEM 22" wheels/tyres in Auto mode; it did great. I occasionally placed it in 4Hi when the road was very icy also.

I am hoping that my OEM 22" tyres, (Bridgestones) will be able to handle 4-6" of snow without too much of a problem. If not, I'll get winter tyres myself.

Bish

Yep, I'm cool with all-season rubber with 4WD, I'd get 4WD regardless of the trailering package.

What I can't wrap my head around is that the Max Trailering Package gives you the leveling suspension and the 3.42 gears, but the Z71 gives you a 'smooth ride suspension' I think they call it, but not the auto-leveling business and not the 3.42 gearing. I would think the off-roading package would give you the torque-y gears and fancy transfer case, but alas....

I am thinking that it is worth it to get the Max Trailering package to get the gears, selectable transfer case and leveling suspension, even though it is very unlikely that I will ever pull a heavy trailer.

I have the max trailering package in my Yukon XL and wouldn't have it any other way. So I think it's worth it especially if you don't have the 6.2L engine.

If you put a lot of stuff in the back the leveling suspension is nice. Mine has kicked in about twice in 6k+ miles... It does stiffen up the rear some, though (because of the air shocks).

The 3.42s are nice but low... Seems like I could climb a wall if I could get enough traction--meanwhile other cars are passing me by unless I put the spurs to it.

I was like you, wanted the heavy-duty bits. Would I get a Z71 vs heavy-duty trailering again? I don't know... I don't need the trailer brake or hitch, but do like the 3.42s and two-speed case and leveling rear end. I want bigger brakes so 20s are a must. Put all that together with a Z71 and you've got something!