I need some insight on a motor swap

[iamdub]

@iamdub

I guess you were tagging me to throw my hat in the ring.

@mountie:
I went with Nolathane bars. They seem to be fundamentally identical to the Hellwigs. But, cost a few hundred less, at least, in my GMT900 application. They don't have the three levels of adjustment for the rear. The hole is located directly under the frame mounts for the links to be vertical, which would equate to the firmest setting for the Hellwigs. They also don't have adjustable end links for the rear. Mine is lowered and requires the much shorter and offset end links. So, I wouldn't be able to use the Hellwig links, anyway. They came with grease and the insides of the bushings are knurled. I've had 'em about 11 months/5K miles. No noises.

Hellwig or Nolathane, you can't go wrong with thicker, solid bars. The difference is night and day. The handling is very flat and a lot more dependent on your tires, so it's more predictable. You'd be one to understand what I mean when I say that my Tahoe's cornering ability now exceeds the seat's ability to hold me in place. Granted, mine's a Tahoe with a sizable drop. You'll still notice a huge improvement despite yours being a longer and heavier body at stock height.

 

[mountie]

iamdub...... cudos on the write-up ^^^^^

At the Bob Bondurant school, 1st day with new students, Bob would take students around the track. FAST but smooth..... FAST around the corners. Bob's pet dog sat in the front passenger seat, sitting up !!!.

To impress 6 students inside the FORD ECONOLINE VAN It was set up with 'Quicker Suspension' components.....

Stop / Go / Left / Right ....... It's all in the driving technique. Smooth transitions, keeps you in the seat comfortable. ( All 4 tire patches, with equal pressure on the surface at all times ( mostly)

 

[iamdub]

iamdub...... cudos on the write-up ^^^^^

At the Bob Bondurant school, 1st day with new students, Bob would take students around the track. FAST but smooth..... FAST around the corners. Bob's pet dog sat in the front passenger seat, sitting up !!!.

To impress 6 students inside the FORD ECONOLINE VAN It was set up with 'Quicker Suspension' components.....

Stop / Go / Left / Right ....... It's all in the driving technique. Smooth transitions, keeps you in the seat comfortable. ( All 4 tire patches, with equal pressure on the surface at all times ( mostly)

It's the speed around a cloverleaf that slides me out. Before, my speed was limited to body roll. The leaning would make me slow down before the tires let loose. Now, by the time I'm 1/4 way into the curve, I've already slid into the door panel. If I stay in the throttle, the back will start to kick out. I have a failed right rear wheel speed sensor, so my traction control and StabiliTrak is disabled. When playing, I hit high speed turns in 2nd gear so I can counter- and throttle steer if necessary. Not having to worry about the body lean lets me focus on what the tires are doing.

 

[swathdiver]

I want to get more power and torque, what's the best way to do this?

The engine and transmission tune is the bedrock upon which all other mods build upon, get that done first. Then if the increased performance does not meet your needs, put 4.10 gears in the truck. 2005 Suburbans came with either 3.42 or 4.10 gears. Those two ought to satisfy your cravings for a while. Then you cam it, stroke it, supercharge it, etc.

 

[mountie]

It's the speed around a cloverleaf that slides me out. Before, my speed was limited to body roll. The leaning would make me slow down before the tires let loose. Now, by the time I'm 1/4 way into the curve, I've already slid into the door panel. If I stay in the throttle, the back will start to kick out. I have a failed right rear wheel speed sensor, so my traction control and StabiliTrak is disabled. When playing, I hit high speed turns in 2nd gear so I can counter- and throttle steer if necessary. Not having to worry about the body lean lets me focus on what the tires are doing.

My biggest pet peave...... As a passenger in someone's car... Biting my tongue, as I observe the driver's horrible use of their hands on, and allover the steering wheel, during a simple turn.

 

[OR VietVet]

My biggest pet peave...... As a passenger in someone's car... Biting my tongue, as I observe the driver's horrible use of their hands on, and allover the steering wheel, during a simple turn.

With my seat adjustment and the steering wheel tilt, my hands usually do all the steering with my hands on my thighs and handling wheel with my fingers. Sometimes in left and right turns, my hands reach up to 3 and 9 and pull down. If in a tight higher speed curve or turn, my hands reach up higher.

 

[mountie]

BUY THIS BOOK. YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID. THEN SHARE IT WITH YOUR KIDS.
IT WILL SAVE LIVES. YOU WILL ENJOY DRIVING MUCH MORE.

"High Performance Driving" is not about driving "fast"..... It is about your " BRAIN ".

This 'school' book was written for the every day driver. it is not a "racing driver's " book. Per say....

https://a.co/d/0A3Jc64

 

[Mudsport96]

To the OP, if you want to get bang for the buck... leave the engine in there, do a 4L80e swap, swap the factory "posi" out for a good aftermarket unit, and build or buy a cheap turbo kit. I will posy a video link to a Yukon XL that makes 450ish at the tires with a STOCK 5.3 and a turbo kit. He probably makes more but at the time of the video he didn't know that it was AWD so he was burning up the transfer case on the dyno.


Uncle Rob Yukon XL 5.3 dyno

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Great sway bar performance and maintenance conversation.

I have Hellwigs front and rear, and I selected the middle hole for my rear sway bars. On my test cloverleaf, I achieve a 5+ mph speed improvement with minimal body roll, and I mean minimal.

Like some folks here, I drove, how shall we say, very 'aggressively' as a young driver. That has not changed throughout the years, except that I've added some more 'intelligence' to my aggressive driving. I have always driven like it is me against the road, AS LONG AS I don't endanger fellow motorists on the road. I'm NEVER a lane weaver or tailgater or light flasher, but when the clear stretch of road appears, it is open competition against the road. And, yes, the road had its share of victories over me along the way. Scraping against the guard rails on turns and ending up in a field on straightaways that ended too quickly, etc., etc.

When I was young, and living in rural NH, there was little in the way of speed enforcement, as there were very few enforcement officers on the roads. AND, there were very few houses along those winding country roads, and NO pedestrians. As such, the challenge was to hit 100+ mph on the straight sections, stay on the road in the curve sections, and get airborne over the occasional rises and dips on the roads. We all did it in the day, and sorrowfully, some of my friends did not make it out alive. I know that those days are gone forever in many areas, including mine, but the memories remain (and, if I could do it all over again, I would do it again).

 

[mountie]

A story I was told ( by an NHRA legend )..... In the early '60's in Bellflower ( east Los Angeles area)... They would cruise..... sometimes a real jerk in a fast piece of crap hot rod, would want to race.... My friend said, " We would bring the jerk to a long - wide side - street, and drag race down the street. What the jerk didn't know, 1/2 way down the straight, there was a cross street. It had a crown on the cross street ( water managing low gutters along the sides. My friend would hit the brakes before the cross street... The jerk "won the race"... passes him by, and LAUNCHES AIRBORN over the cross street. ) Many front bumpers pointed to the ground after the 'launch'.....