New Tahoe/Yukon project recommendations

[DMLJR]

Hello all, lurker/newbie here, I appreciate the site. I am looking for some advice from the experienced.

My old 2004 Yukon is pretty wore out and beat up, but it has been very good to me for about 7 years. It only has a ready lift 3" front (Torsion keys) and 1" rear level and 33" TA KO2's. Everything else stock. I did rip one of the shocks out of the shock tower though (twice). And I tore some plastic out of the wheel wells. And for some reason went through a few alternators while on the trails.

I'm looking for my next Tahoe or Yukon for the next 5-7 years. I need something good for Colorado high mountain elk trails with a little extra ground clearance (3" or 4") but nothing too extreme since it will also be my daily driver on pavement 48 weeks a year. When on the trails I do probably go a little too fast and too hard though. So I need some proper clearance and suspension travel, with 33" or 34" KO's.

Also, my budget is not unlimited.

So....

GMT800 or GMT900?
Anything to look for or avoid?
Recommended lift?
Recommended springs/shocks/struts, front and back
Recommended Tire size/wheel size combo (with the KO's)
Anything else, deletes (DOD, etc.), performance enhancers, fixes, etc.

The reason I'm stuck on the KO's is they work good for me. I've had many side wall slashes over the years, but not 1 since I started running BFG KO's.

Thank you in advance for your time and inputs.

Cheers

 

[Dustin Jackson]

I'd say get a GMT800 but you already have a GMT800 so that doesn't make sense. If you want more creature comforts the GMT900 is a pretty solid platform.

Main weak points of the GMT900 are AFM and the 6l80e torque converter (some have the 4l60e).

Besides that, the main differences between the GMT800 and GMT900 are the front steering and suspension. Other than that the rear ends of both are the same.

I don't know how bad your current GMT800 is but personally I would invest in your current rig rather than buy a new one. It's been good to you and you don't know what surprises a new used rig will come with.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Pics of the truck, please.

You are already receiving sage advice from the knowledgeable folks on this Forum.

I drive only on pavement, so I cannot give you any recommendation that would satisfy off-road touring requirements/mods.

 

[DMLJR]

I'd say get a GMT800 but you already have a GMT800 so that doesn't make sense. If you want more creature comforts the GMT900 is a pretty solid platform.

Main weak points of the GMT900 are AFM and the 6l80e torque converter (some have the 4l60e).

Besides that, the main differences between the GMT800 and GMT900 are the front steering and suspension. Other than that the rear ends of both are the same.

I don't know how bad your current GMT800 is but personally I would invest in your current rig rather than buy a new one. It's been good to you and you don't know what surprises a new used rig will come with.

Thanks Dustin. Due to time and logistic constraints I had to pick up a newer one now, rather than fix mine up for my upcoming trips. So I just picked up a 2010 Tahoe LTZ. While shopping around, I did notice that the interior of the GMT 800's seems more robust. I do like the heated front and middle and AC front seats of my newer one though.

 

[DMLJR]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Pics of the truck, please.

You are already receiving sage advice from the knowledgeable folks on this Forum.

I drive only on pavement, so I cannot give you any recommendation that would satisfy off-road touring requirements/mods.

Hello Joseph, thanks. I will include some pics soon.

 

[swathdiver]

Welcome from Florida! Does a solid front axle swap interest you? There's a guy who makes the parts to do them with your old 800.

https://www.youtube.com/@tahoverlanding

This just showed up in my feed:

 

[Dustin Jackson]

@DMLJR Congratulations! Welcome to the fam

 

[DMLJR]

Welcome from Florida! Does a solid front axle swap interest you? There's a guy who makes the parts to do them with your old 800.

https://www.youtube.com/@tahoverlanding

This just showed up in my feed:

Hello Swathdiver, thank you. The solid front axel swap might be something I am interested in sometime in the future if I decide to keep the 04 Yukon for a project truck. I ended up getting a 2010 Tahoe for now.

 

[DMLJR]

@DMLJR Congratulations! Welcome to the fam

Thanks Dustin!

 

[DMLJR]

So I ended up picking up this 2010 Tahoe LTZ. I liked some of the features that came with it. I just needed to make some changes.

 

[DMLJR]

So I had a Rough Country 3.5" lift installed and also replaced the air and electric suspension with New Bilstein 5100's and new Moog Springs (for an LT/Z71) for all four corners. The truck ended up being a little higher than what I planned on or wanted, but I can live with it, and I was told it might lower a tad when the new springs get a few hundred miles on them, IDK though.
Next, after testing the suspension travel and clearance with my current tires, I decided to get BFG T/A KO2's and 17" wheels put on this coming week. I decided to go with 285/75 R17 (33.9"x11.2") and wheels with a 0 mm offset, to get the tires away from the upper control arm at full turn and make room for tire chains. I will need to do a little trimming in the wheel well but I think maybe only plastic. I'll see later this week. After the new tires, I should still have about 1/2" clearance between the roof rack and the garage door.

Here is a pic with the lift and new suspension, before the new tires and wheels (and trimming). The current tires are about 31.5":

 

[Dustin Jackson]

@DMLJR Looks good so far cant wait to see the wheels and tires

 

[Justinthewoods]

So I had a Rough Country 3.5" lift installed and also replaced the air and electric suspension with New Bilstein 5100's and new Moog Springs (for an LT/Z71) for all four corners. The truck ended up being a little higher than what I planned on or wanted, but I can live with it, and I was told it might lower a tad when the new springs get a few hundred miles on them, IDK though.
Next, after testing the suspension travel and clearance with my current tires, I decided to get BFG T/A KO2's and 17" wheels put on this coming week. I decided to go with 285/75 R17 (33.9"x11.2") and wheels with a 0 mm offset, to get the tires away from the upper control arm at full turn and make room for tire chains. I will need to do a little trimming in the wheel well but I think maybe only plastic. I'll see later this week. After the new tires, I should still have about 1/2" clearance between the roof rack and the garage door.

Here is a pic with the lift and new suspension, before the new tires and wheels (and trimming). The current tires are about 31.5":

Please update pics with new wheels and tires! It looks great so far! How is the ride with the lift compared to stock?