I'm new! 2003 Yukon Denali

Hey everyone in Chase! I got my bone stock Yukon Denali about a year and a half ago from a gmc dealership with good records, regular maintenance and in very good condition. First thing I did was audio. Recently I've been getting into offroading though. Only light stuff but I would like to hit some trails. I got 285 all terrain tires with some black wheels, i read that they wouldnt rub, and they rubbed bad in reverse turning. Ive done a bunch of research but can't really find much info on the suspension and AWD system, and I'm no mechanic, but I always heard it's basically not possible/stupid to modify. But I'm stubborn, and I love my truck so I got the rough country 2 inch level tortion lift. with new front shocks. I think. It rides perfect, sits taller, and the tires don't rub. Only downside is when I floor it, it wobbles really hard. like really hard. I can still get up and go real quick, it's only when I really floor it. But I shouldn't drive like that anyways lmao, so I shouldnt complain. So I have a few questions, anyone out there with the same model? Anyone know about the AWD capability offroad? And does anyone in the Portland area want to hit some trails sometime?
Nice to meet you all!

TreeChase said:

Hey everyone in Chase! I got my bone stock Yukon Denali about a year and a half ago from a gmc dealership with good records, regular maintenance and in very good condition. First thing I did was audio. Recently I've been getting into offroading though. Only light stuff but I would like to hit some trails. I got 285 all terrain tires with some black wheels, i read that they wouldnt rub, and they rubbed bad in reverse turning. Ive done a bunch of research but can't really find much info on the suspension and AWD system, and I'm no mechanic, but I always heard it's basically not possible/stupid to modify. But I'm stubborn, and I love my truck so I got the rough country 2 inch level tortion lift. with new front shocks. I think. It rides perfect, sits taller, and the tires don't rub. Only downside is when I floor it, it wobbles really hard. like really hard. I can still get up and go real quick, it's only when I really floor it. But I shouldn't drive like that anyways lmao, so I shouldnt complain. So I have a few questions, anyone out there with the same model? Anyone know about the AWD capability offroad? And does anyone in the Portland area want to hit some trails sometime?
Nice to meet you all!

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P.S. All the pics are before the level kit I'll try and add one tomorrow!

Welcome. Good looking Denali.

Welcome from another Denali owner! And my name is chase as well! Cool looking ride!

Welcome to the Forum, and nice looking truck.

I cannot help you with your off-road questions, as my truck is my street machine, and I do not take it off-road. My totally inexperienced knowledge tells me that AWD is going to under-perform in off-road environments, compared to true 4-wheel drive trucks.

I'm sure, however, that there are many folks on this Forum who have installed suspension mods, and have extensive off-road experience, who can provide you with their perspective and answers to your questions.

Welcome from Miami Beach Chase! Nice looking Yukon Denali!

Welcome from Iowa.

Welcome to the forum from Oregon. I arrived here in Oregon 23 years ago and had a 1996 2 door 4wd Tahoe at the time. I wanted to go four wheeling. I soon found out that these rigs were ok for light stuff and just getting out on smooth trails in the forests around here. To do what I wanted to do I bought a rough old 1973 Blazer and threw money at it. I had a roll cage, 6" lift, 38" Swamper tires, Detroit locker in the rear 14 bolt full float axle and a Detroit locker in the Dana 60 front axle. I had a special power steering assist hydraulic system for maneuvering in tight places. I had an all aluminum 4 row radiator with electric fans with a Stroked small block 350 chevy engine that was a 383 with special pistons and a Holley 4 barrel carb that had special kits in it that allowed for very off kilter wheeling. I trailered to the Tillamook forest and went to Moab with it and had a great time.

The point I am trying to make is that if you want to wheel it is best to have a purpose built rig. Otherwise you will keep doing damage to your Denali. My rig was rattle can black painted and went by the name "Brutus". That rig was always the one called on to come get people out of being stuck. I had a Warn winch that I could swap and use at either end of my rig.

You want to four wheel, get the money out and go for it.

Welcome from Utah, I have a 2002 Yukon Denali that i use off road as well. I have lift keys in the front and Z71 springs in the rear with the autoride shocks replaced with Procomp shocks. I did add a 1" jounce bumper extension to the front to eliminate the wobble affect caused by the torsion lift. The jounce stops are supposed to be in contact with the lower control arm and act a progressive spring to support the torsion bar suspension system.

I have taken Yukon through many trails including Fins and Things at Moab with no issues at all. I have also been on some "Jeep" trails that where quite steep and technical as well. My observations on using my rig in these situations has been overall positive. My only downside is that the AWD transfer case is single speed, meaning we have no LO gear. When I have had to climb a shelf or a steep incline, my engine has had to do all of the work with out the help of low gears. I have been in one situation where i had the Yukon in a torque stall where i did not have enough power to move over the obstacle (traction was not an issue), where if i had a two speed transfer case, i would have been able to clear it with out issue.

Speaking of traction, our G80 rear locking differential provides torque biasing for the rear so that if one wheel losses traction, the other wheel will receive torque to help get out of the situation, but you have to be gentle with it, too much torque too quick and it will break. My 2002 has the NVP-149 AWD transfer case that has a viscous coupling that provides torque biasing to my front wheels which can send up to 100% of the torque to the front wheels if both rear wheels loose traction, I have no traction control. The 2003 uses a different transfer case (BW4481) that works in conjunction with the traction control (ABS Brake system) to provide the same torque bias to the front wheels. I am not sure how the traction control system would hold up under extended extreme situations.

I hop you enjoy taking your rig to the outdoors and exploring, they work well in most situations you will encounter but they are not a purpose built off road machine to tackle trails like the Rubicon and such.

Hello from Northern AZ. I have a 2004 Yukon Denali that I too off-road and people think I am crazy for it. I have not lifted it, but I have deleted the stock suspension set up for a Bilstein set up. These shocks have performed absolutely phenomenal on and off road. While I have not taken the truck on anything too technical that a Jeep may go on, I have pushed this thing pretty hard, through most types of terrain including mud, snow, and ice. It has performed great and I have never had any issues regarding traction or possibly getting stuck.

It is really great finding people who off-road in these tanks and if you ever have any questions, ill do my best to answer!