02 Tahoe rear suspension/engine upgrades?

[Dragond76]

Hi everyone,
I'm new to the forum here and have a few questions about upgrading my Tahoe to fit my needs better. It is currently in stock configuration with the 5.3 4x4. I tow a camper that weighs around 6500 pounds full and it's really been giving the truck a run for its money. I installed an airbag kit in the rear springs to help with sag while towing but the airline has blown off three times while in tow and I'm not feeling too confident in using them anymore.

Is there a conversion kit to beef up my suspension to that of a 2500 or perhaps even stronger?

What will get me the best bang for my buck as far as engine upgrades to boost power and performance? I've been reading about Black Bear tunes, does anyone here have one?

Is an aftermarket trans cooler a good idea if I already have a stock one?

Thanks in advance for your assistance!

 

[Screwd up 6]

Black near tune is good and will make noticeable difference but performance mods are like a big puzzle...you have to combine many of them together to notice huge gains. Most common and affordable are exhaust, intake, tune.

I personally like the Airaid modular intake tube with a drop in filter. Others prefer open intake.

If you want a tune go with a live tune. Do not waste your money on hypertech or similar. Go with black bear and u will be happy.

Exhaust...again everyone is different. I like mellow but noticeable. Simple muffler replacement will suffice. Full catback is pricey and jut not my personal preference.

If you tow a lot get a trans cooler. It might save you a lot in the end as heat is the death of our already weak transmissions. I would also recommend a transgo hd2 kit. Some do the vette servo to increase shift firmness.

All that being said you might be I'm quite a chunk of change if you went for all the mods. If possible...look into new gears. Do you know what your ratio currently is?

Hope this provided some info.

 

[Z-56 Hoe]

Yes get a much bigger and better trans cooler.

Maybe re-gear but that will be costly but help a lot go with a lower gear!

Long tube headers help with low-end to mid range torque a lot.

What air bags / helper bags do you have I have never had that issues and even towed a 6800lbs trailer through the Raton pass to Texas from Colorado. Went 1000 miles on that one. With no issues

A tune will help a lot but if your going to do other performance stuff do it before you get your tune!

The tune with help adjust your engine torque management settings with will make a big difference. Also beef up your trans a bit the 4L60 and the 4L65 are both pretty weak IMO! For the weight of our SUVs and power and or work or performance.

 

[Dragond76]

Thanks for the info guys! I have a K&N filter in the stock airbox but I'm sure that isn't making much of a difference. I've never heard of the Trans2go kit, what does that do? Is it like a shift kit? Headers would be nice but from what I've seen they aren't cheap. I have thought about changing the gears, where do I find what gears I'm currently running? is it on the diff itself or on the glove box tag? Also what mufflers did you go with? I don't want the thing to sound like a redneck special, I'd prefer power gains over noise.
@Z56 - I have the Air Lift 1000 airbag kit, turns out the issue was a faulty clip and they sent me some replacements so I'll be doing that later today to get the bags functional again.

From your list here is what I think I should do:
mufflers
trans cooler
Trans2go kit
BB tune

The gears would be nice and I'm sure they would make a huge difference but I'll have to see how much something like that would run me. I work on my own vehicles whenever possible but I've never swapped out gears yet...I guess there's a first time for everything! lol

---------- Post added at 11:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:14 AM ----------

What about beefing up the rear suspension? Is changing the coil springs out for a leaf setup a good idea? I'd like to eliminate the need for the airbags if I can.

 

[Screwd up 6]

Its Transgo HD2 kit for 4L60E...its a shift kit that helps with many of the issues the 4l60e is prone to. Google it and you can find more details about what all it does and includes in the kit.

I think you can tell what gears you have by your vin# but someone else can verify that.

I would recommend a magnaflow muffler with stock tailpipe. The longer the muffler, the quieter it is. If you really want a different exit that is fine, but keep the tailpipe to minimize cabin drone. Flowmaster is popular, but its a chambered design. It offers a meaner and more muscle car sound, but it has more drone. I personally like a straight thru flow muffer (banks, corsa, magnaflow etc).

As for gears, I was quoted $450 for labor and $400 for GM OEM 4.11 rear gears in my 2002 2wd Tahoe ($950 Total) This was going to a very reputable shop locally. I have seen some guys get them installed for as cheap as $200...but I wasn't going to skimp on the quality of labor when I was looking into them.

 

[01Konvict]

For suspension best you can do is get the Z71 springs, check ebay and yes the 01-13 years fit just fine

 

[MRS.Z-56_Hoe]

Upgrade your transmission cooler! Also swap to lower gears, and long tube headers

---------- Post added at 03:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:02 PM ----------

For suspension best you can do is get the Z71 springs, check ebay and yes the 01-13 years fit just fine

He already is a Z71


Wait are you a 4X4 or a Z71?