Any Way to Beef Up Rear End in AWD Denali ?

[Foggy]

I have 2014 AWD XL Denali
Like to "beef up" the rear diff/axles/ etc if possible.
I did order a new cover that is the cast aluminum last summer in hopes
that the bearing caps preloads along with extra fluid would run cooler...
But , IT Won't Fit with panhard bar, etc... It was the low profile one and still would
not clear
So, What are some options:::?????

I've seen the 2wd versions have the 9.5" Ring Gear.. But don't know if its a direct fit or what.
I have the load leveling air suspension, ETC Also, my gear ratio is 3.42 w G80 Posi

I just don't want to trash out a perfectly good rear end (I'll be towing a lot) if
I can upgrade or replace and recoup some of my money by selling my current rear axle assembly.

Thanks !!

 

[Doubeleive]

the ta performance rear diff girdle and a QA1 panhard bar will fit, I also put spohn boxed lower control arms and mevotech upper control arms, hellwig sway bars front and rear.
if (when) the G80 goes out then I will put in a Eaton Detroit.
@Rocket Man has some info on that also.

 

[Foggy]

I tried the TA rear diff girdle/cover and could NOT make it fit with
panhard bar/ Etc...
I took my cover off, spare tire,, etc and did everything I could to try to
get it to fit with No success , so I sent it back.

So, Am I wasting money if I replace the axles with aftermarket, put in
a better posi/diff unit,, etc
Or try to find a 9.5 " rear axle assembly and make it fit ???

 

[Foggy]

OH, Yes.. Ive got the helwig front and rear bars to get on still. And I
was going to do the Spohn lower boxed control arms - I talked to them...
Those items help firm up and keep everything from shifting around during heavy towing.
But I'm worried about killing the actual rear end - or am I worrying about nothing ???

 

[swathdiver]

I have 2014 AWD XL Denali
Like to "beef up" the rear diff/axles/ etc if possible.
I did order a new cover that is the cast aluminum last summer in hopes
that the bearing caps preloads along with extra fluid would run cooler...
But , IT Won't Fit with panhard bar, etc... It was the low profile one and still would
not clear
So, What are some options:::?????

I've seen the 2wd versions have the 9.5" Ring Gear.. But don't know if its a direct fit or what.
I have the load leveling air suspension, ETC Also, my gear ratio is 3.42 w G80 Posi

I just don't want to trash out a perfectly good rear end (I'll be towing a lot) if
I can upgrade or replace and recoup some of my money by selling my current rear axle assembly.

Thanks !!

The 14-Bolt is a direct replacement provided the donor was a RWD Denali, Avalanche (6.0) or Escalade.

You could also replace the center chunk with an Eaton Trutrac limited slip.

 

[Doubeleive]

I tried the TA rear diff girdle/cover and could NOT make it fit with
panhard bar/ Etc...
I took my cover off, spare tire,, etc and did everything I could to try to
get it to fit with No success , so I sent it back.

So, Am I wasting money if I replace the axles with aftermarket, put in
a better posi/diff unit,, etc
Or try to find a 9.5 " rear axle assembly and make it fit ???

the TA wont fit with the factory panhard but will with a QA1 (just barely)

 

[gat0r]

doesnt spohn have a bent out panhard to use w/ aftermarket covers?
not listed on site, last i recall

 

[Foggy]

I was on Spohn website and just saw the "tubular adjustable " one.. When
I talked to them a while ago they said for my appl I wouldn't need it as
I'm not changing the ride height..

 

[Foggy]

Doubelieve, That looks really good... I just could not make it work with
the factory panhard.
I'll look into the QA1. They make pretty good stuff.
You don't happen to still have a part # ???

 

[swathdiver]

doesnt spohn have a bent out panhard to use w/ aftermarket covers?
not listed on site, last i recall

Yeah, someone on here had one made and put it on theirs, probably last year sometime. Who was that?

 

[gat0r]

Yeah, someone on here had one made and put it on theirs, probably last year sometime. Who was that?

thanks for reminder...

1sikryd

https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/thr...tahoe-yukon-today.61418/page-192#post-1370616

 

[Doubeleive]

Doubelieve, That looks really good... I just could not make it work with
the factory panhard.
I'll look into the QA1. They make pretty good stuff.
You don't happen to still have a part # ???

5262, nevermind the years it shows compatibility with if it fits a 08 it will fit a 14, worked on my 2012
you will just have to use some big zipties for the parking brake cable, they have held up fine.
If I remember correctly it was a little hard to fit in the slots where the bolts go through on the ends but do-able, I think I used the factory bottle jack under the axle and played with it a little to get it in but it worked out fine.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/QA1-5262-Panhard-Rod-GM-Suv-2000-2008-GM-Fullsize-Suv/292003206743?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

 

[Foggy]

Do you rthink the Spohn Panhard Bar would fit the same as the QA1 Bar?? as far as clearance to for the TA Performance Diff Girdle/Cover ???
That way I could keep all spohn and get enough $$ on order for free shipping

 

[Doubeleive]

Do you rthink the Spohn Panhard Bar would fit the same as the QA1 Bar?? as far as clearance to for the TA Performance Diff Girdle/Cover ???
That way I could keep all spohn and get enough $$ on order for free shipping

no idea, I didn't want anything "adjustable" because I had read about some adjustable stuff not holding up, not spohn stuff in particular.

 

[Foggy]

Ah, didn't think about that... I don't need any adjust-ability since I'm stock ride height.
And on the Upper Control Arms, Do you think the Mevotech CMS501172 are better than the AC Delcos ?? I need to keep the ride ht auto adjusters, so really "can't" go aftermarket ones. The ACDelcos are cheaper than the Mevotech and looks like they both use oem style bushings

 

[Doubeleive]

Ah, didn't think about that... I don't need any adjust-ability since I'm stock ride height.
And on the Upper Control Arms, Do you think the Mevotech CMS501172 are better than the AC Delcos ?? I need to keep the ride ht auto adjusters, so really "can't" go aftermarket ones. The ACDelcos are cheaper than the Mevotech and looks like they both use oem style bushings

those are the ones I used, I just painted them red to match the spohn lowers, they are pretty identical to the oem upper control arms (stamped steel, same bushing design) I just went ahead bought those and used them even though I probably didn't need to when I took off the original uppers they still looked to be in good shape. The uppers probably ended up being a unnecessary expense, the ride height adjusters fit them fine.

 

[intheburbs]

At the end of the day it's still a semifoater. Keep it cool and change the fluid frequently. Anything else is window dressing. Verify your weights using scales to make sure it's not overloaded.

I bought my 2500 Suburban after killing 3 rear axles on my 1500 Suburban. Nothing beats a full-floater, and it's rated to 8600 lbs, more than double the half-ton rating.

 

[Doubeleive]

At the end of the day it's still a semifoater. Keep it cool and change the fluid frequently. Anything else is window dressing. Verify your weights using scales to make sure it's not overloaded.

I bought my 2500 Suburban after killing 3 rear axles on my 1500 Suburban. Nothing beats a full-floater, and it's rated to 8600 lbs, more than double the half-ton rating.

ya that's why I said when the g80 goes I will put in a eaton detroit, I broke the rear end on my 00 (rwd) at least 3 times before I had a detroit put in it, that never broke but I did wear a set of bearings out after about 3yrs. The awd seems to be a bit hardier so far.

 

[Foggy]

At the end of the day it's still a semifoater. Keep it cool and change the fluid frequently. Anything else is window dressing. Verify your weights using scales to make sure it's not overloaded.

I bought my 2500 Suburban after killing 3 rear axles on my 1500 Suburban. Nothing beats a full-floater, and it's rated to 8600 lbs, more than double the half-ton rating.

I'm Ok on Tongue Weight.. But my GVW is a little over at the trailer is pretty heavy... I am a a freak about fluid/filter/ maint stuff.....
but on the other hand, if there's not a chance this rear end will last, I;m prob better off either finding a 9.5 now and sell my 8.6
OR if doing a few little things I can make my 8.6 last - of course that's easier and cheaper now.
My camper is a 33' triple slide bumper pull.. It's supposed to be "Half Ton Rated" but I know that's BS. But I did buy this XL Denali
to use as the tow vehicle for it
My 94 Chevy 1500 Ext Cab just got too pushed around and was a lot of white knuckle so we didn't travel as much.
Of course it's highly modded with 421 Supercharged Engine, Built 4L80E w billet converter, 9" Rear End, and lots of suspension and
brake upgrades. Freaked people out when my tow vehicle runs 11.50s at the track !!!

This Denali is on its way to "Being Mine". And I'll have a ton more interior space for Dogs/Stuff/Grandkids

 

[intheburbs]

I'm Ok on Tongue Weight.. But my GVW is a little over at the trailer is pretty heavy... I am a a freak about fluid/filter/ maint stuff.....
but on the other hand, if there's not a chance this rear end will last, I;m prob better off either finding a 9.5 now and sell my 8.6
OR if doing a few little things I can make my 8.6 last - of course that's easier and cheaper now.
My camper is a 33' triple slide bumper pull.. It's supposed to be "Half Ton Rated" but I know that's BS. But I did buy this XL Denali
to use as the tow vehicle for it
My 94 Chevy 1500 Ext Cab just got too pushed around and was a lot of white knuckle so we didn't travel as much.
Of course it's highly modded with 421 Supercharged Engine, Built 4L80E w billet converter, 9" Rear End, and lots of suspension and
brake upgrades. Freaked people out when my tow vehicle runs 11.50s at the track !!!

This Denali is on its way to "Being Mine". And I'll have a ton more interior space for Dogs/Stuff/Grandkids

You didn't say how much the trailer weighs. But being that big, with triple slides, I'm guessing 7-8k easy. Which is, IMHO, too much for your Denali. I've had four trailers and two tow vehicles.

My experiences:

1) 1500 pulling a 28-footer, 4550 dry, just under 6k loaded - good combo, kids were small, towed from Michigan to Florida multiple times with no issues
2) 1500 pulling a 6500-lb, 28 footer - borrowed a friend's trailer a few times, noticeably heavier, had crappy brakes and was frequently downshifting to save the Suburban's brakes (another issue for your truck - GM half-tons are underbraked). Spun the pinion bearing on the rear diff on a trip to Washington, DC/Virginia. Wife and kids went on without me, I got to spend 4 days of my vacation in lovely Youngstown, OH.
3) 1500 pulling a 28-foot, 7,000-lb triiple bunk with 36" slideout - Overheated the rear axle, cooked out all the fluid, and grenaded the rear on a long drive from Minnesota to Wyoming. Got to spend four days in lovely Mitchell, SD (the corn palace!!!) while a new rear was trucked in from Minneapolis. Wife and kids were not happy we were in Mitchell instead of Rushmore and Yellowstone.

You're supposed to break in a new rear and drive lightly for 500 miles. After losing 4 days on our vacation, I wasn't about to spend another day driving in circles for 8 hours. Improper breakin led to a non-towing failure a year later. Which leads us to what I have now....

4) 2500 pulling a 35-foot double slide, 8600 lbs loaded. With the family on board, me, wife, three grown kids, we're maxing out the Suburban. Rear axle right at 5500, GVW right at 8600, GCW right at 16,000.

The 10.5" free-floater is the stuff of legends. Rated to 8600 lbs by American Axle, it's probably the stoutest component on the whole truck. The tires are the limiting factor on weight, not the axle. The only thing more badass is the 11.5" rear found on the HD trucks.

Lastly, my 2500 has towed heavy about 20,000 miles, the odometer is at 197k, and it's still ALL original.