First Suburban! Also, first time on the forum!

[tungsten]

Looking at the pic it appears just a little longer behind the rear wheel then a Yukon XL,again nice ride.

 

[tdebacker]

Depending on the terrain and conditions, you may want a more aggressive treaded tire on 18 inch wheels for the bumpy roads.

I was actually thinking about doing that in the future! I was looking at a set of 18" Method Race Wheels and 275/70R18 Nitto Exo Grapplers for the summer. I'd like to keep the 20s for my winter tires.

 

[Rocket Man]

Welcome to the forum from Oregon! Nice truck.

 

[Buggdave]

Beautiful Find and welcome from Utah and have fun on the trails. I am always amazed at how well these vehicles behave on the mountain roads. They are not rock crawlers but they sure do love forest service roads.

 

[tdebacker]

Beautiful Find and welcome from Utah and have fun on the trails. I am always amazed at how well these vehicles behave on the mountain roads. They are not rock crawlers but they sure do love forest service roads.

It really did really well on the forest service roads! Having the two-speed transfer case was awesome. There was a sketchy spot that I wanted to go very slow, and 4Lo made that easy.

I just need a lift so I don't scrape the front valence as much

 

[Buggdave]

A two-speed transfer case is the only thing i wish i had on my 02 Denali. I have a mechanical full-time AWD, and though it is amazing for power transfer to the road and in snow, there are times I wish I had the lower gear ratio the 4LO would offer.

 

[EvergreenZ71]

One tire consideration based on your identified use & location is do you see any possibility that you might want to use tire chains? If so I’d suggest keeping the 20’s for summer and getting 17’s for winter since they’re the only approved size for chains.

I haven’t had to use them often, but those times I did they made the difference and you’ll have customers in your truck. My old 02 Tahoe with chains got me out of my wife’s uncle’s driveway that kept both a newer F150 and a Subaru Outback stuck at the bottom (though it was their choice that they followed my tracks down the driveway to begin with).

Edit: oh, and welcome from Washington!

 

[tdebacker]

One tire consideration based on your identified use & location is do you see any possibility that you might want to use tire chains? If so I’d suggest keeping the 20’s for summer and getting 17’s for winter since they’re the only approved size for chains.

I haven’t had to use them often, but those times I did they made the difference and you’ll have customers in your truck. My old 02 Tahoe with chains got me out of my wife’s uncle’s driveway that kept both a newer F150 and a Subaru Outback stuck at the bottom (though it was their choice that they followed my tracks down the driveway to begin with).

Edit: oh, and welcome from Washington!

Snow tires work really well, AND I can still drive at highway speeds. Snow tires never failed me, even in my FWD Impala when we got 100" of snow last December. I stand by a good set of snow tires. There aren't many roads in my town and there's a helluva snow removal infrastructure. I might have to worry about 6-8" of snow if I drive SUPER early in the morning, but usually just hardpack other than that.

If I was off roading in the snow, DEFINITELY. But I'll be primarily all paved roads in the winter.

Also, thank you! Are you in the part of Washington that gets a LOT of snow or not much?

 

[EvergreenZ71]

Snow tires work really well, AND I can still drive at highway speeds. Snow tires never failed me, even in my FWD Impala when we got 100" of snow last December. I stand by a good set of snow tires. There aren't many roads in my town and there's a helluva snow removal infrastructure. I might have to worry about 6-8" of snow if I drive SUPER early in the morning, but usually just hardpack other than that.

If I was off roading in the snow, DEFINITELY. But I'll be primarily all paved roads in the winter.

Also, thank you! Are you in the part of Washington that gets a LOT of snow or not much?

I’m off I90 by Snoqualmie Pass. I90 is pretty easy even with all season tires and the chains are just carried to meet the chain requirements. But county roads are another issue and too many drivers don’t have enough experience to drive on snowy hills … then leave their cars all over.

Edit: and I too had great experiences with lightweight FWD with the right tires, though in my case it was actually a Ford ****** wagon.

Edit2: Evidently the filter has a bias against cheap Fords … Es-cort

 

[Rocket Man]

I’m off I90 by Snoqualmie Pass. I90 is pretty easy even with all season tires and the chains are just carried to meet the chain requirements. But county roads are another issue and too many drivers don’t have enough experience to drive on snowy hills … then leave their cars all over.

Edit: and I too had great experiences with lightweight FWD with the right tires, though in my case it was actually a Ford ****** wagon.

Edit2: Evidently the filter has a bias against cheap Fords … Es-cort

FYI in Oregon and I believe Washington also, 4WD vehicles with snow tires with the little snowflake symbols on them don’t require chains, they surpass the requirement. I’ve never been checked to see if I’m carrying chains in Oregon in my AWD Denali. The owners manual states to not use chains anyway.