I want to make my 09 Tahoe more off-road trail ready

[gmartin1215]

Hello!
I have a 2009 Tahoe LT with 140K miles on it, and it has the ZW7 premium smooth ride suspension.
I bought the vehicle because it could haul my family, and it also is good for towing and is a 4x4. I am almost an empty-nester, so I don't need the family-hauling space as much as I used to have. My towing is very lightweight (raft and raft trailer. no RV).

I have been bouncing the idea in my head to downsize to a later model trail-ready 4x4, such as a Land Cruiser, 4-Runner, or Tacoma. However, seeing the high average price of these machines has been almost enough to steer me away from the idea of downsizing. My Tahoe is fully paid, and if I am going to throw any money into any vehicle, then it might as well be to it!

I wonder what modifications I can do to make the Tahoe more trail-ready and on par with the other vehicles mentioned above. Granted, the Tahoe is a big machine and may not be able to go everywhere the others can, but I would like to be very close to it. I plan not to do any extreme rock-crawling but would like to take it on rough mountain trails or Moab-type terrain. Am I dreaming or wishful thinking?!?!

I have done some modifications to make my Tahoe more ready for the trail. I have installed the ReadyLift 2.25" leveling kit and installed the AAM TracRite LSD to my rear differential. I am also running 285/70/17, too, to give me more clearance.

Given the above, if you were to create a shopping list for things I can do to make my Tahoe more trail-worthy, what would be on it?

 

[Tozan]

The Tahoe should do what you want with some work.

I have done runs alongside all the vehicles you mentioned above on mountain trails, desert trails and around Moab with no problem. Over 2500 miles off road this past year and my rig has 195k miles on it.

Feel free to take a look at my build thread it may give you some ideas.

Getting a longer travel lift up front is a big plus. Baja kit combined with King struts is a great improvement you can get 3 inches of lift and 9 inches of travel. Lifting with out increase of travel is a waste of money and performance.

On the rear I would go with Spohn suspension package
adding a set of King shocks and longer springs.

Eliminating the front skirt and trimming you should be able to get some bigger tires under there too.

Good luck with your build...

 

[Sparksalot]

I take thecopcar out on a lot of trails. The best thing I’ve done was a set of KO2 tires so I can air down to deal with washboard roads.

 

[Bill 1960]

You might want to include your budget and think about how much you’re willing to bias the performance toward the trail which will detract from some other desirable road driving characteristics. How deep down the rabbit hole do you want to go? @Tozan is the pioneer in this area, and I'm getting pretty deep into it myself.

Approach angle is the Tahoe's biggest weakness. Some plastic needs to go. Air dam at a minimum and the border patrol chop or a custom front bumper at the extreme. There's some pictures in my thread in the under construction section.

I'm not a fan of leveling kits because of what they do to the operating angles of the suspension and CV's, and ride quality. But enough about that, lots of people like them.

With 33's and LSD, you're on par with most semi serious SUV's for trail use right now. I would turn my attention to recovery gear and going through the mechanical systems to ensure reliability. A minor roadside issue can be a major PITA trailside. I have been through many of the trails you're considering with stock vehicles. There's a trail for every class of machine. Just get out there and experience some and you'll soon know if you want or need to do major mods to the Hoe or if you're already in your zone.

 

[Jason in DLH]

Interesting you’re talking about this as this is my agenda as well. Family rides are always in my wife’s newer Yukon now, so I have my ‘07 all to myself.

I just removed the front stabilizer to gain better articulation. Drove it around tonight and it feels great! Kind of like going from “tighty whities” to boxers. Might take the rear out as well down the road.

I’ve been researching Coilovers, but this is as far as I have gotten.

Definitely watching this thread as there’s already great amount of info that’s been suggested.

 

[gmartin1215]

You might want to include your budget and think about how much you’re willing to bias the performance toward the trail which will detract from some other desirable road driving characteristics. How deep down the rabbit hole do you want to go? @Tozan is the pioneer in this area, and I'm getting pretty deep into it myself.

Approach angle is the Tahoe's biggest weakness. Some plastic needs to go. Air dam at a minimum and the border patrol chop or a custom front bumper at the extreme. There's some pictures in my thread in the under construction section.

I'm not a fan of leveling kits because of what they do to the operating angles of the suspension and CV's, and ride quality. But enough about that, lots of people like them.

With 33's and LSD, you're on par with most semi serious SUV's for trail use right now. I would turn my attention to recovery gear and going through the mechanical systems to ensure reliability. A minor roadside issue can be a major PITA trailside. I have been through many of the trails you're considering with stock vehicles. There's a trail for every class of machine. Just get out there and experience some and you'll soon know if you want or need to do major mods to the Hoe or if you're already in your zone.

Thanks!
Where do I find your "under construction" section?

 

[gmartin1215]

The Tahoe should do what you want with some work.

I have done runs alongside all the vehicles you mentioned above on mountain trails, desert trails and around Moab with no problem. Over 2500 miles off road this past year and my rig has 195k miles on it.

Feel free to take a look at my build thread it may give you some ideas.

Getting a longer travel lift up front is a big plus. Baja kit combined with King struts is a great improvement you can get 3 inches of lift and 9 inches of travel. Lifting with out increase of travel is a waste of money and performance.

On the rear I would go with Spohn suspension package
adding a set of King shocks and longer springs.

Eliminating the front skirt and trimming you should be able to get some bigger tires under there too.

Good luck with your build...

Thanks!
You have done a lot to your Tahoe!

 

[gmartin1215]

For budget, I am looking to spend in the $10K-$15K. Not all at once, but in stages.
I'll still use the Tahoe to commute to work, so there will be 20 miles a day, 5 days a week, that will be on the highway.
Again, I am not looking for it to be a rock crawler. However, I want it to be more biased to off-roading.

 

[Sparksalot]

I ended up with the twins, because the overlanding configuration really wanted a rear seat delete. Theothertwin only cost $4k at auction, so i felt much better about having two vehicles to separate their uses.

 

[Bill 1960]

With that budget you can do a lot. My advice is not to do too much until you get some trail time in and get a feel for what capabilities are falling short of your desires. Big lifts and tires are sexy but there are penalties in economy, durability, and reliability.

Some random observations:

The front diff is weak. Will have to plan around that at higher levels of stress. Most serious OR builders will say just go for the straight axle swap. I like the ride of IFS so I’ll be swapping in the center section from a 2500 should I get that deep into the pool.

Any significant lift (more than a level) for the IFS involves aftermarket spindles, which bring along several additional inches in track width. Then add big tires and it’s very wide. That’s nice on the dunes. Not so much in the trees or a shelf road.

You get what you pay for in lifts. Prices vary, so does performance.

Build for the terrain you like. Mud, mountains, deserts, have dissimilar build needs for best results.

To a certain degree you can swap trimming for lifting. A 4” with the NorCal mod is roughly equivalent to a 6” without. More trim and less lift will keep your weight lower, which is a plus.

Have fun with your project and post up some pictures!

My pictures are here: https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/threads/building-the-ss-v-trailhoe.124192/

 

[socalls]

I literally just posted a threat about this today, have not bought a Tahoe yet but actually I'm thinking going this route just based on the crazy prices on toyota and lexus vehicles with high mileage and the Tahoe seems to be a good package to start with little modification needed

 

[Dustin Jackson]

The Tahoe should do what you want with some work.

I have done runs alongside all the vehicles you mentioned above on mountain trails, desert trails and around Moab with no problem. Over 2500 miles off road this past year and my rig has 195k miles on it.

Feel free to take a look at my build thread it may give you some ideas.

Getting a longer travel lift up front is a big plus. Baja kit combined with King struts is a great improvement you can get 3 inches of lift and 9 inches of travel. Lifting with out increase of travel is a waste of money and performance.

On the rear I would go with Spohn suspension package
adding a set of King shocks and longer springs.

Eliminating the front skirt and trimming you should be able to get some bigger tires under there too.

Good luck with your build...

@Tozan Have you gone with that rear panhard/track bar? I have it installed on mine and wanted to see if your experience is different from mine.

 

[socalls]

I ended up with the twins, because the overlanding configuration really wanted a rear seat delete. Theothertwin only cost $4k at auction, so i felt much better about having two vehicles to separate their uses.

How did you get one that cheap lol?

 

[Dantheman1540]

Lifting with out increase of travel is a waste of money and performance.

I wish everybody understood this.

 

[Sparksalot]

How did you get one that cheap lol?

180K miles and it was a K9 unit, so whoever bought it would have to also find an interior. IT worked for me because I had the interior ready to go (somewhere).

 

[Dustin Jackson]

I wish everybody understood this.

@Dantheman1540 @Tozan I think the same came be said for ground clearance. Some of those crossmember drops I've seen look like they're asking to eat a boulder.

 

[Dantheman1540]

@Dantheman1540 @Tozan I think the same came be said for ground clearance. Some of those crossmember drops I've seen look like they're asking to eat a boulder.

Oh yeah don't get me started! I totally understand the stance thing and wanting to look cool if that's your thing then own it. Just don't claim it's good off road and be educated about your choice of suspension.

 

[gmartin1215]

Thanks all!

I live in Colorado, so I will do most of my four-wheeling in the mountains, which could be rocky. I would also like to take it to trails in Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.

I can see where it makes sense to do something different on the front end with the plastic bumper. I have rubbed this a few times on the trails I have tried. I never really was a fan of it and only kept it to maybe squeeze some more MPG out of the Tahoe. I am guessing the MPG savings would be negligible.

Trimming the plastic bumper (BP trim) seems to be the cheapest and lightest option to get a better approach angle. However, I would like to use the fog lamps still and add a recovery system with a winch. To do that, I would have to look at aftermarket bumpers.

Looking around on the Web, there are many different options and price ranges for bumpers. I am assuming the ones less than $1k will be only good for the show and will be awful when you actually need it. The Pre-runner style looks like the one I would prefer because it looks like there is clearance to remove the headlights when needed.

What brands would you recommend? What brands would you stay away from?
I would want one that has a which mount, and preferably hidden, but also would like this to not be ultra-heavy.


I will probably start with the above and then work my way further into mods as I drive it more on trails and learn what it can't do.

I am assuming that if I want more clearance, I will need to do a better lift than the leveling kit. I was not a big fan of the leveling kit because it seemed like adding stress to the existing suspension. But it did give more clearance for my 285/70/17 tires. However, I don't want to go huge on this lift, so 6" and greater is not in my mind. I think a 3-4" lift would be OK at the most because I do not want the center gravity to be too high.

I have seen comments that improving wheel travel with a lift is the way to go. Excuse the ignorant, but can someone explain what this wheel travel is?
I also saw from Bill 1960 that any lift greater than the leveling kit would also need the aftermarket spindles for the IFS.
I also saw another comment that some cross-member drops look like they are asking to hit a boulder.

Given the lift, what system would you recommend? What brands are good, and what sucks? I know I will probably sacrifice ride quality for a lift, but I don't want to feel like I am passing a kidney stone while driving it, so something with good ride quality would be nice.

I know there are lots of options. I am not trying to build an off-road racer, but I do want to increase its capabilities. With everyone's help, I am hoping that I can narrow down the list more and know what will hit my budget.

I am curious about this comment from Bill 1960...
"I like the ride of IFS, so I’ll be swapping in the center section from 2500 should I get that deep into the pool."
Is there any write-up about that?

 

[Tozan]

It sounds like you are on the right track 3-4 inches lift is enough for most off road travel. I have King suspension up front my struts are about 4 inches longer than stock and with my set up I am getting around 10 inches of travel. I have a Rancho kit that is no longer available... (Sorry)

My ride quality is much better than stock there is no reason you can't get a lift and better ride too. On the highway it rides very smooth and when it comes to off road I can hit a 1 foot deep washout at 40 or 50 mph and it is no big deal.

If you are going to mount 34-35 inch tires you will need to re-gear it or it will be a slug and get 10-12 mpg.

 

[gmartin1215]

It sounds like you are on the right track 3-4 inches lift is enough for most off road travel. I have King suspension up front my struts are about 4 inches longer than stock and with my set up I am getting around 10 inches of travel. I have a Rancho kit that is no longer available... (Sorry)

My ride quality is much better than stock there is no reason you can't get a lift and better ride too. On the highway it rides very smooth and when it comes to off road I can hit a 1 foot deep washout at 40 or 50 mph and it is no big deal.

If you are going to mount 34-35 inch tires you will need to re-gear it or it will be a slug and get 10-12 mpg.

Thanks!

Just to be clear in your comment, you used to have the Rancho 4" lift, but now you have the King suspension?

If so, would you mind sharing what parts these are?

What are you using for the rear?

When I looked at your build thread, I saw the Rancho lift. Do you have any build pics for the front and back with your current system?