Question about Premium Ride Suspension

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Dusty Diggs

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Hey folks I'm a newbie here , not to 4x4 . I've been looking at Tahoe's 4x4 , 2000-2005 , 100-250K miles , . Ive been doing some reading here and I have a couple questions .


1] The premium Ride sounds pretty dodgy to me . I also saw where you can change shocks and springs in the Arse End . I'm not worried about a Caddy-Lack or Lincoln ride , I need something a bit stiffer for off road anyway .

2] Castech Heads I see these heads are crappo' . What years did they come on , should I worry with 2001-2003 5.3L engines ?

Thanks , Steve
"Dusty Dunes"
 

swathdiver

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Hey folks I'm a newbie here , not to 4x4 . I've been looking at Tahoe's 4x4 , 2000-2005 , 100-250K miles , . Ive been doing some reading here and I have a couple questions .


1] The premium Ride sounds pretty dodgy to me . I also saw where you can change shocks and springs in the Arse End . I'm not worried about a Caddy-Lack or Lincoln ride , I need something a bit stiffer for off road anyway .

2] Castech Heads I see these heads are crappo' . What years did they come on , should I worry with 2001-2003 5.3L engines ?

Thanks , Steve
"Dusty Dunes"

Welcome Steve. I know the later ones better than these but can tell you that they ZW7 Premium Smooth Ride without self-leveling shocks is a pretty stout system. The springs on the other are much softer as the shocks do more work. Then there's the Z71 suspension, with even thicker springs and Rancho shocks.

Some came with a form of AWD not 4x4s and some have 1-speed transfer cases instead of 2-speeds. Check the RPO sheets for the codes (features) you're looking for. You'll probably want a truck with 3.42 or higher numerically for a better crawl ratio.

What kinds of 4x4 do you have or did you have?
 
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Dusty Diggs

Dusty Diggs

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Welcome Steve. I know the later ones better than these but can tell you that they ZW7 Premium Smooth Ride without self-leveling shocks is a pretty stout system. The springs on the other are much softer as the shocks do more work. Then there's the Z71 suspension, with even thicker springs and Rancho shocks.

Some came with a form of AWD not 4x4s and some have 1-speed transfer cases instead of 2-speeds. Check the RPO sheets for the codes (features) you're looking for. You'll probably want a truck with 3.42 or higher numerically for a better crawl ratio.

What kinds of 4x4 do you have or did you have?
Thanks for the info ! I just got rid of a 2011 Ram 1500 , I've had K5 Blazers , 94' Tahoe , 96' Bronco , 78' Dodge W250 , and maybe a few more . trucks ,,, too many to list . The Ram was throwing tantrums with the Tranny (here $5k P/L) . The 4.7L was not enough with even a decent load . The K5 I had was by far the very best 4x4 I've ever had .
 

swathdiver

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Thanks for the info ! I just got rid of a 2011 Ram 1500 , I've had K5 Blazers , 94' Tahoe , 96' Bronco , 78' Dodge W250 , and maybe a few more . trucks ,,, too many to list . The Ram was throwing tantrums with the Tranny (here $5k P/L) . The 4.7L was not enough with even a decent load . The K5 I had was by far the very best 4x4 I've ever had .

I almost bought a K5 Jimmy but luxury gave way to simplicity, for now.

Thinking on this some more, my plain jane rear springs are the same as the Z71s, but the fronts are different for a smoother ride. Probably the same for the ones you're looking for. Did you read the post about the guy who just bought a beater 2001 Yukon and has already towed a buddy out of the woods? Turns out instead of being a beater, the truck is in great condition too and set up perfect for running through the woods.
 
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Dusty Diggs

Dusty Diggs

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I almost bought a K5 Jimmy but luxury gave way to simplicity, for now.

Thinking on this some more, my plain jane rear springs are the same as the Z71s, but the fronts are different for a smoother ride. Probably the same for the ones you're looking for. Did you read the post about the guy who just bought a beater 2001 Yukon and has already towed a buddy out of the woods? Turns out instead of being a beater, the truck is in great condition too and set up perfect for running through the woods.

Out here in the Nevada Desert , often 5,000' + in valleys even , I like the A/C etc. but Old School is can be a lifesaver ! In an hour you can be nearly 100 miles from nowhere . The desert here is some times Monochromatic in a sense , but awe inspiring at the same time . The gearing in my K5 was great ,,, short wheelbase a God Send .

I get my
65848391_2120850451371678_4902394521989414912_n.jpg
tomorrow ,, yep Creature Comforts
 

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