Suburban 3500 known as 1TONSUB

[1TONSUB]

Hello here as a fellow 2016 Suburban 3500HD LT owner. Not many of us especially with the LT. A little about my rig.
Bought from dealer in Lock Haven Pennsylvania in March 2021 stock with 40k miles.

Mods:
Black grill and bowtie badges
Full husky liner set
Husky mud flaps
Rhino Roof rack with backbone
Westin HD winch guard with custom brackets
Super Winch 12k
GTR LED low beam headlights
Yellow/White switch back fog bulbs
Vibrant resonator on exhaust
Cognito UCA
Bilstein 5100 shocks
Kryptonite Keys
GM OEM Black 8x180 wheels +44mm
275/65R18 Tires
4g Aux wiring run to back to have constant 12v off aux battery

Have had for a few years now great truck and does everything I want. Will do my best to share knowledge and borrow ideas as we go...

 

[Big Mama]

Nice work! I had no idea they made a 3500 suburban so recently. Do you tow with it? If so what’s it’s max?

 

[1TONSUB]

Actually impressed with the quality of this cheap aftermarket black grill from ZMAUTOPARTS on amazon . Had it installed when I got the hood and bumper painted. For those interested, you can see the holes that you have to drill in the plastic bumper cover to fit the Westin guard. The westin has an upper mount that prevents the guard from folding back into the grill.

 

[Bigburb3500]

Do you have the kryptonite keys turned up at all? Did you see any ride issues or changes?

 

[1TONSUB]

Do you have the kryptonite keys turned up at all? Did you see any ride issues or changes?

They aren’t turned up much. My current front is 36 1/2 to the fender rear is 38 1/2 so 2 inch rake which I think is what factory was but can’t remember. I installed the keys, arms and shocks all at the same time so can’t report back. But I do feel like it rides like a 3500.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Really nice rig!

 

[Geotrash]

They aren’t turned up much. My current front is 36 1/2 to the fender rear is 38 1/2 so 2 inch rake which I think is what factory was but can’t remember. I installed the keys, arms and shocks all at the same time so can’t report back. But I do feel like it rides like a 3500.

I met another former 3500 owner in person here in Richmond when I picked up a Class V hitch from him. He lives out near Norfolk, and mentioned that installing torsion bars and rear leaf springs from a GMT900 Suburban 2500 improves the ride. For my part, I think the ride is fine - especially because 90% of the time it's full of kids, gear and a dog, pulling a camper with 1,000 lbs on the tongue. But even when we unhook and drive around an area, the ride is fine for me.

 

[Bigburb3500]

They aren’t turned up much. My current front is 36 1/2 to the fender rear is 38 1/2 so 2 inch rake which I think is what factory was but can’t remember. I installed the keys, arms and shocks all at the same time so can’t report back. But I do feel like it rides like a 3500.

I agree it rides like a 1-ton but really is not bad at all. I am trying to wait as long as I can but I am THINKING about doing a coil-over conversion but it’s a bit tricky as there are no designed kits for this truck. I want about a 3” lift but do not want to just crank the keys for the front lift. Would love to get 35s under the truck as I am a sucker for a lifted truck and big tires.

 

[Big Mama]

How much can the 3500 tow?

 

[1TONSUB]

I agree it rides like a 1-ton but really is not bad at all. I am trying to wait as long as I can but I am THINKING about doing a coil-over conversion but it’s a bit tricky as there are no designed kits for this truck. I want about a 3” lift but do not want to just crank the keys for the front lift. Would love to get 35s under the truck as I am a sucker for a lifted truck and big tires.

I noticed the best improvement in ride quality with tire pressure 40 front 50 rear when empty. This came from a 2500 Suburban owners manual for some year. Brother from another mother I originally was planning on lifting but quickly was schooled how much it messes up towing ability. Here was my inspiration picture.

Note larger tires are super hard with no lift I experimented a lot and anything more than +44 offset wheels (factory) made tires rub on lower pinch weld. If your willing to norcal the **** out of your truck then might get a little more room but I did not want to hack up this rare beast.

 

[Bigburb3500]

I noticed the best improvement in ride quality with tire pressure 40 front 50 rear when empty. This came from a 2500 Suburban owners manual for some year. Brother from another mother I originally was planning on lifting but quickly was schooled how much it messes up towing ability. Here was my inspiration picture.

Note larger tires are super hard with no lift I experimented a lot and anything more than +44 offset wheels (factory) made tires rub on lower pinch weld. If your willing to norcal the **** out of your truck then might get a little more room but I did not want to hack up this rare beast.

Yaaaa…. This much lift will definitely mess with towing! Hahaha I just wanted a modest 3” lift.

I think 33s can technically fit-ish with a level but I don’t care for the idea of just cranking the torsion keys.

 

[1TONSUB]

I researched this a lot. Few REAL lifts for this model due to different front spindles than anything else. A fellow guru said IF you are going to lift it- you have to find a bracket lift. The 16+ 3500 had its own spindle and there are no lift companies who have duplicated that specific spindle yet.

I will admit I have wondered how bad the ride and other sacrifices would be with cranked keys but at this point I think I am past that stage

 

[89Suburban]

So these 1 tons have torsion bars?

 

[Geotrash]

How much can the 3500 tow?

This is a matter of considerable debate amongst self-proclaimed legal and insurance experts. After going down all of the rabbit holes, this is where I landed:

1.) The stated towing capacity in the manual is 3,000 lbs. But you have to understand why that's the case and why it's not actually a legal or practical limit. The industry standard today for determining towing capacity is the SAE J2807 test. It was released in 2008 and revised in 2010 but not adopted by manufacturers until the 2015 model year. Prior to that, manufacturers used their own standards. But since the Suburban 3500 HD was only intended for fleet customers and primarily for armoring, GM didn't pursue this test for them. But it's important to understand that this is neither a legal nor engineering limit for the vehicle.

2.) The Suburban 3500 HD uses the same frame as the GMT800 & GMT900 series Suburban/Yukon 2500's. To make it a 3500, it uses larger 1-ton torsion bars, leaf springs and brakes, plus a 10.5" 14-bolt rear diff with 4" axle tubes for added strength. With all of these upgrades, they are MORE capable than the Suburban 2500 of earlier generations. Those were capable of towing up to 12,000 lbs or more, depending on configuration.

3.) The factory receiver is the same as the rest of the Suburbans out there - a Class IV capable of 10,000 lbs when used with a weight distributing hitch.

So, from an ENGINEERING and equipment standpoint, the limit is 10,000 lbs. If you upgrade to a Class V hitch though, you could likely do 12,000-14,000 lbs. safely. I've hauled our 7,500 lb camper over the blue ridge mountains on a road that raises the engine coolant and transmission fluid temps on our Yukon XL Denali's to 235ºF and 245ºF, respectively on a summer day. But when I take that same trip now with the 3500, the coolant temp never moves and the transmission stays below 200ºF.

4.) At this point the "yabbuts" on the interwebz say that if I have to use a weigh station or get into an accident, I'll get fined for being over the legal limit and insurance will deny the claim. Horseshit. I've stopped at a weigh station to have the gas bottles on the camper checked before entering the Chesapeake Bay tunnels and the attendant said that they don't check RV's and if they did, they would only look at the GVWR and axle weight ratings. As long as I'm within all of those, they would wave me right on through. Stated towing capacity isn't part of their calculus because there is no placard for it. On the insurance part, that's also a non-issue. I spoke to an insurance adjuster who laughed and asked if he thought they would still pay the claim if I was drunk or speeding. Of course the answer is yes, so of course they would pay the claim and they would have no legal basis for not doing so.

 

[Geotrash]

So these 1 tons have torsion bars?

Yes, they do. Same frame as the GMT800 & 900 Suburban 2500's.

 

[89Suburban]

Yes, they do. Same frame as the GMT800 & 900 Suburban 2500's.

Learnt sumptin new today

 

[1TONSUB]

This is a matter of considerable debate amongst self-proclaimed legal and insurance experts. After going down all of the rabbit holes, this is where I landed:

Very very well said thanks for putting effort into that well written piece.

I tow 7500k with no issue or concern. Another expert 3500 owner towed 38’ long +10k with pleasure

 

[Bigburb3500]

I researched this a lot. Few REAL lifts for this model due to different front spindles than anything else. A fellow guru said IF you are going to lift it- you have to find a bracket lift. The 16+ 3500 had its own spindle and there are no lift companies who have duplicated that specific spindle yet.

I will admit I have wondered how bad the ride and other sacrifices would be with cranked keys but at this point I think I am past that stage

There are a few cool over conversion out there that I’m looking at. Not sure if I’ll pull the trigger on anything right now but a true HD coilover conversion would be awesome on this truck.

Again, I’m a redneck at heart sooo not sure I’ll ever outgrow lifted trucks hahaha

 

[Tonyv__]

Actually impressed with the quality of this cheap aftermarket black grill from ZMAUTOPARTS on amazon . Had it installed when I got the hood and bumper painted. For those interested, you can see the holes that you have to drill in the plastic bumper cover to fit the Westin guard. The westin has an upper mount that prevents the guard from folding back into the grill.

If you don’t mind sharing, what did you pay for the bumper and hood?

I’m looking to have my hood done myself, also in PA

 

[Bigburb3500]

Learnt sumptin new today

Also, I did this a few weeks ago and forgot to post, I lined up a similar spec-d Silverado 3500 with a door jam sticker showing the same GVWR of 11k and the bumper tow max for the gasser was 14 or 14,500lbs. I would say that’s pretty well in line with what we all are thinking. MIGHT be able to do a bit more with a good WD setup and taking it easy.