Chevrolet Suburban 3500 Questions

[Geotrash]

I know this truck was not designed for normal consumer purchasing but I think they missed an opportunity. It’s like a new Excursion without the diesel option.

I completely agree. There will always be a market for a heavy duty SUV option in the US. I'm sure that in the boardrooms when the auto manufacturers were planning their future fleets 10 years ago, it felt safer to invest any available capital into EVs and improving SUV fuel efficiency, given the looming CAFE mandates and the direction it seemed the industry was going. I would've been the little voice in the back (okay, I'm not a small man and I don't have a small voice, but whatever) saying y'all are betting against the American dad who likes beefy trucks and has a brood of offspring he wants to take on adventures, and that's never a good bet.

On the topic of shocks, I did find a little tidbit that's interesting: Apparently the OEM for the factory shocks on the HD pickups (Z71 excluded but presumably inclusive of our 3500 Suburbans) is Tenneco. Tenneco also makes Rancho and Monroe.

 

[Bigburb3500]

I completely agree. There will always be a market for a heavy duty SUV option in the US. I'm sure that in the boardrooms when the auto manufacturers were planning their future fleets 10 years ago, it felt safer to invest any available capital into EVs and improving SUV fuel efficiency, given the looming CAFE mandates and the direction it seemed the industry was going. I would've been the little voice in the back (okay, I'm not a small man and I don't have a small voice, but whatever) saying y'all are betting against the American dad who likes beefy trucks and has a brood of offspring he wants to take on adventures, and that's never a good bet.

On the topic of shocks, I did find a little tidbit that's interesting: Apparently the OEM for the factory shocks on the HD pickups (Z71 excluded but presumably inclusive of our 3500 Suburbans) is Tenneco. Tenneco also makes Rancho and Monroe.

Interesting… supports why new HD models come with “Ranchos” from the factory these days! When I pull them I will let you know if they have branding on them. I cannot visually see any when walking by.

I agree with you, just look at pickups in general. Platinum F:150s and High Country Chevys and Denali GMC are proof people buy expensive trucks as just daily drivers. I am still shocked full sized trucks have not had true hybrid systems fitted to them as they seem perfect for the addition, but in the end HD SUVs will always have a place in market. Flip side is, I think the market who needs high tow capacity with interior space is smaller than just the high tow capacity group who then buy HD diesel trucks. Also, 10k towing (ex Ford Expedition Max) is pretty stout, not saying its built tow that much regularly.

 

[gtrslngrchris]

Thank you for the input! How many miles did you put on each set of Rancho shocks? For a full set of 4 it is hard to beat $350-ish.
I just looked up Sway-A-Way and they look great but I am not ready to bite off $2000 for a set of shocks…

Less than 15k miles each set and this was when the truck was just handling daily driver duties not towing or anything strenuous aside from Oklahoma's road quality. I currently have Sway-A-Ways in the front because I got so fed up with replacing blown front shocks that I wanted to go heavier duty. I've got reservoir Bilstein 5100s in the rear and I don't think I would see any improvement with a different/more expensive rear shock at least not without having a lot heavier duty work for it.

Like I said, the Ranchos rode nicer than anything else on my truck and the adjustment was nice but they just didn't last and the only other vehicle I've personally had experience with that had them ended up with similar issues (1500 NNBS). I would never have spent so much on front shocks that weren't secretly coilovers if I hadn't had such poor luck.

 

[Bigburb3500]

Less than 15k miles each set and this was when the truck was just handling daily driver duties not towing or anything strenuous aside from Oklahoma's road quality. I currently have Sway-A-Ways in the front because I got so fed up with replacing blown front shocks that I wanted to go heavier duty. I've got reservoir Bilstein 5100s in the rear and I don't think I would see any improvement with a different/more expensive rear shock at least not without having a lot heavier duty work for it.

Like I said, the Ranchos rode nicer than anything else on my truck and the adjustment was nice but they just didn't last and the only other vehicle I've personally had experience with that had them ended up with similar issues (1500 NNBS). I would never have spent so much on front shocks that weren't secretly coilovers if I hadn't had such poor luck.

Thank you for the input! Given the budget I have been allotted and the rumblings of complaints from the back seats, I will still go ahead and buy these shocks. HOPEFULLY, I will have an amazing 50-80k mile experience with them and then I can upgrade to a set of reservoir 2.5” kings with full adjustability too… one can dream, right?

 

[Geotrash]

I am still shocked full sized trucks have not had true hybrid systems fitted to them as they seem perfect for the addition, but in the end HD SUVs will always have a place in market. Flip side is, I think the market who needs high tow capacity with interior space is smaller than just the high tow capacity group who then buy HD diesel trucks. Also, 10k towing (ex Ford Expedition Max) is pretty stout, not saying its built tow that much regularly.

I agree with you it's odd that a true hybrid system hasn't yet been offered. The only hypothesis I have is that GM's last hybrid experiment on these trucks didn't sell well - either because it was only a mild hybrid system that seemed barely worth the added complexity and cost, or because consumers didn't trust GM's ability to execute a reliable hybrid system. If Toyota built it, I bet it would sell better.

And I also agree that the market is mostly being met by HD pickups. Which forces other compromises if you have kids. We have 2 other couples we camp with regularly who have kids and dogs. Both of them have crew cab pickups they tow their camper with, and they drive another vehicle along for the kids and dogs. Both of them have now seen the Suburban 3500 and said "I wish I'd known they made that".

 

[BacDoc]

For new truck hybrid definitely has some advantages but looking at Toyota it definitely isn’t fuel economy or reliability in their bigger trucks/SUV.

Think the big problem with the hybrid is resale. If I was looking for used HD SUV with over 100k miles I would definitely be cautious about a hybrid no matter who made it. With gas engines you have a good idea of worst case scenario costs and most OEM or aftermarket parts are readily available.
Hybrid adds complexity with battery and other components not just for cost but availability and who can do the work. Hybrid technology is not conducive to DIY yet.

 

[Geotrash]

For new truck hybrid definitely has some advantages but looking at Toyota it definitely isn’t fuel economy or reliability in their bigger trucks/SUV.

Think the big problem with the hybrid is resale. If I was looking for used HD SUV with over 100k miles I would definitely be cautious about a hybrid no matter who made it. With gas engines you have a good idea of worst case scenario costs and most OEM or aftermarket parts are readily available.
Hybrid adds complexity with battery and other components not just for cost but availability and who can do the work. Hybrid technology is not conducive to DIY yet.

100% agree with you. And unfortunately for most folks, they don't know this reality until years later, with the benefit of time and hindsight. Which, I believe, is the main reason why hybrids and battery-electric vehicle sales are now dropping. The jig is up.

Maybe another way to think of the car market is that there are buyers who have a short-term view, and want the latest and greatest design and creature comforts. And then there are buyers with a long term view, who prize long term durability more. At 53, I'm firmly in the latter camp and I'll pay more for a vehicle that will stand the test of time. And I'm not alone. Car manufacturers don't seem to see this market distinction though - perhaps partly because it requires a reputation that's built over a period of years, and partly because constantly evolving federal mandates make it devilishly hard to accomplish.

It's also what makes GM's durability troubles (that began with AFM) so troubling to me. They built a reputation for bulletproof durability with the GMT800 platform and prior, and are squandering it with the latest two generations of these rigs.

 

[Bigburb3500]

CAFE regulations really hindered the reliability aspect and on big vehicles did not increase fuel economy very much.

I will argue for and against the hybrid piece. Toyota and their Sequoia/Tundra hybrid is an example of hybrid for power sake. I would guess with some tuning it could have done both, power or economy. The F:150 seems to do both with power + improved mpgs? I think the plug-in and full ev will never be diy friendly but a normal hybrid will be great. Look at older Toyota models, they run 200k+ with no major issues. Not designed for HD use by any means but they are long lasting.

I fussed at several ppl to not derail this thread and look at me breaking my own rules… guess that’s the benefit of being the OP! LOL

 

[Geotrash]

Drove the 3500 down to Mill Spring, NC for the Earl Scruggs Music Festival, about 800 miles round trip, hauling the camper. Such a pleasure to tow with this thing. My wife commented on the way home about how safe she feels in it because she knows it's so solid. Can't put a price on that.

We lucked out and got headwinds both ways. Gas mileage averaged right at 8 mpg - sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on speed and terrain. But we did have a minor issue pop up that went away just as quickly. On the way down about 100 miles into the trip, the fuel gauge suddenly dropped to zero. No low fuel warning light or chimes. We stopped at a rest area and I looked everything over to make sure we weren't in fact dumping fuel, shut it off and started it back up, but the gauge remained on E and the miles remaining to empty screen was reading "--". But the average fuel economy screen still worked so I calculated our next fuel stop accordingly and we made it just fine. After fill-up the gauge was working again and continued to work for the rest of the trip. My guess is after sitting so long under prior ownership and then sitting in our garage for several weeks, the fuel sender was sending out enough odd information that the computer shut it off. But who knows - I'm just glad it's working again.

Other than that, everything was great. It was 96ºF outside with full sun on the way down, and transmission temp hovered around 190ºF, peaking at 198 after a long-ish climb. On the way home it was in the upper 70's outside and the transmission hovered around 180ºF. The coolant temp gauge never left the 210 peg.

 

[Bigburb3500]

Drove the 3500 down to Mill Spring, NC for the Earl Scruggs Music Festival, about 800 miles round trip, hauling the camper. Such a pleasure to tow with this thing. My wife commented on the way home about how safe she feels in it because she knows it's so solid. Can't put a price on that.

We lucked out and got headwinds both ways. Gas mileage averaged right at 8 mpg - sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on speed and terrain. But we did have a minor issue pop up that went away just as quickly. On the way down about 100 miles into the trip, the fuel gauge suddenly dropped to zero. No low fuel warning light or chimes. We stopped at a rest area and I looked everything over to make sure we weren't in fact dumping fuel, shut it off and started it back up, but the gauge remained on E and the miles remaining to empty screen was reading "--". But the average fuel economy screen still worked so I calculated our next fuel stop accordingly and we made it just fine. After fill-up the gauge was working again and continued to work for the rest of the trip. My guess is after sitting so long under prior ownership and then sitting in our garage for several weeks, the fuel sender was sending out enough odd information that the computer shut it off. But who knows - I'm just glad it's working again.

Other than that, everything was great. It was 96ºF outside with full sun on the way down, and transmission temp hovered around 190ºF, peaking at 198 after a long-ish climb. On the way home it was in the upper 70's outside and the transmission hovered around 180ºF. The coolant temp gauge never left the 210 peg.

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Thanks for the tow review! Glad to know it can tow more than 3k lbs lol.

I cannot believe you found a truck with such low mileage. Absolutely insane, but the issue sounds like most cars that sit for long periods of time.