Picked up an unmolested Yukon XL 4x4 and want to ****** it

[Jeff d]

Well, after 1.5 months of looking at overpriced junk that sellers described as being in "excellent" condition, I picked this up this AM. Garage kept, 1 owner, meticulously maintained and mostly loaded (Leather, Bose, rear entertainment, HD towing, etc.) 4x4 w/ 71,000 miles and perfect carfax. Without exaggeration it looks better than most 1-2 year old vehicles. He never even put it through a mechanical carwash so there's not the typical haze that dark colored cars get from micro scratches.

This is to replace my '04 Dodge quad cab since we've started doing a lot more family camping trips. Me, the wife and 4 kids in my truck was getting pretty cozy and I had to put everything that couldn't get wet in plastic bags. I'm hoping the Yukon XL will suit my needs a bit better as I don't often need the pickup bed.

I love everything about it but the wheels/tires and the stance. I usually prefer OEM wheels but these particular ones don't do it for me. I don't think they're ugly, just not really good looking. I may try to pickup some different OEM 17s or 18s. I'd also be open to some black wheels as I like that look even if it is "played". There are some '08 17s for sale on my local craigslist that I may look at. I think I want to do Ford keys and maybe a 1-1.5" spacer in the back as well as airbag helpers for when I tow my popup camper and boat.

I'd really like a 4" front/2" rear (or so) suspension lift but do they all require aftermarket wheels with less back spacing? Offroading will be very light but may be with my popup in tow. Are there any reasonably priced 4" lifts that can be used with OEM wheels? Is there anything between just cranking replacing the keys for 2" of lift and a full blown 4-6" suspension lift for $1,500+ that's still good? I've seen the Cognito control arms but those don't really give you any more lift do they? Don't they just address the control arm/ball joint angle? I was open to a body lift before I actually bought one. Now that I own it this one seems too nice to do a body lift on.

I see a few chevy 6" or so suspension lifts on craigslist for the pickups. Some used and some new where the owners never got around to installing them. Assuming I could get a good enough price on one of those, would the front end components be the same and all I'd need is coils or spacers for the rear? Can you just run less crank on a 6" lift to get only 4"? I don't really want a 6" lift or the tires it can clear so that I can still fit in a normal garage if possible. Even 4" may be pushing it depending on the tires.


Thanks,
Jeff

 

[livingez_123]

Please use caution when molesting! and always use some kind of protection. they may look nice on the outside but.......... Do what you need to make it use able for you and the family. Maybe save the rest for some nice camping gear.

 

[Matt06Yukon]

I wouldn't bother with a full on lift kit for what your gonna use it for. Get some 285/75/16's or 285/70/17 if you find some newer denali or yukon wheels. The 04-06 Yukon 17's are nice looking.

 

[06GMC5.3L]

Level it with 285s.


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[fast_jason]

I think you are right on with the Ford keys and spacers. Get some 17" or 18" wheels and a larger tire and call it good. That will leave you some money to get a BB tune and performance goodies.

 

[Jeff d]

I still haven't done much to it. I've been catching up on maintenance and financially recovering from the purchase and hoping to find something in a ~33" tire on OEM wheels on CraigsList for a good price.

I'd like 17"+ wheels so that I can do the NNBS rotors and the Police Pursuit Vehicle calipers as the brakes are pretty crappy vs. pretty much every other vehicle I've ever driven. I changed out the brake fluid, even removed the reservoir and cleand it out (Lots of sludge), and it improved slightly. The pads have lots of meat on them. I don't have HydroBoost either.

I did try cranking my stock keys temporarily and maxed out at 1.5" lift on the driver's side. The passenger side had some more room to crank but that doesn't really help so I will need keys. It rode the same and the angles all looked great. I'm pretty sure it's sagged down vs. what height it rolled off the line at in '03 and I could easily go another 3/4" or so (for a total crank of 2.25-2.75") without putting anything at an unacceptable angle. I returned it to my initial measurements the next day to avoid needing to spend $60 on an alignment just yet.

It appears that Ford key pricing has gotten out of hand and I could get forged "leveling keys" off of eBay for less at about $70 shipped for the pair. I could pull some from a junk yard F150 but I think it's worth the extra $$ not to have to crawl around under a vehicle for twice as long.

 

[Screwd up 6]

Have you checked the dealership for ford keys. I looked into them in October and they were cheaper that ebay forged sets.

 

[rabbiporkchop]

if I was going to ****** it I would stick a four cylinder Cummins under the hood with an NV 4500 transmission. Then I would stick a Dana 60 under the front and rear.

 

[oh1yukonslt]

Please use caution when molesting! and always use some kind of protection. they may look nice on the outside but.......... Do what you need to make it use able for you and the family. Maybe save the rest for some nice camping gear.

X2 I thought about molesting mine. But from having jacked up rigs something always seems to fail. Only as strong as your weakest link. I have broken hundreds of u-joints and CV-shafts from the angles. Granted all the engines I had were not stock so that figures I bust up stuff

 

[Jeff d]

I done molested her a bit back in June:
http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52533

Not much, just enough to make it a little less "Soccer Mom". No suspension or drive train issues thus far. I've had a plethora of little electrical and gadget issues though (Obviously unrelated to the suspension, wheels and tires). The latest was that I had to replace both of the HVAC aspirators in the ceiling because the fans had gone bad and they sounded awful (I blew out the dust and they were still loud). I also had to replace a power window motor, the AC blower control module, the high mounted LED brake light.

I've also got a few outstanding issues that need attention but I haven't done anything about them yet. My seat controls went wacky a few of months ago which is apparently a common issue due to bad software in the seat control module. For a while I couldn't move it forward or back but after a few weeks it decided to work but only in reverse (i.e. I push it forward to go back and back to go forward). This is apparently a 1 hr. dealer only fix that I'm dreading. My alternator is squeaking (yes, I'm sure it's not the belt) and my HVAC blend door actuator clicks rhythmically sometimes (despite being disassembled/cleaned and reset according to instructions I've found online).

Overall I really like the vehicle but sometimes I wish it was a less "loaded" model sometimes so I wouldn't have all of these fancy, now 12 year old, electrical gadgets that I depend on. Oh well, I guess if I get another 12 years out of the replacement parts I'll be doing well and a few hundred dollars and a few hours of my time each year to replace any new parts that fail sure is cheaper than a new SLT Yukon XL.