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Anyone with an Avalanche?

  • Thread starter **DONOTDELETE**
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**DONOTDELETE**

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I was just wondering what your thought were on the truck as a whole. I know the plastic body moldings suck, but how about things sealing up good like the panels over the bed, the side boxes on the bed, the midgate? I know the 5.3L engine is a good engine, it's the old 327 running 285 HP. I may be able to get a good deal on a black Z71 02 loaded Avalanche 4x4, so I may trade my 00 Z71 truck.
 
I don't have first hand experance with these trucks. But I have heard owners say the 5.3l is just not enough power for the size & towing. As for the body cladding I have seen a few with it painted body color, and it looks tough. Maybe next model year they will put the 6.0l (which was what I wanted) in the Avalanche, since its in the new 1500HD. Just my two cents worth.
 
hm- isnt the 5.3 the same engine that is in the Silverado Z-71? thats the truck we had and that truck sure had enough power - compare it to the 8.1 or the Duramax, no way- but to "replace" the old 350 with its a comparable engine.

We had one for a week before we bought the D/A- extended test drive- and the only thing we didnt like about it was- how long is the back window that pops out/down going to stay tight- you know the locking plastic on the old slider's- those didnt last for that long- thats the only problem we found- and the deal- we got a much better deal on the D/A.... my 5 year old thinks it's goldberg's truck- we had the gold one--

brandy
 
I have a 2000 Z71 right now with the 5.3L in it and it has more power then my last Vortech 350 did in my 96 Tahoe. I am really happy with the engine. I have seen a few Avalanches with the cladding painted and that is what I am thinking of doing. 1 tons, a doubler, and 44" Boggers would give it an edge too !! Who knows, if the guy gives me the deal I want I'll drive it home today.
 
I don't have one, but so-far, I haven't seen verymeny of 'em in the shop. They seems to pretty tight. (Sorry, they are too new to form any real opinion on 'em yet)

The 5.3L isn't really the old 327 from the the 60s, the bore and stroke is different. That engine has PLENTY of power for a P/U, but they get lugged down a bit when you put some weight behind them. They don't have the same atitude in the Tahoes/Suburbans and Alalanches, it's too much weight for the 5.3L.

The Avalanche is also avalible with in a HeayDuty form, I think that includes the 8.1L, but not the Duramax. (as far as I know)
 
Well I said to hell with it and bought the damn thing !!! You only live once. The Avalanche looked bigger than my Silverado, but when I put them side by side the Avalanche was actually shorter in length by about a foot and the front end is about the same height, the back is about 6 inches taller. Another toy !!
 
Good for you. Personaly I like 'em and really dig the front clip and rear deck. little pockets on the bed sides. I think the hole package is cool.

Hows the power feel so-far?
What was the Silverado package you had? (to compare, for my own personal info)
 
I went and test drove a 2500 avalanche w/a 14 bolt FF rear 4:10 gears and an 8.1liter big block and it was awesome!! this thing will do everything I want or need a truck to do!!! 4x8 sheet o' plywood ...no problem !!! haul everyone to the beach .... no problem!! Hual everyone to the beach and pull a 40FT Donzi!!! .....No problem!!! The only complaint i had with it was bad wheelhop with the leaf springs in the 2500 model , but great power!!! You can also feel the weight of the vehicle as well ! CC
 
I picked it up at noon today, so I haven't driven it much. It seams to be pretty peppy like the Silverado. I compared the weights today, the Silverado was 6400 and the Avalnche is 7000.
It was a 2000 Ext cab 4 dr. 1500 Z71 with the 5.3L and automatic shortbed fleetside. The Avalanche is the 2002 1500 4 dr. 4x4 Z71 loaded with the 5.3L.
 
Ok here is the cubic inches for the 99-present engines.
4.3=262ci gas
4.8=293ci gas
5.3=325ci gas
6.0=364ci gas
8.1=496ci gas
6.6=402ci diesel
These engines really have nothing in common with the older engines. The blocks are totally diffrent other than the 4.3 and the 8.1.
 
Awwwww 325/327 whats the diff !!!! I was close !! After owning the Avalanche for a week now I can safely say that it isn't under powered, even though that 8.1 sounds good. The Avalanche weighs 600 pounds more than my 00 ext cab Z71 and has a little less zip, but handles alot better overall. I am happy so far.
 
Yeah were just gonna have to learn what these new engines are all about. I heard it said once that the small block Chevey's days were numberd, well in a way thats true. The original small block is gone but at least they kept a push rod engine instead of a overhead cam jobbie like Ford and Dodge.
 
Give them 10 years and we'll be driving around in some cold-fusion 500 HP monster truck with 44" tires as a factory option.
 
The small block s still around and in production, the Express full-size vans still run a SBC.

It's Factory production days are numbered though, as is the current push-rod SBC (call it a hunch). What do you expect from an engine design that is over four - decades old. (The first model year for the SBC was 1955.) In that time, the engine only recived one major overhaul in 1987, consisting of mostly sealing up-dates. The engine is not perfect, but with it's addaptibility, and strong following, has made it
The engine that all others will be compared to, in the past, present and future
 
I wish I could find the copy I made of the specs on the current engines. In a nut shell,
In typical G.M. fashion.
The 4.8 and 5.3 share the same bore, but different strokes.
The 5.3 and 6.0 share the same stroke, but different bores.

Also, they use 6-bolt main bearings caps (two are crossed) and the rod caps are "fractured". The rod is made as one-piece, and the big-end is impact-fractured, so the tow parts are a perfect fit. (you can't see the parting line when bolted togather)
- Thats the makings for a very strong assaembly, I'm sure we'll see much more out of G.M.'s new engine family.
 
About the only similiarities between the new 5.3L and the old 327 is that they both have 8 cylinders and about the same displacement. I doubt you could find even 1 part that interchanges between the two engines.

I guess a lot has to do with what you are used to, but the 5.3 in a pickup seems to run pretty good. I do believe the Avalanches are a little heavier so the peformance would be a little less.

The biggest downfall of the Avalanche in my opinion is that they are ugly. The ones I have seen with the plastic body cladding painted look a little better. The stock size tires also look really small in proportion to the huge cladding around the wheelwells so bigger tires look better also. The conversion between a pickup and SUV they advertise is kind of a joke. When in pickup mode the entire rear of the cab is wide open. Who wants to drive around like that when it's cold, raining, snowing, or even dusty? Also, would you want to park it along the street with the back wide open?
 
Ok guys enough already on the 5.3L is not a 327, the frigin thing is close and it was only a comparison of displacement. The 5.3 in my Avalanche is still peppy, but 600 lbs. more does make a differnce. As for the plastic cladding, it wasn't my favorite from the get go, but after my 2000 Z71 getting dent after dent in it from shopping carts I will welcome the extra protection and I have even thought about painting it to match the truck or a charcoal gray to two-tone it. I have Michelin 265/70R/17's on mine. As for the ride, it rides a 100 times better than the Silverado and has alot better braking and a very tight turning radius. Ok now the mid gate is what I think rocks !! I can put ten 4'x8' sheets of plywood in the 8' 1" bed with the back glass still in and the hard toneu cover on with it locked or take the glass out and cover off, depending on the load. By no means is it like a long bed truck cuz I would want to haul dirt or rock in it with the mid gate down, but with it up it is fine for anything, even has the bed lined and lit. The side storage boxes are handy and fit a case of beer in each with just enough ice !!! Thanks for the opinions. I like the truck so far and it works well for what we needed it for so we are happy.
 
I was just stating my personal opinions on my thoughts of the Avalanche, if you like it than great. Sounds like you are getting kind of offensive............

I didn't realize that you could open the midgate yet still keep the glass in place. I looked at one at the dealership a while back that was set up on the showroom floor so you can see how it converted, it looked like the midgate was what held the glass up and there was no way to keep the glass in if the midgate was folded down. Maybe I looked at it wrong.
 
Hey how much did you pay for that puppy? Just wondering the difference in pricwe between the off-road and the heavy duty?

I love the avalanche!
 
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