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dallas auto show...gm still makes me sad sometimes

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vortec

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four friends and i took off work early to hit the dallas auto show, yesterday. gm has brought some very cool things to the shows in the last few years, such as the new camaro and this year, the convertible version. and the volt is the first hybrid i've ever actually liked. anyway, while other companies are beefing up their truck lines, gm is making them pure street cruisers. the new tundra is pretty ugly, but bigger and stronger than the old one. i don't know how well that tailgate step on the ford superduty will work, longterm, but aside from a major design flaw that bangs it against the paint, it's not as stupid as i thought it would be. what really bothers me is that gm still does not offer sfa on any truck:(, they're cheaping out on the rear brakes, and according to the book the reps had, you can't get a gear ratio deeper than 3.73 without selecting the G80 rpo (they didn't even know what that meant. ha). supposedly, the new locker is stronger than the old-school govbomb, but still not as good as aftermarket units. it just seems like they don't have provisions for real wheelers or truck guys in general anymore. i'm not saying they haven't made a lot of improvements in performance, etc. but they are alienating a whole (admittedly small) group of buyers. just bums me out a bit. i know we'll all end up modding whatever ride we get, but it's nice to have a good platform to start with, like the k5. my friends, we are a dying breed.
 
If makes any difference the new G80's aren't made by Eaton anymore ( that I am aware of ) they are shown on AAM's website as being built in house now .
 
OffRoad said:
in 1988 gm started with ifs. now 19 years later, they're the only one who still makes ifs. stupid.
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Ummmm unless F-150's, Dodge RAM 1500's, Toyota Tundras, and Nissan Titians all changed to solid axles you might be wrong :rolleyes:
 
tundra and titan are not available with sfa, either, afaik. but, that's not the point. it's not something that was taken away from them. ifs is great on my 2wd pickup, but on my k5, sfa is the only way to go. now, if it had factory crossover steering like the superduty, that would be really nice.

don't worry, i'm not becoming a ford or dodge guy, or anti-gm.

also, i realize the h1 had only independent suspension, but that was purpose-built. i asked the reps if there are plans for an sfa h2 or h3. of course not. i'd like to see hummer become more than a brand for poseurs trying to overcompensate for little p3nises.
 
The engines are drying up too....I believe the only motor offered in the Avalanche is the 5.3....Suburbans only get up to 6.0....

Why not offer a Duramax/Allison 'Burb, or even an 8.1/Allison combo....

Yeah gearing options suck, and IFS blows....Seems like a pattern here....

All the cars are boring, except maybe the Monte. Why did they stop with just the 300 horse 5.3? The winningest car in Nascar history gets the short end of the stick....At least it is rear drive again....

Yeah, GM makes me :mad: :mad: too....
 
Subfan, GM's V8s nowadays are hugely powerful. You don't need 2890 cubic inches to make big power.

I think the new 6.0 VortecMax or whatever it is are making like 360hp stock.
 
Ben B. said:
Subfan, GM's V8s nowadays are hugely powerful. You don't need 2890 cubic inches to make big power.

I think the new 6.0 VortecMax or whatever it is are making like 360hp stock.
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And my 95 makes ~215....ha ha
 
76zimmer said:
And my 95 makes ~215....ha ha
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And my 78 makes ~ 170. lol


God how I wouldn't complain about having a 360hp current gen small block in my rig.
 
If the 6.0 makes 360, then the 8.1 should make 486 :rolleyes:

Remember the saying there is no replacement for displacement????

The torque difference would be the biggest factor....

It bothers me that they made the choice, and we can't.
 
vortec said:
i asked the reps if there are plans for an sfa h2 or h3. of course not. i'd like to see hummer become more than a brand for poseurs trying to overcompensate for little p3nises.
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I see the H3 as their first response to the Rubicon. Perhaps good sales of the adventure pkg equiped H3 will tell them there is a strong market out there. Then perhaps that attitude will find it's way into the truck market. Hopefully with equipment we would like to see on them. We chose to replace our 4wd Tahoe with an H3 this summer. The ground clearance alone was worth the move for us. Our "driveway" gets pretty rough at times.. when the rain washes the base out. But the added clearance is just what we needed for trips to the lake etc. The adventure package just makes it that much nicer to wheel.

Now, I would have rather bought a full size GM vehicle, that could perform as well, but Gm doesn't make one. The 4wd Tahoe we replaced was about as off road capable as a 1975 Caddy.. with slighly less groung clearance. If GM still made solid axle K5's, I'd have a new one in the driveway, but as we know, they dont. But, I have at least done my little part to send the message that there is a market for trail friendly "new" vehicles. Theres a chance that GM will come around. With Ford and Dodge still making SFA trucks, and the Dodges power wagon, .. the rubi market, and now the intro of the H3, maybe they will see there is some money to be made creating a truck that can still handle a respectable trail in stock form. I'm just afraid that it will take longer than we want, for it to happen.. if it ever does.
 
vortec said:
what really bothers me is that gm still does not offer sfa on any truck:(,
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This always cracks me up when someone talks about GM IFS this way, as if they are waiting for it to return or something....:haha:

GM will NEVER put a solid front axle in a light pickup truck again, basically period. If anything you need to go out and hug your rear 10b or 14BFF on a late model truck as they might want to go IRS too!

IFS really isn't that bad, it has a bad wrap around here because people are into 4wheeling, lifts, and huge tires. IFS SUCKS with those three things. Stock trucks actually do just fine, usually.

But, as far as how GM has gone, thats why I'm a late model Mopar man now. I love my Ram Cummins with a D60/70 and Dodge keeps coming out with some really cool stuff.
 
maybe somone like oru will start to offer new trucks with sas conversions already done and somesort of warranty on the stuff they have changed. there are lots of dealers that sell lifted trucks brand new, now we just need one to do sas kits. then I would buy a new gm truck instead of a dodge.
 
Ben B. said:
Are you guys missing the fact that GM owns Hummer? lol
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My first line doesn't appear to imply that... :crazy:

I see the H3 as their first response to the Rubicon. Perhaps good sales of the adventure pkg equiped H3 will tell them there is a strong market out there.
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I was speaking of GM. :screwy:
 
I've studied this long and hard. I'm ordering a '07 Silverado Classic 2500HD LT1 1LT 4X4 X-cab standard bed, 6.0 gas, 4L80E, open 4.10s. Going to install PowerTrax NoSlip front and rear, BFG T/A KO 35s and either 6" or 7" lift probably from Cognito.
Edit: and selling the H3.
 
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roadnotca said:
I've studied this long and hard. I'm ordering a '07 Silverado Classic 2500HD LT1 1LT 4X4 X-cab standard bed, 6.0 gas, 4L80E, open 4.10s. Going to install PowerTrax NoSlip front and rear, BFG T/A KO 35s and either 6" or 7" lift probably from Cognito.
Edit: and selling the H3.
Click to expand...
Why not get a Duramax?
 
SUBFAN said:
The engines are drying up too....I believe the only motor offered in the Avalanche is the 5.3....Suburbans only get up to 6.0....

Why not offer a Duramax/Allison 'Burb, or even an 8.1/Allison combo....

Yeah gearing options suck, and IFS blows....Seems like a pattern here....

All the cars are boring, except maybe the Monte. Why did they stop with just the 300 horse 5.3? The winningest car in Nascar history gets the short end of the stick....At least it is rear drive again....

Yeah, GM makes me :mad: :mad: too....
Click to expand...

monty is not coming back.. its getting dropped as soon as the camaro comes.. monty is not rwd either. this is why i think its been replaced in nascar with the impala

you all are missing the point.. i highly doubt anyone walks off any dealership(ford gm dodge) with their new truck and says lets go test this badboy out in moab! regardless of sfa or ifs
 
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