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Wife DD a Dual Use Sub, Bad Idea, Right?

M

mr_blasto

1/2 ton status
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I have a 91 3/4 ton diesel Suburban w/ 4L80E and barn doors, and I think it's the coolest thing on the planet. I have it parked at my parents place in UT to use as a vehicle to play around with when we vacation up there (skiing, camping, wheeling, etc.). I previously had a '72 K5 with 1 tons, crossover steering, 38's, etc. (see signature), so my wife and I know what it's like to drive something big, but the burb is currently stock.

Eventually, I plan to put 1 tons on the suburban, put some 35-39" tires on it (likely 37s) while hacking the fenders to keep it as low as possible - I bought it with this plan in mind as I'll have 4 kids after another week or two with the oldest being 7. This is intended to be a family wheeling mobile that I feel comfortable driving distances in - because we have to be able to drive it to Moab.

My wife cannot be reasoned with (I'm sure many of you can relate) and insists that we sell her 2000 Yukon XL as the miles are getting up there and she doesn't trust it. The problem is she also wants to minimize the cash we spend in replacing it. So I get to thinking, well we already have a replacement, but it's just too high to be strapping a couple little ones in car seats all the time. I know if we brought the 91 from UT, I wouldn't be able to resist putting 37's on it, which just makes the problem worse.

So, anyone have experience with an old burb with big tires as a family car? It was terrible, right? These caught my eye, and I'm trying to figure out if I could do something like that to make this a real option. She's totally up for it, and I'd have some money to put into the burb if it meant we didn't have to replace the outgoing one, but I can't afford to put money into it only to then have to get a replacement anyways.

Talk me out of this line of thinking and bring me back to reality please.
 
How tall is your wife, and how good are the older kids at getting in by themselves???

With a newborn and other littles, getting them in and out of something tall is a PITA. Lifting a carseat above your head gets old quick.

That being said, she we probably win ALL parking space battles.
 
Wife is 5'8" with pretty long arms, haha. The two oldest boys are in booster seats and take care of them selves. The third boy is two so it'll be about a year before he's in a booster buckling himself like his brothers. Fourth is a girl and she'll need help for quite some time.

There shouldn't be much moving of car seats around. We don't do the carrier/car seat combo deals, just normal car seats, so it's a matter of throwing the kid in and getting them strapped in.

Tire rack says stock tire size is 235/85/16 which is 31.7" in diameter. From what I'm reading I could fit 37's if I trim enough without lifting (though more articulation would be preferred). Based on tire size, it would sit 2.65" taller. I'd settle for 35's which would put us at 1.65" taller than stock. Or I suppose I could have two sets of wheels, 33's and 37's, but gearing becomes kind of weird at that point.

I'd rather just keep the 2000, so if she faces a little frustration with the switch, I just might secretly enjoy that, shhhh.
 
my wife has a stock 2007 suburban and I'm rebuilding the 89 for my DD and my kids are close in age to yours minus the 4th my youngest is 2. I decided to only go 2.5 and 33s on my suburban cause i want to be easily be able to haul the kids.
 
How many miles are on the Yukon? I daily drove my 89 Suburban for a month, 100 miles round tip minimum, unless I had to go to jobsites. It was fun the first few days, but got tiresome soon after. It's still a 25 yr old vehicle, and the creature comforts are not there. Maybe I'm just spoiled with newer cars now.
 
Seems hard to have your cake and eat it too. DD w/ kids and big tires on a 25yo vehicle doesn't sound like a great combo. How is it w/ 33's and the 2.5" lift? You get your kids around when needed, but if you were doing it all day every day like your wife, it would get old even with that setup, right?

One of the things I like about the newer ones is the captains seats so the kids have easy access to the back bench. I thought about throwing two PRP seats in the middle row to keep that easy access to the rear, but then of course you lose the utility of folding down the middle row.

The yukon has about 175k on it. Front and rear main seals are leaking. A/C isn't quite right. Pitman arm and idler arm should be replaced. Little things here and there. Motor and transmission have never given us issues really. I'm pretty comfortable with it. Our '91 is closer to 100k miles IIRC. Bare bones, manual windows, manual locks, etc. Very few things to go wrong.

There was a time early in our marriage that the '72 K5 was our only car when we were still in college, haha, and it sure made for some memories. The newer cars definitely spoil us.
 
Haven't finished my 89 yet it's still on jack stands. How ever I'm sure my wife wouldn't revert from the 07 to the 89 if I was in that place.
 
My opinion would be to fix the "little" issues on the Yukon XL. But I would also bring the 91 down. Do a zero rate lift front and rear, and swap the tires to 31 to 32 inch. Basically nothing too big. That way she can drive either one while the other is being worked on. The Yukon is absolutely a reliable vehicle and about everything can be fixed pretty easy at home (other than the front and rear seals, but make sure that's really where its leaking).
 
Daily Driving your Suburban in SoCal is going to give it a slow death. If it is a truck that you want to survive, then keep it as a fun weekend Sub.
As a DD your just going to put a ton of miles on it, with kids destroying the interior, going through brakes etc due to stop and go SoCal driving...
Just go lease a good, cheap car and save the Sub!
 
My wife DD's our 91 3/4 ton suburban. It has a 6" lift and 37's.



My wife is 5'10". We have 2 small children, 2 & 4. We love the sub and take it on trips almost every weekend. I see there being a small issue with 4 children though. Having to get one in the third row every time could be inconvenient. But no more then other similar vehicles. Its going to come down the to the lesser of the evils. Which ones you're ok with.
 
Cyclic, I'd agree. I'm thinking I should bring it down if for no other reason to have a third car so when one needs repairs, I can fit them into my schedule rather than being forced to take it somewhere that can get it done quickly. At least that's a step one to buy some time to see if she'll come around on keeping the Yukon XL. I drove the Yukon XL to work today and the whole time I was driving it was just thinking to myself what a great car it is. I just love them.

Keitha, we actually don't put that many miles on our cars, but yes the kids would destroy the interior over time. Everyone is different, but we are anti-lease people. We're more inclined to pay cash for an older vehicle, but that's just us.

Thopper, that's remarkable that she's driving that daily and soooo awesome. How long has it been her DD? Would she honestly say that it never gets old or do you think there are some days she wishes she was driving something different?
 
She really does love it. I'm sure there are always those days when it get old. She also used to DD my 90 crew cab. I actually had to ask her to drive other rigs because the BBC ate to much gas. She's like me and likes old rigs for some reason. :waytogo:
 
Just got my wheels and tires on my soon to be DD again which I will be hauling around 3 kids this winter. My wife's 5ft5 and I know if she was driving it with the lift she would definitely want steps on it. Got the springs used and suppose to be 2.5s but seem taller and tires at 285/75r16 33s

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Looks very nice Eric! I have a step for each door and they look pretty nice. Worth doing (instead of some running board!)

To the OP....I'd stick with 2.5" and 33's. Once you start going to bigger size tires, other issues may make themselves present. Ball joints, wandering down the road, loose suspension, etc. 37's are only going to amplify that.....and you will hear about it later. It will make the truck more difficult to drive for her and coming from the Yukon, not nearly as smooth a ride.

Even my 2500 Yukon XL is smoother ride than the Blazer. However, at 142k, I seem to keep putting money into it. Water pump, steering pump, steering box, AC box actuator (one that is buried in the dash), ball joints, brakes, etc. I do have to keep putting money into it.

The blazer is actually being more reliable at this point at 350k.

Your choice but I'd keep it down. Or just bring as an extra truck. That way, if one doesn't work, she always has a backup.
 
I keep coming back to view this thread to see those sexy DD Suburbans. Well done THopper and Eclipse!
 
I'm running 33's (BFG Ko's) at stock height...my 5'2" Bride still needs the step.

My 3/4 ton 2wd burb sits higher than the 4x..
 
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