2wd or 4wd? Can't decide.

[Tony_SS]

So I'm still searching for a Suburban or Blazer. I've seen a lot, but none that were right for me. I thought if I decided on 2 or 4wd, that'd help narrow it down a bit.

I've never owned a 4wd square. Can they be costly to repair and upkeep? Does mileage suffer a lot? Here in mid Missouri, we dont see a lot of snow, so 4wd might be used a few times a year. I would like 4wd, but I think the cost may outweigh the benefit in my case.

Any feedback?

[softballnrd27]

They aren't that much more to maintain, the routine maintenance goes up a little bc you have to deal with another axle and a transfer case. It gets really expensive when you want to lift it and do all that stuff to it.

[68Timber]

Since you've already got the cool truck, go 4x4. They aren't really more difficult to maintain but there is more there to break. Unless you plan on really abusing it offroad, that's not a concern.

I'd love to have a square body 3/4 ton 4x4 Burb to park next to my Blazer, I'd like to have one of each.

[justpball]

i have both, love them both for dif reasons, dont think you could go wrong with either...

[Tony_SS]

I'm thinking come spring/summer some 4x4 k5's and 'burbs will start to show up.

What do you all think a practical lift is / isn't?

I think 6" is too much... is 4" too much? I'll be dealing with putting kids in and out of seats so I'm thinking 2-3" max, if any.

[Conundrum]

A 4" lift looks good on these trucks with some 35s, but it would cause some difficulties with getting the kids in and out.

[Tony_SS]

I'm thinking 2-3" with 33x12.50 on 15x10's. And I'm leaning toward a Suburban since it'd be more family friendly.

[sdailey]

Not a suburban or blazer but here is a shot of my old '87 with a 2" Rancho lift running 33 x 12.50's on 15 x 10 rallys. Maybe this will give you an idea of the "look" that the lift would give you.

[Conundrum]

Originally Posted by Tony_SS

I'm thinking 2-3" with 33x12.50 on 15x10's. And I'm leaning toward a Suburban since it'd be more family friendly.

I totally agree with that.

[68Timber]

A 2" to 3" lift over 33" tires on 15x10's looks great on the short wheel base pickups and Blazers (to me that's the "ideal" lift/tire combo) but the mammoth Suburban needs 4" of lift over 35" tires to get the same look. The easy way to keep the lifts cheap is to keep them small enough so you you don't need the driveshafts lengthened. You can lift a Blazer up to 4" and run the original driveshafts, I'm not sure how much you can get away with on the Suburban - probably the same as the Blazer since the front drive-shaft length will be the same but I'm not 100% sure.

[Tony_SS]

sdailey, that setup looks great!

BRUISER, I agree... that's the one drawback with the blazer/burb, is that is so top heavy that it does need a good foundation to balance out the top.

If anyone has a blazer/burb with a 2-3" lift 33" tires on 15x10's, I'd love to see it.

[rcbildr]

Here's my 85 4x4 burb with a 4" lift. I've driven 2wd and 4wd and I prefer 4x4. I like to go camping and fishing a lot and I like this set up alot. There's plenty of room to load up everyone and bring our dogs with us when we go camping. It is a pain in the butt lifting the kids (we have 2 girls ages 4 and 7) in and out (I have 3 torn disks in my neck) but I will eventually build steps so the kids can climb in on their own.

The specs are in my sig. If I remember right the rims are 15x8 and they are offset enough so I didn't have to do much grinding to get them to clear the front calipers.

[Tony_SS]

^what tires are you running there?

I think I might want to stick with a 2-3" lift.. 4 looks like too much for my intended use. I like the look though!

[cochino12]

You already have a cool 2wd so I say get a 4wd, they are very easy to come by and lifts are super cheap and you can install them in an afternoon in the driveway.

4" lift and 35"s will still rub pretty good if you do any sort of off roading, how about a 4" lift and 33"s? That will get the truck sitting just a tad higher than a most new trucks come stock but still do just fine wheeling.

EDIT: I forgot, if you lift a blazer make sure you lift the rear at 1" more than the front or it will have a saggy rear

[Tony_SS]

thanks guys.. great info here.

[72 CustomCamper]

Here's my blazer when I bought it. It had a 3 inch body lift with 35x12.5's on 15x10 wheels...


Chuck

[rcbildr]

The tires are 33x12.50.15. Eventually I want to go with 35's.