Ride Comparison

[BuffettTruck]

As someone with a pinched nerve in his spine, I fell in love with soft ride of my 05 TB EXT. Now that the engine has a pretty bad knock in the pistons, I am looking to replace my 05. I am really looking at replacing it with a Tahoe/Yukon (not Suburban/Yukon XL) or even another TB/Envoy. I am curious if anyone has had the experience to compare the ride of a Tahoe/Yukon with the TB EXT. Or even the Trailblazer SWB vs the EXT. A shorter wheelbase means there will be a slightly rougher ride, but how noticeable is it? I will be going out test-driving some prospective vehicles next week, but if I can get some input to shorten my list and avoid wasting time, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[TollKeeper]

I think the ride inbetween short and long is about the same. I also have back problems, and the Tahoe is just to tall for my back issues. I would love to stay with my Envoy, but fuel mileage is also a driving factor for me. Find yourself a low mileage envoy or rainier, and call it a day!

 

[Maverick6587]

The two vehicles TollKeeper suggested have airbags instead of springs on the rear suspension. Saab 97x's also have airbags.

 

[DocBrown]

I really think it depends on the year, condition of the suspension, and the tires. I've owned a number of Suburbans over the years and they ride pretty nice. Not as nice as my TB rode (which was an ?EXT), but my last one was a '95. I would think newer ones are much better. When all is said and done ride quality is somewhat subjective. You'll really have to drive a few to find out.

Curious, why not a Suburban? I've always viewed Tahoes as castrated Suburbans. Sportier looking, but lots less cargo space. No real difference in mileage either.

 

[Sparky]

It is easier to park a Tahoe than a Suburban however.

I think the Tahoe and Suburban both use coil rear springs vs the leaf that my Silverado has for a nicer ride, similar to the Trailblazer in that respect.

 

[littleblazer]

Have an 18 tahoe... its soft. The previous body style (07.5-13) is a little firmer than the TB but not much. The new ones ride like they're as big as they are. The old ones don't.

 

[TollKeeper]

The two vehicles TollKeeper suggested have airbags instead of springs on the rear suspension. Saab 97x's also have airbags.

Not all of them. The Rainier V8 I almost bought last year had Springs. And I thought the 4.2 Saab could have either spring or air bag?

 

[BuffettTruck]

Why not a Suburban/XL? Simply because of the length. There's a lot of development in my area and the parking lots are often barely big enough for any full-size truck/SUV and the longer they are, the harder it is to park them. And while less of an issue, my wife is uncomfortable driving big vehicles due to depth perception issues. Even my TB EXT was too big for her, but she rarely drives my vehicles.

I did do a search on if the TB came with an air suspension option and found out the Envoy did. There aren't many with the option available right now and most are expensive for their mileage, but I do have one that I will be testing.

Thanks again guys.

 

[Maverick6587]

Not all of them. The Rainier V8 I almost bought last year had Springs. And I thought the 4.2 Saab could have either spring or air bag?

Honestly, it's a gamble with how old they are. I had airbags in my 97x and switched it to coils springs from a trailblazer. I thought the Rainier, 97x, and Envoy all came with airbags standard. I could be wrong though. It could have just been an option for all of them.

 

[Reprise]

If you do find an Envoy with the air suspension, the bags eventually develop leaks, and the air compressors go south (and are hard to find, as they've been long discontinued). That's a big reason why people swap out to the springs

(BTW, they weren't standard across trim levels on the Envoy - my '03 is a pretty loaded SLT, and it came with the springs). RPO is G67, from what I see ('suspension package, rear load-leveling')


I'll approach this from another direction - the seats.

An '03-'04 Envoy SLT will have dual lumbar in the drivers' seat (high / low position, although only one can be used at a time) They took it out in '05 and made it a single lumbar adjustment.

From what I've seen of people who've had / driven the short vs. long wheelbase 360/370's, consensus seemed to be that there wasn't *that* much difference in ride quality. And they'll share the same seats, within trim levels.


Although you indicated GMT full-size was too big - my '03 Sierra's lumbar adjustment also includes adjustable side bolsters (the 'wings' in the seat back). It's a leather-equipped SLT, as well. Good chance a similar-gen Tahoe / Yuke might have the side bolsters, too. Or maybe the dual lumbar - the SUVs tended to have a few more creature comforts than the pickups did.

Finally, if you don't find a replacement vehicle that works for you, you could always swap in a new engine (I see you have a 2WD 4.2, so if you could find a decent replacement engine from an '03-'05, you could keep the EXT.) Bonus with this is that it'll wind up being cheaper than a replacement vehicle, even when installation is thrown in. Depending on how many total miles on your truck, you could do a full engine / tranny swap, and be set for many more years.