Chevrolet Suburban 2500 Overland Build

[Neon Paradise]

After being a member on this site for quite some time, I figured I should start contributing to the content of this site.

I drive/travel a lot on my personal time, and nothing has fit the bill like a Suburban. I doubt there will be a time in my life where I won't own one. While I have owned several over the course of ten years, and put countless miles on each, I finally found one that I am completely satisfied with as a base.

This thread will serve as documentation for the build of my 09 Suburban 2500 4x4.

(Pictured L-R: 02 Z71 2011-2013, 08 2500 2013-2016, 13 Z71 2016-2020, 09 2500 2020-Current)

 

[Neon Paradise]

This was when I first bought it, I replaced my 2013 Suburban z71 since it was starting to rust at the rear frame, and I wanted more payload capacity.


It took a long time to locate one in the color/options/trim that I wanted. I knew that I had no intention of lifting it like I did the 08 2500 that I owned previously. Adding a leaf and cranking the torsion bars to that point absolutely ruined the ride.

 

[Neon Paradise]

First thing I wanted to do was replace the tires to something a little more aggressive. After going up to Pennsylvania and spending some time out in the wild during the pouring rain, I decided to do this sooner rather than later. It came with Michelin LTX M/S tires, which are great all-season tires, but not what I wanted.


After some research, I decided to go with Good Year Wrangler All-Terrain with Kevlar. Even though these tires were more expensive than the BFG A/T, I liked that it had a higher speed rating and the Kevlar reinforcement.


After putting about 21k miles on these tires, I am very pleased. Despite being load range E tires, they ride well and are quiet on the highway. The 2500 Suburban requires some high PSI ratings (F:50psi R:71psi), but have worn well and evenly with rotation.

 

[Neon Paradise]

Being a black SUV in the south, the interior gets very hot. I purchased some in-channel ventvisors so that I could keep the windows cracked without being obvious at a cursory glance.


I like the way they look and they were easy to install. I used to have the kind that required double sided tape on the paint above the window on previous vehicles, but didn't want to go that route again after several attachment failures and sessions with goo-gone.

 

[Neon Paradise]

Anyone who owns one of the GM Suvs knows what a pain in the butt it is to access the spare tire. Often times I have found that the plastic channel leading to the spare tire lowering mechanism comes loose and makes it near impossible to reattach while lying on the mud/side of the road. I wanted an exterior tire carrier.
I deliberated between a Wilco and the RIGd for a while before choosing the RIGd UltraSwing Mega-Fit. I chose this for several reasons:

1) Style, and overall well-built appearance.

2) Cost with accessories (mounting plates, license plate mount etc). I felt this company offered more value.

3) Compatibility with a full-size SUV. (Swingout length to clear opening tailgate)


I came well packaged and nicely presented.

Installation was easy with two people and no issues were encountered. I bought a matching rim and new tire for the carrier.

I think this design works best if you have a hitch that is integrated with the rear bumper cover (as opposed to a hitch that sits below the bumper), because it allows the Support arm to sit level with the bumper.

It does leave some space between the tailgate and tire which I filled with a 4 gallon Rotopax so that It didnt have such an awkward look.

 

[Neon Paradise]

Here is how the RIGd UltraSwing Holds up after a year and being rear ended at about 15mph.
So apparently new models of this tire carrier come with an updated latch. This is the old model after a year of use and exposure.

The pin bent after being rear-ended but I straightened it out best I could. This was the only damage to the unit after the accident. The pin rusted while sitting in the seat.

Otherwise the finish and quality has held up and I don't foresee any future issues with this setup.

 

[Neon Paradise]

Overall, the RIGd hitch carrier has worked very well, and I would recommend this product to anyone in the market. It has held up over extended rough road/intense vibrations, through towing loads and being struck by car. It does not make noise or wobble in the hitch while driving. I used a locking hitch pin to secure it to my vehicle, and used a heavy-duty bike lock to secure the tire and rotopax to deter theft.

While towing, it feels secure and has not caused any issues. You will have to use a drop hitch though since the tire gets in the way.

 

[Neon Paradise]

What I wanted to do next was remove the running boards. I wanted to get some type of protection for them, but I was unable to find anything I was super happy with. I ended up going for some N-Fab nerf steps.
In this photo, you can also see where I mounted the Overland Bound emblem. I bought 2 so that I could put them on both sides.

 

[Neon Paradise]

Since I don't have any children, I never need the third row. In its place is a sliding tray by Highway Products and a removable box with drawer by Truck Tool Box.


When I am not actively going anywhere, I will throw what I can into the drawer, and then leave the cooler or whatever so that I can see out the back. Eventually, I plan on getting a camera rearview mirror once I find one that I like so I dont have to worry about visibility out the back.

 

[Neon Paradise]

Its a major pain to get out on my own, and I cause cosmetic damage to each when I do. I use a hand truck to move it once I get it out.

But it leaves a good size area for me to load whatever onto it and I like having the slide out capability like my friends 4Runner.


Since it is metal on metal, there is a fair amount of noise on rough roads. Not only does the box bounce up against its tie downs, the yellow handle for the tray vibrates against the tray. To reduce the cacophony on unimproved roads, I added a black padded shelf liner underneath the box. This makes it impossible to slide out and remove on my own, but it helped a lot.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Suburban k2500 is a veritable ark out there on the highways. Seems like on open desert trails it would be like an oasis. Roving base. Seems a good platform.

I wish they had made a k2500 Tahoe between 200 and 2014. I like the shorter wheelbase and L.O.A. of those.

Nice RIGd. I think of getting one for my Sierra, but the space between it and the tailgate always surprises me. Havent squeezed the trigger on that yet. I'll probably get new tires first, then maybe a RIGd.

Very nice getup you've got there

 

[Neon Paradise]

Suburban k2500 is a veritable ark out there on the highways. Seems like on open desert trails it would be like an oasis. Roving base. Seems a good platform.

I wish they had made a k2500 Tahoe between 200 and 2014. I like the shorter wheelbase and L.O.A. of those.

Nice RIGd. I think of getting one for my Sierra, but the space between it and the tailgate always surprises me. Havent squeezed the trigger on that yet. I'll probably get new tires first, then maybe a RIGd.

Very nice getup you've got there

Thank you, there's more mods to post, but I will get to that later. Yeah the space looks odd if you do not fill it with anything, but fortunately they offer mounts for a high lift jack, Rotopax, and a small folding table that adds utility and balances the look.
It is a shame they didnt extend the 3/4 ton platform to the smaller Yukon. I had been keeping an eye open for the HD version of the 2016-2020 Suburban models, but have not seen any pop up.

 

[Neon Paradise]

Since I knew that I had no intention of lifting it like I did my other, there is a greater chance of getting stuck due to ground clearance issues. For this, I wanted to look at getting a winch added to help out in certain circumstances.
I couldn't find many options that I liked out there. I ended up going with a Warn Trans4mer system. This system was flexible, had excellent build quality, but was very heavy. Front end protection is rarely cheap and this was sadly no exception.

This added a lot of weight to the front end of my vehicle, and I could absolutely feel it. It didn't seem to impact acceleration much but the front end felt much heavier around corners and on bouncy patches of roadway. It wasn't at all unpleasant, just noticeably different.

Despite the system being so heavy and unaerodynamic, I actually gained 1.5 average MPG (with a lot of highway use) which stayed consistent over multiple tanks of fuel (39 gallons). I attributed this to the front end sagging from the weight.

 

[Neon Paradise]

It took me a long time to decide on what winch I wanted to go with. I ended up choosing a WARN EVO VR12. I chose this one for several reasons: excellent warranty, reputation, and the choice between wired and wireless operation. I struggled on the choice between synthetic line and the steel cable, but ended up going with the steel cable. I bought a little cover that goes over it for protection, and somehow over thousands of miles of highway use, it hasn't flown off like I thought it would.

 

[Neon Paradise]

Next item up was to do something about the cloudy headlights that were affecting the light output. I thought about buying new factory style headlight assemblies on Amazon, but saw many replacements were plagued with water intrusion issues. I've never personally polished a headlight, but I thought I would give it a shot this time. I bought the Meguiar's Heavy-Duty Headlight Restoration Kit after reading some reviews online. After opening the kit and looking at what I needed to do, I was hit with instant regret in my decision. I should have done this prior to the brush guard installation.

I'm not a lazy person, but this was a major pain. I will never do this again.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Nice work.

For a little more clearance at the front you may consider removing that front air dam under the bumper. Helps a lot with parking space curbstone clearance, and other stuff.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

 

[Neon Paradise]

With all the additional weight in the front, I knew that I had to do something to raise the front end back up (after many thousands of miles of driving and thought). Taking a quick look at the front, I discovered that I had destroyed the control arm bump stops. I ordered a new set of Moogs and installed them myself. Immediate improvement.

After some deliberation between shock brands, I went with the proven Bilsteins. I choose the 5100s over the 4600s due to the extra weight I've added to the front and rear of my vehicle. I'm actually a fan of "floaty boaty" style suspensions and was worried that the 5100s would make the ride too stiff. While they have indeed firmed up the ride, its not so bad. Its significantly reduced body roll on corners/on-ramps and rebound control is vastly improved. They have also returned the front to the appropriate ride height. I really struggled on the decision not to get a small lift kit (2-2.5inch) but I just have to remind myself how bad my 08 2500 rode with a 3 inch.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

With all the additional weight in the front, I knew that I had to do something to raise the front end back up (after many thousands of miles of driving and thought). Taking a quick look at the front, I discovered that I had destroyed the control arm bump stops. I ordered a new set of Moogs and installed them myself. Immediate improvement.
View attachment 208606
After some deliberation between shock brands, I went with the proven Bilsteins. I choose the 5100s over the 4600s due to the extra weight I've added to the front and rear of my vehicle. I'm actually a fan of "floaty boaty" style suspensions and was worried that the 5100s would make the ride too stiff. While they have indeed firmed up the ride, its not so bad. Its significantly reduced body roll on corners/on-ramps and rebound control is vastly improved. They have also returned the front to the appropriate ride height. I really struggled on the decision not to get a small lift kit (2-2.5inch) but I just have to remind myself how bad my 08 2500 rode with a 3 inch. View attachment 208607

The front Bil 5100's allow you to raise the spring perch up to an inch and three quarters or so. Did you raise it at all?

 

[Neon Paradise]

Nice work.

For a little more clearance at the front you may consider removing that front air dam under the bumper. Helps a lot with parking space curbstone clearance, and other stuff.

I've thought about it several times. I haven't done it yet since some of it had to be cut to fit the lower mounts of the brush guard. I've already cracked it on the drivers side from a rock on a tight turn. If it gets ripped off somehow off road or wherever, I won't be replacing it.