Denali Ultimate off-road?!

[Livefree603]

Hi all,

I have recently caught the over landing bug and really eager to get out and adventure! I have camped all my life, however have not done much off-roading, however it has always been of interest to me.
A few months back I purchased a ‘22 sierra denali ultimate (couldn’t get my hands on an AT4X) and I would prefer to modify this truck for overlanding, rather than buy another rig. So — my question is.. what upgrades would need to be done, at minimum to this bone stock Denali ultimate in order to make it a capable off-roader on light to moderate trails? Is it even feasible? Am I a goofball?
Thanks so much for any advice!

 

[Sparksalot]

It really depends what you want to do. In the suspension side of things, both of my Tahoes have only received KO2 tires.

Thecopcar is an otherwise stock PPV, riding on the lowered suspension. The first two pics were on River Road in Big Bend and in the much more rugged Black Gap WMA.

Third is thethirdtwin on Old Ore road in Big Bend. I did Black Gap road the next day. Thecopcar wouldn’t have been able to do either.

Last pic shows the ride height difference between them.

No you aren’t crazy to think your Denali can do this.

 

[DintDobbs]

@Livefree603 Basically, the answer to that question is, make sure you've got "enough" traction and "enough" clearance, and you're good to go.

There's no absolute standard as to what "enough" is; this is determined solely by the use that you put it to. Generally speaking, a good all-terrain tire is enough to get started - make sure you carry a spare and a tire repair kit, a jack of course, and may be a shovel and jumper cables, and from there you can work out what you need and don't need.

If you start whacking or dragging stuff, consider a lift or armor or both. If you never whack or drag stuff, save your money. Only buy what you're going to use, and you'll end up with the best machine for your own needs.

If money isn't a factor in the equation, you can skip the lift and start with tires, and upsize later - if money is limited, start with the lift kit and go in for the bigger tires. Lift + tires = cheaper than tires + lift + bigger tires. This logic applies to a lot of modifications; some times overbuilding the first time ends up saving money, down the road, because any well-done job = cheaper than a cheap job + a well-done job.

Bring recovery gear, get out and go, have fun, and keep active lists of what you needed but lacked, what might have been nice, and what you took but didn't use, and you'll find your happy balance!

 

[OkieDavid]

Better tires are always a good investment but there's a whole thread on here on full sized rigs, you would have lots of company even in your stock truck. You will most likely pinstripe it, so might consider some paint protection film for the sides if that concerns you. I did a lot of trails in my 17 GMC 1500 but after 100K miles upgraded to a 2500 and am enjoying that. But I will also say going back in time, I have overlanded in a whole lot of different vehicles that weren't "trail rated", it's all about choosing your route.

 

[Livefree603]

@Livefree603 Basically, the answer to that question is, make sure you've got "enough" traction and "enough" clearance, and you're good to go.

There's no absolute standard as to what "enough" is; this is determined solely by the use that you put it to. Generally speaking, a good all-terrain tire is enough to get started - make sure you carry a spare and a tire repair kit, a jack of course, and may be a shovel and jumper cables, and from there you can work out what you need and don't need.

If you start whacking or dragging stuff, consider a lift or armor or both. If you never whack or drag stuff, save your money. Only buy what you're going to use, and you'll end up with the best machine for your own needs.

If money isn't a factor in the equation, you can skip the lift and start with tires, and upsize later - if money is limited, start with the lift kit and go in for the bigger tires. Lift + tires = cheaper than tires + lift + bigger tires. This logic applies to a lot of modifications; some times overbuilding the first time ends up saving money, down the road, because any well-done job = cheaper than a cheap job + a well-done job.

Bring recovery gear, get out and go, have fun, and keep active lists of what you needed but lacked, what might have been nice, and what you took but didn't use, and you'll find your happy balance!

Great advice. I appreciate it. Feeling a little more confident now haha. As for the wheels, I absolutely love the wheels that came on the truck. Problem is they’re 22s. I live in New Hampshire, so while I won’t be setting out specifically to do any rock crawling, the majority of the trails out here will involve it, in some capacity. Think 40s on the 22s would be feasible or should I just cut my losses and get down to 19s?

 

[madcratebuilder]

Great advice. I appreciate it. Feeling a little more confident now haha. As for the wheels, I absolutely love the wheels that came on the truck. Problem is they’re 22s. I live in New Hampshire, so while I won’t be setting out specifically to do any rock crawling, the majority of the trails out here will involve it, in some capacity. Think 40s on the 22s would be feasible or should I just cut my losses and get down to 19s?

The more sidewall on the tire the better. 17" wheels with a 30" tire. Skid plates and a 1-2" lit would be very capable.

 

[DintDobbs]

@Livefree603 40's? Any thing less than 30" rims should give you plenty of side wall to air down. The 22's are "probably" fine, but if you're going to do all the other modifications to fit 40" tires, I'd recommend what @madcratebuilder said, go for the smallest wheels that clear, to maximize the tire side wall. 17" is a good starting point for a new truck, but you might want to test fit a few at a rim shop to be sure. Since my truck is much older and has small brake discs, 15" wheels cleared fine.

You will want to do your test fitting AFTER your lift/shock absorbers/spacers/etc. because clearance changes when angles change. Also keep backspacing in mind; everybody thinks offset is the world, but backspacing is how far inward the wheel sticks from the mounting surface.

In my case, my backspacing was 3.75" on a 7" wide rim, stock. Stock wheel offset was +0.25". Now I'm on 10" wide rims still with 3.75" backspacing, which means the offset is now -1.25".

Do not be confused. Backspacing is how far the inside lip is from the mounting surface. Offset is how far the center line of the wheel is from the mounting surface.

You've mentioned that rock crawling isn't your goal, but some times rocks can't be avoided; I would kind of not really recommend turning your daily driver into a rock-capable build. I understand the point, but you might end up sacrificing the convenience of using it as a daily driver.

It's not easy or fun getting passengers, groceries, or a load of scrap for the dump into and out of a truck that's a foot and a half higher than your waist. I'm a sorta short dude and my small truck is already inconveniently high and overbuilt for daily duty.

There are many trade-offs. Consider your needs and your usage, and modify as much as necessary to ensure that it serves you its best for as long as possible, in all the ways.

Any questions or concerns before you start or as you go along, holler, we're all here to help.