Help a guy out ... (1 Viewer)

[spressomon]

Ok, I sure appreciate those that have offered up what its like to own and use a 200 including the thread about the rust prone KDSS assembly, etc. Thanks to those that have taken off the rose colored glasses.

I'm sorta kinda maybe at the point of thinking about my next rig. Mostly because I might have a bigger trailer to tow and the spressoWAGON just can't do it as it currently sits with nearly a ton and a half of mods and cargo that detract from its ability to adequately tow a 2 and 1/2 ton trailer or thereabouts.

So as much as I'd like to think about committing to a 200-Series I keep finding myself pulling back ...

I originally thought when the 200 was intro'd the additional electro-mechanical complexity (as compared to my '99 100), just like the KDSS BS, just wouldn't suit me. I keep finding good reasons to pull back my trigger finger every time I get sorta kinda infatuated with a 200. Then there's the whole thing about <10mpg in mod/tow mode, extra fuel tank, blah blah blah ...

So its kinda between a 200 and <gasp> an '06-early '07 DuraMax with a SAS conversion. Some days it seems like I'm full steam ahead with a 200. Other days it seems like the D-Max makes the most sense especially when I think about heavy duty front and rear axle assemblies, tons of power and torque, half-way decent fuel mileage, etc. Did I mention full float axles? Yep! At the end of the day the price of entry for the 200 is considerably more. OTOH my '99 has been an INCREDIBLE truck as much as this is mostly unrelated to the 200.

Now you know my conundrum.

Comments appreciated.

 

[Markuson]

I too drove a '99 100 series until it was 16 years old... and absolutely LOVED it every single time I drove it, or even SAW it across the way.

But... Have you test-driven a 200 yet?

You will be blown away by the difference in POWER.
I miss nothing about my 100 except that it was fully modded, and the seats were more comfortable.
Once my 200 is fully built, there will be no looking over my shoulder. It's solid as can be.

I can't comment on heavy towing, because I've only done light towing so far (small boat).

If you NEED a pickup...you need a pickup. But man, if you loved your 100, you will not be disappointed.

 

[Tripledave]

Man, I wouldn't buy ANY GM product. That's just an opinionfrom a random internet guy but I'm sure you know the issues with reliability as well as fit and finish. Duramax is badass but not worth the hassle IMHO.. A 200 is what you need. Good luck man, btw your 100 is awesome.

 

[TonyP]

If your main concern is towing them it's hard to beat a Duramax (at least until you need 2k worth of injectors). They're also quite large in most forms so most trails are a concern as well as parking. Additionally, they have the interior of what you would expect from a 90s gm product. That being said, towing capability and GVWR is fantastic.

 

[spressomon]

There are of course some glaring issues with either platform. But having dealt with the BS of Toyota's decision to use a semi-float rear axle assembly on the 100 and IMHO very similar on the 200 and not up to task for my intended application (admittedly I've been way above Toyota's GVW recommendation on my 100 but it is what it is) that certainly is a negative on the 200 side of the spreadsheet. Heck, even the larger and supposedly heavier duty Tundra rear axle system has guys doing FF conversions on them!

Again, usage lower than Toyota's GVW recommendation probably wouldn't be an issue.

 

[Sandroad]

Well, the pigs must be flying today. And I'm with @Markuson on this one.

 

[spressomon]

I drove Christo's LX570 and given it was basically street GVW I was impressed with the smoothness of the engine and drivetrain. But with 600lbs of tongue weight and more or less full time duty pulling a 5klb trailer I am gun shy on the SF rear's ...

 

[Markuson]

Well, the pigs must be flying today. And I'm with @Markuson on this one.

We only agree when pigs fly? lol

 

[sPaulp]

I too drove a '99 100 series until it was 16 years old... and absolutely LOVED it every single time I drove it, or even SAW it across the way.

But... Have you test-driven a 200 yet?

You will be blown away by the difference in POWER.
I miss nothing about my 100 except that it was fully modded, and the seats were more comfortable.
Once my 200 is fully built, there will be no looking over my shoulder. It's solid as can be.

I can't comment on heavy towing, because I've only done light towing so far (small boat).

If you NEED a pickup...you need a pickup. But man, if you loved your 100, you will not be disappointed.

Agreed, and enough said

 

[Markuson]

I drove Christo's LX570 and given it was basically street GVW I was impressed with the smoothness of the engine and drivetrain. But with 600lbs of tongue weight and more or less full time duty pulling a 5klb trailer I am gun shy on the SF rear's ...

Christo's shop LX is riding on huge, heavy Nitto 35" tires...with no gear swap installed.
You will have significantly more pulling power than you felt on his rig, simply by having tires that better match the gear set.

 

[spressomon]

^ yes and I couldn't live with the acute CV angles on that rig. Which brings me to the next point: A 1" body lift solved the durability and performance issues all things CVs on my '99. No matter what anyone says the greater the angles on the CVs the more maintenance intensive they become; 185k miles of my own have been the proof source. But, probably similar to the reluctance of 100-Series guys to do body lifts on then relatively expensive trucks, I'm not seeing much in the way of body lift discussions in here ... with the exception of Baja 570 race trucks .

I'd want a 200 to be as capable as my 100 all things IFS relative . So that would be a re-gear, 35's, a suitable body lift to gain clearance and allow more reasonable CV angles along with key suspension components to round out the under-body... just like my 100.

 

[TonyP]

^ yes and I couldn't live with the acute CV angles on that rig. Which brings me to the next point: A 1" body lift solved the durability and performance issues all things CVs on my '99. No matter what anyone says the greater the angles on the CVs the more maintenance intensive they become; 185k miles of my own have been the proof source. But, probably similar to the reluctance of 100-Series guys to do body lifts on then relatively expensive trucks, I'm not seeing much in the way of body lift discussions in here ... with the exception of Baja 570 race trucks .

I'd want a 200 to be as capable as my 100 all things IFS relative . So that would be a re-gear, 35's, a suitable body lift to gain clearance and allow more reasonable CV angles along with key suspension components to round out the under-body... just like my 100.

I can't remember his user name but one guy did a body lift. Dude with the big green 200. My memory is garbage this week.

 

[Markuson]

I can't remember his user name but one guy did a body lift. Dude with the big green 200. My memory is garbage this week.

@MScruiser is the guy, and his green monster is amazing...sitting on 37s. I drove either in front or behind his rig in Ouray for most of a day, and it was like watching a giant RC truck! Looked pretty dang fun...

But it's worth adding that the 200 starts off with far better CV angles than the 100 to begin with. I had CV trouble on my 100 even with a diff drop. Christ'o LX is not lifted, by the way. It just has the LX's AHC.

 

[TonyP]

@MScruiser is the guy, and his green monster is amazing...sitting on 37s.

But it's worth adding that the 200 starts off with far better CV angles than the 100 to begin with. I had CV trouble on my 100 even with a diff drop. Christ'o LX is not lifted, by the way. It just has the LX's AHC.

Gah! How did i forget that? Yup.

 

[Sandroad]

We only agree when pigs fly? lol

Oops. I see my note was out of context. I meant that pigs must be flying for @spressomon to be considering a GM diesel. He's iconic on this LC board!

 

[Markuson]

Oops. I see my note was out of context. I meant that pigs must be flying for @spressomon to be considering a GM diesel. He's iconic on this LC board!

Ohhhh... ha!

 

[spressomon]

Oops. I see my note was out of context. I meant that pigs must be flying for @spressomon to be considering a GM diesel. He's iconic on this LC board!

Yep...coupled with the fact I once swore I'd never own another GM anything after a snoot full of them back in the '70's and '80s. But I do have a couple buddies with early & mid D-Maxs and overall they've been in a little different, i.e. more positive, than ...

 

[mcgaskins]

If you're looking for a tow vehicle, you cannot beat a good, modern full size pickup with a diesel. My best friend has a 2016 Dodge Ram 3500 with the Cummins, and it's purely absurd how good it is at towing and just doing heavy duty work (he's a general contractor). Compared with any 200, the diesel will blow it away at those tasks, no question. If you want a replacement for your 100 that's generally better than the 100 in every way - more comfort, more power, more tech, more articulation, more safety - and it happens to tow a decent bit better than the 100, the 200 is a great platform. It will never compete with a full size truck in said truck's forte though, just like a full size truck will not be nearly as good, or even fit, on the trails you take your 100 on. It's absolutely an apples and oranges comparison, so decide which characteristics are most important and go with that.

 

[tplane2]

Well it seems you did your research on the best years of the Duramax. 06 and 07.

I owned a 2006 LBZ for 8 years and it was nothing but bulletproof. That is with me constantly modding it also. (750-800 to the wheels) Nothing but a hub assembly, pitman arm, water pump and oil changes for 165k miles.

I will say that if you're looking for something with the same offroad capabilities, even with the solid axle, you will be extremely disappointed coming from your 100. Its just too long and (nose) heavy.

I sold it due to moving to Hawaii, but I miss it for its towing ability, space and reliability. Not for the offroad capability. So when I moved back to CA I bought LLY, and kept my 100.

With that being said....I'm currently looking for a 200 and keeping my LLY. If you have any questions on the LBZ shoot em my way. Its an awesome motor.

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

Yea know... really all vehicle today are pretty solid choices. The choice of a vehicle has so many variables, it comes down to what you feel comfortable and happy with.

As a guy who grew up on a farm and a machine shop, driving semi trucks and heavy equiptment by 10 years old (I got tall early) I feel like I have a few experiences of what actually pushes a vehicle to 100% it's capability. Heck we got a '00 Silverado 2500 with a gas motor and it has 200k HARD... HARD miles on it, with very little maintenance attention and it has pulled things that only a farm truck would be put through.

That said, you're not going to overload a 200 series rear 9.5 axle, even if it is a semi float, with what you're talking about. I had an FJ Cruiser that weighed 1,000 lbs over GVM, and it still would tow a 3 ton trailer with no issues, and did so for 130k miles before I sold it. No failures and that was in a much smaller axle assembly.

Now for a fun toyota story, on a west Texas ranch, on the Mexican border, there sits a '06 duramax that's rear axle grenaded the right hub assembly while pulling a 4 horse trailer on our 22 miles "driveway". Full float didn't help too much. With an important timeframe to meet, and that a country boy will survive, a '99 Tacoma v6 4x4 got a goose neck bolted to it rather fast... and that little truck pulled a 12,000 lbs trailer 500 miles to sell off top notch horses. Then back, it has rattled its way around to this day, now with over 300k miles on it. But no failures.

I think the point I'm trying to make is, every vehicle will have failures, and a truck is only good if it works. Get the one that you can keep running the easiest. Weather that is you're own skill or money for keeping it working.