# 99 Suburban 2500 "new To Me"



## GO WEST (May 25, 2009)

Well, we are taking the plunge on a new older tow vehicle. It's a 99 Suburban 2500 2wd with 7.4L and 3.73. Trailmanor.com says the tow rating is 8500 which is about the same as my 03F150 but I am thinking it will be more stable with the FIVE leaf springs. The payload is over 3,000 lb so it will handle my tongue weight and 6,000 lb camper with a load of people better. We just needed more passenger room and more payload space.

This truck is really clean. Body has two little dings and hardly a scratch. Cloth interior is excellent. Motor looks clean. I did notice that the brakes seem a bit weak (and I read several consumer ratings on edmunds.com mentioning how brakes are weak and the weight of the truck chews up brake jobs). Anyone have any ideas how to improve that? It has 171,600 miles but it runs good and we are paying only $4500 so have so room for expected repairs as they arise.

Stock numbers are 295 hp and 410 torque. I wonder if a Banks power pack would be a good idea? The Banks system is no kind of rebuild on the motor is it? It's just "add ons" for more power, right?

We are hoping to get five years out of it, mainly towing to camp and occasionally to haul a big group around, but it's not a daily driver so I figure it will go the five years and we won't be too concerned about the "bad" gas mileage.

Any 454 owners out there? What kind of mileage should I expect? Honestly, my 5.4L F150 doesn't do too good on gas anyway. 8 mpg towing and around 15-16 on the highway unloaded.


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## GO WEST (May 25, 2009)

The tires are P 16 inch. I know the LT is better for towing, but no danger involved with P rated tires? They were new in February so I would hate to have to replace them right away.

Also, any "danger" involved with these brakes? Weak is not a good desription that I want to hear when thinking of the 3 tons behind me...

I don't remember it having a brake controller. What brand should I shoot for there?


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Prodigy brake controller
P rated tires won't be able to carry that payload of 3000 lbs, so don't exceed their capacity.

Congrats on the new to you truck... I know you've been looking for a long time!


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## mmblantz (Jul 1, 2007)

I have a 98 like yours but it is a 4wd and only has about 92K on it & have had it for about 5 yrs now. I absolutely love this truck. The brakes should be anything but weak as my mechanic told me he is putting the same as he is putting on 1 tons....if you have a 2500 it should have heavy duty brakes. I have no trouble braking with the weight of the 28. I think I got 30,000 out of my last set. As far as the Banks power pack...they no longer make it to fit the 454 on Burbs that old....I tried and when I talked to them they refered me to Edelbrock. I think they have even stopped now. The Banks Power pack is basically a factory put together set of intake/headers/monster exhaust. You can pick and choose and put 1 together yourself. If you want an aftermarket pipe your coices are slimming down, I think Gibson is about the best bet now. Lots of options for headers still....K&N proly best option for the intake. As far as MPG I get 10 around town empty 13 on the interstate. Expect about 8 towing. All around great tow vehicle in my opinion. Plenty of room inside for kids and dogs...full load of firewood in the cargo area and still tows nice and level. No sway issues at all after upgrading from same truck in a 1500 series that made me real nervous. Definetly upgrade to LT tires, preferably in a 10ply/Eload range, every little bit helps. Try to find out when the last tune up was.... makes a big difference on that motor. Congrats on the new to you Burb!! Best way to buy them because they cost too much new!!---Mike


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## GO WEST (May 25, 2009)

Thanks for the info. I will look for a Prodigy brake controller. I sure hate to have to replace the new P tires, but I understand the need for LT E rated before we put a heavy load on it. We are glad to have it, and we look forward to camping through the fall and winter. People come down to Kerrville from up north for the mild winters we have here. In fact in yesterday's paper the front page told about how the local RV parks are expecting a really good winter for "Winter Texans" here in town.


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## SLO250RS (Mar 11, 2010)

Congrats on the new to you TV.The weak statment referes to the pedal feedback(or feeling)the brakes are not weak in stopping power by any means.Have the brake system power bled(or pressure bled)with a good quality HD dot 3 fluid and that will help with the feedback,also the brake booster is a weak link with those vehicles with high miles the diaphram inside starts to dry rot and the boost effect begins to diminish.Have your mechanic check those items out.Check with JBA headers for bolt-on headers for that beast,the stock exhaust manifolds are very restrictive.As mmblantz said tune that motor up it helps with power and emissions,use delco products for the tune up don't get crazy with fancy plugs just put set of regular platinum plugs and your good to go.Good luck and safe travels.


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## gonewild (Mar 13, 2009)

First off, congratulations..... and good luck.... you may also want to check the brake hoses.. On a vehicle of that age with those miles the hoses may be getting soft and will expand as you brake giving you that weak pedal feel.. I would have the hoses checked and the system flushed as stated above... just my 2cents....


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## GO WEST (May 25, 2009)

Thanks for the tips, keep them coming. I can see the AC doesn't blow cold air (still in mid-80s here in south central Texas, so I will have to check that out. I have a friend with a 99 Suburban 1500 and he has had lots of problems with the AC so I just wonder if they were poor quality and not long lasting. There will be repairs/repair bill I know that.


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## rsm7 (Aug 8, 2009)

GO WEST said:


> Thanks for the tips, keep them coming. I can see the AC doesn't blow cold air (still in mid-80s here in south central Texas, so I will have to check that out. I have a friend with a 99 Suburban 1500 and he has had lots of problems with the AC so I just wonder if they were poor quality and not long lasting. There will be repairs/repair bill I know that.


I think that model uses freon lines to the rear AC unit which run along the frame rail and are exposed to the elements. They are known to go bad often, might be worth a look.


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