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GM Lies! No Stabilitrak For '03 Av's

teksavy

teksavy

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Hi All:

Hey, my first contribution to the group. Hope it helps someone.

As some of you may or may not know, I custom ordered a 2003 Z71 Av. I originally was going to get a Z66 with Stabilitrak, since all the new car sites and mags were bragging about the availability of GM's most advanced traction control system. Here is a sampling of some of the articles:

http://www.gm-trucks.com/ART_2003trucks_leadership.shtml
http://www.gminsidenews.com/truck_stabiltrack.htm
http://autocountry.com/NewCars/Avalanche/Whats New 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche.htm
http://www.nctd.com/review-drive.cfm?ReviewID=1269

Needless to say, GM has quietly decided NOT offer this option on our beloved Avalanche. The option would have been "JL4" for approx. $800. You can, however order this option on Suburbans and Tahoes.

So I got a Z71 instead. I probably will not use it much, but I got it for resale value and "just in case". Although I am NOT happy about the fuel milage hit and $3K extra cost.

I do, however, like the look of the Z71 better. Will I be getting much of a performance (cornering on road) hit with the Z71 tires, versus the standard ones?

Thanks!

-Ed
 
The Z-71's for 03'....should follow suit alongside the 02's...they will come with 265/70/17 Goodyear AT/s.....I have no complaints about them...but some of the folks on the board..favor the BF Goodrich AT's....as far as cornering goes...a set of hotchkis sways will do the trick...if you want to kill any sort of leaning.... ;D :B:

The bilsteins are nice and firm also.... (y)

Dave
 
Ok, now my question is: If Stabilitrak is NOT available on the AV, then what exactly is the "traction assist" that is part of the Z66 "Premium Suspension Package"? Or is it a different version of Stabilitrak ???
 
jdw174 said:
Ok, now my question is: ? If Stabilitrak is NOT available on the AV, then what exactly is the "traction assist" that is part of the Z66 "Premium Suspension Package"? ?Or is it a different version of Stabilitrak ???
Click to expand...

Traction Assist assists traction by reducing power transferred to the rear wheels base on slippage. It's for not getting stuck.

Stabilitrak uses a different set of sensors to reduce the risk of losing control of the vehicle. It's for not crashing.



 
teksavy said:
Needless to say, GM has quietly decided NOT offer this option on our beloved Avalanche.
Click to expand...

Actually, GM does sell a highly modded version of the Avalanche with Stabilitrak. It's called an Escalade EXT. ;)

Sorry, couldn't resist. But if you add up what some have spent modding, you probably would come close to the same price.
 
NJAV said:
The Z-71's for 03'....should follow suit alongside the 02's...they will come with 265/70/17 Goodyear AT/s.....I have no complaints about them...but some of the folks on the board..favor the BF Goodrich AT's....as far as cornering goes...a set of hotchkis sways will do the trick...if you want to kill any sort of leaning.... ;D :B:

The bilsteins are nice and firm also.... (y)

Dave
Click to expand...

When you pick up your Av go find a Discount Tire or the like and get the stock tires siped. I'm so sorry I didn't do it day one when I picked up my Avalanche. What a HUGE difference it makes!
 
I was really stoked on this topic so I did more research.

I looked up "tire siping" on Yahoo and got directed to several sites. The best was discounttire.com. So I looked it up and started calling around for discount tire dealers that are "siping equipped".

Wow, this is where the "theory comes clashing against reality" sets in. I was surprised that nobody in Las Vegas sipes anymore. Couldn't find it in Phoenix either.
I found one dealer in Victorville, CA that will sipe my tires for $10 bucks each. That is a great price for the following benefits:

1. 64% increase breakaway traction
2. 28% increase spinning traction
3. 22% improvement in braking and stopping distance
4. Extra traction, improved wear life, and increased heat dissipation.

Thay can only sipe tires with 50% of tread left. I only have 2300 miles so far and my stock Goodyears are practically new so they are a perfect candidate.

I'm off to get my tires siped this weekend. Thanks for the tip. This is an easy mod for a 'modaholic' like me and the rewards are unbelievable. Only for 40 dollars. Geez, I spend more than that everytime I go to Kentucky Fried Chicken.

You are only as good as your tennis shoes as they say.
My Av's tennis shoes are gonna get a makeover soon.

I'm also going to put my dig cam in action and post pics of the tread before and after siping....
 

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Who's the dealer in Victorville? I need to make a trip next week, might as well do the mod....
 
ducksface said:
Who's the dealer in Victorville? I need to make a trip next week, might as well do the mod....
Click to expand...


America's Tire Co
12287 Mariposa Rd
Victorville CA 92392
760-241-3323

If you are heading west through I-40, after passing through Barstow, head towards I-15 South to Victorville.

Exit on Bear Valley (Lucerne valley ) Road and turn left.

Then Left on Mariposa. They are located in the Circuit City shopping complex.

I spoke with Matt. He quoted 10 bucks per tire. Sipe as you wait. 30 mins tops.
 
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jdw174 said:
Ok, now my question is: ? If Stabilitrak is NOT available on the AV, then what exactly is the "traction assist" that is part of the Z66 "Premium Suspension Package"? ?Or is it a different version of Stabilitrak ???
Click to expand...

The traction assist on the Z66 package, is GM's standard 2-channel traction control system that has been around for a couple of years on their truck line. All it does is reduce engine power when it detects wheel slipage.

However, Stabilitrak is an advanced 4-channel system that uses several sensors (including yaw, pitch and steering wheel location) to determine if the car is doing what the driver thinks it should be doing. If the system detects sliding (beyond just wheel slipage), then the system will reduce engine power (if needed) AND apply power to an individual wheel caliper to bring the car back inline.

The most extreme example of the benefits can be seen here:

http://www.bitcircus.com/video/mw.wmv

(Video above complements of my TiVo!) ;)

So, as you can see, Stabilitrak is nothing like the standard "traction control".

Hope this helps.

-Ed
 
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