Any Avalanche experience?

I continue to mull over the purchase of a tow vehicle. I've thought about an older diesel for part time duty, or a Ridgeline for a DD. It occurs to me that the Avalanche might be a good option, too.

Any thoughts or experiences to share?

Rob

Can't speak specifically about the Avalanche, but I just bought an 04 Suburban which is essentially the same vehicle and I love it so far. Some on here will tell you the transmissions suck, and others will tell you they are fine. It made me nervous when contemplating buying the burban, but in the end I went for it. I have only had it a couple of weeks now, but so far I love it. From what I had read and heard on here the 5.3 is pretty bullet proof. Not bad fuel mileage so far either and this truck has lots of electronics on it. Good luck with your decision.

Chris

other than being fugly and totally impractical for anything i'd personally use a truck for, i can't think of anything negative to say about them..

Friend had one, bought used, a few months later had a new Chevy Silverado, so I asked him what happened to the Avalanche (because I liked it).

Started having transmission issues, went back to the dealer where it was purchased, livid, wanted them to take the truck back. They worked out a deal with him on the new truck, has the same monthly payment on it as he did on the Avalanche.

And Im not sure, but I dont think he was doing much or any towing with it. Just a DD, and hauling an ATV in the bed.

My wife has one as a DD. 17mpg. 140k on it, bought it used with 55k. Original transmission, but I know it is on borrowed time.

I used it to tow my PSD on a trailer plus 2 adults, 1 kid, and 1 dog 150 miles through the mountains of Eastern KY home. That was a trip to remember. 9-10k pounds loaded getting 11mpg's running in 3rd gear@60-65mph.

I wish it would just fix itself right now.

Rob,

Matt Moore with the RHD Turbo miata in kingston has one He's getting 17L / 100kms. consistently as calculated by an app on his iPhone. (Fuelie) with no trailer.

Dodge 2500 diesel got 16mpg on the way to the challenge the V-10 motorhome got 5.6 mpg...

Too bad I just sold a 99 3500 Chev for $3500 - needed tires

i want a 3/4 ton avalanche in the worst way

You know what? I can get one of these trannies pulled, rebuilt for towing, and installed for under $1500 and it'll be better than new (and this is in Canada). If you make sure to get the truck for a good enough deal, just get the tranny rebuilt if you are worried about it (which you shouldn't be, as all three trucks we've had with bone stock 700R4/4L60E/4L65E have all done over 300,000kms each, the 4L60E did 550,000kms bone stock). And all were used to tow a LOT.

I like to call the Avalanche the Nordiques, it gets the Denver fans all hot and bothered or just confused.

Good one Keith!!!

I got broadsided while driving by one once. My Aerostar died.

One of my farmer buddies had one that he used as his work/field truck. When it was stolen, he had been so happy with it, he replaced it with another. It has 500,000 km on it now. I think they're as ugly as an Aztec, maybe even a little uglier.

I know 3 people that have owned them. All 3 have had issues but none at any worse frequency or severity than the Silverado/suburban/yukon it shares drivetrains with. All 3 replaced them @ 150K+ miles with.. You guessed it.. Another Avalanche.

Yea, I'm on borrowed time.

I call them Chevy Bruce Vilanches.

Tips for avalanche survival

Before crossing a slope where there is any possibility of an avalanche, fasten all your clothing securely to keep out snow. Loosen your pack so that you can slip out of it with ease and remove your ski pole straps. Make sure that your avalanche beacon is on and switched to "transmit" rather than "receive." Cross the slope one at a time to minimize danger.

If you are caught in an avalanche Yell and let go of ski poles and get out of your pack to make yourself lighter. Use "swimming" motions, thrusting upward to try to stay near the surface of the snow. When avalanches come to a stop and debris begins to pile up, the snow can set as hard as cement. Unless you are on the surface and your hands are free, it is almost impossible to dig yourself out. If you are fortunate enough to end up near the surface (or at least know which direction it is), try to stick out an arm or a leg so that rescuers can find you quickly.

If you are in over your head (not near the surface), try to maintain an air pocket in front of your face using your hands and arms, punching into the snow. When an avalanche finally stops, you may have only a few seconds before the snow sets up and hardens. Many avalanche deaths are caused by suffocation, so creating an air space is one of the most critical things you can do. Also, take a deep breath to expand your chest and hold it; otherwise, you may not be able to breathe after the snow sets. To preserve air space, yell or make noise only when rescuers are near you. Snow is such a good insulator they probably will not hear you until they are practically on top of you.

Above all, do not panic. Keeping your breathing steady will help preserve your air space and extend your survival chances. If you remain calm, your body will be better able to conserve energy.

Rescuing a victim Try to watch the victim as they are carried down the slope, paying particular attention to the point you last saw them. After the avalanche appears to have finished and settled, wait a minute or two and observe the slope carefully to make sure there is no further avalanche danger. If some danger does still exist, post one member of your party in a safe location away from the avalanche path to alert you if another avalanche falls.

When traveling with a large party, you may want to send someone for help immediately while the rest of you search. If you are the only survivor, do a quick visual search. If you don't see any visual clues, and you don't have transceivers, then go for help.

Begin looking for clues on the surface (a hand or foot, piece of clothing, ski pole, etc.), beginning with the point where they were last seen. As you move down the slope, kick over any large chunks of snow that may reveal clues. Since equipment and items of clothing may be pulled away from a victim during an avalanche, they may not indicate their exact location, but can help determine the direction the avalanche carried them. Mark these spots as you come across them. Be sure that all rescuers leave their packs, extra clothing, etc., away from the search area so as not to clutter or confuse search efforts.

Once the victim is found, it is critical to unbury them as quickly as possible. Survival chances decrease rapidly depending on how long a victim remains buried. Treat them for any injuries, shock, or hypothermia if necessary.

If you lost sight of the victim early during the avalanche, or if there are no visible clues on the surface, mark where the victim was last seen. Look at the path of the snow and try to imagine where they might have ended up. For those wearing avalanche transceivers, switch them to "receive" and try to locate a signal.

For those using probes, begin at the point the victim was last seen at. Or if you have a good idea of where they were buried, begin in that area. Stand in a straight line across the slope, standing shoulder to shoulder. Repeatedly insert the probes as you move down slope in a line. Pay particular attention to shallow depressions in the slope and the uphill sides of rocks and trees, since these are terrain traps where they may have been buried.

It may be necessary to probe certain areas more than once if you don't locate the victim the first time around, but this takes more time and decreases the victim's chances for survival. Similar to using transceivers, this method of rescue is much more effective if those involved have experience or have practiced finding buried victims using probes.

After searching for clues, or using transceivers and/or probes, still does not reveal the location of the victim, it may be time to rely on outside help. Nearby ski resorts will be staffed with personnel experienced to handle these situations. They will have equipment to locate the victims and dig them out (if your party did not bring shovels or probes), and they may also have avalanche dogs that can help find victims. Ski area patrollers will also have first aid equipment, but unfortunately, by the time they can usually reach out-of-bounds avalanche accidents, too much time has elapsed to save the victim.

As far as the transmissions go I have a question regarding my Suburban which the Avalanche shares as well. Mine has the tow haul button on the shifter stalk, but do I still want to put the trans in 3rd gear instead of drive as well? Now my camper is much lighter than Rager50's at only 3500lbs, but I would always tow with OD off in my 01 Ram Wagon. Should I do the same in the burban, or does the tow haul button automatically lock out OD? Sorry for the threa djack, but when doing my research on here it was pretty split on the opinion of the 4L60E transmissions these trucks use.

In reply to Mazdax605:

The Tow/Haul button alters the shift "timing" inside the transmission to make an attempt to make it last. 3500#'s SHOULD be able to be towed in OD over FLAT land without much trouble.

The big downfall to the 4L60E is three different problems making for big $ repairs, IMO. 1. The sprag in the input drum just LOVES to explode when overworked. That sends crap everywhere. 2. The sunshell because of the powerflow gets overstressed and either cracks or rips out the splines. Again, . 3. Overall shift "programming" is lackluster. Every damn soccer bitch out there wants a Caddy-like shift in a 5k truck. I'm not saying it has perform the shift with such authority to knock your fillings out, but no line pressure and stretching the overlap to the max, leads to a burnt up unit.

Oh and the gear spread sucks ass. 3.06 1st gear???? Gimme a break. There are planets that can get you to 2.76 or 2.8x, but they are $500 or 600. Not worth it.

Per speaks the truth, that is some good advice.

I had to outrun a small avalanche while skiing in the backcountry in British Columbia about 10 years ago......

Tips for Avalanche survival

Before entering a dealership where there is any possibility of an Avalanche, fasten all your clothing securely to secure your wallet. Loosen your seatbelt so that you can slip out of it with ease and escape the pushy dealer. Make sure that your Avalanche beacon is on and switched to "avoidance" rather than "reception." Cross the street to the next dealership as quickly as possible to minimize danger.

If you are caught in an Avalanche yell in terror and let go of steering wheel and get out of your seat quickly- make yourself more mobile. Use "swimming" motions, thrusting upward to try to stay near the sunroof for quick escape. When Avalanches come to a stop and debris begins to pile up, the opinions of your friends can be as hard as cement. Unless you are on the roof and your hands are free, it is almost impossible to dig yourself out of a lien on an Avalanche. If you are fortunate enough to end up near the surface (or at least know which direction it is), try to stick out an arm or a leg so that rescuers can find you quickly and save you from your own foolishness.

If you are in over your head (unable to resell), try to maintain your sanity by punching yourself in the face. When an Avalanche finally stops, you may be over 300' from where you applied the brakes. Many Avalanche deaths are caused by suffocation, so keeping your spouse's hands off your throat is one of the most critical things you can do. Also, take a deep breath to expand your chest and hold it; otherwise, you may never be able to breathe again. To preserve passenger space, yell or make noise only on the rare occurrence when admirers are near you. Ugly plastic panels are so good at insulating good looks that you will rarely have this problem.

Above all, do not panic. Keeping your breathing steady will help preserve your garage space and extend your survival chances. If you remain calm, your body will be better able to conserve energy to think about how stupid it was to buy an Avalanche.

Rescuing a victim: try to watch the victim as they are locked into the interior, paying particular attention to the point you last saw them. After the Avalanche appears to have finished body roll and settled, wait a minute or two and observe the oncoming traffic carefully to make sure there is no further danger of approaching Avalanches. If some danger does still exist, post one member of your party in a safe location away from the Avalanche path to alert you if another Avalanche approaches.

When traveling with a large party in an Avalanche, you may want to send someone for help immediately before you begin the trip while the rest of you venture forth. If you are the only survivor, do a quick visual search. If you don't see any visual clues, and you don't have an available wrecker, then go for help.

Begin looking for clues on the surface (a oversized rocker panel, an ugly plastic grill, a strange cargo hatchy thing), beginning with the point where they look most absurd. As you move down the street, kick over any large chunks of Miatas or other extinguished sports cars that may reveal clues. Since equipment and items of clothing may be pulled away from a victim riding an Avalanche, they may not indicate their exact location, but can help determine the direction the Avalanche carried them. Mark these atrocious design spots in your head as you come across them- they are quite memorable. Be sure that all rescuers leave their sensibility at home so as not to clutter or confuse efforts to understand your logic in buying the darned thing.

Once the victim is found, it is critical to unbury them as quickly as possible. Survival chances decrease rapidly depending on how long a victim remains buried in an Avalanche. Treat them for any insults, shock, or hypoglycema if necessary.

If you lost sight of the victim riding in the Avalanche, or if there are no visible clues on the surface, mark where the victim was last seen. Look at the path away from the Chevrolet dealership try to imagine where they might have ended up. Ford dealership, Dollar Tree, and Taco Bell are all possibilities. For those wearing Avalanche transmitters, switch them to "transmit" and try to locate a buyer as quickly as possible.

For those using probes, begin cautiously and gently. Avalanche owners have already been probed to the extreme, so they are very sensitive in those areas. Proceed with sensitivity at the point the victim was last probed. Or if you have a good idea of where it was buried, begin in that area. Stand in a straight line across the street, standing shoulder to shoulder. Repeatedly insert the probes as you move down street in a line. Pay particular attention to shallow depressions in the seat and the uphill sides of rocks and trees, since these are terrible things to have been buried.

It may be necessary to probe certain areas more than once if you don't locate the victim's sanity the first time around, but this takes more time and decreases the victim's chances for survival. Similar to using transceivers, this method of rescue is much more effective if those involved have experience or have practiced finding buried victims using probes.

After searching for clues, or using transceivers and/or probes, still does not reveal the location of the victim, it may be time to rely on outside help. Nearby dealerships will be staffed with personnel experienced to handle these situations. They will have equipment to locate the victims and dig them out (if your party did not bring shovels or probes), and they may also have Avalanche dogs that can help find victims. Sensible car dealers and salesmen will also have first aid equipment, but unfortunately, by the time they can usually reach out-of-bounds Avalanche victims, too much time has elapsed to save the victim.

To cure victim from exposure to Avalanche, administer large Miata doses generously.

one "feature" of the Avalanche that i never really "got" was the way you make the tiny little bed into something useful- fold the rear seat out of the way, remove the rear window, and fold the rear wall down and out of the way.. that gives you a 4 door pickup with no rear firewall and rear doors that allow you to access the bed.

In reply to novaderrik:

Useless or dangerous, your pick.

neon4891 wrote: In reply to novaderrik: Useless or dangerous, your pick.

i choose neither..