These "3 Idiots on a Tight Budget" series genuinely make my day. I've truly enjoyed your similar series from the past, and this one is equally great. Keep that entertainment rolling, gents!
I nearly died when he said MASSIVE 2k winch lol. That’s the same as on our four wheeler. I’m not sure how much help it would be other than on flat ground with little resistance
I love you guys! That is a fantastic trail to test those rigs. I will tell you, in 1989 I drove my girlfriends Honda Accord, yes, Honda Accord, on the FULL trail loop from Moab UP the Rim Trail (clockwise) with some ice and snow on the switchbacks. I am here as a survivor. Good job guys.
On the contrary to what Roman said, this is great timing for y'all to do videos about old gas guzzling trucks! That way I can just take my phone and go sit in my C/K 454, watch your videos, and pretend like the engine is running. Much cheaper that way. - Everett
Great stuff, guys. I love Moab. I drove my 26 year-old 6-speed Z28 from Monument to Grand Junction a couple of weeks ago. 296 miles, 10.124 gallons.... 29mpg. Blew my mind. 😂
Next you guys should do a early 2000s softroader competition. Use vehicles like ford escape, mazda tribute, subaru outback,rav4 all the budget awd vehicles. Something for the people that dont want a huge vehicle
@@Jacobtheunwise I suppose I should clarify then. Our franken mazda had front cv axle u joints that were damaged. We just capped them off and drove it that way lol
I love the suburban, I had a 97 it was my baby till got totalled last year still have a front end rebuild kit, has everything from the front rotors/ wheel bearings and everything in-between sitting in my garage. I'll get another one sometime
Every time I’ve done MPGs on my vortec 350 it comes out to 16. Full of people, 16. Completely empty, 16. Hill abundant road trip, 16. Flat land road trip, 16
Exactly. I just some stupid trendy term someone came up with cause they where embarraaed to say they like car camping and spent a stupid amount of money on it. 😅😅
Especially if it has a G80 locker in the rear end. It may not be great for rock crawling or mud bogging, but it’s plenty good for anything you might reasonably attempt in a stock Escalade.
This is one episode where the TIRES MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE in terms of off-road performance! Those BF Goodrich KO2's are PERFECT for hot desert and rocky MOAB off-road runs! Just putting these tires on them added over two thousand dollars worth of 4x4 RESALE VALUE to these vehicles! Interestingly, up here in Vancouver, Canada, I am seeing quite a few lifted Cadillac Escalades with 4 and 6 inch lifts and 35 inch to 37 tires on them! Mostly Goodyear MT/R's, KO2's, Nitto Ridge Geapplers, etc. as their tires. These 15 year old trucks can be bought for less than $20,000 and you just need to put in $15,000 worth of upgrades and maintenance work to bring them up to full off-road/overlanding/boondocking specs with an engine-tune, Fox or Bilstein active shocks plus add front and rear bumpers/bush bars with heavy duty winches, big lighting kits, rear extra fuel and water swingout cages, rooftop tents and camp-gear racks. You can even put in skidplates and upgrade the wheel control modes by updating your ECU and suspension control software via 3rd party-written Flash BIOS updates which give you Ford Bronco-like GOAT (aka Go Anywhere) modes! It sure is a LOT CHEAPER than buying a Bronco PLUS you get that SWEET V8 power and sound! If you coat the truck upper body and entire underbody ENTIRELY in Line-X truck bed liner you don't even have to worry about scratches and dents as the Line-X is the toughest, most weatherproof coating out there! Last summer I even saw a 'Slade with 42 inch Mickey Thompson 4x4 tires and a huge lift. The owner had to cut the wheel wells and weld some strengthening beams for the new suspension and stronger drive shafts/transfer cases BUT he did fit it all in there! Putting on $5000 worth of new tires and wheels may be a little CRAZY but some people like doing that sort of thing! V
I grew up being trucked around in a 2000 excursion similar to nathan's. Did many road trips from Ohio to Georgia and back and can confirm it is mighty stiff ride quality.
I own a 99 suburban my self and I have 295k on mine. It's a slow climber for sure will hold about 45 on most climbs at 2000 rpm or so. Reminds me of the old 300 I 6 Ford. Slow as a snail but will pull anything
The trip to Moab looks awesome. Thanks TFL team, it's good to get nack to nature. I am a little jealous, even though you had to endure hours of travel on dangerous some dirt roads, your adventure looks like a blast.
My 2004 tahoe 5.3 gets 17.5 MPG on the dashboard. It used to get over 19 MPG with standard road tires until I put BFG KO2s on there. I was suprised to see the 6.0 in the escalade get 19 with KO2s. I wonder what gives.
It was hard for me to see the tape stuck to the suburban. I have a 99 suburban. 85 octane doesn't do justice to that motor. 89 is perfect for those engines. I love this series though
@@xXstrattXx I've driven higher milage 5.7 in several vehicles. they've always wanted 87-89 to be more responsive with no pinging. Perhaps when they were new they needed 85?
@@xXstrattXx hey I'm going off of what the book recommends on these engines I just would go with 87+ I worked on one these with the same year and the 5.7l v8 it recommendeds 87 or higher no lower
@@buyallmeans425 struggle is real man! Currently drive a 00 expedition with the famous 5.4L 😖 it has its issues but still hauls down the road with my 8 family members with at least 10mpg combined! Time will tell when the spark plugs will shoot out 💀 miles: 189K
Good job BF Goodrich donating tires again. I use the same tires on my truck here in Eastern Canada and they are the best all around tires for mud, snow and highway driving. Now get some 285/70/18 on the ZR2.
Great video guys. Brought back a lot of memories . At one time I owned all those different SUVs or a version each of those brands and generations. I would love to see an auto journalist Chanel do a story on what happened to all those comfortable seats you all were commenting on. Why are all modern seats rock hard and heavily bolstered. Tommy did have the best softest seats out of that group, every generation after that had less and less paddling. I have always wondered why, why are modern seats so hard. Why, why, why???
15:54 was just standing in that spot at Moab as you go down into the valley, and yes we did take a hybrid X5 45e to Moab, that made for fun discussions ! Lol
Wtf happened with the suburban you had 6k to improve it I was expecting the suburban to be completely changed and it could whoop on they other two just why?
Love this series!!!! And I love how premium in Colorado is cheaper than Hawaii’s 87 regular which is about $5.15-$5.25 depending on where you are on the island. 😅😅😅
Hello, hello, amator overlanders!! I told you that you should get 17..18mpg from the excursion. All you have to do, is to keep it under 2000rpm. Depending on what gear you have, that's 40....50mph. Like overland vehicle, the excursion is king, but as a total package, you can't beat the caddy.
I used to have that escalade model. It's a snow plow! Never got stuck in deep snow on stock tires. So comfortable as well. Just don't like the image it portrayed
Agree with Tommy. Overlanding trending way to describe car camping like people have been dojng for ages. Have to,add another requirment is you must have an IG account to document every thing.
First off, like everyone else i love these series'. So much fun to watch. On another note, i know its how yall afford vehicles but i think you guys need to keep the trx. It has set so many standards i feel you need to keep it around until something else dethrones it
Yes Coffee and TFL on Sat morning rocks!
Exactly what I'm doing!!
Yes Morning Poo and TFL on sat morning rocks!
Yaaahhh wine and TFL on Sat night rocks! (In Asia)
Same.
Do u guys know if u could put the gas tank from an excursion on an 2009 expedition
These "3 Idiots on a Tight Budget" series genuinely make my day. I've truly enjoyed your similar series from the past, and this one is equally great. Keep that entertainment rolling, gents!
Nathan shines doing these off the cuff adventures. Tommy's sense of humour 👍👍👍.
humor*
A “massive” 2000lb winch? Made me laugh… might be overselling that. I’ve got a 3000lb Warn winch on my ATV!
And it’s bolted to the plastic license plate bracket yet too lol
I think he was just being sarcastic.
With enough snatch blocks it will work. Lol
Yeah complete sarcasm
@Spencer Ellis the magnetic lights kind of gave it away LOL
I nearly died when he said MASSIVE 2k winch lol. That’s the same as on our four wheeler. I’m not sure how much help it would be other than on flat ground with little resistance
My atv has a 3500 😂😂 I thought the same thing
The winch combined with the truck power can do more than some think.
Plus it’s just mounted on his license plate
That winch just looks so sad. I dont think I've ever seen a smaller winch on a vehicle before bhahaha
A winch bolted to the license plate holder is hilarious 😂
I love you guys! That is a fantastic trail to test those rigs. I will tell you, in 1989 I drove my girlfriends Honda Accord, yes, Honda Accord, on the FULL trail loop from Moab UP the Rim Trail (clockwise) with some ice and snow on the switchbacks. I am here as a survivor. Good job guys.
Tommy is gunning for Matt’s Off-road Recovery. Get’em Tommy!
With a little Jeremy Clarkson sprinkled over the top.
Tommy is right, overlanding is just a fancy word for car camping.
“that’s a bit expensive right there”
bruh it’s 200 to fill a truck where i am with regular fuel😭😂
On the contrary to what Roman said, this is great timing for y'all to do videos about old gas guzzling trucks! That way I can just take my phone and go sit in my C/K 454, watch your videos, and pretend like the engine is running. Much cheaper that way. - Everett
Great stuff, guys. I love Moab.
I drove my 26 year-old 6-speed Z28 from Monument to Grand Junction a couple of weeks ago. 296 miles, 10.124 gallons.... 29mpg. Blew my mind. 😂
that escalade is getting as good as my new explorer.
heavy rust? thats brand new for the folks up north! 🤣
😂😂😂
I cried when I saw that. I don't think he really knows what rust is. - VT
Heavy rust?!?!?!?! that's rust free here in Michigan!!!!
Next you guys should do a early 2000s softroader competition. Use vehicles like ford escape, mazda tribute, subaru outback,rav4 all the budget awd vehicles. Something for the people that dont want a huge vehicle
Agreed or slightly larger like Highlander, Pilot, Murano, etc.
@@nycad2484 a series on both would be great
The tribute V6 was a damn good vehicle. RWD based AWD too
@@rjlopez9358 nope the tribute has a fwd awd setup. I know because i have one lol. Also identical to the early escapes
@@Jacobtheunwise I suppose I should clarify then. Our franken mazda had front cv axle u joints that were damaged. We just capped them off and drove it that way lol
I love the suburban, I had a 97 it was my baby till got totalled last year still have a front end rebuild kit, has everything from the front rotors/ wheel bearings and everything in-between sitting in my garage. I'll get another one sometime
Every time I’ve done MPGs on my vortec 350 it comes out to 16. Full of people, 16. Completely empty, 16. Hill abundant road trip, 16. Flat land road trip, 16
Atleast shes consistent lol
@Sammie&Grayton I’ve worked on expresses and I’ve worked on 5.7s but never that combo. That sounds horrific to work on.
6:40 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Gotta love this channel.
Team Ford, anyone else?
I love these videos, the format is excellent. I’m watching this now instead of TV
As someone who is a full time truck camper dweller/overlander, I absolutely love the definition of "glamorized homelessness".
I've taken my 99 to TN several times. It's all fine with 89 octane. Not the same elevation I know but still mountain type driving
Tommy nailed what the definition of overlanding is.
Exactly. I just some stupid trendy term someone came up with cause they where embarraaed to say they like car camping and spent a stupid amount of money on it. 😅😅
I've been looking forward to this video. It was worth the wait. Thanks for the great Saturday morning entertainment.
Great series, guys. The Escalade would be the undisputed winner if it had low-range. Next series should definitely be budget soft-roaders. ✌🏻 🚙
Especially if it has a G80 locker in the rear end. It may not be great for rock crawling or mud bogging, but it’s plenty good for anything you might reasonably attempt in a stock Escalade.
This is one episode where the TIRES MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE in terms of off-road performance! Those BF Goodrich KO2's are PERFECT for hot desert and rocky MOAB off-road runs! Just putting these tires on them added over two thousand dollars worth of 4x4 RESALE VALUE to these vehicles!
Interestingly, up here in Vancouver, Canada, I am seeing quite a few lifted Cadillac Escalades with 4 and 6 inch lifts and 35 inch to 37 tires on them! Mostly Goodyear MT/R's, KO2's, Nitto Ridge Geapplers, etc. as their tires. These 15 year old trucks can be bought for less than $20,000 and you just need to put in $15,000 worth of upgrades and maintenance work to bring them up to full off-road/overlanding/boondocking specs with an engine-tune, Fox or Bilstein active shocks plus add front and rear bumpers/bush bars with heavy duty winches, big lighting kits, rear extra fuel and water swingout cages, rooftop tents and camp-gear racks. You can even put in skidplates and upgrade the wheel control modes by updating your ECU and suspension control software via 3rd party-written Flash BIOS updates which give you Ford Bronco-like GOAT (aka Go Anywhere) modes!
It sure is a LOT CHEAPER than buying a Bronco PLUS you get that SWEET V8 power and sound! If you coat the truck upper body and entire underbody ENTIRELY in Line-X truck bed liner you don't even have to worry about scratches and dents as the Line-X is the toughest, most weatherproof coating out there!
Last summer I even saw a 'Slade with 42 inch Mickey Thompson 4x4 tires and a huge lift. The owner had to cut the wheel wells and weld some strengthening beams for the new suspension and stronger drive shafts/transfer cases BUT he did fit it all in there! Putting on $5000 worth of new tires and wheels may be a little CRAZY but some people like doing that sort of thing!
V
Thanks for the call-out in Fruita Colorado! Following you from Western Colorado!
I grew up being trucked around in a 2000 excursion similar to nathan's. Did many road trips from Ohio to Georgia and back and can confirm it is mighty stiff ride quality.
Oh yeah. I'm diggin' this episode.
Can't wait to do this trail in early October!
This series is awesome! Props for the America song reference!
my fav crew doing what they love, having fun! great way to start this long weekend!
The Ford door switches are known for sticking and giving you the door ajar error. My 2003 Ford Ranger and my Dad's 1997 F150 have had that happen.
Tommy's Suburban looks like the Ghostbusters decorated it!
It looks very similar to Ecto 1
I live for these tfl challenge videos!!! Brings me back to the good days of top gear! Thanks for making them, always brightens up my day.
I own a 99 suburban my self and I have 295k on mine. It's a slow climber for sure will hold about 45 on most climbs at 2000 rpm or so. Reminds me of the old 300 I 6 Ford. Slow as a snail but will pull anything
The trip to Moab looks awesome. Thanks TFL team, it's good to get nack to nature. I am a little jealous, even though you had to endure hours of travel on dangerous some dirt roads, your adventure looks like a blast.
My 2004 tahoe 5.3 gets 17.5 MPG on the dashboard. It used to get over 19 MPG with standard road tires until I put BFG KO2s on there. I was suprised to see the 6.0 in the escalade get 19 with KO2s. I wonder what gives.
It says use no lower then 87 in those older chevys not 85 that's why it's running so rough
It was hard for me to see the tape stuck to the suburban. I have a 99 suburban. 85 octane doesn't do justice to that motor. 89 is perfect for those engines. I love this series though
That's why it's running so poorly, 87 plus is the best they should use
@@thekingofnoobs8362 💯
Those 350's have around an 8-1 compression ratio. There's no need for anything higher than 85 octane
@@xXstrattXx I've driven higher milage 5.7 in several vehicles. they've always wanted 87-89 to be more responsive with no pinging. Perhaps when they were new they needed 85?
@@xXstrattXx hey I'm going off of what the book recommends on these engines I just would go with 87+ I worked on one these with the same year and the 5.7l v8 it recommendeds 87 or higher no lower
The 5.7 dose pretty good in the tahoe
Did Tommy turn into James May this episode?
Wasn't expecting the excursion to get 15 mpg on steep uphill and downhill wow 😮👏 makes me wanna consider buying an excursion in the near future 🙏
The only regret to owning an Excursion, is visiting the gas station. Everything else is great
Ikr.. Miguel, I have a 2001 Ford Ranger 4.0 extended cab that gets only 17 mpg.. that's on flat Florida roads. Driving like a grampa...
@@HammerWrench haha with these gas prices, definitely 😂
@@buyallmeans425 struggle is real man! Currently drive a 00 expedition with the famous 5.4L 😖 it has its issues but still hauls down the road with my 8 family members with at least 10mpg combined!
Time will tell when the spark plugs will shoot out 💀 miles: 189K
@@buyallmeans425 check out my TH-cam video if you're curious to see what's currently wrong with my expedition
Good job BF Goodrich donating tires again. I use the same tires on my truck here in Eastern Canada and they are the best all around tires for mud, snow and highway driving. Now get some 285/70/18 on the ZR2.
I hope Nathan got a vacation after this. He was getting tosseddd in that thing hahhah his back has to be in shambles
Lucky to see gas under $4 !!
here in Washington state $4.89 and that was ARCO. well over $5 at Chevron and Shell
"What's the rating on your winch?"
"Plenty" 🤣🤣🤣
Great video guys. Brought back a lot of memories . At one time I owned all those different SUVs or a version each of those brands and generations.
I would love to see an auto journalist Chanel do a story on what happened to all those comfortable seats you all were commenting on.
Why are all modern seats rock hard and heavily bolstered. Tommy did have the best softest seats out of that group, every generation after that had less and less paddling.
I have always wondered why, why are modern seats so hard. Why, why, why???
crash safety. A firm bolstered seat keeps the occupant in place better. unfortunately the firmer you get the less of a one size fits all.
you guys make a great team, especially Tommy and Nathan. you guys kill me lol
15:54 was just standing in that spot at Moab as you go down into the valley, and yes we did take a hybrid X5 45e to Moab, that made for fun discussions ! Lol
I’m jealous of your “cheap” $4 gas ⛽️
Yes finally I feel like this episode couldn't come fast enough lol great job guys
Nothing like 34 cylinders firing away on the highway! 😂
Have a beautiful day Everyone
Lol I thought my crazy cousin was the only person who says clapped out
That pump number IS two dollars away from being more than my car payment...
Great editing, great jokes, looks like a ton of fun. Excellent series you guys!
Thank you for the kind words.
With all the upgrades they were doing, nobody talked about changing air filters. That's the first thing I would have done.
lol those glued on lights have me dying
Gas is $4.90 a gallon here in Batavia NY.
Another great adventure you guys have done, so good, can't wait for the next one. Tommy sure has melded in with the crew so well.
Love the America song quote Roman!! Now I'll have to go listen to it and it'll be stuck in my head all day, thats fine by me though.
Which one would you want to drive every day? Escalade hands down
Nah, I'm an asshole and I like the excursion, babeh!
I've been driving my 7.3 excursion for 18 years. Couldn't see myself driving anything else. Dream rig everyday.
Nathan = Clarkson jezza
Andre = Hammond
Tommy DEFINITELY = Captain slowly das mr slowly.
Loved this series 👍🏾
No way.
Andre = Captain Slow
Tommy = Jeremy
Nathan = Hamster
Nice - still loving the ford - would defating the tires help
Tommy finds out his fuel economy is almost as bad as the Excursion: Well, at least mines the slowest. I've got that going for me.
don't forget Tommy used 85 octane 👎
If Tommy would’ve gotten a slightly newer Suburban with the 5.3, he would’ve had some decent power and mpg compared to the old tired Vortec 5.7.
Ya for sure the 5.7 sucks honestly
Watching tfl in the morning is the best
So a 13 minute fuel economy run and some dirt driving.. thanks guys It was so worth the wait.
You're welcom!
the diamond plating looked like a pop up head light
Wtf happened with the suburban you had 6k to improve it I was expecting the suburban to be completely changed and it could whoop on they other two just why?
the escalade looks awesome with larger tires
Love these specials guys!! In a top-gearless world (the old one) you sure fill a big void
Watching this before I go take my motorcycle test. Wish me luck!
>Asks to get good MPG
>Flooring it up grades
Love this series!!!! And I love how premium in Colorado is cheaper than Hawaii’s 87 regular which is about $5.15-$5.25 depending on where you are on the island. 😅😅😅
That escalade is so sweet
Tommy…. Why did you ruin that suburban 😭
Hello, hello, amator overlanders!! I told you that you should get 17..18mpg from the excursion. All you have to do, is to keep it under 2000rpm. Depending on what gear you have, that's 40....50mph. Like overland vehicle, the excursion is king, but as a total package, you can't beat the caddy.
Great show yall!
In Australia we call that "Bulldust" and it's deep enough to swallow a forby in some places.
Nathan’s jokes are the absolute best
I used to have that escalade model. It's a snow plow! Never got stuck in deep snow on stock tires. So comfortable as well. Just don't like the image it portrayed
What image? I just bought my first Escalade. I am loving the 6.2
and i am getting fantastic fuel mileage
Dear Ford,
Please bring back the Excursion 🙏🙏
And the 7.3!
how is that Escalade getting almost 19mpg?
LS motors for ya
The only payment needed these days is for fuel. Great series guys! I would love to do a fan’s series with you guys.
Enjoyed your video. Moab is one of my favorite places in Utah.
And here I thought you guys would take the challenge of building up the trucks seriously 🙄
Yeah I thought they'd at least put a lift kit on the trucks. Nothing crazy, but maybe like, a 2-3" lift.
Same
Thanks for putting that "Horse with no name" song in my head. I'll be humming it all day :-(
Tommy sounds amd becoming more like Jeremy clarkson !!!
Love watching these short series. Keep up the content. Reminds me a little of Top Gear.
Wow yall are lucky, it's $6 for premium here in the Chicagoland area!
Tommy? Harbor Freight called. You missed a item on Isle 7. Lol
Agree with Tommy. Overlanding trending way to describe car camping like people have been dojng for ages. Have to,add another requirment is you must have an IG account to document every thing.
yes you have to be continuously posing and recording yourself.
Good to see tfl bids are back..well done and good luck.good job again with video guys..love u all from across the pond
The I did that stickers at 8:09 😂👍
Lol, “heavy rust”.... come to 🇨🇦
Would like to see the Excursion take the Cake at the end of the challenge
Been waiting for this for so long..... let's go!!
Dad joke, I say it's a door but it's telling me the door is actually a Jar.
First off, like everyone else i love these series'. So much fun to watch. On another note, i know its how yall afford vehicles but i think you guys need to keep the trx. It has set so many standards i feel you need to keep it around until something else dethrones it
Need to give them away before they breakdown after all still a crappy Chrysler
that Excursion was bouncing all over