Considering trading in the L for a HD, some ?'s for you HD owners...

[99cobradave]

Hello all, I'm new to this forum.

The standard cab of my '94 L is just not doing the job for me. I absolutely love the interior of the four door HD's, and am considering selling the L and buying a used HD.

I am almost certain that I don't want the black exterior (been there, done that with black!), so it looks like I'll have to settle for the '02 and up SC'ed versions in Grey.

I've heard that the '02's had trouble with the internals. The truck I want will remain stock and I want a trouble free truck to pull my boat during the summer and let me and the wife travel in style on long road trips. Anyone have any issues with the SC'ed engine? Will it last?

Also, I'm not thrilled with the 20" wheels. I think the truck would look much better with the 18" '99 and up L wheels. Anyhow, I noticed that about the only tire available in the stock size is the Goodyear GTII. I had these tires on my L and I hated them, what kind of tires do you guys use and is this truck have a good highway ride?

Sorry so long, and thanks for any replies.

 

[FordSVTFan]

I had a 2000 L with lots of mods and got a 2002 HD SC in DSG and I love it. It is comfortable and has all the amenities of a luxury car. The 20"s take some time to get used to but are fine.

Good Luck.

 

[Rainman15]

I had a 2000 L that I traded for a 02 black HD. Awesome truck! Drove great, rode great, interior was incredible, But it is a much bigger truck that the 2nd gen L and isn't as quick because of it. I added 6lbs of boost, custom chip, and a cold air intake which made a huge difference, but I still wasn't satisfied. Two months after buying it I traded for another L. A well treated 02 or 03 used HD shouldn't have any known weak spots in the drive train. They have the new style heads and intercooler. (lessons learned from the 99-00 Lightnings) And the two piece drive shaft only becomes a weak spot if you are running more than 400+ rwhp, which you don't plan to do. You should just go get a clean 02 DSG HD (if you can find one) and enjoy it!

 

[Rainman15]

If you are worried about the Goodyear tires, I got 26k out of my GTII's on the HD before they needed replacement. I've averaged 7-12k miles on the F1's I've had on my lightings. Check the prices on these tires at www.tirerack.com and you will see the HD's tires are much much much cheaper than the lightnings(HD's $135 per tire, Lightings $207!), and they last longer too. Something to think about if you are on a budget.

 

[GreenCobra]

If you don't like black-your ONLY option is the 02 DSG. Or repainting it.

The internals are fine on the 02's-Basically a Lightning motor with less boost.
20" wheels are heavy but look great and ride nice.

A 2" drop in the rear is a great mod as is a L rear sway bar.
Bassani exhaust will give lots of power on the bottom.


Good luck-they are nice trucks= I had an 02"

 

[FordSVTFan]

I am considering selling my 02 DSG HD with Leer Matching Cap. It has 32K on the clock and is stock except for the cat back exhaust. If interested let me know.

 

[99cobradave]

FordSVTfan,

How much do you want for your '02?

 

[FordSVTFan]

It is a Dark Shadow Gray 2002 HD SC with matching Leer top (top of the line) it has the entire bed lined with a bed rug and matching rug on the Leer cap. It has 32000 miles, no mods except for the cat back exhaust. The tires are brand new Goodyears. The leather interior is in prestine condition and it drives great.

I am asking $28,900.

 

[harleytruck9144]

ok, here i go.... i have an 03 all black and i do agree that black is a pain in the ass to keep clean, however it looks amazing when it is clean... you could either go with the 02 DSG or an 03 two-tone which looks awesome. i dont really like the looks of the 02 interior but the 03 interior is amazing! as far as problems with the drivetrain, if you are keeping your truck 100% stock, you will never have a problem with it other than a little belt squeak from the supercharger (easily fixed with a gatorback belt and an idler pulley). i would say if you liked your lightning and need extra room, this is definately the truck for you, almost exactlly the same driving but the slugishness of it compared to the lightning will take some time to get used to. as far as tires, the GTIIs handle fine in my opinion, very hard to spin (probably due to the lack of L power) and show very little signs of wear after 10K miles (as of today). rims... why would you even say that it would look better with 18" lightning wheel, it would completely throw off the whole look of the truck... if you are looking for a lightning look-a-like, then buy a stock N/A 5.4 and put the S/C assembly on it and paint it w/e color and throw some L rims on there, just my opinion. i guess those would look ok if your going for the FAST look, but these trucks are not made to be fast, just fast enough and VERY good looking, i definately get a lot of stares in my truck! whatever you get you will love it, cant go wrong with a harley truck!

 

[99cobradave]

Thanks for all of the replies, guys.

harleytruck9144,

Yeah, I hear you regarding the 20" wheels. Perhaps it would ruin the look, perhaps not, but I like a bit more sidewall on the wheel/tire combo. I love the 17" rim/fat tire combo on my '95 L, for instance. That looks much better than a larger wheel, skinny tire, especially for a truck. Besides, big wheel = HEAVY.

Anyhow, I appreciate everyones comments. I'll be hunting for a great deal in the next year.