H3 H3 Alpha vs H3 I5........having had both.......hmm

[fowlken8]

Just me being bored and sharing thoughts. I have had a few I5 hummers, some geared that felt good, others that annoyed me up moderate hills on 35s.

I now have an 09 Alpha with every possible factory addition and it's great. But I expected to be blown away. I am and am not. I see that I can absolutely hold 75mph at minimal RPM and can pass people. But the general up and go isn't much different at all. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised given it's AWD and HEAVY with 35s, bumpers, roof rack, etc. I don't tow with it so I am probably not using it how it should be.

I was always left wanting with the I5 given numbers and what people say and I can now say, given how I use my H3, it didn't matter how I imagined it would....although I appreciate the 5.3 having readily available parts vs the I5.

 

[EndeavoredH3]

Let me put it this way.

If you have an I5 and want more power, you’re essentially looking into buying an alpha or doing a v8 swap.

If you have an alpha, you have a whole summit racing catalog to have fun with. Don’t need anything super fancy, maybe just a cam and valve springs will fix the wow factor.

 

[650Hawk]

Neither one is a hot rod that is going to yank your arms off. The difference is that the I5 is working it's ass off nearly all of the time to push a 5K lb truck along, whereas the V8 takes it in stride.

 

[fowlken8]

I'm spoiled by my Lotus and supercharged titan. I admittedly didn't know what to expect but I'm not truly annoyed by it lol that is one thing I notice, up hills or at speed the RPMs are much much lower. Just feels the same off the line.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Nice review. Thanks.

I can see how an I-5 would struggle and leave guys 'wanting' for more, for guys living in hilly areas & mountain regions. It's pretty level around here and the I-5 does pretty well for DD driving (in a stock H3). Not so great for hwy passing though. I've had several Jeep GC's with the 4.0 I-6's and the 4.7 V8's. The V8's just move them around with ease. Like it *should* be. And the V8's get essentially the same fuel economy with a very slight economy difference (depending how ya drive).

There was probably a healthy debate in the early stages at GM about going with the I-6 4.2 or the 5-cyl. But the short nose prevented the I-6. Too bad they didn't figure out a way to put it in. That would have been a great in-between engine.

 

[Alpha X]

I didn't see any mention of sending off your ecm/tcm to PCM of NC for retuning to account for larger tires or different intake, exhaust, etc. They'll adjust shift points. Something to consider if you haven't already done it.

See here:

Hummer H3 2006-2010 Mail Order Tuning Archives

Mail Order Tuning Hummer H3 2006-2010 | Follow the link above to get more info + pricing | PCM of NC is your one-stop shop for Late Model GM Performance

www.pcmofnc.com

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[Nikal]

A programmer will help. I think Super Chips and Peddle Commander both offer programmers for the H3 5.3. Unfortunately HyperTech does not for some reason and I like and have experienced with Hypertech.

I have a H3 CE, and the guy I got it from had a custom tune built into a programmer to upload. What a difference it makes, especially in the transmission shifting.

Bummer part for me is they also played around with the engine tune and it will not pass California smog because they tricked the O2 sensors. And it needs a mid or high grade fuel, which ain’t cheap in California!

Im Considered buying a Super Chips programmer to try out and see if I can duplicate the transmission tune.

 

[rascole]

Imagine the baby 2.8 D-max in the H3. My new Lambo poster on the wall.

 

[EndeavoredH3]

Imagine the baby 2.8 D-max in the H3. My new Lambo poster on the wall.

If only the H3 had a couple more years of production..

 

[alrock]

If you want to "wake up" that Alpha you should change the gears from 4.10 to 4.56. That's a common swap and greatly appreciated by any Alpha owner that's done it. It will be a night and day difference and you'll probably get to what you were expecting from it.

 

[Nikal]

If only the H3 had a couple more years of production..
View attachment 31994

Unfortunately GM has been weak and abandoned allot during the Government bailout. Also unlike Ford, GM has never really embraced the off road market. In so many ways the new Ford Bronco is the modern day version of what the H3 or Hummer brand could have been. Now the current leaders of GM want to go even further and their focus & goal is to electrify the GM brand.

Many of you are die hard Hummer guys. I like my H3, as its capabilities for the price and what I want to use it for are perfect. But if I could justify the $65+ grand price tag for the new Bronco, I’d have that, and I’d bet many others would too.

 

[CaseyS]

If only the H3 had a couple more years of production..
View attachment 31994

What or where is this pic from? Never seen it before. You could replicate this with a Cummins R2.8

 

[EndeavoredH3]

What or where is this pic from? Never seen it before. You could replicate this with a Cummins R2.8

It’s one of two GM prototype vehicles that were far enough along to not get crushed. Slated for 2011 or 2012 model year. Which would make sense, since the d2.8L was intentionally a foreign motor.

Picture is supposedly from either Europe or South Africa.

 

[EndeavoredH3]

Unfortunately GM has been weak and abandoned allot during the Government bailout. Also unlike Ford, GM has never really embraced the off road market. In so many ways the new Ford Bronco is the modern day version of what the H3 or Hummer brand could have been. Now the current leaders of GM want to go even further and their focus & goal is to electrify the GM brand.

Many of you are die hard Hummer guys. I like my H3, as its capabilities for the price and what I want to use it for are perfect. But if I could justify the $65+ grand price tag for the new Bronco, I’d have that, and I’d bet many others would too.

I’ve been lucky to be able to drive the Bronco both on and off-road. Besides the power, I prefer the H3 off-road.

 

[fowlken8]

I didn't see any mention of sending off your ecm/tcm to PCM of NC for retuning to account for larger tires or different intake, exhaust, etc. They'll adjust shift points. Something to consider if you haven't already done it.

See here:

Hummer H3 2006-2010 Mail Order Tuning Archives

Mail Order Tuning Hummer H3 2006-2010 | Follow the link above to get more info + pricing | PCM of NC is your one-stop shop for Late Model GM Performance

www.pcmofnc.com

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Thank you sir. I absolutely remember those guys and everyone recommending it. I have been here for so long. I was the one who bought the low buck SAS on leaf springs, the white rhino haha fixed almost all of the issues and sold it. Dumb decision. CJ was the best help ever.

 

[Nikal]

I’ve been lucky to be able to drive the Bronco both on and off-road. Besides the power, I prefer the H3 off-road.

Not knowing what Bronco trim you’ve driven? My sister has the Wildtrack with Sasquatch package and it’s really, really nice. It has not been used off road yet, but the did the Bronco Rodeo Ford offers. They drove a Bronco with the exact same packages they have. (If you don’t know what the Bronco Rodeo is, check it out. It’s an awesome experience.) The cutting brake is really cool, the sway bar auto disconnect is awesome. The down hill trail descent is really cool. Like said I see the Bronco as what a modern day H3 might have been. More head and cargo room is nice too. Also comparing their drivetrain clearance and body hangover. The Bronco easily beats the H3. And acourse because the Bronco is new & in production there is unlimited aftermarket support for it.

But I could not get past the cost for that Bronco trim. The H3 is a extra vehicle for us and the goal is to tow behind the RV and to explore places like Utah & Colorado. I want to do the trails around Durango, Silverton & Telluride. Not sure if the wife will want ti go down Black Bear Pass, but I know we will do things like the Alpine Loop and several others like that. And I expect the H3 to stay toe to toe with the Bronco.

I often wonder if Ford did not get ahold of a H3 and get some inspiration from it, as there are allot of similarities, including exterior dimensions.

 

[H3Hummer]

well well, for me, mi I5 with the PCM from NY and Chip tune is running fine. I just gained a litte 15 or 20 HP and more torque but, i go up to almost 580 KM with one full gas tank and in 5'th gear it runns much better.
I can also play with it in 3+4 gear to max RPM if i like, no problems at all.
but YES, the V8 would give me a biiiiiiig smile on my face . For the spare parts, well Rockauto has them all ...till now

 

[atvspeed4]

I remember seeing the black h3 with factory duramax picture years ago on one of the forums from Europe. That would have been awesome to at least get the PCM/ BCM so we could pull the file from it.

We have had so many H3s over the years and it was shocking that our 2006 with 37s and 3.5L was slightly faster off the line to 30mph compared to our 2008 alpha with 37s. A big part of that to consider is the gearing 4.56 vs 4.10. The best swap would be 4.56 gears on the alpha with a tune that would really wake it up.

 

[06 H3]

The alpha gives you endless options. You can put a 7.0LS in it, bolt in, just a tune.

The 6.2L I put it was as big of a difference the from the 5.3 as the 3.5 to 5.3 was.

You can get a bolt in 600-700 hp motor with an alpha. Then you have the trans to figure out lol

 

[H3Hummer]

Your're all lucky guys, over here no way to allow a swap, no agreement docs --> not street legal and blablablablabla....they fuck you up at the technical Inspection ...
must have all documents of agreement, ( TÜV or ABE like in Germany ) for any mods done on my rigs even on my 30 years old Samurai

 

[Doc Olds]

I agree with those observations, with a twist.

My 07 had all the performance mods and Off Road goodies on 33 MTZs. It could hang with most any FS stock pick ups & SUVs, and out wheel most of those. Air Doc Intake, AFE Pro Dry-S Filter, PCMofNC Tune and Efan conversion, SuperModulation PP TB, MagnaFlow Cat Back, Aluminum Radiator. Great Truck that moved on to a happy new owner. It was so long ago the 07 was a stock I5 I really do not ever remember it being under powerd, but it did work hard often.

My 09 Alpha Off Road has near the same stuff: Air Doc Intake, AFE Filter, a Tune via HP Tuners with some help from PCMofNC, SuperModulation SFan 4500 Conversion and PP TB, MagnaFlow Cat Back, TSP Low Lift Cam with LS6 Springs and all the off road goodies were transferred over (BA Winch Bumper, Rocky Road Super Sliders, Roc Doc U Bolt Skidz and Rear Diff cover. Lot more balls than the 07, but it is still a heavy brick in the wind. The difference is this one can make nearly all FS pickups and SUVs look silly.

I intentionally went with an 09 to avoid the LH9 in the 2010s to make motor mods easier. When/if this 5.3L cashes in, a 6 or 6.2 is next.

 

[H3Hummer]

I agree with those observations, with a twist.

My 07 had all the performance mods and Off Road goodies on 33 MTZs. It could hang with most any FS stock pick ups & SUVs, and out wheel most of those. Air Doc Intake, AFE Pro Dry-S Filter, PCMofNC Tune and Efan conversion, SuperModulation PP TB, MagnaFlow Cat Back, Aluminum Radiator. Great Truck that moved on to a happy new owner. It was so long ago the 07 was a stock I5 I really do not ever remember it being under powerd, but it did work hard often.

My 09 Alpha Off Road has near the same stuff: Air Doc Intake, AFE Filter, a Tune via HP Tuners with some help from PCMofNC, SuperModulation SFan 4500 Conversion and PP TB, MagnaFlow Cat Back, TSP Low Lift Cam with LS6 Springs and all the off road goodies were transferred over (BA Winch Bumper, Rocky Road Super Sliders, Roc Doc U Bolt Skidz and Rear Diff cover. Lot more balls than the 07, but it is still a heavy brick in the wind. The difference is this one can make nearly all FS pickups and SUVs look silly.

I intentionally went with an 09 to avoid the LH9 in the 2010s to make motor mods easier. When/if this 5.3L cashes in, a 6 or 6.2 is next.

6 or 6.2..... Dooooc .....