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VIDEO: Everything You Need To Know About The Adventure Package

Acer4LO

Well-Known Member
Messages
750
Location
Illinois
Hey again H4O! Got a new video on the adventure package. It basically covers everything you need to know about it if you have never heard about it before. Check it out! Feedback is always welcome!

[video=youtube;IHIFDI79Z-o]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHIFDI79Z-o[/video]
 

4speedfunk

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,212
Location
Tardville
Nice vid. Explains the AP option very well. I'm always amazed at how many H3's are advertised as having "lockers". I do a lot of repair work on H3's, and I have several customers that have base models, and have been driving them around for years thinking they have lockers and the AP option. One guy actually refused to believe me when I told him he had a base model. He replied..."You don't know what you're talking about...there's the padlock symbol right there!" I just smiled and wished him a good day. I could tell his mind was made up already. His Hummer was the baddest thing every built, and no amount of logic or explaining would ever get past his ego. Some guys you just can't reach.

As for the feedback? You bypassed the BPM (brake pedal modulation) maneuver. This was an off-road technique that many Hummer drivers employed, where you gently apply the brakes to get the spider-gears inside the diffs to switch the torque to the opposite side. This works very well, and way back when Hummer dealers had off-road courses...they taught new Hummer owners this technique. While its not as good as a locker...it can get you out of jamb, when your tires are in the air. Also, you can look for the "ZM6" code on the option tag...this is also a tell-tale if the truck came with the AP option. I have an 08 AP, and I bought it brand new. It might be worth mentioning that the AP was not only a suspension package. It also included the tow-package (hitch), monsoon stereo, and moonroof. While all of these were also available separately...these options were listed on my 08 invoice as being part of the Adv. Pak. Apparently "adventure" was more than the suspension...it was a way of life. Open the moon roof, crank the Monsoon, and creepy crawl your trailer to far-off destinations! -haha. Ironically, rock rails, UCP, and rubber floor mats were not included in the AP...but, were separate, dealer-installed add-ons.

I have seen AP's without the moonroof...perhaps special ordered that way? But, I've never seen an AP without a hitch or monsoon. I've also never seen an "X" with the AP. Additionally, I have seen both APs and non-APs...in both Alpha and 5-cyl versions with and without the power steering cooler. The PS cooler seems to be completely random...perhaps dictated by the climate of where the truck was originally delivered?

Lastly...most of know that Alphas (both AP and non-AP) came with the 4.10 cast-iron front diff...in both locked and open versions. But starting in 09...5 cyl. APs also got the cast iron front diff. (with 4.56s and the locker), while 5 cyl. non-AP rigs continued to get the 4.56 open aluminum diff. Around this time period, the H3 became famous for front axle failures, so I assume that at some point in 2010 GM phased-out all alum. cases and everything from that point on, came with a cast-iron case. Not sure exactly when (or if) this happened. Toward the end of production the sales numbers had dropped so low that I rarely see 2010 models in my shop. And when I do, they are almost always fully-optioned Alpha, AP rigs which are equipped with the cast-iron case. I honestly can't say for sure if a 2010 base model 5-cyl H3 comes with a cast iron or alum front diff. Maybe someone has one and can verify this?
 
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Acer4LO

Well-Known Member
Messages
750
Location
Illinois
Very well said! I did want to include more details like you mentioned, but I felt the video would go on for too long and I would start to loose people's attention and over load newbies with so much info that they couldn't separate the all the details. But yeah I thought about mentioning the info about the diff, but the Cast iron diffs also came in the 2008 Alphas but not the I5s so I thought that would take more time to explain.

I have also seen seen AP's without a sunroof. My friend and I actually went to test drive a 2010 I5 H3 and it did not have a sunroof.

Now I am not sure if you have done this before, but you can actually visit Hummer.com today as if you were viewing in back in 06',07'08,' etc through the Wayback machine which is a digital archive that takes "Snapshots" of websites at different times. Now it is only the basic HTML text version with pictures, because the nobody has the old Adobe Flash version it requires display properly. Also you can click on different links to see different pages and see have far back the history of that link goes. This place is a GOLD MINE of information! I actually included it in a few parts of the video (The screen recordings). Pretty sure you can find any of your unanswered questions here.

Here is the Hummer.com H3 Page in 2009: https://web.archive.org/web/20090208222519/http://hummer.com/html/h3.html
 

svxr8dr

Well-Known Member
Messages
197
Location
SW WA ST
As a 2008 H3 Base ownerI really appreciate all this info. I was told my 2008 was originally a rental, and the rental H3 fleet didnt have sunroof's or Onstar. Not sure if that was correct or not.
 

alrock

El Diablo
Staff member
Messages
10,442
Location
Scottsdale
I thought the power steering cooler was an eventual assembly line upgrade in preparation for the Alphas, meaning both I5s and Alphas got them. For example. the larger tie rods and the flat air filter (vs. the conical one) were upgrades designed to accommodate the Alpha even though the Alpha may not have been released yet. But that's only a guess in regards to the PS cooler.
 

4speedfunk

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,212
Location
Tardville
Given the rather slow decline and sudden death of Hummer, it would not surprise me that parts were being grabbed from shelves without too much thought. Word came down from corporate...stop making parts...complete as many vehicles as you can...and get your resumes updated.
 

humbleag

Member
Messages
22
Location
College Station Texas
Nice video and interesting discussion. Video does a good job of explaining what to look for. There were differences in the packages per year, so hard to compare exact equipment year to year (and possibly in model year). Here's my experience with the 6 H3's I've had.

2006 Adventure, bought brand new. Rear locker, 33" tires, monsoon and trailer hitch but no sunroof. Brochure I still have says Adventure Series includes Off-road suspension package and f/r carpet floor mats, other options independent.

2007 Adventure, bought brand new. Rear locker, 33" tires, no monsoon, but included trailer hitch and sunroof. I don't have a brochure, but in a misguided marketing decision they made dual spoke chrome wheels part of the Adventure Package as well. Mine had chrome mirrors and handles, I embraced the chrome and added more, but tasteful. :)

2009 Championship Edition bought brand new. Only way to get an Alpha without leather (VIN comes up as Alpha but no badges). F/R lockers, 33" tires, monsoon, and sunroof. Leather was an option I didn't have. 2009 mini-brochure doesn't show Championship edition.

2009 Base bought used. No lockers, no monsoon, no sunroof, with trailer hitch. Brochure does say Adventure includes monsoon, but no more chrome wheels. Sunroof and hitch also separate options.

2010 Base bought used. No lockers, no monsoon, no hitch but with sunroof. I don't know if they even printed 2010 brochures, but I don't think there were any significant changes other than some colors. Silver metallic (only on CE in 2009) and Red Rock Metallic were available.

2010 Lux bought used. Includes offroad package (F/R lockers, 33" tires, specially tuned shocks called out on sticker). This one has every option listed on the 2009 brochure except navigation.

Hummers.jpg

Yes, I do have a problem, but have only had one at a time. Last one is the one I have now.
 

Acer4LO

Well-Known Member
Messages
750
Location
Illinois
Yes, I do have a problem, but have only had one at a time. Last one is the one I have now.

Woah thats a lot! Yeah things get complicated when it comes to the factory options from year to year. Thats why I tried to keep it basic. I know some type of tuned shocks were included at some point, but many H3s on the market are reaching 100k miles and they should be replaced anyway with some bilsteins or ranchos. Also I believe in 2007 they were giving away the sunroof for free:

https://www.hummerguy.net/hummer-news/march-2007-hummer-incentive-free-sunroof

H3 Sunroof.jpg
 

Jeepwalker

Well-Known Member
Messages
857
Location
WI
Now every high-schooler in the country is going to watch the video and run out and buy an Adventure Pkg H3, beat the piss out of it ...with almost no maintenance. Sell it trashed-out in a couple yrs :)

My prediction is in the not too distant future these rigs in good condition are going to be worth some money. Sort of like first gen 4x4 Toyota RN P-UP's, early Bronco's or Defenders . The elements are there: Low productions numbers, quite unique design, aire of durability. Unless the whole truck trend fades and they get clumped with H2's and badged 'wasteful'. We'll see I guess, right?
 
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Acer4LO

Well-Known Member
Messages
750
Location
Illinois
Now every high-schooler in the country is going to watch the video and run out and buy an Adventure Pkg H3, beat the piss out of it ...with almost no maintenance. Sell it trashed-out in a couple yrs :)

My prediction is in the not too distant future these rigs in good condition are going to be worth some money. Sort of like first gen 4x4 Toyota RN P-UP's, early Bronco's or Defenders . The elements are there: Low productions numbers, quite unique design, aire of durability. Unless the whole truck trend fades and they get clumped with H2's and badged 'wasteful'. We'll see I guess, right?

Yeah this video is kind of a doubled edged sword. On one hand, yes more people are gonna want the adventure package now, but on the flipside more it will bring more people to the H3 offroad community. Right now, I barely see anyone on the trails have an H3. The only H3 people that I really know have an H3 are on forums like this or social media. In fact most H3s you see at dealerships and on Craigslist are stock, so there are plenty to go around. It would be awesome to see more people wheeling these vehicles and hopefully we could get more postive representation in media and on YouTube.
 
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