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Comments
The 2007 line-up's suspension is designed to handle the 20" wheels, with the 275x55x20 tire. (The diameter is the same, around 26").
The factory suspension is tuned for 17" and 20" wheels, since differentiation would add cost to the production line.
The new SUV platform uses a strut front suspension, which provides better control of the additional unsprung weight that comes with larger wheels. The older torsion spring did not allow the suspension to act "fast" enough to dampen the extra weight of heavy wheels.
On the subject of weight however, there are aftermarket wheels which are as light as the smaller wheels. Weld EVO provides a small line-up of 20" forged wheels, that are much stronger than factory, and lighter. Provided you DON'T go with a 305 wide tire, you will not feel that much difference.
The wider 305 tire will require a wider wheel (like a 20x9.5, meaning more weight). The wider road contact will cause the road surface to translate to the vehicle, meaning rougher ride, and a tendency to follow ruts.
The reasonable setup (for an '07) would be a 20x8.5 wheel, with 275x55x20 tires, using at least a 18mm to 31mm positive offset.
Dave
I purchased Catchall mats from USSpeedOnline.com. I got them for the front and second row. The second row mat is particularly great because it is in one piece and goes across the entire area. My son seems to always get the middle dirty, where the regular mats don't cover and this prevents the carpet from getting any soil. They are carpeted, but can be scrubbed and hosed off. They have a rubber backing that doesn't allow anything to soak through and also a small lip around the entire mat. They are custom fit and let me say, they fit EXACTLY. I got the beige and it's identical to my cashmere carpet color. Also, they come with anchor attachments, but I don't use them. I didn't want to screw them through my carpeting. They stay in place just fine without any anchoring. USSpeedOnline was also the cheapest place to get them and I shopped around. There's no shipping charge and there was no tax (I'm in CA, so I don't know with other states.) I highly recommend these mats.
I'm still trying to decide on the cargo liner. I want a liner that is rubber (I have two labs) and will fit when I have the third row seats tumbled forward or down. Any suggestions from anyone would be great.
There is a GM rubber mat for the rear area that is available though, that is cut out to go around all of the seat tracks. I didn't price that - but it looked like a nice piece. The only issue I had with that is that it left the seat pockets open - but from the sounds of it, that may be exactly what you are looking for.
Hope that helps!
TuscoTodd
for putting this ...
about the whole approach to fuel effeciency.
GM had (perhaps still has) an opportunity to provide far and away class leading
fuel effeciency and instead they decide to provide more power through a larger
V8. AS IF the 5.3 of today WASN'T large enough! At last report the new and
improved Tahoe/Yukon is slated to receive a 6.0 liter motor! So GM has decided
to take the effeciency gains from their new Displacement On Demand technology
and drop in more power - because we just didn't have enough before! Yes, this
was the wisdom that came out of GM headquarters in this - the time of $3.50 (and
climbing) a gallon regular unleaded. Let me put this another way. Instead of
going for the gold - in fuel effeciency - GM settles for a pitiful 2.1 mpg
improvement in fuel economy. This assumes the optomistic prediction that Edmunds
quotes of a full 15% effeciency gain and 14 mpg city driving.
No wonder GM and the other domestic auto makers are in such trouble.
Anybody else still wonder why Toyota is posting such huge sales increases?
I'm afraid you need to do your homework. GM leads the class in standard hp yes, but they
also lead the class in fuel efficiency. That's right, the gmt900 SUV's achieve
better mpg than Ford, Dodge, Nissan, or your beloved Toyota. You sit here and
criticize the fact that GM isn't doing enough to increase the fuel efficiency of
their large trucks and Suv's, and you say that Toyota is better, and no wonder
they are doing better?! First of all, GM far outsells Toyota in large SUV and
truck sales,secndly, Toyota offers a much smaller engine that gets worse mpg,
and third, lets not forget that Toyota is now going t o offer a 5.7 L engine in
their redesigned Tundra and presumably the Sequoia when it's redesigned, and
they have made no attempt to offer such fuel saving technology as DOD. Add to
that the fact that GM will have hybrid versions of these vehicles in a matter of
months, and these engines can be run on ethanol( a clean burning, cheaper,
American made fuel), and it's very clear that GM's large SUV's and trucks are
superior in fuel efficiency and power to Toyota's large SUV's and trucks.
As I read of your diaappointment, I was compelled to reply.Even though your statemnts were made in Sept. 05, long before the actual release of the various GMT900 SUVs, I felt a few more comments to your statements were in order. As the previous owner of 2 V8 Tundra 4 x 4s and now the own of a 2007 GMC Yukon, I am totally impressed with the GM fuel economy vs the Tundra fuel economy. Over 6 years of Tundra ownership, I averaged +/- 14.5mpg in all conditions.Currently, I am averaging 16.1 MPG with the 5.3 Yukon after 3000 miles. I am averaging 23.4 with my GM 5.7L Corvette. I never averaged that high with my V6 Camry! Yes, reliability and resale may be other topics for debate, but time will tell. GM has improved, Toyota is flat.
The 4.8 is the "econo" engine, available in 2wd LS versions.
The Denali will remain with the 6.2, and the Suburban 2500 will have the 6.0.
Next time, you exit the vehicle, have your windows down and lock up your truck. Then listen to the noise from the outside after 5-10 minutes. GM vehicles used to have option that let you listen to radio even with ignition key is out as long as you still in the vehicle. Now if you are out of the vehicle, everything should shut down gradually after some minutes to save battery. If the DVD keeps on spinning all the time, the longevity of the battery will be affected.
jt
Back to the Tahoe 15/21mpg 320hp 340ft-lbs
Other 4x4 with standard engines
Toyota Sequoia 15/17mpg 273hp 314 ft-lbs
Nissan Armada 13/18mpg 305hp 385 ft-lbs
Ford Expedition 14/18mpg 300hp 365 ft-lbs
The Sequoia's tow rating is 2000lbs lighter than all the others. I'd give up the 30ish ft-lbs of torque for the extra 3 or 4 mpg.
If you need your exra HP and torque well the Denali should do it then...13/19mpg and 380hp 417 ft-lbs. Highway mpg still better than the competition.
Loving my Tahoe. 550 miles and it's great. Getting just over 16 MPG in mixed driving. I know that'll improve a little more.
So far no major problems with my '07 LT3.
On another note, I love that Chevy enclosed the wheel wells with the black plastic. They are so easily washed and kept spotlessly clean. This may seem funny, but it's something I totally appreciate and have never seen before.
I reached a very helpful support person at Bose Automotive group who really took ownership of the issue. She researched it and found something very disappointing. The Bose functions mentioned in the manual are not available on the Chevy Suburban, only on the GMC and Cadillac versions. The same is true for the Tahoe (only available on the Yukon and Escalade). The Bose system in the Suburban LTZ is a Bose 5000 which only has a four channel amplifier. Even though it's a "nine speaker system", the two speakers in the D-pillars (rear of the truck) are tied to the rear door speakers and the two speakers in the A-pillars (sides of the windshield) are tied to the front door speakers. Then there's a subwoofer in the center console. On the GMC and Cadillac versions, when you order the Bose system you get the Bose 6000 amplifier which is a true 7.1 amplifer (some speakers must still be tied together).
It's only with the Bose 6000 that you get the extra DSP, Centerpoint and AudioPilot features.
I asked whether the speakers were still all wired individually back to the amplifier but tied together at the connection. Then I felt I could convince GM to swap out the 5000 for the 6000 since the manual claims the Suburban has the features. She was pretty sure it was an entirely different wiring harness with the speaker tied together in the chassis and all that made it back to the amplifier were the four speaker connections.
I have faxed copies of the relevant manual pages to Bose. They're very disturbed by what appears to be a mistake on Chevy's part, claiming certain Bose features are in the vehicle when they're not.
The (navigation) manual, which is for the Chevy and GMC versions, simply states if you have the Bose speaker system, you have these features. Unfortunately it should qualify it to say not applicable in the Chevy Suburban (or Tahoe).
My dealer, after reaching Engineering in Detroit, confirmed the very same information.
I haven't been able to confirm it, but from what I can find on the web, only the Denali and Denali XL have the advanced Bose system (and probably the Escalade as well). Not the basic Yukon. The difference is that on the Yukon the option is described as "Bose premium 9-speaker system, with subwoofer in center console (UQA)" and on the Denali it's described as "Bose luxury 9-speaker system, with enhanced performance amplification, Audio Pilot noise reduction feature and subwoofer (UQA)". I guess it's the difference between Premium and Luxury.
Interestingly, both the dealer and Bose asked me if I had ever experienced AudioPilot. I told them I hadn't but that it sounded pretty neat, automatically adjusting volume based on actual background noise rather than just based on speed (SCV). They both feltt that the basic SCV worked much better than AudioPilot and that AudioPilot was too subtle to hear the effects. The support person at Bose said they get a lot of complaints on AudioPilot from customers feeling that it's not working.
So, I didn't get what I thought I was getting, but I might be better off.
I'll keep you posted if I find anything else out. Until then, I'll just enjoy everything else the new truck brings us.
Marc
WOW!!! The new exhaust is on and it sounds awesome! Installation was a breeze (did it in my own garage and the Zoomer's packaging and instructions were great!) and the difference is notable right out of the gate!
My computer is still learning what to do with the new found power, but it definitely seems to be staying in V-4 mode more and part throttle acceleration is notably enhanced! I will be taking it on a long rode trip next weekend, so I will get a better feel as to what impact it will have on the milage but right now I am VERY pleased! :shades:
(Hope to have some pictures available of the install this weekend)
Have a great weekend guys!
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TuscoTodd
'07 LT3
Looks like your message got cut off - but to answer your questions...
This is the Zoomers cat back system for the '07 Tahoe. (I think the part number is API-1015-07 if I am reading the invoice correctly). The system came with EVERYTHING needed for installation and after removing my factory exhaust, installation of this system took about 20 minutes start to finish! The system is set up where it uses all the factory rubber mounting points and fits like a glove with pleanty of clearance around suspension components, heat shields, etc!
(Also included in the package were full installation instructions and also of note - the pieces were VERY well packaged!!)
From the functionality side, I am definitely looking forward to seeing what type of an improvement it makes in the highway milage, but from what I have seen thus far, with it appearing to be staying in V-4 mode more, it should be notable!
Also - I do have to commend Zoomers on the fact that the system definitely lives up to their claim of no drone. I have noted NO drone or resonance at any speed/rpm, whether it is in V-4 or V-8 mode! This was one of the things that I researched prior to purchase and is part of what led me to choosing the Zoomers system over some of the others current available out there.
Needless to say, I am VERY happy with it so far!
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TuscoTodd
'07 LT3
So, you haven't seen much difference in the way it sounds? I'm not looking for sound. I would like it to be about the same. I want to have a little more power, but what's most important is stay in V4 longer to get better MPG. I'm at about 17 now mixed, but I would like more.
Marc
Does your 07 Audio system has Bose amp option? If not, the SVC is done by the Head unit
jt
Do you have any of the same functions/setup?
Just to let you know I bought a 2007 Tahoe LTZ maxed out.It has the premium Bose system with Nav & rear entertainment.I was told when I bought it that it had the Bose Digital Signal Processing system with Center Point.I have not been able to access it.I know how to access it but it's not there.No one at the dealer can answer the question why. Also Chevrolet has not been much help.
One person at the dealer told me that it was incorperated in the nav dvd and that the next generation of dvd's would have it on them.(Far fetched but all I have to go with)
If any one could help it would be appreciated.If anyone that has the Bose DSP could read the actual part number off the Dvd and post it that also might help.
Thanks to all
Ron
The sub is in the floor center console of my Denali, you can easily zone in on it by turning the bass up and fading to the rear speakers but leave it one notch from being all the way back, the bass will still come from the center console.
Ron, I can only guess center point is part of the denali/escalade system with the center speaker on the dash, it makes the soundstage sound like it's in coming from the center vs the doors. Ithink I access it by selecting the "surround" soundfield.
GM ARE YOU LISTENING (I know they aren't, just ranting.)
I can't say for sure what the milage is going to do as I have only put 40 miles of in town driving on it - but right now I am getting about 5.5% better milage according to the DIC. I don't want to hang my hat on that though, as 40 miles isn't a long enough run to get a true comparison.
I think the 700 mile road trip this upcoming weekend will be a real good indicator though, as I made the same trip a week ago, and unless it rains, the conditions should be fairly similar and should provide a good back to back comparison of stock verses the Zoomer's system.
The factory system on mine was nearly whisper quiet at idle and even more so during full throttle (lots of noise from the intake side - whooshing sound from the exhaust side). With the Zoomer's system there is an actual distinct exhaust note under all three of the conditions. The sound quality is very nice - it has a deep rumble type note that puts me to mind somewhat of my friend's C-4 Vette (if that helps). Inside the cabin with the windows up, you can hear the note at idle and part throttle but it is not annoying and doesn't generate any funky resonance/drone. At full throttle it is a little louder than part throttle naturally, but it also competes with the noise that comes from the factory intake system.
I will say, that as far as I am concerned, the note is very rich sounding under all of the above conditions. (I am trying to get a couple wav/mpeg files made up of each of the three conditions - but my camera isn't co-opating with me too well at the moment.)
To answer the sorcing question, I purchased my system directly from Zoomers as part of a group purchase.
Installation does not require you to reuse any part of the factory system after the cat. The new system comes with a new flex joint installed and all that is required is to bolt up the system to the flange after the cat, place the mounts into the factory hangers and install the supplied clamps.
Hope that helps! If not, feel free to drop me a line.
Thanks!
--
TuscoTodd
Now my question is/are:
I wnet to Circuit city and they told me that if I wanted the system installed THAT my Onstar service will NO LONGER work. Is that true?
Becuase some stores say it will work but some say it won't work. I am kinda confuse here!
Thanks
FJ
I know they have a few kits out there 3"(rear) and 2"(front).
I rather have it lowered 4" and 3" .
Any sugestions?
Thanks
FJ
Now I noticed last night that the steering wheels of my 07 tahoe is kinda loose. Is it normal? If you do't know what I am talking about just go ahead and take a couple of minutes of your time and grab the Steering wheel with both hands and try like pull in out the steering wheel. NOT HARD just something smoth. If you feels like is kinda loose this means that it is normal. I already called my Local Dealer for an Appointment tommorrow morning but if I get some feed back tonight it will save me the trip and a little hassle.
Thanks again.
FJ
So I had them take out the cleansweep and change my radio for an Eclipse AVN6600 and I love it. So doing that the Onstar, chimes, turning signal sounds and my parking assist sensor where gone. They told me that they (PAC-aftermarket modules/interface/adapters)are working on it and supposably it was going to be out by the end of the month. With that we can hook up all our chimes, onstar and parking assist. I paid another $80 for the steering wheel controler, witch can be handy. I hope this helps. :shades:
Thanks,
Chintan Talati
Corporate Communications
Edmunds.com
Thanks again for the info.
P.S.- They told me they need it to order the part (forgot the name) in order to make Onstar work etc. WHo did your install dirtywork?
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And for the reply for the steering weel I gues i will take it first thing in the morning to have my Tahoe fixed!
Thanks
FJ