2016 Tahoe - Boston

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Garandman

Garandman

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Purchased some 18” Silverado Z71 takeoff rims for winter tires: barely more than steel rims.

They are at the dealer to have Nokian Hakkapeliita R2 winter tires installed. Should be mounted next week.
 
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Garandman

Garandman

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And here they are, though hardly novel.

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Here’s what the Nokian R2 SUV tread looks like. Along with a lot of sipes, they mold the tread depth into the Center rib so you can see what is left.

i-ZpL5Lgc-L.jpg
 
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Garandman

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Not at all a fan of the roof racks, which have three fixed locations.

Probably should have just purchased the OEM bars, instead got the hellaexpensive Thule aerodynamic bars. But you do not hear them at all on the highway.

i-JBgF2xq-M.jpg
 
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Garandman

Garandman

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We’ve now had this vehicle for a year. It’s about to turn 36,000 miles. We just returned from a 1,200 mile round trip so thought a review was in order.

Pros:
- New platform is very refined for a pickup/body-on-frame SUV. There are no rattles, it’s quiet, and suspension is relatively well controlled for a beam axle truck with a lot of unstrung weight.
- Styling is conservative but appealing: GM has done it better than competitors.
- Towing capacity and range are very good. I didn’t expect the 5.3 to be much better than our 4.8’s, but it towed a 6,000# trailer with a lot of windage without issue.
- My wife and daughters like being up above traffic (except for other SUV/Pickups).
-I personally like the infotainment center compared to Ford, Honda and Subaru.
- Many friends have towed a bunch with over 100K so longevity/durability seems a strong point. Knock wood ours has been trouble free.

Cons:
-really high load floor.
- shortest family member is 5’8 and no one wants to sit in the 3rd row. After a 600 mile return trip with the two shortest back there, they were ready to walk home. IRS equipped Crossovers have much more room there.
- Getting in and out is a step, even with running boards.
- Ride and handling compared to any IRS Crossover is lousy. Pushing this vehicle on twisty roads results in a lot of body roll, understeer, numb steering and low cornering limits.
- I consider fuel economy neutral. It’s not very good: 13-14 in the city, 17.5 on the way back at 72mph with a Yakima roof box. But it is what we expected. Trip computer is haunted: from dead nuts accurate to 16% optimistic compared to actual se. Our MPG is right in line with Fuelly averages.

Our boat trailer can be stripped down to 5,000-ish lbs. I’ve suggested we look at Traverse or another three row Crossover. My wife and kids are undecided. As they drive it most of the time, I’ll let that dog sleep.
 
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Garandman

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We started looking at alternatives and it looks like we will be keeping the Tahoe.

Friends have a Mercedes GL450 and the 3rd row isn’t very big either. They suggested the big Infiniti but they are too garish for my tastes. We rented a Sequoia for a week and my wife prefers the Tahoe. Expedition has IRS and 3.5L EcoBoost but my wife and kids find them unappealing.
 

Kpwweb

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"Garandman, post: 1283689, member: 64008" =We’ve now had this vehicle for a year. It’s about to turn 36,000 miles. We just returned from a 1,200 mile round trip so thought a review was in order.

Pros:
-I personally like the infotainment center compared to Ford, Honda and Subaru.

Amen. Can't figure out why I have to go through three screens just to go fromFM to XM?


Cons:
-really high load floor.

Remove the storage compartment and it is lower--especially if you leave the third row up all the time?

- Ride and handling compared to any IRS Crossover is lousy. Pushing this vehicle on twisty roads results in a lot of body roll, understeer, numb steering and low cornering limits.

There are fixes for that as well...These can handle really well for their size! I lowered mine 1"-2" and used a Spohn adjustable track bar and larger tires--it handles extremely well for a vehicle this size.

- I consider fuel economy neutral. It’s not very good: 13-14 in the city, 17.5 on the way back at 72mph with a Yakima roof box. But it is what we expected. Trip computer is haunted: from dead nuts accurate to 16% optimistic compared to actual se. Our MPG is right in line with Fuelly averages.

Its gets better as the engine and drivetrain get broken in. I consistently get 25mpg on the highway at 65-70 on cruise, 15-17 in town.
 
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Garandman

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This vehicle already has far too much unstrung weight so bigger wheels and tires would only hurt the ride and handling on our lousy road surfaces. It’s a lot better than older trucks: it’s just a lot worse than modern Crossovers, which have stiffer chassis, fully independent suspension, lower COG, etc. We knew it was going to suck when we bought it. Lowering it is out of the question, in fact we are probably going to remove the front spoiler before a snow bank does.

Is yours 2WD or 4WD? Do you have the Max Tow Package? Our mpg is right in line with what is reported on Fuelly - 16.4 average for LT’s. And that includes 2WD models. The Max Tow includes a 3.42 rear axle ratio so we knew it was going to be great.

Are you calculating actual fuel consumption? This trip computer is the most optimistic we’ve seen. On our recent 600 mile trip back from Canada we recorded 17.6, while the trip computer reported 19.5. That’s 11% higher than actual but some tanks have been as high as 16%, and it’s never below actual, it’s always high.

Thst was with a roof box with the cruise set at 72, so we can do a little better.
 
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Garandman

Garandman

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Bought a Sprinter which can tow the boat so we debated getting rid of the Tahoe. I don't like driving it at all. My wife likes being high up but doesn't like the large footprint.

We've had to replace some AC parts and transmission lines, but everything else is holding up OK. As we already have a set of winter wheels and tires. we'll keep it until Spring then reexamine our choices.
 

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