I'm in the market for a Yukon Denali and test drove one today. I have been in the position of asking for help from a car company after paying for their product. It sucks. Now I'm in the position of power. I was looking for the "buffeting" as I've read all the posts about it. And I found it in a 2017 new with 256 miles on it. It had 22's.
It happened at about 50-65, 65-80 was better. It does indeed sound like a window is open, but not as bad as when a window is open in my Jeep GC for example... It is annoying. The fact that my fist test drive I easily noticed it as did the salesman, makes me think this is not a rare issue. It is not a tire or wheel issue.. It is a DESIGN FLAW!
So I asked the salesman... No clue. Manager, no clue... So we asked the guy who orders the trucks for the dealership... He showed me the vent to the inside just inside of the rear door of a Cadillac SUV (not escalade) and said they all have a vent now because they are so air tight, if you don't have one, the HVAC would not be able to pump air into the car... Makes sense. Even more important, if an airbag goes off, not sure what the heck would happen. He said on the Yukon, the vent is huge..
This makes perfect sense to me, and it seems defeatable or fixable... The "buffeting" is basically a window open as a vent in the rear to let air in and out. I have always been dubious of the wheel and tire balance fix because 1) so many people say it works somewhat but not completely, and 2) buffeting is different than wheel wobble. This feels like air pressure, not shake or vibration...
In all my searching, I hadn't heard this theory. Maybe it's correct...
It makes me more likely to buy a Yukon because I know I can work with this... ("Great Stuff" anyone??)..
Man that 6.2 kicks it!
Here's an interesting archival tidbit...http://www.f150online.com/forums/2004-2008-f-150/371087-dont-touch-your-cabin-vents.html
Very interesting observation on the vent issue. You mentioned that they told you that the vent in the Yukon is huge, did you see it also? It should be fair to assume the tahoes/Suburban shave them also.
I'd be curious as to what the effects are by modifying/covering it.
I've yet to drive one that had buffeting that was significant (to me). One 2017 Tahoe I tested had serious vibration, but I'm certain that was due to the tires and/or wheels.