Let's sift through every square inch of a 2013 Tahoe PPV

[Caddylack]

The good news is that I would still be happy with the amp, even if it doesn't power an actual sub. It does a nice job of powering 4 stereo speakers, so hey.

Coming up now are some pics of the amps and subs that I currently have sitting here...

 

[Caddylack]

MAN... I may have screwed up even more than I thought in the amp category...

The sub enclosure that I pulled from a GMC Terrain says "UZ8" on it, which I believed to be the RPO for the premium Pioneer system. I checked the amp under the dash, and it clearly says "Pioneer". That was enough for me to decide that I was dealing with the "premium" Pioneer system. Apparently, I was wrong.

Pictured below is the Terrain amp, which is likely the base amp with a noise-cancelling sub. In addition, I think I must have mixed up two different amps when I made the comment about 380w. I think the premium amp in the Terrain is rated at 250w, with 150w dedicated to the sub. DOH. There must be another factory Pioneer amp that puts out more power. For some reason the model number 5300 is stuck in my head.




And, pictured below, are a pair of 8" Terrain subs. These are 2.5 ohm, DVC subs. I believe that the subwoofer itself is the same in both premium and base systems, and the only difference is the amp. People upgrade to the "premium" amp to "activate" the sub for music.




Here is a picture of the UZ8 enclosure from the Terrain, with the 8" sub from the Pontiac Torrent in it. Note that I made this switch because I'm using the amp from the Torrent, and the Torrent sub has very minor differences in comparison to the Terrain subs. There are differences in the cone, and the Torrent sub is also listed as 2 ohm.

 

[Caddylack]

Now, this is the amp that I'm excited about. Mopar guys usually know all about it. It's an Infinity amp from a Chrysler 300M that puts out 360w through 9 output channels. It was notoriously marketed as "11 speakers in 9 locations".




While this is a really nice amp, there are a couple of downsides. For one, the speakers are an assortment of 2 ohm and 4 ohm. Also, the crossovers are built into the amp.

What this means is that you have to be very careful with speaker selection. Overall, I think it seems like a really good move if you want a fairly elaborate stereo setup with many speakers. This amp does not do subs at all, so you will need an additional amp if you wish to run subs.

This amp was intended for my Fleetwood project, but now I'm wondering if it makes more sense to use it in the Tahoe.

Basically, there are 4 low frequency channels for mid-bass rated at 2 ohm, and 5 mid-range channels rated at 4 ohm. The two front mid-range channels have tweeters wired in parallel. The 5th mid-range channel is a "center" speaker. Whenever I do set up this amp, I am planning something like this:

4x 6.5" aftermarket coaxials, 4 ohm
2x Bose tweeters, 4 ohm
2x Bose 6x9", 2 ohm (midbass)
2x 8" DVC Pioneer subs, 2.5 ohm (midbass)
1x random 6.5" center speaker, 4 ohm

 

[Caddylack]

More thoughts on these "non-Pioneer" amps that are clearly made by Pioneer:

One of the biggest issues with repurposing premium factory amps is that the ohm ratings are often atypical. Bose uses a lot of 2 ohm speakers, and I know that there are 3 ohm Pioneer speakers in the Terrain. Most car speakers, of course, are 4 ohm.

From what I've gathered, the base stereo speakers in both the Pontiac Torrent and GMC Terrain are 4 ohm.

So, what do I have here? Without the ANC sub channels, it seems I have a pair of 4-channel amps that are each incredibly ideal for driving two pairs of aftermarket coaxial speakers. I believe these are full-range amps with no crossovers, so you could really do whatever you want with them.

 

[Caddylack]

Now I'm wondering if I should try to use this other Pioneer amp to power the 8" sub from the Torrent. I kinda wanna do it just to see how it works.

Dual 2.5 ohm coils means I can wire it for 5 ohm, yes? 5 is a pretty close number to 4.

 

[Caddylack]

Dual 2.5 ohm coils means I can wire it for 5 ohm, yes? 5 is a pretty close number to 4.

Since I'm new here, I should probably make sure that people know this is an attempt at rhetorical humor.

Fair warning: My sense of humor is dry and unfiltered.

But, seriously... I have an 8" sub in an enclosure sitting on the passenger seat, and I would love to power it with household goods.

 

[Caddylack]

And, pictured below, are a pair of 8" Terrain subs. These are 2.5 ohm, DVC subs. I believe that the subwoofer itself is the same in both premium and base systems, and the only difference is the amp. People upgrade to the "premium" amp to "activate" the sub for music.

This just dawned on me:

If you are pulling a sub, it's probably preferable to take one from a non-premium system. These subs would not have had the same potential for abuse.

 

[Caddylack]

Okay, I'm officially tuned. Yay!

What a huge difference, and a great deal. I would highly recommend Speed, Inc.

Let the post-AFM era begin.

 

[Caddylack]

Now I'm wondering if I should try to use this other Pioneer amp to power the 8" sub from the Torrent. I kinda wanna do it just to see how it works.

Dual 2.5 ohm coils means I can wire it for 5 ohm, yes? 5 is a pretty close number to 4.

OOPS... For a second I got my subs mixed up. The Terrain subs are 2.5 ohm, but the Torrent sub is 2 ohm. That should actually work perfectly.

With an amp that likes 4 ohm, a sub with dual 2 ohm voice coils can easily be used by wiring in series.

4 stereo channels bridged to 2, with each channel feeding a voice coil.

 

[Chickensandwich]

Hello!

After several years of intense wanting, I finally have an LS-powered truck to play with.

I am really big on stuff that is heavy duty, bare-bones, function over form, etc. As such, police cars are right up my alley. I honestly wish all my cars had rubber floors.

I currently live in northern Illinois, and trucks in this region are generally only used for towing, hauling kids, or driving in the snow. I bought one that does none of these things. This 2013 Tahoe is RWD, has a fully caged rear, and has the stiffest suspension of any vehicle I've ever driven. For me, this is all fine. I have a 95 Fleetwood Brougham that tows 7000 lbs in stock form, and mine isn't stock. I also have a biturbo Audi that I would feel comfortable driving through about 4 feet of snow. Oh, and I hope I never have kids.

For anyone looking to buy a solid police car, I highly recommend Chicago Motors, with whom I have no professional affiliation. Over the years I have had several friends buy cars from them, namely Caprice PPVs, and all have spoken highly. A lot of the used police cars on the market are beat up and neglected, either because they were retired at the end of their lifespan, or because they have already had other private owners. Chicago Motors is known for only selling solid cars that are ready to drive home in.

Most of the Tahoe PPVs that they had in stock at the time were white, and many of them are from Illinois and the surrounding area. Eventually I came across a black one with 108k miles, and the Carfax showed that it had been owned by the same police department in ARIZONA from the time it was new until late 2021 when it was retired from service and sold at auction. I just knew I had to have it.

They were asking $13,750, and I bought it for $13,250 before TTL. My friends have had luck negotiating for over $1000 off of the asking price in the past, but obviously the market is very different now, and most cars aren't from Arizona. I feel like I got a great deal.

I was ecstatic when I found that basically every part on the entire car is new, not to mention there is zero rust anywhere. I still plan to call the department that owned it, to see if I can get any records. Every part on the car has colored-coded paint markings on it, which I would guess refer to "when" the part was replaced, either as far as time or mileage. I will find out.

Oh, side note: Buying a government vehicle from Arizona is typically a pretty safe bet that your A/C system will be in great shape.

For right now, this Tahoe will mostly just serve as a daily driver that I leave alone. I am doing some minor audio upgrades, and I'm planning on a Black Bear tune and some exhaust work. I already added a dry air filter from AEM. Eventually, I will be doing the AFM delete with an aftermarket cam and torque converter. I will also definitely be upgrading to 3.42 or 3.73 gears, as 3.08s just won't cut it for me.

Expect another post either tonight or in the morning, as I am finishing up my audio/electrical shenanigans right now.

Take care!

Matt

Let me tell you something about Chicago Motors and their “hand picked” vehicles. I bought an explorer eco-boost and the engine was garbage. It was low miles, but there was NO acceleration. $5000 later it runs like a top, VERY quick. In Chicago Motors favor, they did pay half of the repair bill, but anyone who hand picked this car, never checked the engine. They polish them up and sell them off. If you buy from them, go to the lot and test drive the cars and spend some money to get them checked. I will return there, I would purchase from them again, but I’d be careful. They have a 2018 Tahoe for $18k, but it has issues with oil pressure which means new pump and most likely lifter issues in the very near future. They said they would disclose that, but it’s not disclosed on their site or their eBay auction. Proceed with caution, but proceed anyway.