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09 HyHoe
2 Attachment(s)
My apologies that almost all the pics are gone from this thread ... stupid MobileMe purged their server and everything went bye bye. :(
It'll take me forever to re-upload everything and in re-embed in every relevant post, so if anyone needs any specific pic, just let me know and I'll repost it. Here are a couple of pics of the finished product: Attachment 2844 Attachment 2845 ------------------------------------ Hi there, I registered a while back but haven't had the time to post yet ... so I thought I'd remedy this sin and begin by introducing myself and telling you a little about my truck. I live in DC and bought my 09 Tahoe Hybrid back in Dec. 2010 with 12xxx miles on her. Ever since then I've gone on a journey of tweaking and modifications to personalize it to my taste. It's been a huge learning curve to decipher what can and cannot be done with these trucks ... she is as we speak very close to what I want/like. Much if not all of what I've learned and implemented comes through my interaction at tahoeyukonforum.com where I go by the username soulsea. Anyhoot, here's the story so far. First thing I did after I bought her is put 24" Enkei Ikei-6 rims with Hankook Ventus 295/35/22s, installed a Belltech 2-3/4 drop kit, installed Grillcraft upper/lower mesh, and swapped for black Chevy bowties. Without drop: http://files.abovetopsecret.com/imag...e9542bf4d2.jpg With drop: http://files.abovetopsecret.com/imag...e0924a2b9d.jpg Well, although that is still my favorite look to date, it only lasted about a month. The Hybrids already sit about an inch lower than regular Tahoes ... the tiny sidewall, heavy rims, and state of DC streets made her ride like a donkey. Basically way too stiff and uncomfortable for a daily driver. So I decided to go in a different direction and aim for a more elegant oem look. The drop and 24s got sold and I added the following: - OEM CK375 wheel/tire package that comes standard with the Denali Hybrid. - LTZ chrome door handles - LTZ door side moldings - OEM Tubular oval chrome running boards - Escalade/Denali rear bumper cover (to be installed next week) - Escalade mirrors (to be installed next week) - Smoked third brake light - Lightly tinted tail lights - Resonator delete and added tips http://gallery.me.com/soulsea/100056...13127467060001 http://gallery.me.com/soulsea/100056...13127468700001 Than the real fun started ... - Installed the only known xenon quad retrofit on a Tahoe Hybrid: VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWsDhdnb-70 http://gallery.me.com/soulsea/100056...13127427800001 - Also the two lower bulbs are double switchback leds and are both on as drls and turn signals during the day and signals only at night. - Reverse bulb leds - Licence plate leds - Puddle leds - Dome/Visor leds. That is all for now. :) There's also a few things that I tried and did not work but I'll get to those on another post. But I wanted to note that I often read this forum to inform myself, and I am happy to share any information I have discovered along my journey should anyone have any questions. Cheers for now! |
Re: 09 HyHoe
A couple of mentions of modifications I either tried or considered that did not/would not work ... I'm sure some of you may know this already but I'm noting them for posterity. :)
- There's no other tail light assy, aftermarket or oem, that will work with the base (non denali/ non escalade) hybrids. First issue is that the HyHoe/HyYuk have different wiring so nothing will be plug and play. That can be resolved with rewiring (which I did successfully) but the second issue cannot. Namely there's no way to make the rear D pillar appliqués to line up properly and there's no other appliqué on the market that will work because the spoiler/3rd light assy is so different. This is the result: http://gallery.me.com/soulsea/100050...13121638230005 http://gallery.me.com/soulsea/100050...13121638250004 It looks terrible and out of place. The only way to get around this would be to swap out for either an Escalade or Denali Hybrid liftgate assembly which of course would result in its own aesthetic issues, not to mention $$$ just to make aftermarket tails to work. Bottom line, tint the stock ones or live with them. :shade: - I considered but never attempted the Escalade roof rack addition. I read some threads here on the subject including some that succeeded in this modification. In the end, after considering both having them drilled in or attached with commercial automotive adhesive, I decided that I preferred the cleaner sans rack look. But I did take some pics a while back with one side of the rack mocked up on the roof: http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/forum...ictureid=11557 - One last major modification I considered, and which had me actually talking to GM customer service, GM technical dept., and looking at diagrams was the idea of swapping the snowplow front bumper cover for that of an LTZ. It's not impossible just stupidly complicated and expensive. and would basically involve reengineering the whole front end. I'm happy to go into details if anyone cares enough to request them, but let's just say that not only would it require the whole new bumper cover assy, but would also require a new hood, and a whole bunch of other hardware. Even then I'm not sure it would work because the hybrids have a safety feature in the latch assemble to disable auto-stop when the hood is popped open (to let people know who might be working on the truck that the engine is on), and I no one could tell me if that would get lost, keep working, or mess up the whole 2mode system. I just didn't care enough to pursue that further. :) I'll keep noting stuff down as I remember it. Cheers! |
Re: 09 HyHoe
Continuing with the spirit of modification ...
One thing that had been bothering me since I purchased the HyHoe was the mismatched lettering/font between the standard TAHOE lettering/font and the Hybrid lettering font. I tend to be slightly ocd in these matters so it was really bothering me, especially on the liftgate. So I went on a quest to try and find the proper lettering to match the TAHOE font in order to be able to spell Hybrid with it. It isn't as easy or obvious as it seems, for all the letters can be easily obtained by purchasing suburban and silverado lettering but the "Y" seemed impossible to find due to the fact that there's no current chevy vehicle that uses it in that size and font. After a great deal of investigation I discovered that for some unknown reason, GM still produces the latest lettering for the now nonexistent CHEYENNE. So I bought all those letter sets and will rebadge the liftgate properly in the near future. Should anyone else care to do this, the letters for the suburban/silverado are very easy to find ... the obscure GM part number for the Cheyenne lettering is: 15791217 I'll post pics when the swap is complete. |
Re: 09 HyHoe
Very Nice Tahoe.
What are the new rims and tire size? |
Re: 09 HyHoe
Thanks HT ...
The rims/tires I have on now are the GM oem CK375 option package which comes standard on the Denali Hybrid. They are 22" with GY 285/45/22s. I chose those because I really liked them as they compliment the LTZ/Denali look, and they were the biggest/heaviest wheels that the dealer wouldn't hassle me in regards to my warranty, as they are GM approved for the Hybrids. |
Re: 09 HyHoe
So I just got this back from the paint shop:
http://gallery.me.com/soulsea/100050...13160282320001 It's getting installed next Monday along with the Escalade mirrors. We'll see how it goes ... (and yes I do have the right step pad and chrome trims) :) |
Re: 09 HyHoe
Originally Posted by HyHoe
(Post 237728)
It's not impossible just stupidly complicated and expensive. and would basically involve reengineering the whole front end. I'm happy to go into details if anyone cares enough to request them, but let's just say that not only would it require the whole new bumper cover assy, but would also require a new hood, and a whole bunch of other hardware. Even then I'm not sure it would work because the hybrids have a safety feature in the latch assemble to disable auto-stop when the hood is popped open (to let people know who might be working on the truck that the engine is on), and I no one could tell me if that would get lost, keep working, or mess up the whole 2mode system.
I just didn't care enough to pursue that further. :) Cheers! http://www.oaire.com/resources/Yukon...lade%20ERG.pdf By the way your Tahoe Hybrid looks very nice with the all the upgrades, Good job with it and thank you for sharing with us.:shade::) |
Re: 09 HyHoe
So today I did the little mod that had been itching to do for a while ...
I replaced the ugly Hybrid lettering from the tailgate with the same lettering as Tahoe. This is without the Hybrid at all: http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/forum...ictureid=12829 http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/forum...ictureid=12828 And this is the final result: http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/forum...ictureid=12827 I actually like it either way ... although now I'm thinking it will look best with the rear completely debadged. I'll feel it out for a week or so but whichever way I end up going with it is all way better than the original lettering. OCD receding ... can sleep tonight ... :D |
Re: 09 HyHoe
Personally , I'll would not get rid of the hybrid emblems. Not bcause they are cool, but bcause in an emergency , a better faster assistance from The rescue ppl is likely due to especial training to dissable the Hybrid batteries and stuff.
Just my 2 cents |
Re: 09 HyHoe
That's actually a very valid point and in large part the reason why I decided to just swap fonts rather than debadge. Also the side emblems are staying no matter what.
Anyhoot, all the designative lettering is still there, just in a way that calms my OCD. :) |
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