New properly tinted tails and rear 5/8" wheel spacers:





I absolutely love the tint shade, and the spacers although difficult to detect, do make a difference. Right now the edges of the tires line up perfectly with the edges of the running boards front and rear.

And yes the quads are out ... they'll be back in next week with an upgrade.

Cheers!

 

For her second birthday she had a day at the spa ...

Exterior includes:
5 step paint protection: ( gentle wash, clay bar, light scratch removal, polish, apply a polymer paint sealant, and a final detailed inspection) Creates a dazzling shine and long lasting paint protection. Tires and wheel wells are cleaned and protected. Bugs and tar are removed. Exterior trim is cleaned and conditioned. Door and trunk jambs are polished.

Interior cleaning includes:
A thorough cleaning and conditioning of leather seats, dash, console, door panels, air vents. Carpets, mats, upholstery and headliner are gently and thoroughly cleaned. Every nook and cranny is meticulously cleaned to give the vehicle a like new appearance.

Cloudy day today so pics not the best, but there you have it.

 

Quick Q in case you guys know the answer to this.

How integral are the brakes on these vehicles to the regenerative system?

The reason I ask is to try and figure out if a big brake kit (Wildwood/Brembo) modification is possible/advisable?

Are our calipers tied into the hybrid system?

----------------------

ETA: All I can find on the RBS is:

The regenerative braking system works in concert with the hydraulic braking system. The system uses a brake pedal emulator, which provides progressive resistance as the pedal is depressed. This consistent pedal feel is very much like that of a standard hydraulic braking system in operation.

... which doesn't tell me much.

 

If I'm correct you don't need to step on the brakes to regenerate. when you release the throttle it start the process.

Saying this, the regenerative part of the system must be in the trans.

There is nothing attached to the brakes. Just the abs system.

You can upgrade the system but......the master cylinder is electrically operated.
Will it have enough juice to move more piston in a bigger caliper ?
That Will be my question when upgrading.

Hope this guide you in the right way.

 

Ah thanks TH ... I'm so bad with mechanical stuff I always assumed that somehow energy dissipated as heat in standard braking systems was somehow reclaimed and stored through some connection to the brakes themselves. But if i understand you correctly, you're saying that the system uses what one would call 'engine braking' (like when one downshifts a manual transmission to slow down the vehicle) ... am I getting this right?

Insofar as the power required to use a big brake kit I will look into it.
Would it be fair to say that my variables would be identical to those of a non-hybrid Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade?
Meaning if I find a kit specifically designed for GM full size SUVs, compatibility/fitment will translate to our trucks?

Thanks bud.

 

yes and yes. "Regenerative Braking
The energy associated with a car in motion is called kinetic energy—the faster a car moves, the more kinetic energy it has. To slow down or stop a car, you have to get rid of that energy. In a conventional car, you use the friction of your mechanical brakes to stop, turning the kinetic energy into hot brakes and thereby throwing away the energy. "Regen," or regenerative braking takes over some of the stopping duties from the friction brakes and instead uses the electric motor to help stop the car. To do this, the electric motor operates as a generator, recovering some of the kinetic energy and converting it into electricity that is stored in the battery so it can be used later to help drive the vehicle down the road"

Mechanically speaking upgrading the brakes in your Tahoe will be the same as in the Gas counterparts.

Points to have in mind are the Electric Servo brake system. This is the system that make so many reviews in the magazines about the "feel" of the brake.

Is not as progressive as the hydraulic counterpart. We just get used to our brake system now. But when we 1st took them, I made ppl in the truck kiss the wind shield everytime....lol

Now my advice is to upgrade to bigger but lighter 2 parts composite discs and 4 or 6 piston callipers.

http://www.wilwood.com/BrakeKits/Bra...20Disc%20Brake

I have Baer in my race truck and Willwood in my 69 camaro Protouring. Both are great products.

But again, if I ever upgrade the Hybrid brakes I'll go with Willwood.

 

Oh man, I could own this truck for 20 years and I'd still learn new things about it every day.

Plus my pitiful knowledge of mechanics, combined with my catastrophic understanding of the laws of thermodynamics, had me confusered. I just figured the heat from the brakes boiled water, generated steam, that the leprechauns (cause they are hybrid green) shlepped to mah motor and stuff, and voila, HYBRID!!!

I guess what really confused me is that regenerative braking seems to have actually nothing to do with brakes ... which is odd cause they use the same word. But just goes to show you that you cant judge a word by its letters.

Thanks bud ... I honestly appreciate the knowledge.

 

Okay so I've been a thinkin' ...

I'm not gonna drop $4k on a big brake kit ... like TH mentioned it's not as if the brakes on these trucks are poor.

But the dull calipers are bugging me behind the chrome rims. After having read and been told great things about G2 epoxy caliper paint I was ready to pull the trigger on some gloss black to simply match the color of the truck.

However they have a green color paint which almost exactly matches the color of the two hybrid 'H' on the side of the truck above the wheel wells. Now, I would normally never consider having green calipers as 99.99% of the time that's a sure ricer fail ... but in this unique case, because of the existing green elements already on the truck I thought it might tie the whole thing together nicely.

What do you guys think ... will it be too much?

 

So it's almost been a year since I've owned her and I was thinking of all the mods that have been done to date ... so I made a list.

Interior:

- GM wood center console bezel
- GM center console organizer
- GM sill plates
- GM step shields
- GM inclination sensor
- GM shock sensor
- GM 2-Way advanced remote
- GM Cargo Security Shade
- GM Roadside assistance package
- GM First aid kit
- Weathertech 1st, 2nd, and trunk floor liners
- Vanity, Dome leds
- RAM iPad cradle

Exterior:

- GM CK375 wheel/tire package
- GM Spare tire addition
- GM Oval running boards
- GM Chrome handles
- GM LTZ door moldings
- GM Escalade rear bumper cover assembly
- GM Escalade mirrors
- Billet 5/8" rear wheel spacers
- Putco rain guards
- Resonator delete and added dual exhaust tips.
- Grillcraft Hybrid upper and lower stainless steel grilles
- Smoked 3rd light
- Tinted tail lights
- Ami All Sales Black front bowtie
- Painted black rear bowtie
- 50% tint on front windows
- K&N air filter
- Led puddle, license plate, reverse, turn signal lights
- Custom headlight quad retrofit with 'flash to pass' highs and switchback led drl/turn signals
- Custom Hybrid rear badging

To be continued ...

 

wow awesome list! i thought these hyhoe/yuhoe trucks were kind of dead due to their low sales numbers in the market. But it is nice to see a true enthusiast making these vehicles still desirable.

Was thinking of picking up a used unit but not sure what to look for along with model changes over the years or TSB on them.