Just traded the Tahoe in on a decked out 2009 Yukon!

 

Damn man nice ride for sure!! I've always loved the look of that body style.

 

Thanks! This was just a test posted from the IB Automotive Group Android app, but I guess I could move it into the main forum. I was going to see if Gary could edit my sig image first though.

 

Um...dis is in da Trash!

I'd be happy to update your sig, Kyle.

Same theme? I believe the fire aspect has changed as well, so we can go with something entirely new.

 

Thanks Gary! I was getting around to asking you, but have had other priorities.

I'm not sure how it would look with the new truck having a fire theme. Maybe you could drop it in and see?

I'll have to get you better pictures with less reflection. I snapped those with my phone. The next time I have it cleaned up, I'll take a nice shot with my T1i and my polarizing filter. I washed and waxed it last weekend however with all of the rain it isn't exactly clean right now. I can snap a few pictures to see how they turn out.

*EDIT* Here are some newer shots. I'm not sure how much better they are...

 

Moved to Gen Chat.

This truck is nuts! I can't wait to get it tuned by Black Bear Performance!

I'll be uploading shots of it with my camper behind it shortly.

 

Very nice truck Kyle. I love the looks of those too.

 

Congratulations Kyle! That's an awesome truck! I hope you get a lot of enjoyment out of it!

 

Thanks! I just realized I didn't put much info about the truck or what lead to it in this thread so I'll remedy that right now.

After last year's camping trip, I realized that the Tahoe wasn't quite powerful enough to properly tow the fully loaded new camper in hilly conditions. We were down near Albany in some pretty nasty hills and the truck couldn't figure out whether it wanted to race out in 1st gear or lug way down in 2nd gear and that was with steady pressure on the pedal only attempting around 35mph... So it was either build up the spare LM7 (5.3L iron block v8) that I have or look for something with more power and keep the LM7 for a different project. After tearing down the spare LM7 I realized that, while it was in fairly good condition, it was going to require a new crank, machine work on the block, and a lot of other add-on goodies to get it up to the power level that I wanted.

With the NNBS trucks coming with 6-speed automatics now, engine power could remain relatively the same as the more evenly spaced gears in the transmission would allow for better application of the torque the engine was producing. So I started looking for something basically identical to the old Tahoe in features from the 2009+ years which would come with the 6-speed auto trans. The following options were high on my list of 'must have' for the NNBS trucks:

• 3.42 gears minimum (numerically)
• integrated trailer brake
• entertainment system (for the kids)
• heated leather seats
• sunroof
• running boards
• 4WD or AWD

I had found a few 2009+ Tahoe Z71's that were nicely optioned, but all of them came with the 3.08 gears and none of them came with the trailer package or the integrated trailer brake setup (which included the trailer package and 3.42 gears). We went to look at a few of them at nearby dealerships, but they either wanted an arm/leg/first-born for them or there were issues that they were unwilling to negotiate over.

So I opened up my search to include the Yukon and that was when we found this certified used Denali at a dealership 20 minutes away that was reasonably priced, under 50k miles, and came with a 1yr/12,000mile bumper to bumper warranty as part of being a GM Certified Used vehicle.

So enough about the back story and more about the truck. It is a very clean, one owner 2009 GMC Yukon Denali that has never had the hitch cover off of the vehicle and has a long list of options (only a few options missing from a fully loaded truck). Here is an abbreviated list of the creature comfort options:

• Power rear liftgate
• Power running boards
• Power sunroof
• Heated & cooled front seats
• Heated 2nd row captains chairs
• Power folding 2nd row captains chairs
• Navigation with the latest nav disc
• Backup camera
• Ultrasonic park assist system
• Rear entertainment package
• Power steering wheel tilt & pedal positions

And here is a list of the performance and other exterior related options:

• L9H 6.2L aluminum block v8 - 403HP/417FTLB
• 6L80E 6-speed automatic transmission
• 3.42 gears
• AWD
• 20" chrome rims (chrome is peeling on the inside which helped on the price)
• Brand new Goodyear Eagle LS-2 275/55R20 tires (32" diameter!)
• RPO code JL1 Integrated trailer brake package which includes the trailer package and 3.42 gears
• Electronic suspension with ride height control
• Aggressive tone 3.5" factory exhaust system (2.5" from the manifolds back to the 'y' in the y-pipe)!

With the 6.2L engine, this truck is an animal! I was expecting to take a hit in fuel mileage, but on the trip we took down to Ithaca last weekend, I noted the same mileage as the Tahoe when towing the older camper down to Watkins Glen a year or so ago. While not the same roads exactly, the hills, etc are pretty darn close and the newer camper is heavier than the old one. I am also getting better mileage on my back & forth to work than my Tahoe ever produced given the same exact trip. Chalk it up to the 3.42's & the 6-speed. With the over drive gear being 0.67:1 and when combined with the 3.42 axle ratio, it should get better mileage even for an engine producing more than 100HP/100FTLBS additional output.

When towing the camper, you know that it is back there, but the truck handles it VERY well. The Tahoe did well for the most part until you got into hilly areas and then it wasn't so great. With the Denali, hills are no longer a problem! Tow/haul mode is also much better on the newer trucks with the included benefit of downshifting the transmission while braking to assist.

Anyway, sorry for the diatribe. It is an amazing vehicle!

 

Nice riggin, buzz!