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SUVs Buick Rainier Buick Rainier, Chevy TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy
18277 messages, Last post on Nov 18, 2009 at 6:43 AM
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| Don't think there has been a crash test yet. Probably in the next couple of months. My guess is it will be pretty good. | |
| Saw a two tone (blue with gray) Trailblazer for the first time today. Wow.. is that ever sharp looking. The best looking one I had seen was the black, but this one was even better. | |
| Has anyone else noticed grit under the paint in the door jams of their SUV? The exterior paint is flawless (as far as GM paint jobs go) but the door jams seem to have some sort of gritty material in certain areas. It's in a different area in each door opening. | |
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I was helping a friend install a cold air intake on his car, and got to thinking -- "I wonder what would happen if I did something similar on my new Envoy?" As we all know, an engine loves to breath in cooler air, which is why a car seems to pull harder on those cool mornings -- and this is why the aftermarket companies make them for popular cars and trucks. Unfortunately, they've not started on the GM Trio yet... We took a look under the hood and found that the air intake consists of a small funnel-shaped "horn" behind the passenger headlight, that leads into the airbox. To "enhance" the availablity of cooler outside air, we routed a section of 2.5-inch shop vac hose from a small opening in the lower front air dam, up behind the passenger headlight and terminated the hose at the opening of the air intake. (thanks to GM for making the headlights so easy to pull out -- two pull tabs and you're in business) To increase the amount of air intake, a rectangular shop vac hose attachement can be inverted and placed in the air dam and attached to the hose to act as an "air scoop". Ironically the shop vac hose diameter matches that of the air intake, so theoretically you could place the hose directly into the intake, but I preferred to allow the engine to breath normally at lower speeds, rather than forcing it to breath only thru the hose. Granted, a 2.5 inch diameter hose isn't a lot of surface area, but it DOES draw more cooler air from outside of the engine compartment and surprisingly makes an improvement in performance. (more noticible on a hot day) Until a commercial cold air kit is available, this cheap tweak works well and it's basically invisible unless you look closely at the air dam and look for the hose. Placing small vent holes in the shop vac hose at strategic locations to allow water to drain that might be sucked in, and installing a screen of some type to keep out bugs/leaves is also advised. Total Cost: $15 for shop vac hose (enough for 2 cars) $5 for rectangular vacuum attachment (optional) Total Installation Time: 15 mins depending on how good you are are routing the hose from the front to the intake. Tools Required: None - everything is held in place by friction -- zip ties are optional if you're paranoid. K&N AIR FILTERS: For those wanting to install a K&N air filter to allow the vehicle to breath even better, I contacted them and they don't expect one to be released for the 2002 GM Trio until around October. |
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Here is the website for Truck Tracks, which I think is updated every Wednesday. You have to get it through the union site. www.iue798.com/index.html When it downloads, look to the left side of the page where it says "Download Truck Tracks." Click on that. |
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| Picked up our new Envoy last Thursday, 7/19. Took 2 months and 3 days from date of order. 4WD SLT, Indigo Blue, med pewter leather, 1SH package, running boards, moonroof. Just hit 250 miles today. Our Envoy had none of the previously discussed defects, such as poor body panel alignment, loose mouldings, wind noise, rattles, etc. Everything works perfectly, especially the A/C (has not been below 98-103 for highs here since we got it!) I am 6'4", and the front seats are quite comfortable. I can even fit in the back seat. Love the two-tone leather and it is so nice to have a headrest that tilts forward again! The faux wood dash trim looks nice, as does the brushed nickel trim. Spent 3 hours reading the owner's manual cover to cover the first night and learning how to program and run all of the equipment. The Bose 6 disc stereo sounds super. The engine is incredibly smooth and quiet, yet has more than enough power. The 4.10 rear axle ratio drives super, the vehicle is quick and I will be anxious to hook up our 3000 lb boat after I get past the break in mileage to see how the towing goes. We have been bombarded with nothing but very positive comments from everyone who sees and especially those who ride in the Envoy. People's heads turn when I drive down the street, and complete strangers will comment on what a nice looking rig it is. Have not checked mileage yet, but it is far too early to get a good reading on that anyway, with the varying driving speeds during the break in period. Overall, we just love it so far. No complaints what so ever. GMC has a winner with this vehicle as far as we are concerned. | |
| I have checked every dealer close to Orlando and can't find exactly what I want. The big factor is do I need the air suspension to trailer up to 5000 lbs? I can get the 3.73 rear but I wonder if the tongue weight will cause the back end to sag too much without air suspension. Is the self leveling system reliable and needed? What do you think? Is the 4.10 rear end fairly close to the 3.73 in gas milage? | |
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Those who are in the market for a new SUV should really consider other alternative SUV which are better than GM's SUV. GM's SUV(BRAVADA, trailBLAZER and ENVOY) have the worst reputation in the SUV segment. It's not wise to invest thousands of dollars into something you know will not perform well down the road. Visit www.toyota.com www.honda.com www.mercedesbenz.com www.bmw.com www.mitsubishi.com www.edmunds.com for other alternative SUV Enjoy the open road of America. BUY OLDSMOBILE-Until GM stop making them. |
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