Tahoe weight reduction

rpm-inc said:

First post. Long story short, I have an 04 2500hd 2wd with cam and turbo. I was going to swap everything over to a silverado 1500 4x4 this winter. Then started thinking about tahoes.

How light could I get a 2004ish tahoe 4x4? Remove 2nd and third row seats, rear air, hitch, spare. Add 4l80e, 2wd escalade 9.5 14 bolt, turbo kit.

If I could get it down to 5000 with me at 180, it could be a 10 sec truck. At 5550 with me in the silverado, the truck went 11.61 at only 13 psi.

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There's nothing wrong with what you're thinking, plenty of guys run the short wheelbase SUVs here with AWD/4x4 with turbochargers and superchargers.

This is a math problem so the first thing is to get a close estimate of what a 2004 4x4 Tahoe weighs and then subtract all the stuff you don't want and add the weight of the go-fast goodies.

@Fosscore had his interior out once, maybe he can guess at what his headliner and carpet and the jute weighed for example.

@randeez has added sturdier axles to his 2012 Denali but not sure if he's re-weighed the truck or knows how much, if any, additional weight they were.

From what I have googled for the last few weeks, the curb weight of a tahoe 4x4 should be about 5250. What I don't know is the weight of the second and third row seats, and the rear air stuff. I can guess the spare and hitch pretty close I think. Thanks for your help!

My rough estimate is removing the all the rear seats and A/C equipment would net around a 250-lb reduction. I'm basing this on the 3rd row seats feeling about 50 lbs each when I remove them. The 2nd row may be heavier. Gutting the interior carpet, plastics, seatbelts, window regulators, etc. may get you down another 50 lbs or so. Again, rough guesses.

its already so light.... i dont reduce sh*t no 3rd row and no spare is about all i do. havent weighed lately but also havent removed anything should still be 58-5900 lbs with me in it. thought about doing a slight bit of weigh reduction-running boards, floor mats, roof rack, wasnt going to but seats are easy to get out. front/2nd row prob good for 150+lbs

the 9.25ifs and 2500 axles probably netted another 35-40lbs up front. not sure if i weighed it after doing the 14bolt , also has heavier sway bars front/back, rear 4link bars and panhard probably weigh about the same as stock.


i would find a 4x4 tahoe/yukon (selectable transfer case). the awd t-cases (atleast in mine bw-4482) acts like an open diff, during a launch all the weight transfers and if front spins it sends all the power that way. but then the downside, you need to run 4x4 100+mph with the front/rear locked together, make sure wheel/tire/gear/air pressures are as close as you can get them

ive put quite a bit into suspension to get the awd to hook up decently. has double adjustable qa-1 coilovers in the front and single adjustable qa-1s in the back, the adjustable bars will be needed if you lower it at all to keep pinion angle good,

Ok, to really help: IMO the biggest / easiest thing you can do for weight is get rid of the 4wd. If its because of snow or traction, why wouldn't you just take advantage of what these have and go AWD. You can pick up a denali or a cadi AWD with a 6.0 in it.

If you don't need 4wd/awd; have you looked around to see what the turbo/supercharged SUVs are running in here? These are going to only be a few hundred pounds more than an extended cab/about the same weight as a crew cab, but a lot more of that weight is over the rear end. Have you seen how traction is for them? Are you wanting 4wd because you are comparing it to your reg cab pickup? I think if you don't have your individual wheel scale weight, you should see what you can find with similar pick ups, and compare it to a Tahoe/Yukon/escalade. Me personally, if you find that these have lets say 500 more lbs over the rear axle, go strap 500 lbs to the rear of your pickup, put it in 2wd, and see how your traction is..

adriver said:

If its because of snow or traction...

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I reckon it's for the best 60-foot times he can get out of it! It's for racing.

swathdiver said:

I reckon it's for the best 60-foot times he can get out of it! It's for racing.

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It wasn't clear if 1/4 or 1/8 mile racing was literally the ONLY use and priority of this possible project, or if OP just thought the Tahoe/Yukon wouldn't hook up at all without 4wd. Might be silly, but just making sure they've considered there is a lot more weight over the rear to help with traction, possibly without the need for more than 2wd if weight is a big enough concern to make this thing a 2 seater.

Not sure what there power goals were, but its the rear of his cab to a heavier hatch, plus all the extra side and roof that goes from being in the middle of the wheelbase to over the rear wheels. I'm not searching for scale weight, but a Tahoe/Yukon should be about 1,000 lbs heavier than a 1500 reg cab, and I want to say only a couple hundred pounds heavier than a 2500HD reg cab, but I would bet its at least 500 lbs heavier over the rear.

Apples to oranges here being 800 vs 900 chassis but

My 2010 Tahoe to my 2007 2500hd 6.0 4wd extended cab was like 300lbs lighter (the Tahoe).

I don’t know about the earlier Tahoe’s but mine has an auto option on the t case. Not sure on reliability but it’s quick and smooth on a launch that’ll slightly chirp the tires then go. I’d assume at higher speed it would go back to 2wd.

Thanks for the replies. Yes 4x4 or awd for footbraked boosted launching. Without ever owning a 2wd tahoe, I do know with regular street radials, it would be lots of smoke, melted rubber, and very little forward motion. Hopefully with 4wd and "sticky" summer tires, it could launch good. Goal is a truck that could be an every day driver, yet run some killer 1/4 mile times. My silverado at 5500 when it went 11.61 was probably 610 or so whp through the 80e and 10.5 ff 14 bolt. Thinking the 9.5 sf 14 bolt could free up a couple hp as well.

There's a memeber on here, I think he's in Texas, has one fast Tahoe, it's painted a copper color. I wish I could remember his name. Anyone remember his name? He was running some crazy times. I bet he has some good tips for you.