2018 Tahoe LT Midnight Edition Wheels

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Oh Kee Pah

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Pure awesomeness! - This is a really nice set up. Looks great - looks like a Midnight edition.

Thank you!
Yes, the idea was to take my "soccer-mom" standard LTZ and modify to exceed the performance of z71 Midnight edition on and off road. Help me and the family get around some of the rougher spots in Maine on our adventures.

I still have the side steps to address (looking at these from Rough Country: https://www.roughcountry.com/rc-gm-...nd=2015-chevy-tahoe-4wd-566828&sid=bnHgVWgf6n)

rc-nerf-steps-wheel-to-wheel-general-base_4_1_2_1_1_1_1.jpg

and I would have liked to go to 18's (many benefits IMO) but it was hard to justify purchasing new wheels when these were brand new when I purchased the vehicle CPO in 2018.
 
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Hogan Bennett

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Thank you!
Yes, the idea was to take my "soccer-mom" standard LTZ and modify to exceed the performance of z71 Midnight edition on and off road. Help me and the family get around some of the rougher spots in Maine on our adventures.

I still have the side steps to address (looking at these from Rough Country: https://www.roughcountry.com/rc-gm-...nd=2015-chevy-tahoe-4wd-566828&sid=bnHgVWgf6n)

View attachment 251768

and I would have liked to go to 18's (many benefits IMO) but it was hard to justify purchasing new wheels when these were brand new when I purchased the vehicle CPO in 2018.

Thank you for your help!

That is a very nice rig you got there. Funny, I am originally from Maine- Oxford County.
 

Oh Kee Pah

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Great looking ride. I have a 2019 midnight edition z71. Was curious where you got the black trim that was chrome?


I've used a local vinyl wrap service to "delete" almost all of the chrome trim on my LTZ (plenty there...)
I live in Maine so I don't know what kind of services may be in your local area. My wrap guy has included a 3yr guarantee on his work. I believe I paid around $300 for all of the vinyl wrap product and labor. So far so good, it's been almost 2yrs since installation and so far so good.

Also removed the three chrome "Tahoe" decal pieces from side doors and rear gate.


Satin Black vinyl wrapped pieces include:
Eyebrows over the headlights
ALL pillars on front and rear doors - Already black on a Midnight edition
ALL 4 windows' thin surrounding trim
Rear Bumper thin horizontal strip - Already black on a Midnight edition
Roof Rack running rails - Already black on a Midnight edition

New Parts (Pre-Painted by Chevy):
Black RST Grille

New Parts and Black Paint to Match:
Side Mirror Covers - Already black on a Midnight edition
z71 Front Bumper & Fascia - Already black on a Midnight edition
z71 Skid plates (3 total) - Already black on a Midnight edition

Side Steps: Still have the original steps that came with this 2015 LTZ. I went through the process of trying to purchase some different steps (not OEM z71's) that turned into a nightmare. After 5 months and 3 returns, got my $ back and decided to just sit tight.
Ended up spending about $10 at HD on some PlastiDip spray cans and did the "chrome delete" with that stuff on the side steps. Really not that difficult, just took a little time and patience. I did remove my steps completely for painting though. It's merely a fix for right now, the chrome steps scream out now that the truck is mostly blacked out. I have to say, the PlastiDip is NOT a solution for any vehicle part that will see any wear and tear. It took my 7 yo kid all of 5 months to start ripping the PlastiDip off the step when getting out of the truck.

Before & After photo I messed around with a while back trying to compare exactly what you're asking about (note - PlastiDip not yet applied, in the process of the steps nightmare):

Before After Black Trim.jpg
 

GreyStone

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I've used a local vinyl wrap service to "delete" almost all of the chrome trim on my LTZ (plenty there...)
I live in Maine so I don't know what kind of services may be in your local area. My wrap guy has included a 3yr guarantee on his work. I believe I paid around $300 for all of the vinyl wrap product and labor. So far so good, it's been almost 2yrs since installation and so far so good.

Also removed the three chrome "Tahoe" decal pieces from side doors and rear gate.


Satin Black vinyl wrapped pieces include:
Eyebrows over the headlights
ALL pillars on front and rear doors - Already black on a Midnight edition
ALL 4 windows' thin surrounding trim
Rear Bumper thin horizontal strip - Already black on a Midnight edition
Roof Rack running rails - Already black on a Midnight edition

New Parts (Pre-Painted by Chevy):
Black RST Grille

New Parts and Black Paint to Match:
Side Mirror Covers - Already black on a Midnight edition
z71 Front Bumper & Fascia - Already black on a Midnight edition
z71 Skid plates (3 total) - Already black on a Midnight edition

Side Steps: Still have the original steps that came with this 2015 LTZ. I went through the process of trying to purchase some different steps (not OEM z71's) that turned into a nightmare. After 5 months and 3 returns, got my $ back and decided to just sit tight.
Ended up spending about $10 at HD on some PlastiDip spray cans and did the "chrome delete" with that stuff on the side steps. Really not that difficult, just took a little time and patience. I did remove my steps completely for painting though. It's merely a fix for right now, the chrome steps scream out now that the truck is mostly blacked out. I have to say, the PlastiDip is NOT a solution for any vehicle part that will see any wear and tear. It took my 7 yo kid all of 5 months to start ripping the PlastiDip off the step when getting out of the truck.

Before & After photo I messed around with a while back trying to compare exactly what you're asking about (note - PlastiDip not yet applied, in the process of the steps nightmare):

View attachment 251816
Hey Robert ~ just out of curiosity - what made you go with different brand shocks front vs rear? Does one ride better.
 

Oh Kee Pah

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I haven't gotten that question yet, but very good pickup!
The short and simple answer is - PRICE.

This was a "new car" purchase for my family and an upgrade for me from my Honda Pilot. I grew up in CO and have always wanted a great overlanding rig. A new vehicle purchase was spurred by the arrival of our second child. One more mouth to feed, diapers, daycare...$$$$ Anyway, the Tahoe is where the entire family landed on agreement.
So, it took me all of a week to realize my great new big 4WD rig was actually the unofficial soccer mom transport of the country. Then we took our first camping trip up north in the Maine woods and I just about ripped off the front lower plastic air deflector. I was basically plowing rocks on the trail. The decision was made, mostly by me, to modify the Tahoe so that I was more capable off road. I used the z71 Midnight Edition as my model to work from.

I did a fair amount of research, much on this forum, regarding suspension upgrades, lift/level kits, etc. I also researched tires - I wanted something bigger and similar to a MT, but somewhat practical since I'm only off road about 5-10% of my total miles driven (bummer!). If you look back, particularly at previous model years (pre-2015 Tahoe) you'll see that Billstein is a primary solution/product in peoples mod projects. Time and time again this shock setup kept coming up. I have a +1" rear coil spacer running on the Tahoe so I needed to provide a shock that would work on my truck AND work for +1" lift. The Billstein B8 5100 seemed like a great solution at a fair price. Proven record. Plus a major upgrade from the OEM rear shock absorber air compressed setup on LTZ trims. FYI - I purchased a new pair of z71 rear coils springs and installed them when the rear coil spacer and rear Billstein shocks went in. To my surprise, Chevy has 5 different rear coil springs they use under different trim/options on the Tahoes.

Up front was another beast entirely. I wanted to increase my off road capabilities so that meant improving the approach angle and total ground clearance. Yes - I get to lift the truck! No - wife says too expensive and too big, "we can barely get in now" she said. I was able to sell her on the modification to the front bumper. She wasn't thrilled, but she did like the idea of me adding tow hooks and the skid plates. Approach angle issue solved.
Now for height. I started looking at leveling the truck, but quickly decided that is not the OPTIMAL way to increase ride height. Rather inexpensive up front, but I figured I would be unhappy with the overall ride quality. Also, the leveling kit is used with your EXISTING shocks. The LTZ trim comes standard with Chevy's Magneride suspension system. Not sure how familiar you are with this, but basically all four corners' shocks are "plugged" into the computer, literally, and buffeting is supposed to occur instantaneously between computer and shock. Something along those lines. But my front right magneride shock was replaced under the Certified Pre Owned policy for free when I made the vehicle purchase. 36k miles. How long until original front left shock needed to be replaced? Not under warranty. Chevy charges anywhere between $1200 - $2500 for new magneride shock(s) up front. So my budget was set, stay under $1200 on all front suspension work.

Enter problem #2 of the LTZ magneride - it's hooked to the computer! You can't just install any old front shock that fits because then you're throwing service messages on your dash every minute. Also, the magneride shock is designed slightly differently than many similar coilover setups in that the mounting bracket is smaller than standard. In other words, the shock absorbers that fit the LS and LT trims DO NOT fit on an LTZ. That's when I discovered Xineeering out of FL. Max, owner, is great, really smart computer guy/former car industry software. Now he likes to modify corvettes and help people speed around. But, his electronics apply to the LTZ magneride shocks because that's what the Corvette's platform uses. Xineering sent me 8 plastic electronic pieces that plugged right into the shock absorber/computer line at each corner at the top of the original shock absorber. These pieces tell the computer everything is fine with the magneride. Now, I could install any shock absorber I wanted that could fit up front. That meant an entirely new front coilover, not just a shock absorber.
Product choices were fairly limited and quite expensive. Ie: Fox 2.5 with Reservoirs or Kings... that purchase alone would have broke my budget.
I settled on the Fox 2.0 because they offered the adjustable ride height, solved the problem of needing to install an entire coilover with shock, and the 2.0 pretty much meets and exceeds all of the needs/uses for me and my family. Also, Fox has a great reputation in off road performance and racing, they have great customer service and also provide lifetime guarantees and maintenance of their products.

In the end, the Fox 2.0 has been AWESOME! They just eat up the bumps. And after speaking with Fox reps, I've decided that the 2.0 coilovers really give more than +2" lift to a Tahoe. They are designed for Silverados front load and that can be much more than a Tahoe's. The shocks come +2" out of the box and I actually had to dial mine back about 1/8". Though I lowered the ride height, I still saw +2.25" increase to the Tahoe's front wheel fender.
At the end of the day I only wish I had gone with the rear Fox shocks because then I would have had matching products front and back. But performance wise, I really don't think the rear shocks are that much different between Fox and Billstein. If my driving habits were different and I spent a lot of time on bumpy, gravel roads then the Fox rear shocks would probably be better.

On a side note, I have UCAs installed that are produced by Freedom Off Road. I am very happy with this product and their customer service. Speaking with them, they are now offering quick-lift front coilovers, adjustable front coilovers, and rear shocks. Their front coilovers look very similar to the Fox adjustables.
 

GreyStone

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Makes sense to me....Thank you! I appreciate the detailed response and info = again, Amazing looking truck.
 

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