Civilianizing the '15 Tahoe PPV

[RC45]

It's 2 years later but at least the thread has a proper home and I am wondering if some folks may be missing out on some of the nicest features of the 2015+ PPV - it is a high performance sports truck with a 100,000 mile warranty . So I am re-posting my original thread from the GM forums.


Our 'Update the PPV' project is underway.



As delivered:

1st order of business was the simple stiff like 17" alloy wheels, tow hitch cover and LTZ leather steering wheel upgrade:

The phone/DIC control pad was removed for now. I may put it back in the future.

2nd was the Katskinz Leather seat upgrade:

The skins where labeled as "Bucket Seat", but they fit the Bench seats as they appear to be identical to the buckets except for the inboard airbag on the drivers seat back. The job was a simple Saturday morning DIY project. Not hard at all. Just be sure to disconnect the batteries to disable the seat airbags.

Then the spot light came off - I must say, for an OEM RPO option the installation is very poor - It is not up to OEM standards, it is more like shade tree hack job. Look how rough the holes look like.

My local bodywork guy will weld in a patch and paint the a-pillar to clean everything up.

Next up, was the LTZ carpet install upgrade:

Removing the PPV rubber floor was a simple matter of gutting the interior, replacing with GM OEM carpets and reinstalling the seats and trim. It was a simple because using OEM carpets rather than "exact fit aftermarket" carpets means no cutting or trimming needed.

Rubber Floor

Naked Floor

Carpeted floor

Soon after that the Corsa Sport upgrade - not the smartest move.

Still to come is the driver side assist handle, center console, 8" NAV upgrade, chrome grill (perhaps door handles and mirror covers), fog lamps, chin spoiler, trailer brake controls and chrome trim rear bumper step cover.



Stay tuned if you like.

 

[RC45]

Total plan is a back road, canyon carving SUV that doesn't have a German badge

Our normal back road blaster is this bad boy- 105,000 miles of 660bhp N/A LS7 nastiness... so if an SUV is going to join this family, it needs to be able to go, stop and turn. The only problem with the Vette is that only 1 extra person can join in the fun of touring East Texas back roads (approx. 65,000 miles of East Texas touring under the belt, 30,000 of them on the LS7), and the times we end up at the shooting range, we are limited to the number of rifles and ammo we can cart with

With this new truck we can also haul extra photography gear and venture down some the roads that need a little more clearance than Vette has.

And as far as SUV's go, not many can haul cones --- for their own slalom use

This truck handles like a large sports sedan.

I think a super charger is on the cards as well.

 

[RC45]

Well, we have made great progress with the truck.



Almost all the exterior mods are done now, save for the LTZ chrome trimmed rear bumper cover (FedEx broke the last one delivered and I am waiting on a replacement), extended front lower valance trim and the front fog light chrome eyebrows.



Exterior mods have been limited to chrome trim LTZ running boards, alloy 17" wheels and SS grill badge - a little hint at the coming power upgrade - either supercharger or 6.2 transplant. The rear total blacked out debadged look will stay.

Interior mods are also well on their way - the remaining major hurdles are the correct component choices for managing the upgrade to IO6 popup nav & integrating the center consol controls and accessories that as yet are not wire up.



Leather wheel upgrade with radio/phone controls removed.

Katskins front and rear seat leather treatment, retail LTZ center console with transplanted matching wood trim.

Max towing package trailer brake controls with appropriate trim panel - just need to get the option activated now. The plug is present and appears to be fully wired up.

Prep for power folding mirrors with turn signal integration - the power fold works but the signals do not, so until I get that detail sorted I still have the base mirrors installed.

Rear cargo cover and rear cargo net.

As for the SS badge, the PPV already provides SS badge worthy handling, the idea is to back the handling up with either a supercharger on the 5.3 or a 6.2 transplant taken care of by Englandgreen here in Houston. GM really needs to sell the handling and HD upgrades of the PPV to the civilian market - there was no way I was going to buy a regular wallowy roll-over inclined SUV, but something that has the ability to safely stop and turn (and haul ass like a big super sedan

) is a different story. GM really needs to sell a proper SS handling package enhanced Tahoe - so until they do, I am happy to build my own.



The badge itself is the 2010 through 2014 Camaro front SS badge and mount bracket. With a little cutting of the mount and a dab of epoxy it fits like an RPO option badge.

Remote start video of the stock truck:

.

Remote start video of the truck with the Corsa Sport installed:

Remote start video of the truck with the Corsa Touring muffler installed on existing Corsa system:

 

[RC45]

A 10 month follow-up.



I. LOVE. THIS . TRUCK.



I like how stable and sure footed it is. No wallowing, it stops hard and it is a hoot on the freeway. The ride is harsher than an LS, LT or LTZ but I enjoy my Corvette as well so a stiffer ride does not bother me. The Katzkinz seats are comfortable and have been easy to keep clean. The fitted GM carpet has not moved or shifted or had any issues.



Did I mention the brakes? Yes I did, but they are worth mentioning again. They handle multiple hard stops without fade and the "City Circuit" PPV brake pads get up to temp and bite instantly. We haven't missed the 3rd row seat - the larger flat luggage space is much more practical.



The PPV steering tune is also more positive and responds better to inputs than the LT Tahoe I test drove.



We finally went and did some performance testing out in the boonies - sadly we did not do the same thing before the mods, so no comparison numbers, but in its current form, for a 5300# 4 door 6 passenger SUV I think this truck hauls ass

I am glad I was able to buy this PPV, and would recommend anyone else who has the chance to buy a low mileage supervisor lease return or demo unit to jump at the chance

Mods are Volant cold air, Corsa touring cat back and a tank full of e85 and stock 3.08 rear gear. The runs where made in Competitive Mode i.e. Active Handling On, Traction Control Off.



Conditions: Overcast 98% humidity & 78*F



Best Result

6.8s 0-60

15s 1/4 mile @ 94mph - on a farm road

The Numbers

The Track

And those are our tire marks

The worst result

7.1s 0-60

10.10s 1/8 mile @ 73.8mph



But you can see it is pretty consistent - these 2 1/8 mile runs are 2 of 6 that where 7.1s dead even.

 

[RC45]

Made the last few cosmetic changes.



LTZ rear bumper step cover.

Chrome LTZ fog light eye brows and fog lights.

Black anti-deer-at-night bars.

LTZ front bumper valance.



I think the truck now looks the part. Semi-blacked out with a touch of dazzle

 

[08HoeCD]

Lots of great work.

Maybe you stated it elsewhere, but I'm curious as to why you got a PPV in the first place and are 'civilianizing' it rather than starting with a 'civilian' Tahoe.
??

 

[inmypassatlife]

Did you buy this for yourself as a LEO or you bought it as a civilian to convert? If a civilian, where did you buy it and how much did you pay?

 

[RC45]

Lots of great work.

Maybe you stated it elsewhere, but I'm curious as to why you got a PPV in the first place and are 'civilianizing' it rather than starting with a 'civilian' Tahoe.
??

I messed up the 2nd post - it is complete now. May help explain the method in my madness a bit better

I wanted the space and utility of a GM SUV but not the top heavy tip over non-sporty ride of a GM SUV. I looked into starting with an LT or LTZ and beefing it up, but it was cheaper and simpler to start with a well designed and sorted handling package and add some luxury tweaks.

The PPV is a very well thought out and very well executed package - GM put some careful thought into making it pursuit worthy and thus a proper performance option - obviously not at Porsche Cayenne GTS level, but it is still a thrilling ride that surprises lots of folks.

Did you buy this for yourself as a LEO or you bought it as a civilian to convert? If a civilian, where did you buy it and how much did you pay?

Once I knew I wanted a 2015+ PPV I tried to buy one starting in August of 2014 when they where released.

It proved impossible to do as a civilian - there where a number of fleet sales GM dealers that tried to help, especially since I was not trying to get the discount as much as I just wanted to order the truck.

Price would have been about $38,000 without fleet/service discount but the order was always cancelled (by GM) when I could not produce a department or municipal buyers order, purchase order or a badge number.

I ended up buying a lease turn in from a dealer in New Jersey in August of 2015. It was a very clean low mileage supervisor truck that did not have a light bar or internal mods.

I think we paid $36,500 + $1000 to delivery to Texas.

 

[inmypassatlife]

Sweet deal man, I want one now!

 

[Miami-Dade]

Looks awesome!! Thanks for all those pics!! Awesome work on your 15 PPV!!

Looks like zero clearance on the Corvette..I would destroy the Corvette in minutes on the streets in Miami Beach or worse yet in Queens N.Y. Very nice looking Corvette!