Coyote's Escalade

[Staggered 02]

Hope you get your Hothckis setup soon. I purchase and installed a Hotchkis set up front and back. Very happy with the result. Nice looking Escalade BTW. It's going to run as good as it looks.

Did you fix the lower grill on your Escalade yet. Replacing the upper and lower grills was not fun for me. But glad I got it done as it was part of the color matching plan.

I am home for the holidays before I head back to work. I have plans to work on the Escalade and give it a few touch ups while home. We'll see how it goes.

 

[Tonyrodz]

Hope you get your Hothckis setup soon. I purchase and installed a Hotchkis set up front and back. Very happy with the result. Nice looking Escalade BTW. It's going to run as good as it looks.

Did you fix the lower grill on your Escalade yet. Replacing the upper and lower grills was not fun for me. But glad I got it done as it was part of the color matching plan.

I am home for the holidays before I head back to work. I have plans to work on the Escalade and give it a few touch ups while home. We'll see how it goes.

View attachment 263479 View attachment 263480

You've got wayyyy too many cool rides!

 

[Staggered 02]

^^^^ Ha, No kidding. Thanks. Indeed it is a rather voracious vehicle hobby.

 

[adventurenali92]

It’s amazing how a custom tune can really change the nature of these GM beasts! I had already fallen in love with the 6.0 in my 2006 Denali, and just over two years into ownership I pulled the trigger on a custom tube from blackbear performance. What a world of a difference it made in my truck! Fell in love all over again! I can’t wait to get my hands on a 6.2 and have it tuned to get to experience what you’re experiencing with your caddy 6.2!

 

[sealandsky]

The plug is on the bottom of the airbox, whereas the main opening is in the stock location and considerably larger than stock. I really don't think that 2x4 rectangle will have any noticeable effect on airflow/performance, at least not that the computer/tune can't account for. If I didn't have the option per the mfg to put that plug in I'd probably have sold the whole unit and gone with something else.

I think I previously misunderstood. So you are referring to the smaller opening underneath the main intake opening? My CAI has the same - And it's wide open to take in as much air as possible. I also installed "trunk gasket" material on the side openings of my airbox so that there was no hot under-hood air being sucked in. I also used sticky heat shield and "wrapped" my CAI box to reduce radiant heat.

 

[theycallmecoyote]

That's correct Rich. The AFE comes with a pretty heavy duty rubber stripping that goes around the inlet between the box and the body of the vehicle, seems to do the trick pretty good. Wrapping the box probably not a bad idea!

 

[Staggered 02]

It’s amazing how a custom tune can really change the nature of these GM beasts! I had already fallen in love with the 6.0 in my 2006 Denali, and just over two years into ownership I pulled the trigger on a custom tube from blackbear performance. What a world of a difference it made in my truck! Fell in love all over again! I can’t wait to get my hands on a 6.2 and have it tuned to get to experience what you’re experiencing with your caddy 6.2!

Yes sir. What a difference a tune makes. I had mine tuned just after I installed the CAI, headers and Magnaflow exhaust. So much fun to drive. A close second is the supercharged 02. 6.2 however very, very nice.

 

[sealandsky]

That's correct Rich. The AFE comes with a pretty heavy duty rubber stripping that goes around the inlet between the box and the body of the vehicle, seems to do the trick pretty good. Wrapping the box probably not a bad idea!

I also bought wrap for the intake pipe to the TB and liquid intercooler lines, but have not installed it yet. Will probably wait until spring when things warm up again.

 

[STORMIN08]

typically every vehicle i have owned, i trim as large of an opening as possible in the factory airbox floor/front...never had any ill issues.

most of which, i have driven very few miles before doing...this time, on our 17 5.3, i cut the floor to match the opening in the lower mounting tray. i can tell a very noticeable difference in sound under all throttle loads...as well as a slight hesitation when accelerating at light speeds in 2nd gear, then it downshifts sharply and goes...it acts very different than prior to cutting this opening. i have to keep it this way or replace the box, but a tune will happen prior to any more changes.

 

[theycallmecoyote]

Just got an email from UPS, HOTCHKIS SWAYS ARE ON THE WAY!!! WOOHOO!!!

Should be here next week, then I'll have to find some time to install. Thinking about maybe pulling the top coil isolators off and doing the heater hose mod while I have it jacked up, we'll see. If anybody has tips or tricks to make any of that easier I'm all ears (I.E. do I need new sensor rods if I'm only getting like 1/2"-3/4" drop?)

 

[theycallmecoyote]

Hope you get your Hothckis setup soon. I purchase and installed a Hotchkis set up front and back. Very happy with the result. Nice looking Escalade BTW. It's going to run as good as it looks.

Did you fix the lower grill on your Escalade yet. Replacing the upper and lower grills was not fun for me. But glad I got it done as it was part of the color matching plan.

I am home for the holidays before I head back to work. I have plans to work on the Escalade and give it a few touch ups while home. We'll see how it goes.

Juan, first off I don't know how I missed your post, it's literally the first post on this page. Second, GREAT looking rig, the color match suits very well. Third, regarding the lower grille....sort of! I found that if I jammed something between the back of the grill and the frame of the vehicle it would keep it in place "well enough" for now, so that's exactly what I did. About 1/3 of a Miller Lite cardboard box and it's been that way for about a month. LOL!

Thinking about color match/vinyl blackout all the chrome and everything, so if I go that route, I'll fix it for real. I have a new grille sitting in the garage, just don't really have the motivation to pull the whole bumper off for something that's just fine the way it is.

 

[Staggered 02]

Hi Kyle,

No worries. It's happened to me as well. Thanks for the response and comment. Glad you were able to do a temp fix on that lower grill. I do not blame you. Taking the whole front bumper off in order to get to the grills is not something that I want to do again. Especially because some of those clips are known to break which makes things all the more challenging.

My buddy and I did touch up all of the chips ~ 2 weeks ago. We sanded all of the chip locations prepped, sanded, prepped, then painted the sections followed by the clear coat. It came out great.

1st pic is before. Notice the chips. Next 2 pics are the after. The radiator shroud was done prior. We just barely got around to switching them out.

Have fun with your ride and the mods.

 

[theycallmecoyote]

Looking SHARP Juan!

P.S. I just did the flapper bolt mod like 10 minutes ago, 10/10 would recommend if you have AFM disabled! Has a nice, noticeable growl at idle and when on the throttle that was definitely not there before. If you don't believe me, put on some gloves, go start your rig, crawl under there and manually open the butterfly (it's right past the muffler on the interior side of the exhaust. Trust me, it'll make you wanna spend the $1.00 on a bolt and some washers! I was considering an exhaust upgrade, but now I don't think I even need to.

I'm sure anyone following along at this point can kinda tell, I'm an OEM+ guy. I like my vehicles to look, sound, and perform how they SHOULD have come from the factory, which means I tend towards fairly subtle upgrades. I think I'm getting there!

 

[theycallmecoyote]

Question for you guys: Is an air oil separator necessary or helpful on this generation of 6.2? I've seen where the previous-gen guys (5.3 and 6.2) have had some pretty good results, but also found a thread claiming that GM had attempted to address the issues surrounding oil/carbon buildup in the intake tract starting in the '15 model years. I was looking at the Moroso website, and they don't list one for the '15-'20's. Guess that leads me to believe it may be less of an issue, but wondering if anyone has any real world experience. Should I grab a universal AOS and try it out or y'all think it would be a waste of money?

 

[theycallmecoyote]

Finally got the Hotchkiss sways on, pretty impressed so far. Definitely feels more planted/stable in high-ish speed corners, certainly instills a little more confidence. I'm happy!

 

[theycallmecoyote]

Got my Moroso air/oil separator on this afternoon. They don't make a direct fit for 15-20 GM SUV's so I went with the large polished universal one (link below) and mounted it to one of the unused holes above the radiator shroud, can share pics if anybody wants. This is definitely a little more expensive than some of the other options, but it comes with a nifty little drain valve at the bottom, it comes baffled, and Moroso have an excellent reputation in the racing and performance communities.

Haven't driven enough to see what kind of volume it collects, but I figure a couple tanks of gas and check back later. If nothing else, 200 bucks worth of peace of mind! Any thoughts on whether I should do an intake/injector cleaning as well? I'm at 37k miles currently, and seems to be running tip top. Maybe I just give her the old Italian Tune Up

https://www.moroso.com/catalog/prod...-universal-kit-large-body85474/category/2849/

 

[sealandsky]

Question for you guys: Is an air oil separator necessary or helpful on this generation of 6.2? I've seen where the previous-gen guys (5.3 and 6.2) have had some pretty good results, but also found a thread claiming that GM had attempted to address the issues surrounding oil/carbon buildup in the intake tract starting in the '15 model years. I was looking at the Moroso website, and they don't list one for the '15-'20's. Guess that leads me to believe it may be less of an issue, but wondering if anyone has any real world experience. Should I grab a universal AOS and try it out or y'all think it would be a waste of money?

My 6.2 is supercharged, so maybe different (or maybe not). I'm cleaning the gunk out of my throttle body every 5,000 miles and also running CRC intake / valve cleaner to clean the deposits on the valves (which I assume are there based on the gunk on the throttle body). I do notice a driveability and power difference after cleaning. Just did it again yesterday! I'm planning on doing the separator, just been too busy with other stuff to pull the trigger.

 

[theycallmecoyote]

Thanks for the insight Rich. I've definitely seen a mixed bag of opinions on whether the AOS is necessary or not, but after reading how much a number of users are seeing in the throttle bodies and catch cans, I figured better safe than sorry. I also assume that the catch can would reduce the amount and frequency of throttle body/intake cleaning I'll need to do in the future, so there are some added cost/labor benefits down the road.

 

[theycallmecoyote]

MaxTrac 2" rear lowering kit ordered (thanks for the info @16SLE91 ) and should be here by Saturday (quick service!)

Also, I did a little more research on the Moroso AOS and it does not matter which way you plumb it, either way can be in or out. Already drained about half a tablespoon after probably ~1000 miles.

 

[theycallmecoyote]

MaxTrac installed, pics to follow.

Install was super, super easy. Passenger side took me about an hour, as I trialed and errored my way through it. Driver side took about 20 minutes.

A couple install notes: It helps if you have either two jacks or a jack and a set of jack stands. I used my floor jack to raise and support the vehicle, and then I used the roadside bottle jack to manipulate the axle up and down as necessary to remove the springs, loosen shock bolts, etc (FYI in case anyone like me didn't know, there are circular grooves in the axle plate right below the springs where the bottle jack fits into). You will need to pop out the two clips holding in the ABS sensors on both sides so the wires don't get destroyed when you drop the axle. I also found it very helpful to take the sway bar off of the end links so it could be swung out of the way.

So onto first impressions: It's like driving a whole different car. All around much firmer and tighter, but not rough or jarring at all like I was worried it might be.

Body roll is all but gone, feels so much more firm and planted through corners and sweeping turns. I can actually feel that the rebound is much quicker over rough streets/potholes, no more bouncing around. It also feels like steering is more confident, like understeer has been eliminated, like I can just point it and it goes, a much more effortless driving experience.

With the Diablew tune and "firm shifting," there is a slight hesitation between shifts that was just enough previously to allow the rear to rebound, and then when the gear caught and power came back on it would throw the rear back down, a very whiplash-y and unpleasant driving experience for both driver and passenger. Felt super jerky all the time and I had to be very careful about throttle input with passengers in the car. That is completely gone, and power delivery feels much smoother.

I was worried initially about the Magride sensor rods, as I've read numerous places about them being a hassle to adjust correctly for certain drops. For the 2" drop, you just pop the old rods off, take off the ends, and screw the old ends onto the new rods until they bottom out, and reinstall. They're the perfect length right out of the box for this kit, no adjustment necessary, and the ride is (approximately) 1,000,000 times better than stock

All in all, I am a very happy customer, 10/10 would recommend.