Can this be possible? Lemme tell you the facts, then you guys decide what/if I did something wrong here:

Driving back home on CA-99 from Yosemite the other day, cruising between 80-83 mph. See this Yukon XL Denali slowly (but not too slowly) closing in on me, so I decide to increase my speed a bit (no WOT). Yukon gets to the point that he is now maintaining same distance from me (we're both now going about 86). Apparently he thinks I'm too slow for him or he wants to see what I got; in any case, I decide I'm not moving over for no Yukon so I drop my speed just enough so that I can drop into third.

So, I'm in third and am now going WOT; I initially increased distance for maybe less than 1/8 mile (delay between me downshifting and him deciding to match). Next thing you know he is somehow keeping up with me, although I was able to stay ahead and perhaps open up a few more feet of distance between us every quarter-mile or so. I know about our 4th gears but I had to upshift since I hit the limiter (I think this is where I lost whatever advantage I had built up to that point because I was too busy looking at my 6 to see how behind he was). Once in 4th I was going 110 and he was still keeping up, although never able to close distance on me.

Anyways, can a TL-S leave a Yukon XL in the dust from a rolling 80 mph start in 3rd gear, or will it just pull away from the Yukon gradually? I will say this--my car has no performance mods, plus I had three other passengers, stuff in the trunk, A/C on.

Also on the same drive back, I was sorta kinda playing tag with a TL (I think 2001)--I'd be in front, then I'd move over and he'd be in front. We did this until we got to south Sacto; at that point I was in front but decided to move over, because I could see just getting on the on-ramp to 99 a CHP motorbike and a Sac sheriff vehicle. Poor guy in the TL apparently didn't see them and just zoomed by me, oblivious to all. Never saw them until right when both cops got onto the freeway--the guy braked so hard that even if you couldn't see his brake lights you could tell he had slowed down somewhat abruptly. Of course the CHP guy noticed it and next thing you know he's right on the TL's tail. Followed him for maybe about a mile, then decided to go find some other fish to fry. Man, I betcha the guy was probably sh!tting bricks the whole time. I eventually pull aside him to give him a "whew that was close look" but the guy gives me a look that I think translated into "Why the heck didn't you warn me?" I mean WTF--I don't know you from Adam and even still, it's not my responsibility to BOL for cops for you. And people wonder how cops seemingly come out of nowhere to pull you over...

Anyways, sorry for the really long post--just that I had a pretty fun Sunday driving on the two-lane mountain roads between Tahoe and Yosemite. Nothing like getting a small adrenaline rush passing cars on the other side of the road (remember, two-lane road). And no, I wasn't being reckless--every pass I did was legal, e.g., no double-yellow passing, and with room to spare. What was really funny to me was that I even passed cars which had done the same thing earlier to other slower cars! Okay, I admit I was passing other cars even though they were doing the posted speed limit or perhaps a bit over. But still, there's nothing like dropping into third (and even sometimes second) and zooming by these cars like they were standing still.

Tony

 

i always turn AC off b4 i hit above 4000rpm...

the yukon Denail XL has the same engine that the escalade does

325 hp...enough to keep up with u maybe

he would eat dust if u turned AC off....

 

Heh, heh, heh... good post. But when I read the part about the cops entering the freeway I thought, "Tdoh should'a warned the guy!" :p Eh, maybe that's just me.

Anyway, glad you had fun carving up a few mountains (just stay away from the cliffs!)

Later,

V.

 

just tap your brake lights 1 or 2 times without actually braking when you see a cop to warn fellow racers... Or if you don't like the person your racing just let them get pulled over

 

fear the northstar v8 :P

 

Well, we weren't really racing--for starters, the other driver (who had a nice-looking lady in the passenger seat) was some middle-aged guy; and second, we were just playing tag, I think just so we wouldn't get bored (CA 99 in the Central Valley is almost as boring a drive as I-5), plus I think the way the lady was looking at my car and the way I would pull hard on him, she was probably telling him why he didn't get a Type-S!

Anyways, I was contemplating about warning the guy about the cop but he passed me rather quickly before I made up my mind...

vperkins--I was squealing them good-for-nothing Michelins on some of those tight turns, but not too much squealing because my wife doesn't really like it when I push the TL-S hard. Especially when I take the cloverleaf from I-80 east to CA-65 north in Roseville, which you probably know; the turn is a slight decreasing radius posted at 25 mph. I take it at 60+ (could go a bit faster but somehow I never find an opportunity where I'm the only person in the car and the only car there when I hit that exit) with an exit speed of about 80, and the wife hangs on to the "oh-sh!t" handle and yells at me afterwards. One day I hope I get the perfect opportunity (no cars in the turn) so I can apex the cloverleaf correctly and thus take it at a even higher speed.

AK_MOBBER/samkws--I forgot the possibility that the Yukon might have had the Escalade 300+ hp engine instead of the 5.2. Oh well--too bad I didn't have more open space in front of me cuz not even a Yukon with the Escalade engine can keep up at 140+ mph without some mods...

Tony

 

 

The Northstar V8 comes only in Sevilles, Devilles, and Eldorados. Not the Escalade.

BTW-Props to tdoh for making this thread, it's nice to come in contact with reality here.

 

the trucks are not using Northstar engines...too expensive and they are DOHC design...

they are all using the VORTEC engine...but the XL's 6 liter engine is borrowed from Corvette's 5.7 LS1 engine...yea..the small block V8...

although it's an OHV design...but it's superb...high end, low end...they do the job...more powerful than the Triton V8...and the Intech 32v V8 too