Last night my wife and I had both the Escalade EXT and the H2 out on the highway. She pulled up next to me, waved and punched it. I nailed the H2 and could not even keep up. All we have done to the Ext is add Corsa exhaust. I have always felt the Ext was quick but dang, that was embarassing. As part of the purchase, we have a "we owe" for Corsa and it should be on the H2 in about a week. But I dont think that will be enough. This seems like a "dog" when you take off and I know a lot is because of the rear end. But what can I add within reason, money wise to pep this girl up and get her running with the big boys so I can smoke my wife or atleast stay neck and neck. I dont want to have to bring out my Olds 442 to beat her on the street Rather smoke her in a Hummer

 

i haven't done a spec comparison, but i would imagine that the caddy is a good bit kighter than the h2. does the caddy have full time 4wd? are the rearends geared the same? same size tires? all these things will have a serious impact. if you bought the h2 expecting on-road performance, you're already disappointed. if you just want a vehicle to dress up for driving around town, both have the accessories required. an exhaust won't make much difference. i addede a magnaflow, but only to reduce the restrictions from the stock muffler. some feel a cold air intake will help, but i have my doubts. a hypertech programmer adds a bit more punch at the 93 octane setting, but it didn't turn the bus into a porsche.

however, if you want to do a more fun comparison, have the wife follow you down a boulder strewn trail, or through a mud pit. see which one excels in those conditions . . . . .

 

I think you are correct. The EXT would appear to weight less. Most likely a lot less. I dont think it has the 4.10 rear in it either. it does have AWD, not sure if thats the same as full time 4WD though. Tires are a lot different but the speed seems the same if I have the 22's on or the factory 17's. I did not buy it expecting a drag racer as I had driven an 03 before we bought the EXT and knew there was a considerable difference in performance. Like when we had an 03 Avalanche and traded it for the 03 Ext, HUGE jump in power!

I am sure the H2 will have to pull the Ext out of the mud pit but these are both pavement queens for me

Just looking for other options to "pep" it up a tad. Maybe it wont ever get to the Ext's quickness, but just figured I would ask.

 

you mentioned speed with the 22's or stock 17's, but that's rim size. it's the tires themselves that make a difference. 22's with rubberband tires that are the same diameter as a tire on the stock rim would make no difference, other than an infinitesimal differnce because of tread configuration. i lost some pep when i went from the stock 35" tires to 37", but made up for it with the hypertech programmer.

you may want to invest in a programmer, most of the sponsors here carry them. Stallion customs gave me a good deal on mine, and i had it in short order. other than that, there's little you can do, short of installing a supercharger or re-gearing the rearend, that will make a significant difference. and, if you get the programmer and re-gear the rearend, you can adjust for it with the programmer.

i hear that chrome accents create less drag than the black bits, smoother i think . . . . .[:'(]

 

I honestly dont know w/o looking at the wheels/tires what the size is but the 22's are as fat as they can be w/o rubbing as WAY wider than the rubberband ones that came with the stock wheels.

I did check into a supercharger and I was seeing Lingerfelter was around $5k+. So thats gonna have to wait till around Christmas as there is no way right now my wife is going to let that fly after just buying the H2 this week then the wheels

 

the only problem with a supercharger is that there are dealers that may not honor your warranty, and try to blame it on the SC install. and you have to use high octane, which is $.20 per gal. more than regular, in case cost is an issue at all. i've never changed the thermostat, but with all the crap in the way, that doesn't look like an easy job either, but you'd want a lower temp thermostat to keep the engine cooler. which leads to another problem, the cooling system on these things leaves a bit to be desired. on a typical summer day here, mid-90's to low triple digit outside temps, the coolant temp goes above the 205 degree norm when cruising 75 on the highway. with an SC, you want your engine to be as cool as possible to help reduce any pre-ignition (pinging).

lots of pros and cons to adding a supercharger, and i found the cons outweighed the pros. i pulled a 26' camper to vegas, then to Moab, and back to central CA without any major issues. it wasn't fast uphills, and tended to get warm (having the heater on in the desert, 98 degrees at 10PM, sucks ! !), but came out just fine. i'm stock except for the muffler and programming.

it will probably be easier on your psyche if you just expect it to be what it is now. then you'll be pleasantly surprised at the minimal improvements you get, instead of disappointed in them.

 

Different vehicle. You shouldn't compare it like that. But if you want to redeem your rig, challenge your wife with alittle off roading.

 

Tiger, I bought my wife an Escalade, and she too blows past me on the highway[:@]
You have to realize that the Escalade and the H2 have the SAME 6.0L Engine, and like what was stated earlier, the Escalades are ALOT lighter than our rig I always catch and pass her though as ShE dOeSn'T lIkE tO sPeEd!! SEE YA SUCKA[sm=gears.gif]

 

The Escalade hasthe 6.2 liter motor and 403 hp. So 78hp and about 1000 lbs lightermeans no contest for a H2.
Supercharge the H2 and it's a different story.
-Joe