The 2000 Tahoe you see here certainly fires the imagination as it burns down the road. With its bright-red paintjob, pearl ghost flames, and window tint flames, this Chevy definitely ignites the senses.
The creator and curator of this high-temperature ride is Mike Covin, owner of Mike's Tint Shop in Anaheim, California. Mike is no newcomer to building up custom trucks; he has been doing so for the last decade. His many customized SUVs and pickups have adorned numerous automotive magazine covers and graced their interior pages, including a number of our sister McMullen Argus publications -- Truckin', Mini Truckin', and OFF-ROAD.
His latest ride is the Tahoe you're gazing at now. Although the paintjob and flames grab your immediate attention, there's a lot more to this truck than those few hot mods. A few of the additional standout upgrades include a supercharger kit, stylish wheels, an aggressive high-rise hood, a plethora of audio and video components, some wild interior trim pieces, and much more.
The real attention-getters, however, are the exterior modifications. Although the red paint is a stock color, it was re-sprayed and re-cleared by Absolute Custom Paint, in Anaheim, California, which also expertly applied the custom pearl ghost flames on the sides of the Tahoe. The flaming window tinting on the windshield and the front side windows were performed by Mike's own shop in Anaheim. Additional exterior mods are more subtle, but still get plenty of attention. The rolling stock is impressive and is made up of stylish and aggressive 20-inch six-spoke Foose wheels wrapped by 305/50R20 Nitto Extreme Force rubber. The high-rise hood also gets its share of stares. Up front, a three-tiered billet grille from Stull Industries lends some additional style, as does a set of aftermarket lights and clear lenses from APC. The unique rear lights and clear lenses are also from APC and further spruce up the Tahoe's back end.
If you own a red-hot sport utility, such as this Tahoe, you better have some hot performance to go along with its flamin' theme, and this Chevy doesn't let you down. In stock format, this Chevy Tahoe is no slouch. Outfitted with GM's 5700 Vortec powerplant, this V-8 engine produces 255 horsepower and 330 lb-ft of torque. However, pop open that bright-red hood and you're greeted with a dramatic boost in horsepower -- namely a Whipple twin-screw supercharger that adds more than 100 hp to the mix. For more information on the supercharger and the installation of this power booster by RW Automotive, see the sidebar. Adding a few additional ponies to the mix, and serving to eliminate exhaust gases in a more efficient manner, is an after-cat exhaust system from Magnaflow. This exhaust system culminates in a stylish, polished stainless exhaust tip that exits in back of the passenger-side rear tire.
The interior of the Tahoe may not be as red-hot as its exterior, but it's still sizzling with eye-catching trim upgrades and an entertaining mix of audio and video components. In keeping with the flamed theme of the Chevy, there is a white-gauge panel from New Image that incorporates orange-red flames as part of its design. A number of Trenz billet pieces provide some additional flash and style in the form of a pedal kit and a column shifter.
The real stars of the interior show, however, are the ear-and-eye pleasing array of audio/video components. Open the rear hatch, and a trio of Kicker Solo-Baric subwoofers immediately grab your attention. Moving to the front of the vehicle, there's a Kenwood in-dash DVD/CD head unit that incorporates a video monitor as part of its design. There's also a video monitor mounted into the back of each front-seat headrest for the viewing pleasure of back-seat passengers. For further entertainment, there's also a Sega game system mounted under the rear seat. Rounding out the mobile electronic festivities are a variety of Kicker component and separate speakers that offer a definite increase in quality sound. The entire mobile electronics setup was installed by Kicker and Audio Concepts, both in Anaheim.
Flatimin' paint and graphics, red-hot performance, a sizzlin' audio and video system, additional burnin' mods and upgrades -- is there any doubt that this Tahoe is on fire? If you're ever in the area of Mike's Tint Shop in Anaheim, stop by and take a look; the truck's usually sitting right outside -- but be sure to bring along your darkest pair of shades.