A Tribute To A Chevy Xtreme

Interior Noise Troubleshooting for S-Series Trucks:

Complaint: Too much wind noise getting through to cabin at highway speeds; too many audible interior creaks and rattles when going over bumps.

Problem: Interior fit and finish operating as intended within the vehicle's price-point because it's a truck. Your stereo system is not playing loud enough to compensate.

Solution: Make sure the stereo is powered on and tuned into a radio station or playing a CD. Then turn the volume knob clockwise until wind noise and rattles are no longer audible in the cabin. Be sure to keep the stereo turned up to this volume to prevent condition from happening again.

(Back home)

Vortec 4300 V6
Power: 180 hp @ 4,400 rpm
Torque: 240 ft*lbs @ 2,800 rpm
Rear-end: posi-traction locking differential
4L60-E Hydra-Matic 4-speed automatic

Acceleration -
Quarter-mile: 16 seconds @ 82 mph
0-to-60: 8.7 seconds

ZQ8 Sport Suspension
Approximately 2 inches lower than standard S-10
Independent front suspension, solid rear live-axle
Front coil springs, rear leaf springs
Front and rear 46mm Bilstein gas-charged shocks
Front 33mm sway bar, rear 23mm sway bar
Power Steering - 12:1 fast ratio

Handling -
200ft skid pad: .82 g’s (2000 Mustang GT - 0.84 g's)
600-ft slalom: 69.0 mph (2000 Mustang GT - 65.0 mph)

What Does This Mean?

The Chevy Xtreme was fun to drive, that's what it means!

Although the basic drivetrain was "stock" S-10 and 180 HP is pretty anemic by today's standards for a 4.3 liter engine, the Xtreme was very agile and still very capable on the highway. The Vortec 4300 didn't provide amazing horsepower, but instead provided good torque throughout the powerband.
It still delivered that "Chevy thunder."

The sport suspension meant the truck could corner and grip the road. It's turning radius sucked - so it was like a lame cow in a parking lot - but if I was going highway speed I could do amazing things. Sometimes these amazing things were very stupid, but they were still amazing!

Some of the best things about the truck were some of those "very special GM" things, including:

Multi-function stalk
Controls the cruise, wipers, turn signals, and hi-beams...on one left-hand stick.
Automatic headlights
Never needed to worry about turning the headlights on or off, now that's progress!
3 Accessory power-outlets
Never had to use all of these at once, but I definitely used 2 at a time!
Retained accessory-power
Radio can still be on w/ no key in ignition, etc, but battery has rundown protection, too.
Corporate radio
Easy to use, sounds good, has enough power.
GM Instrumentation
Some have called it plasticy, I call it utilitarian and high-tech looking. Other cars I've been in feel like washing machines or alarm clocks or something.
GM Trucks classic 20 year-old dome light design
Used from at least 1980 to 2004 - without change. It was like reaching back into time when turning the light on.