Project Chevy Tahoe: 1998 Chevy Tahoe gets new SUV Bedrug

May. 01, 2001 By Pattie Waters

Protect It! Most owners of SUV's face the choice of "How do I protect it BEFORE I ruin it?" or even worse, "Now how do I cover up THAT mess?!" Since we are still luckily in the early stages of Project Kickin' Its useful life, we thought it best to protect our investment starting in the back, where the most damage can be done. Daily driving includes hauling bags of soil mix, stacks of stone tile, and spilled groceries, not to mention the occasional passenger dog with long toenails. We needed to cover it up now, or regret it later. We turned to Wise Industries in Tennessee for a quick and easy solution, not to mention inexpensive (my personal favorite kind of solution!). Their product line includes a new cargo mat designed for the Tahoe/Yukon, 1995 & newer. Tailored to fit the rear cargo area, including up the back of the split rear seats, this carpet also features a molded edge that promises to hold the messy spills. It's waterproof as well, backed with rubber so messy stuff not leak through and ruin the factory carpet. Manufacturer info shows a user happily powerwashing it off, though I think we'll skip that test until really needed. Installation is simple - Fold down the rear seat, l ay out the cargo liner, remove the backing on the velcro strips, press it against the carpet along the center and front edge.

You will need to trim edges slightly if you have factory rear air to expose the lower rear vents. The carpet is molded to allow for this.

We did note a couple places where it doesn't fit exactly perfect (the inside edge of the split rear seats is straight across instead of rounded down as the seats are, and the back edge overlaps the molding), but it's not enough to keep the cargo mat from fitting securely.

It also covers up the hooks used for securing cargo, but we haven't used those yet, so figure we won't miss them. If you do use them, you will may want to either cut slots in the cargo mat (remember this will allow spills to leak onto your original carpet!), or remove it when you are using the cargo area with tie-downs. For under $200, it will perhaps save you a thousand or so at re-sale time.