You know something is wrong when......................

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Fire Cakes
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You know something is wrong when......................

Post by Fire Cakes »

Dean unmodifies a vehicle. He took the custom dual exhaust off his truck and put a stock one back on AND he also took the 33's off and put on smaller than stock tires.

I guess the gas prices are hurting lots of folks. The main reason Dean went to the smaller tires is for better towing mileage when pulling the camper. Also the dual exhaust was loud and it echoed off the front of the camper when towing at highway speeds.

All I can say is the truck looks wimpy with those small tires on it. The wheel wells are not filled up at all. However we do seem to be getting a bit better mileage with them on. The true test will be when we camp this week.

I will get pics up once we return from camping.
Gearing up for another great camping season :) Camper is re packed and ready to roll.

The 2012 camping season has begun!!!!!!!!
Camping Trip Count for 2011 - 2
Camping Nights Count for 2011 - 4
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kings-x59
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Re: You know something is wrong when......................

Post by kings-x59 »

man is sucks to get old. I'm in the same damn boat, the flowmaster is going soon and I'm going to drop an inch off the tire diameter.
'89 Astro, 4.3L, TBI. Minor intake and exhaust mods. Rebuilt 700R4 trans (by me). Corvette servo, 0.5" boost valve, police grade 1-2 accumulator spring (shifts fast and solid). B&M stacked plate trans cooler. Bilstein shocks. Belltech sway bars front and back. New head unit, speakers and subwoofer. Needs paint and a new headliner.

name's Steve
I can't remember all I've forgotten about that....

LiftedAWDAstro
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Re: You know something is wrong when......................

Post by LiftedAWDAstro »

kings-x59 wrote:man is sucks to get old.
Well...I am not "old" yet! Hell at only 37 some may say I am just a young pup. (pssst...Lynne is OLDER than me :muhaha: )

Yup I am officially turning into a wimp. Seems like getting 8.5 mpg towing with the 33's wasn't worth it so I slapped on some 245/70/17's and now get around 10. Not bad for running 75 mph and being loaded down with wood and gear for 4 or 5 days worth of camping! :muhaha:
Current rides:
2013 Toyota Tundra DC 4x4
2008 Dodge Nitro 4x4
2005 Nissan Sentra 1.8S Special Edition

Mileage spreadsheet

Vans owned:
1986 Safari 2.5L 4 speed manual - scrapped
1995 Astro 2WD conversion 4.11 posi, shift kit, DHC rock rails - sold to Skippy
1998 Astro 4x4 D44, D60, NP231, full hydraulic system with 9k# Milemarker winch and snow plow - sold to Lockdoc
2003 Astro AWD all stock - traded for a 3/4 ton truck
2005 AWD, 4.10's - sold to skippy
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peter
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Re: You know something is wrong when......................

Post by peter »

Gotta do whatcha gotta do, Deano. I'm impressed that the tires would help out as much as they did. Did you compensate for tire height when doing your mpg calculations? In any case, reducing your gearing has to help while pulling the camper, so in the end all is well. :supz:
"Just keep swimming..."
97' 4wd Safari
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Topic author
Fire Cakes
I sleep in my van
I sleep in my van
Posts: 306
Joined: Sat Sep 09, 2006 3:16 pm
Location: New Haven, NY

Re: You know something is wrong when......................

Post by Fire Cakes »

Yup, Dean knocked off about .5 MPG to compensate for the tire height.
Gearing up for another great camping season :) Camper is re packed and ready to roll.

The 2012 camping season has begun!!!!!!!!
Camping Trip Count for 2011 - 2
Camping Nights Count for 2011 - 4

LiftedAWDAstro
I have my van tatooed on my cheeks
I have my van tatooed on my cheeks
Posts: 4379
Joined: Sat Sep 09, 2006 3:35 pm
Location: New Haven, NY

Re: You know something is wrong when......................

Post by LiftedAWDAstro »

Lynne is correct, I did the calculations with correction for tire diameter. It doesn't seem like much of a difference, but on a normal 400 mile round trip camping trip, it is around a $28 savings. Do that 5-8 times a summer and it adds up.
Current rides:
2013 Toyota Tundra DC 4x4
2008 Dodge Nitro 4x4
2005 Nissan Sentra 1.8S Special Edition

Mileage spreadsheet

Vans owned:
1986 Safari 2.5L 4 speed manual - scrapped
1995 Astro 2WD conversion 4.11 posi, shift kit, DHC rock rails - sold to Skippy
1998 Astro 4x4 D44, D60, NP231, full hydraulic system with 9k# Milemarker winch and snow plow - sold to Lockdoc
2003 Astro AWD all stock - traded for a 3/4 ton truck
2005 AWD, 4.10's - sold to skippy

LiftedAWDAstro
I have my van tatooed on my cheeks
I have my van tatooed on my cheeks
Posts: 4379
Joined: Sat Sep 09, 2006 3:35 pm
Location: New Haven, NY

Re: You know something is wrong when......................

Post by LiftedAWDAstro »

Here are few pics...

Image

Image
Current rides:
2013 Toyota Tundra DC 4x4
2008 Dodge Nitro 4x4
2005 Nissan Sentra 1.8S Special Edition

Mileage spreadsheet

Vans owned:
1986 Safari 2.5L 4 speed manual - scrapped
1995 Astro 2WD conversion 4.11 posi, shift kit, DHC rock rails - sold to Skippy
1998 Astro 4x4 D44, D60, NP231, full hydraulic system with 9k# Milemarker winch and snow plow - sold to Lockdoc
2003 Astro AWD all stock - traded for a 3/4 ton truck
2005 AWD, 4.10's - sold to skippy

6spd_monte
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Re: You know something is wrong when......................

Post by 6spd_monte »

Hey that's a pretty neat mount for your bikes!
I wish I could go and ride my bike, but the doctor says not yet. Actually I think his exact words were "Absolutely not!".

:cry:
-James

1987 LT
249,000 miles

LiftedAWDAstro
I have my van tatooed on my cheeks
I have my van tatooed on my cheeks
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Joined: Sat Sep 09, 2006 3:35 pm
Location: New Haven, NY

Re: You know something is wrong when......................

Post by LiftedAWDAstro »

Well after traveling around 320 miles this week, I have come to the conclusion that this mount will not work! ](*,)

I am having a hard time getting over 8.2 mpg and the truck is running probably 20 degrees warmer. ](*,) We filled up around 100 miles ago and moved the bikes to the bed of the truck hoping to get more mileage. It was slightly better but not much. I still ran most of the way with the OD's off. So much for an easy way to carry the bikes. I will test the mileage again the weekend of September 12th on our next camping trip.
Current rides:
2013 Toyota Tundra DC 4x4
2008 Dodge Nitro 4x4
2005 Nissan Sentra 1.8S Special Edition

Mileage spreadsheet

Vans owned:
1986 Safari 2.5L 4 speed manual - scrapped
1995 Astro 2WD conversion 4.11 posi, shift kit, DHC rock rails - sold to Skippy
1998 Astro 4x4 D44, D60, NP231, full hydraulic system with 9k# Milemarker winch and snow plow - sold to Lockdoc
2003 Astro AWD all stock - traded for a 3/4 ton truck
2005 AWD, 4.10's - sold to skippy
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