andy_george

Welcome!

I like to think of it this way..... My Dad has been an owner-operater grain truck driver his whole career. Loaded he can legally scale 162,000 pounds. His 2014 Western Star makes 1850ft.lbs of torque. Even the most powerful class 8 trucks today top out around 2000ft.lbs. Now I'll admit they have much different gearing, make max torque at lower rpms, etc, but let's just compare max torque numbers..... Is it really necessary that pickups that I'd guess 90% of the owners never pull anything over 10,000lbs. have 1/2 the torque of Dads semi? That's 1/2 the torque to do 1/16th the work! Now I'm not saying it's bad. We own a new diesel pickup, and it's awesome! But to say that much power is "necessary" is absurd. It's like saying every car should have the power of the Corvette ZL1, and laughing at someone who makes a car with the output of the Camaro SS. It may be less,but it's still plenty, and it's actually more usable to its full potential in 90% of the cases. That's where the 5.0 Cummins falls in my mind.

I'd say the 5.0 Cummins is pretty respectable, as far as power and torque. It's not setting any benchmarks, but it's also got higher output than the previously mentioned 7.3 Powerstroke ever had from the factory. Pickups today are just in a "big d*ck" competition, grossly overpowered for their chassis. When pickups have more power and torque than the medium duty Freightliners, Internationals, etc, there is a serious imbalance. And it's almost to the point they claim higher tow ratings than "real" trucks.... That doesn't mean they are better or safer doing it......

Welcome! You're joining a great site with lots of useful info, and it's quiet enough that you don't need an entire evening to catch up on the new posts every day!

Insane. I had never heard of the fluid flush issue..... What's next?! I was planning to flush the fluid on the NV this winter, hopefully that's possible! Just like you say, what used to be the easiest, most common job for the backyard mechanic is now nearly impossible. We bought a cheap tire changer and balancer about 10 years ago. We'd change tires for our family, friends, neighbors, etc. It made for good times! But now with the tires getting more and more low-profile, stiff sidewalks, and tire pressure sensors, when anyone asks we just say take it to a shop. Nothing ruins a nice guy-session with a few cold beers like cussing out a stubborn sidewall and seeing an $80 sensor hit the floor!

Mine seems to allow wheel spin with the traction control off. I'm not sure, like you said, if it's truly unlimited wheel spin though. And usually when I'm spinning it's because the ground is white and Dad's showing his girls what a donut feels like.... So the stability control kicks in and shuts down all the fun. I miss the old days, and I'm only 35:(. It's no wonder most people can't drive these days :(

Dang they look mean and awesome. And if they have prevented snow so far, they are working perfect!;) I'm a certified snow-tire snob, but just a word of caution; tires like that are great for shoveling snow, but with so few "sipes" they are not good on ice, at all. But I'd gladly buy a set if they kept Michigan snow free!

Nice!!

I agree with aabel. It's very common for "commercial" vehicles to have slightly de-rated motors, just for the sake of the extra abuse and to extend longevity.

Nice tow report, thanks! Glad things went well for you. We've always had that general rule of thumb about towing.... Anything light-duty (all pickups and vans, gas or diesel) the mileage is cut in half, or a bit better if lucky, when towing. Doesn't seem to matter how big the box is or what it weighs. Now our medium duty stuff ( Frightliner, International) is different.... Loaded or unloaded, towing or not towing, the mileage always sucks and doesn't change much!:)

Tough call. I faced the same dilemma in '14 trying to find a used NV. There just weren't any nice passenger models on the used market. I'm guessing the market isn't much larger now than it was then. If you aren't in a big hurry spend a month looking at all the auto sales sites, Craigslist, etc. If you don't find anything that fits your criteria for enough savings over new, just bite the bullet and order a new one. Rates are low.... Get the shortest term you can afford and rest assured you made the best choice possible. And if the worst-case scenario happens and you need to sell it for cash, it's is comforting to know that the NVs retain their value extremely well because of their durability and rarity. Let us know where you head with your decision! -Andy

I don't know what I'd do without you, chphilo, I really don't ;) Thank you!

I've polished nearly every make of car known.... Tons of Fords, GM, Hondas, Nissan. The tiny rust specs appear on everything I've ever seen. It has nothing to do with the steel, but it's just tiny metallic specs that land on the clear coat and oxidize, in my opinion. The rear of vehicles seems to be the most prevalent, behind the rear wheels and above the rear bumper where the air turbulence kicks lots of garbage up. That's what I've seen to be true in Michigan at least. They can usually be removed with a fingernail, clay bar, Polish, etc, but always return. Frequent washing and polishing makes hem disappear much easier :)

Seems like a lot of people here are moving from minivans to NVs. What a huge step up in space and capability!! Welcome!

Wow, let us know what the dealer says. Mine doesn't look anything like that.... No noticeable wear other than what I'd expect.

Same here....34,000 miles on a passenger van, some towing an RV and cargo trailer, but mostly family and leisure use. No issues other than a strange electrical issue caused by me putting LED bulbs in the brake lights. Once I switched back to the oem bulbs the issue was gone. Nothing about the van or drivetrain makes me uneasy or question its reliability. The NV is about as simple and robust as you'll find. Not to say that no one has any issues, but they appear to be few and far between. Leaps and bounds better than the Savana we replaced....

Welcome, and congrats!

Man, there's getting to be a lot of vans on this forum that make me really, really jealous. Nice setup there!

Awesome. Post pics if you get a chance. I love driving something that gets people's attention, even in basically stock form. Trying to stand out in a sea of modded Jeeps or a lifted F-150 is nearly impossible.... They are just all a dime-a-dozen. The NV is unique!

Lol, I've tried everything I can think of to get the photos I post to be right-side-up, and I've simply thrown in the towel. I'll stick with the anti-gravity story!;)

Just finished the fall polish and carnuba wax job. Other than the winter wheels going on and an oil change, she's Ready for the winter. Wish we could skip that season:(

That's wierd....my '14 passenger has a big chunk of adhesive non-slip material there. Hmmmmm....

And nice application of tire shine also ;)

Heck yeah, nice upgrade!

Oh man, I'd be in the same boat as you.... I'd *love* a huge lightbar mounted up high on a rack.... You'd have insane visibility! But the vulnerability does stink.... I like doing little projects like this, but I don't like fixing stuff if it gets damaged!