Looking at NV 3500 SL Passenger

[Decades]

Hi all,

     I'm looking at getting a NV 3500 SL Passenger, just found this forum tonight and signed up.  I've taken a V6 for a test drive, it was actually almost exactly as I expected after watching pretty much all of the YouTube videos featuring the NV.

Thanks for the Forum, hopefully I'll have something to contribute soon.

Thanks,

Decades

[KMGLTZ]

are you going with the V6? do you have any idea what the MPG will be? i couldnt decide between the 6 and 8 but i went with the 8 since i constantly loaded down

[Decades]

KMGLTZ,

     I'm going to have to go with the V8, too-  I'm going to get a Quigley 4x4 upfit, and they only do V8's.

     I test drove the V6, I did not drive it long enough to get a feel for the gas pedal, but it merged onto the highway just fine.  I'm expecting to get about 15mpg with the V8 if I keep the ride height stock; I am more or less comparing it to a Suburban rather than other full-size vans except for the increased front cross-section.  How is your MPG?

Decades

Edited June 13, 2013 by Decades

[KMGLTZ]

where do you get the quigley upfit? im seeing about 12mpg highway... im always loaded wiht about 1500-2000 lbs though and have a ladder rack with 2 ladders

[Decades]

KMGLTZ,

     I think the Quigley upfit is only supposed to be done through the Nissan Commercial Vehicles dealer.  They are near Harrisburg, PA.  Their website is Quigley4x4.com.

     I'll provide my MPG when I get it.  I know having a smooth roof should make a difference, I don't know what to expect for how much of a difference.

Decades

[sampson]

http://www.quigley4x4.com/

 

I suspect your mpg might dip into single digits with the 4x4 upfit ;)

 

I have the v8 passenger and If I behave, I get 16-17 mpg on the freeway at 65 mph.

 

I drove the v6 and v8 and surprisingly found the 6 to be slightly peppier off the line. Likely due to a different final drive ratio. We chose the v8 so we could get the maximum towing capability.

 

I can' t speak to the need for 4wd but We had a decent winter and the Rwd with all season tires did a fine job. I may invest in winter tires this year as the all seasons will no longer be brand new.

 

Good luck!

[Decades]

Sampson,

     I hope not- the difference between the 2WD and 4WD Nissan Titans is around 2MPG; the Quigley conversion only adds around 400lbs.  I've decided to go with the 2" lift kit also, so it will likely be a bigger difference than 2MPG, but I will post data in case that is a contributing factor for anyone else thinking of getting the Quigley upfit.

Decades

[KMGLTZ]

any time you lift a vehicle or get bigger tires it will severly impact MPG. at least that is true with pickup trucks. I lifted my silverado 3 inches and lost about 3 MPG

[Decades]

KMGLTZ,

     I agree that a lift will reduce the MPG.  I'm keeping the stock tires, so that should not be factor.  Quigley called it a 2" lift- I do not know if it is right at two inches, a little higher, or a little lower.  I'd be happy with 13MPG with a 2" lift, but it will be what it is- Quigley should have the van on 7/12, I might get it back 4 weeks later. 

     It is too bad that Nissan doesn't put the direct-injection 5.6L engine from the Infinity SUV (I think it is the QX56) in the NV or have it available as an option, and what I've read the diesel engine that may be an option on the cargo versions of the NV in the near future isn't planned as an option for the passenger version.  That info has as much credibility as me repeating it, so I may regret going with a 2013 if the 2014 or 2015 has a diesel option.

Decades

[Decades]

Update-

     I picked up my van from Quigley this morning, it was ready last Friday and I dropped it off on 7/12- they told me when I dropped it off it could take up to 8 weeks, but it was finished at about 6 weeks.

 

     When I drove it up there, it was raining pretty badly for the what seemed like the whole trip, and I calculated that I got 15.9MPG; however my speedometer was reading about 6% high at an indicated 65MPH, so that may be optimistic.

     Quigley's blue van on the website now has a 2" lift and BFG Rugged Terrain 285/70R17s on the stock wheels- I verified that those would still allow the sliding door to open, and they looked right with the lift, so I decided to change the tires out, too- those would also have corrected the speedometer calibration issue to within 1%.

     I drove back this morning (no traffic pretty much the whole way) and I calculated 17MPG!  I kept it at around 2100rpm except when passing (same as the way up), and I had the stock tires on it, so the calculated MPG is 6% optimistic.  The two reasons that I can attribute to the better MPG on the way back after the Quigley install is that I wasn't pushing rain, and I didn't need to keep the wipers and lights on the whole time.  Also, I filled up at a Shell station that said 10% Ethanol, but the Sonoco in PA said that it "May contain up to 10%", so it may have been real gas for the return trip.  The engine had right around 1k miles on it when I left PA so it is still breaking in, too.

    I had ordered 5 Nitto Terra Grappler LT285/75R17s for it this week when I knew I was going to pick it up after seeing the blue one at Quigley, and they were installed this afternoon.  The spare fits in the normal spot too, but I may have to add a heat shield to the exhaust on the passenger's side to keep it safe and for peace of mind.

Decades

Edited August 29, 2013 by Decades

[Decades]

Update 2-

     Just some numbers for those that are interested:

     With the stock tires, the upfit and lift changed the front by 2 1/2" (I measured from the bottom front corner of the Passenger side door on level asphalt before and after, this is the difference) and the back by 2 3/8" (measured from the bottom back corner of the sliding door, when closed.)

     I did these weights with a bathroom scale, so they don't add up 100% but they seem close.  The TransForce HT 245/70R17s that I took off weighed 40.3# (I only weighed one of them, rubber only) and the stock spare weighed 74.4#.  The Nitto Terra Grappler LT284/75R17s weighed 62.3# (rubber only), and the spare weighed 98.6#, so the steel wheel weighs about 34 - 36#.  Each tire is about a 22 - 24# difference, so by swapping tires I put another 125# on the truck.  The upfit was said to be around 400#.  I did not weigh the van before I took it up there.

     I also pulled the driver's side of the rearmost seat out- (that thing is heavier than I expected it to be!) and moved the driver's side 2nd and 3rd rows to the next notch back.  I also pulled the headrests from all but the outsides of each row, and I can at least see out of half of the rear window now.  So now it is configured to seat 10 with headrests for 7.

Decades

[Decades]

Update 2-

     More numbers.  I weighed the van on some truck scales today, so that the front wheels were on one pad and the rear wheels were on another.  I put the seat back in for a weight, too.  The gas tank was filled up 30 miles prior so it was still reading above full.

The weights were:

With all of the seats in: 7380# (3620# Front, 3760# Rear)

With the driver's side of the 4th row out: 7260# (3620# Front, 3640# Rear)  That seat weighs 120#?

I've been keeping the front tires at 55psi and the rear at about 73psi (that is how it was when I picked it up from Nissan.)  With the even weight distribution, should I be keeping both ends at the same pressure?

Also, now the speedometer is reading about 6% low vs. handheld GPS @ 50mph (53 indicated by GPS) which is spot on from what a tire size calculator says it should be.  There doesn't seem to be any additional road noise from the new tires. I've been told that Hypertech makes a speedo calibration module that may work on the NV.

Decades

[sampson]

Thanks for all your data. I do enjoy a good pile of numbers ;)

I too was surprised ( and possibly herniated) by the weight of those rear seats. Nissan should swap out those ridiculous plastic wheels on the seats for a helpful label reading: "Get some help, seriously."

I picked up my nv with 55 psi in all 4 stock tires. Ride was beautiful but fuel economy was poor. First oil change a different dealer put the fronts to 50 and the rears to 80. Little jumpier ride in the back now but seems to roll a little smoother. Probably more to do with the motor being broken in better I'm sure. Sadly I have no data to support my claims.

I think the tires are rated to carry more weight at higher psi. If you were to max out the nv to full rated capacity, you would need 80 psi in the rear stock tires. My 6 kids might weigh 350 pounds all together so I imagine I could drop the rear pressure a touch to improve the ride. Then again, I'm tempted to try 80 psi at all 4 corners to see if that has much of an impact on mpg.

My speedo is nearly perfect against GPS with the stock tires.

 

Keep up the fine work on documenting your mods!

[Decades]

Sampson,

     No kidding about the seats- only the 4th row ones have wheels, too!  I recently took all of the seats out to pick up some rabbit hutches. I would have much preferred individual seats and the additional seating options that would give me.  I'm assuming with your six you leave some buffer seats to make the trip more peaceful for the people in the front?

     I keep a small notebook in the car and record the numbers while pumping 20+ gallons of gas.  If I'm in a hurry I just note the fuel added don't reset the trip miles or avg speed.  longer term I don't think I saw a trend of improvement with engine break in.

     Lately my mileage has been as low as 10.8 (with traction/fun control off and accelerating like a teenager who doesn't pay for gas) and as high as 12 (with A/C off and a painfully light right foot) with all of the tires at 68 - 71 psi, depending on the outside temp with suburban driving (mostly 35 - 55 mph on two-lane roads.)  I commute with a empty ride, so it is a little bouncy on bad roads.  When I weighed the van the front and back were about the same weight without me in it and I probably outweigh the junk I've accumulated in the back.  I think my van gains about 10 pounds a month of dropped chicken nuggets and lollipop sticks from my gang.  I am really looking forward to taking it on a longer trip.

     If I were to do it all over again, the only thing I would change would be to skip the 2" lift kit and go with Nitto Terra Grappler LT285/70R17s on the stock wheels.  That should put my speedo within 1% and have close to stock height.  I was 2" too tall to fit into one of the local parking garages where I needed to be last month, and would have preferred to use the van.

     I love the NV for what it is meant for, but I am not a fan of commuting in it with just me and what could be carried on a motorcycle.