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Yes the tires and tire pressure will effect that greatly. On my Trooper my ABS kicked in much more often on the OEM Bridgestones than with my replacement Pirellis. Remember OEM tires are generally not the highest quality no matter what car you buy.
-mike
Go there and you can calculate tires that would have the same approximate diameter for your it. I'll do a quick lookup for yah though.
-mike
As for sliding under throttle, the TOD should help that out a lot. I notice that with my new AT tires, I can drive more confidently in 2wd than with the stockers. Get some new tires and I bet you'll be quite happy with the grip. I've heard complaints from almost every SUV owner running their stock tires.
-mike
265-65-17 @ 5% slower/higher than stock (mediocre selection)
245-65-17 @ 1.8% slower/higher than stock (good selection of tires though)
255-60-17 @ same diameter (poor selection)
In the 245-65s I'd go for BF Goodrich Rugged Trail TA tires @ ~$100 a pop.
-mike
The Integritys are definitely not the greatest tires for wet traction, but the only time I have heard the ABS kick in was on a snow covered road. I wanted to see what was needed to activate them I had to break pretty hard to do this. I will probably replace them soon anyway.
Whenever the roads are wet, it is automatic for me to put it in TOD.
For a more affordable choice...I upgraded my Trooper to Bridgestone Dueler A/T's. They are awesome wet/dry traction tires at much less than the cross terrains. I don't know how the Dueler A/T's are in the snow yet. The stock trooper tires, Bridegstone Dueler 684's are halfway decent too, however I prefer the A/T's over them so far. Paisan has had luck with the pirelli scorpions on his Trooper.
-mike
Short of buying some 16" rims (which did cross my mind) I decided to go ahead with the Michelin Cross Terrain SUVs. They were cheaper than the BF Goodrich at my favorite tire retailer at only $122 installed. That includes lifetime rotation free...so not too bad.
Thanks for the advice! (Went with 245x65x17)
I made several trips last winter up to the sierras and Yosemite in the snow with my Axiom and never had trouble with traction. The only time I was able to break loose the tires on acceleration or activate the ABS was when I really tried to. The integrity's aren't great, but they do get the job done if you can't replace them any time soon.
I will probably get the Michelin crossterrains when I can. Seems like the consumers at Tirerack.com rate them very well, much better than the integritys. You do pay a premium for the Michelins though, they are about double the price of the Integritys depending on where you get them.
-mike
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Update on the Axiom so far (at 28k miles) I have not had 1 problem with the vehicle. The ride is what most everybody has described here..a bit too soft, but not so much that I want to invest in fixing it at this point. I have gotten on average 18 when city driving, but with the 80% highway that I normally drive I usually get between 20-21mpg. I would highly recommend this vehicle to anybody.
Just an FYI... If You have kids (which I have 3 that I haul around in back) You might want to get the tire iron out from underneath the back seats. It was quite a pain in the butt to unload 2 car seats (next to a busy highway) to get the iron out. I have put it in my tool box which stays in the back instead. Fun to have to chase down the wife on a rainy day to change the tire, with 3 screaming kids being shuffled around to get the tire iron out...did I mention this was the day in Indianapolis when We had all the tornados blowing thing around...what a great day
On the positive side, my wife was driving for the total tire blowout (the tire was totally off the rim) and drove for almost 1 mile before she even realized she was on the rim. Yeah, this sucked for my rim, but points out that the stability of the Axiom is quite impressive for her to not even notice (she said the car wasn't pulling at all)
I wish Isuzu would survive, but alas it isn't looking good. Great vehicle.
-mike
Mileage is not great, but within SUV limits. Driving in the city of Chicago yields a mere 13.4 mpg, but if I take it on the highway, I can easily achieve 21 mpg.
I have recently taken the Axiom to the dealership for some minor corrections/repairs:
1. Remote door opener failed despite new batteries - replaced at no charge.
2. One of the front lights have fogged up, so a new lamp has been ordered - no charge.
3. Driver's side door lock mechanism was getting stuck, so it was replaced at no charge, as well.
I consider those minor problems, which can be expected from any vehicle.
Some of you may remember that I have complained about a chattering/scraping noise at highway speeds. It is still very much a nuisance, but the mechanic was inspecting my Axiom for four days (too bad Isuzu does not provide courtesy cars) and finally found that the shield on catalyc converter was making the noise when air blew underneath it. A part has been ordered and I will let you know if that took care of the problem.
It is a great vehicle and I enjoy it very much.
I just got something in the mail from Isuzu, listing another dealer in my area where great deals are being made on new trucks. That dealership was closed by Isuzu last year too? I guess the marketing department isn't keeping up with the company changes.
-mike
-mike
Thanks
I haven't driven to many miles yet and the distance that I have, the axiom has been unloaded, but there is a definite improvement. There are a few places on my way to work that gives the axiom a good jolt (as it bottoms out) when in comfort mode, but with the airlift at 10 PSI, the Axiom handled it much better.
The main benefit seems to be its freeway ride, large bumps no longer causes the axiom to rock front to back in comfort mode yet the ride is still compliant and very smooth. On city streets at 10 PSI, the suspension is much more firm and seems to offer a little more bumpy ride than without the airlift and gives a more traditional SUV truck ride, but no longer what people would call "jittery." At 5 PSI it feels pretty much stock on city streets.
So far I am happy with the results and I am still experimenting with different pressures. The installed compressor and control unit makes this convenient. I believe the biggest benefit will be when the Axiom is loaded up as that is when the Axiom easily bottoms out. Hopefully I will be able to load it up for a camping trip this coming weekend.
Good luck
-mike
-mike
-mike
The AirLift springs are working great. There is slight benenfit while empty, but a huge benefit when loaded up. I am leaving afterwork today to go camping and already have it loaded up with the airlift at 15 psi. On the way into work today it handled beautifully, it had no problems at places that it would have definitely bottomed out without the Airlift. I would recommend this upgrade to anybody that often carries 4 adults and a lot of gear.
http://www.pureisuzu.com/98-2001_3_lift.htm
http://independent4x.com/item.jhtml?UCIDs=839915%7C1016330&PRID=1116597
On another note, went to the LA Off Road show this past weekend. Tons of stuff but no Isuzu stuff! Still some of these custom off road vehicles are monsters!
It takes him 35 minutes to unlock my Axiom (including phoning some of his locksmith friends for advice). It seems that the arrangement of the lock linkages in the driver and passenger doors is very non-standard.
Nice to know that a thief has to work harder to steal one of these trucks (unless they want to break some glass). -jj-
I had a mustang and I set the keys down while loading it up and locked my keys in the trunk. The locksmith had that trunk open in 5 seconds!
Most likely if someone was stealing your AX they'd probably just break a window after spending a few seconds on the lock and giving up! I did get the Lowjack option on my AX.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I've been reading this news group for over a year now. I've also wanted an Axiom the first time I saw it, before they went into production. Sorry everyone but I just need to do some venting here...
This past Friday I tried my best to buy one for myself. Could not get the dealer to come down more then $800 off the sticker. I couldn't believe it! The 4x4 XS I wanted was built in March 2002, sat in GA for a few months then was traded and moved here to AL. That is SEVEN months this vehicle had been sitting on dealer lots. Why are they holding on to this Axiom as though it was made of gold? They have five more that they cannot sell. (Yes, the same ones, been watching them all summer) Isuzu has been extending that zero percent interest all summer long. Now it is up to 72 months. They have suspended the production line of the Axiom until January 2003.
The dealer told me that with the zero percent interest they didn’t need to lower the price. The interest savings should be enough. "Besides with Isuzu not making anymore Axioms this year the five we have need to last us!!" WHAT ?!??! I'm sorry, I just do not understand the reasoning in this. The sticker was for $31,9000, invoice $30,133. Would have bought it for $27,000. Is $3,000 really too much to ask for a vehicle that is nearly imposable sell?
There are some things about the Axiom I don't like.
1) Seats don’t tilt. I'm 6.1. If the seats would tilt I could get my knee out of the dash.
Honestly, whoever heard of leather power seats that only move in two directions!
2) The gear selector. The thumb knob sticks into my leg.
3) Tow 4,500. Would like to have at least 5,000.
I'm not slamming the Axiom. I like this SUV. I want one!! But why would I buy a vehicle that nearly know one else is buying, and pay close to full sticker price.
In another two months the 2003s will be out, maybe the seats will be fixed and I'll try again. In the mean time, it felt good getting that off my chest.
BTW: I have a 1990 Isuzu Impulse. The newer body style, not the wedge shape one. Love this car! Still looks (sleeps inside) and runs good. As you can see I tend to keep my cars forever. So resell value isn't a big issue for me. It just needs to last.
Eric.
When I was looking for a new truck it was between the Pathfinder and the Axiom. I still like the Pathfinder but really enjoy my Axiom! I came over from a 97 GMC Jimmy, not the most reliable or safe vehicle on the road.
they have S 2wd starting at 18.5K
and XS 4x4 starting at 24.1K
hopefully one of the dealers in in your area. Or maybe it is a cheap one way ticket and a nice road trip back!