Isuzu Modifications/Aftermarket/Accessories

boxtrooper

I expected a lot of comments on the #1776 since it is about tires. I did not want to give up all the performance that the LT265/75R16C tires would have taken because of their extra weight, but I wanted the extra tread depth of the LT for longer tire life and a little better traction.

..

The UNI-T AQII web page on the technology is a good read. Click "next" to read all about it.

http://www.bridgestone-usa.com/tech/index.asp?id=tech_unitAQII

sbcooke

Been busy...The 245/75's are a good size. You will get about 3/4" of extra ground clearance (that is what I got with my 265/70's). The extra difference is huge offroad, 9 vs. 8.3.

Interesting about the weight. I didn't pay too much attention on the increase in unsprung weight on my larger tires, though I got P series, I feel the performance difference there is pretty minimum for my choice. I ended up going against LT tires, from what I read you get additional load capacity but a little stiffer.

I did the spare too. The $25 (trade/upgrade) cost will be worth it if I ever get a flat and am stuck without a true full size spare. I haven't gotten a cover yet, it looks good without, but I worry about the life of the rubber sitting in the elements without being used? I would take your plastic cover off before you do the upgrade. I forgot and they ripped it a little trying to put it on the larger tire. I took for granted they would try, let alone try hard to get it on.

breakor

Here is an interesting quote for those of you considering this option - "In the last 13 years we've had over 200 4L30's apart and back together . . . not once was there a case where you could point to the stock cooling system as being inadequate and the cause of the problem."

Here is the link for the full quote and discussion. http://www.4x4wire.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=86;t=002171 The quote is by Answerbacker about 1/2 down the page. He also offers the opinion that a flush is better than a pan drop on these trannies.

boxtrooper

Paison, you installed the aftermarket torsion bars. I am wondering how you feel about them after driving on them for some months. Is the ride harsh? Are they a good match with the OME rear springs?

sdc2

Thanks for that link breakor, somehow I missed that discussion in August.

It was nice to see this quote:

"Flushing the trans with nothing other than new Dexron-3 or Mercon-3 is an excellent idea, much better for the 4L30 than dropping both pans and replacing the filter; but considering how freaking messy it can get it's better to just find a shop with the machine."

...because that's exactly what I did.

boxtrooper

But they were load range E instead of C which is 80 psi and 3300+ lb. load per tire. These load range E tires were 48 lb. each instead of 40 lb. each for load range C. Shipping again was not possible with my schedule. So I went for a different size:
P255/75R16 109 load rating and 33 lb. each. I expect decent MPG with these tires, but I only got the standard 13/32 tread depth, not the 16/32 offered only on the LT tires.
..
On the drive home they were very quiet for an AT tire, compared the the BridgeStone Dueler HLs that were replaced, the AT sound as if I can hear the wind across the tread, but no more road noise. They handling was about the same as the HLs. The Revo ATs share the same dual rubber compond construction that preserves traction over the life of the tire by exposing softer rubber as the tire wears.

paisan

So far so good. They work well with the OMEs and Rancho 9000s. I was able to turn down the front 9000s a bit which works out nicely. I still need to re-index them and crank em up a bit and get an alignment. The poor trooper has been on the back burner for a while since I got the SVX.

-mike

sbcooke

It is that time of year when I start trying to decide what next years upgrade/modification is going to be. I thought for sure I would do the snorkel next, but the more I think about it the less sure I am. I started wondering what else I could spend some money/time on?

I started looking into lockers? I wish the ARB rear was an LSD/Locked rather than the Open/Locked setup. I think that may hurt onroad snow/ice performance? I am also considering doing the front first? Would I get enough performance increase offroad? Most of the terrain I travel is either mud, snow or sand?

Then of course there is the TBAR upgrade? Or the OME lift? I have sort of ruled out both until if/when I get a winch and will need to support a heavier load up front.

Any good suggestions? So far I have done Tires, OME Shocks, bull bar, thule rack, CB radio and IPF lights.

leedavidyoung

Hey Guys,

I have installed new 285/75's on my '99 Trooper. After exploring several choices Bridgestone, BFG's etc., I decided to go with a Cooper Discoverer S/T. Check them out at www.coopertires.com
I wanted something more aggressive than an all terrain but not a full-blown mud tire. After tons of research it all boiled down to cost. $140.00 each x 5 installed. After playing around in North Georgia this weekend, I am extremely pleased with these tires. For anyone considering an increase in size or a more aggressive tread pattern, here is my 2 cents worth:

Pros:
1. Incredible Traction- I stayed in 2 wheel drive (5-speed manual no TOD available) on 2 soft sections of the trail that have required 4- hi in the past. These tires have a 20/32 tread depth that always provided serious bite.

2. Ground Clearance- 1.5" additional lift. Combined with 1.5" OME springs, my trail riding is much less stressful than before.

3. Appearance- Unbelievable transformation. Tires look great and Trooper is easy to find in a busy mall parking lot.

Cons:
1. Performance- Motor can handle the larger tires, but you will notice longer acceleration times from a dead stop. This combined with an 11% slower speedometer reading can be depressing.

2. Noise- Not as bad as I expected, but at a level higher than some may consider O.K. for a daily driver.

3. Wear and Tear- Large heavy tires tend to wear moving parts faster.

I knew that by going this route I may compromise some preferable on road characteristics, but the Trooper has taken the changes in stride and continues to be smooth and responsive. I drive 95% highway and 5% off-road. The improvements on the 5% side more an outweigh the decreases on the 95% in my opinion.

cwmoser

Guys, how about showing us some pictures of your
Troopers with those new tires? I am looking for
a set for my Trooper but have not yet decided.

You can insert a photo (*.jpg file) in this forum I believe -- how is that done?

paisan

How is the rubbage with them with your OME lift? I have the OME lift and will be doing spacers for another 1" of clearance. Thinking of jumping from my 275-70s to 285-75s on my next tire swap.

-mike

paisan

I'd go for rocker bars. They make offroading less stressful since you don't have to worry so much about smacking into things.

-mike

sbcooke

I like the bars, but I would like to add bolt on, not weld on. That is a good idea though, I was looking at the independent4x4 site just the other night.

I will try to get some pictures taken this weekend of the tires and email them to Mike so people can check them out. The 265/70's look very close to stock.

paisan

If you have a right angle drill or a shop that does, the indy 4x ones can be bolted on. The hardest part is drilling the holes for em. All the stock holes in the frame are way to close together for boulder bars.

-mike

leedavidyoung

Hey Paisan,

I almost added the 1" spacers prior to the tire change, but decided to hold off and try the tires without them. I never felt any contact from the tires, but I took it fairly easy on the trail. My concern with the spacers was cosmetic. Using factory wheels, I felt that the truck with spacers may look too tall and narrow. Of course I made this assumption looking at my trooper with a 1.5" lift and 245/70 tires on it. Now that I have the wider tires, I think the look of the truck would improve with the spacers.
As far as off-road performance goes, I am trying to break free this weekend to push the new tires further. If I feel any contact, I will post A.S.A.P.

I have some "before" photos on a trail in Blue Ridge. We are returning to the same spot this weekend so I will try to get some "after" pictures that show the improvements.

On another note, I received my rear bumper from Calmini and have installed it. Has anyone with this bumper had trouble sliding the receiver hitch into the bumper. Mine appears to be 1/8" to tight. Hopefully it is just the powder coating causing resistance and the shaft can be encouraged to fit.(In other words... beat in with a hammer)

sdc2

I got the Calmini bumper for my 99 as well, and my ball mount slides in fine, maybe a tad loose if anything.

I know one other guy reported a problem like yours with the bumper for 92 - 98 Troopers, but others said theirs was fine.

Bottom line is I think the ball mount is the variable here. With the higher receiver on the new bumper you may need to buy a ball mount with a bigger drop anyway.

paisan

Cool, I'm gonna put in the spacers before I go from 275-70s to 285-75s.

-mike

ostaz

I will be purchasing a pair of Hella 550 for my 99 Trooper S. It looks like they should fit in the factory aux light cut-outs.

I am a bit novice at this, so help is appreciated. I have a few questions:

- How do I secure the lights to the cut-outs w/o using the stud/bolt that comes with the set?
- How easy is it to pass the wires through the firewall?
- Should I buy a "factory" switch, replacing the cover that in place now for an "authentic" look, or should I just use the kit-provided switch.

Thanks
Sam

leedavidyoung

If you want to go for a factory look, the following part numbers should work.

OEM fog light switch part #8971355120
relay part #8970939101

Good Luck,

Lee

sbcooke

I had my IPF lights installed. The mechanic that did it seemed to drill a hole through the rubber gasket where the whole wiring harness passes through. Then he put some kind of glue/caulk like substance to seal it up. Unfortunately this was for 3 wires, to add anything else I will still have to figure something else out or try the same thing again.

I believe there is a plate that can be removed and allow pass through? The one I think it is has a 1.5" hole around it, so if you put wires through it, I don't know how you could cover it up?

Let us know how you get the wires through, I am interested because I am thinking about running more lights and my CB antennae through there.

paisan

I'll check, on my buddy's '00 we just fished the wiring harness right through a grommet in the firewall.

-mike

boxtrooper

leedavidyoung,
Please post your before and after MPG around town and highway.
Thank You BoxTrooper

boxtrooper

I just installed a set of Revo tires before the holidays and driven 2000+ miles on them since. I am impressed at the low noise, nearly the same as Bridgestone Dueler H/L tires that I replaced. The Revo tires have better grip and a much more agressive tread pattern than the H/Ls. I drove through snow on paved and dirt roads and had no trouble on a packed snow and ice steep downhill 90 degree turn that a Chevy 2003 Suburban slid all around on with its OEM LE tires. I have not gone off road yet with the new tires, but I feel that the Revos are a very good on road tire, I did not give up on road handling to get the A/T tread.

tommcnabb

I have a 2001 Rodeo 4x (stock). Stock tires are due for a change. Wife would like to put bigger tires on it. Couple of questions maybe someone here could help with.
1. With no vehicle mods, any suggestions on a larger tire size that won't rub, etc? I don't care about speedo calibration.
2. Does a large tire decrease your chances or cause problems when you need warranty service? One dealer I went to gave me the impression that they were looking to make any excuse possible.
Any info greatly appreciated.

Tom

leedavidyoung

Hey Boxtrooper,

My mileage prior to tire change was 14 city and 18 highway. The 285/75 tires have reduced my city MPG to 12. I have not made a good long distance trip to check highway performance. I'll let you know the outcome.

leedavidyoung

I am receiving major complaints from my wife Stacy due to the recent OME lift and tire size increase. It seems that 3 additional inches requires more effort for boarding the Trooper than I expected.

I have a question for Mike or others that have installed the rock sliders from Indy 4x. If I install these bars, do they provide enough exposed surface to serve as a step into the vehicle? If I can gain a solution to the height issue while increasing rocker panel protection, I'm ahead of the game. I hate to install nerf bars that provide limited protection if this product will do the trick.

Thanks for any input.

paisan

I helped Indy4x to design the rocker bars for the Trooper. Matt over there used my truck as a template. I use them as side steps as well as rocker bars on my truck (short mom and short GF) they don't stick out as far as traditional side steps, but we made them far enough out that you can use them to help boost you up.

Hope this helps.

-mike

sdc2

One thing to consider is you can get a couple more grab handles (same as are on the passenger side) and install them on the drivers side. The mounts are there for right side steering vehicles (such as for Great Britain). Bruce Anderson did this, and posted a VERY detailed write-up on the install:

http://myweb.cableone.net/bcanderson/trooper/handle/handle.html

Might help you climb in there easier...

leedavidyoung

Thanks for the info guys.

What a great write-up on the grab bars. My upgrade list is getting longer by the day. I think with the rocker bars I will hide my excitement and claim them to be a "wife required" purchase. Stacy and I have only been married for 2 months and she is growing very suspicious over my Trooper's never ending maintenance needs. By maintenance I mean off road springs, rancho shocks, mud tires and other goodies. It's kinda funny that her Volvo never seems to need these items.

paisan

You are in GA. That means that in April, you will need to attend the Isuzu semi-annual "maintenance" course in North Carolina! A weekend of eating, shooting the breeze, eating some more, offroading, camping, eating again...

I believe it's April 5-7 that we are all heading down to Uwharrie, you should try to make it!

-mike

PS: To tempt you more, I'll be making homemade meat sauce, Italian sausage, and bringing 2 dozen NY Bagels.

leedavidyoung

That sounds like a great time. I'll do my best to attend. How many Isuzu's usually make it to this event?

paisan

Some events we only have 5-10 trucks, sometimes as many as 50-60.

In Oct we had about 10, last April we had closer to 25. This year they started early planning so it is looking like we'll hit the 40+ mark. The wheeling is fun, but the comraderie is unbelieveable. You put together 20-25 people who never met and you wind up talking til 3am around the camp fire about everything from kids to cars to trucks to politics!

Much fun is had at Uwharrie.

-mike

drmp

Hi, can anybody suggest a good source for coil spring spacer? I am currently using a makeshift spacer on the rear of my '99 Passport but I don't think it will last. Thanks.

leedavidyoung

Try the following:

www.indy4x.com

Poly spacers in 1" and 2" sizes. If you are looking for lift, why not upgrade the springs first? It will add height and improve handling.

paisan

Just beat me to it.

-mike

leedavidyoung

Hey Mike,

You mentioned that you may add the poly spacers. Have you had a chance to do that yet? Were you looking at 1" or 2"?

I am considering a combination nerf bar/rock slider I saw posted at 4x4 wire. Has anyone else looked at these bars or ordered from this company before?
 
http://www.4x4wire.com/news/shrockworks/rocksliders/

Any input on these bars would be helpful.

Lee

paisan

I already have the OME springs in, but haven't gotten the spacers in yet. I should have them in by the time Uwharrie in April rolls around.

-mike

paisan

I think they are cool but they didn't serve my dual purpose vehicle. They make great rocker panel protection, but I doubt they'd be usable as steps.

-mike

sbcooke

Has anyone done a rear locker on a 98+ trooper? I have been doing some research, but am not sure if the performance loss from going to an open/locked setup will decrease everyday performance and offroad performance where a locker is not required? The automatic ones that don't change stock setup, but engage when needed seem to cause too much interference on everyday roads.

Any thoughts?

leedavidyoung

I finally got around to getting the front end re-aligned after adding my OME springs. 4-Wheel-Parts did the work here in Atlanta. I trust these guys so I asked about adding 1" spacers down the road. They suggested that if I add the spacers, I should consider upgrading the torsion bars. Their reason was to allow less stress to the already cranked stock bars.
 
Mike, it sounds like the addition of your sway-away bars was a good call in more ways than one.

paisan

I love em. They allowed me to turn down the shocks a little, while retaining control. My truck currently is all kinds of messed up though. I really need to do my balljoint flip and spacer in the front and my poly spacers in the rear. It's just so cold up here that there is no desire to do anything on it.

Hopefully by the time I come to uwharrie, I'll have in the ball joint flip/spacer, and the poly spacers in the rear with my T-bars cranked up.

-mike

paisan

If I were going to get a locker it would be a front locker. We already have an LSD in the rear so that comes into play offroad. I've actually purchased a front LSD for my trooper but need to pick it up in VA and then have it installed. Amazingly we can use the LSD unit from the rear axle of the Isuzu Impulse on our trucks. Our front is the 10-bolt Isuzu corporate, which is the same as the rear diffy in the Impulse.

-mike

sbcooke

I am considering a front locker, because it is already open. However, I am concerned (well not really concerned) that the rear LSD doesn't work well, not from experience, but from everything I have read. I would like to improve my LSD performance and have locker capability.

How will a front LSD effect everyday driving?

BTW anyone read the Audi S4 review...they made a comparison to a diesel chevette, quite funny...was that the worst car ever produced? Maybe that should be an edmunds forum.

paisan

Well in my experience the rear LSD works as it should. In the event of slippage, it will lock the rear wheels and spin both of them. Sometimes I need to coax them to engage by using 2 or 3 clicks on the parking brake, but other than that it's very much like a locker.

I've driven a few trucks with front LSD enabled, it gives you a slightly tighter feeling in the steering wheel but other than that it's not bad. Heck a lot of cars have front LSDs now (Subaru STi, Nissan Spec V, Some Audis)

-mike

sdc2

I remember that one! IIRC Car and Driver tested a 0-60 time of something like 29.5 seconds, slowest time they have ever tested.

A guy I knew in college had one, this was in Duluth, Minnesota, which if you haven't been there has very steep hills kinda like San Francisco. This thing could barely make it up the hills, and seemed to take forever to warm up in the winter...what a POS

tkevinblanc

And we wonder why Americans won't buy diesels.

leedavidyoung

My Trooper battery failed this morning. It's been cranking slow for a week. (This was my second battery a cheap-o from wal-mart) I decided to go go all out with my battery replacement and purchase an Optima red top. I've read great things about this battery and have always wanted to try one out. I installed it today and it works great.

I am a little concerned because optima's website states that they do not offer a cranking battery compatible with a '99 trooper. The retailer assured me that the battery would work fine with my truck. But $130 will make most people agreeable. My concern is based on the fact that the 99 trooper 5-speed uses a different size battery than the 99 automatic. Is there a reason for this size difference or is it just a matter of economics on Isuzu's part?

On a lighter note, I have spent the afternoon lifting my hood and showing my secretary, my boss, most of my co-workers and a few strangers my new battery. I am expecting a surprise drug test tomorrow at work for all of my efforts. :-)

Lee

boxtrooper

Welcome to Optima battery world. With your new AGM battery you will never need to worry about batery terminal corrosion again. It will crank fast every time. I have an Optima in my 1995 for about 4 years now and it is working great. I have also an Optima in my boat for starting, but I chose a higher capacity LifeLine AGM for the deep cycle function. There are several choices for AGM batteries out there and so it is time to shop around which will force prices down. The era of bucket-of-acid batteries is at its end! I even have a smaller AGM battery in my lawn mower because the mower is made to stand on end for storage, I don't have to take the battery out to stand it on end anymore. The regular battery for the mower was around $30 and I paid $57 for the AGM but to me it is well worth it.

sdc2

As long as the battery fits on the tray and is 12V you should be fine. When replacing OEM batteries I always look into getting a larger battery if feasible, they will generally crank longer at very cold temps (an issue here in Minnesota - it was -13 degrees this morning). I have noticed my Trooper has a battery tray substantially larger than is needed for the battery that comes with it, so I will likely be able to get a larger one in there no problem.

Although I suppose I should look at the Optima-type batteries too, when the time comes to replace.

leedavidyoung

That gives me peace of mind. I guess the one size fits all had me worried. Do you have a dual battery set up?

I am adding lights down the road and would be very interested in the configurations owners on this forum are using. (isolators, parallel set-ups etc.) Optima makes a yellow top deep cycle that is supposed to be strong enough to use as a cranking battery.