Isuzu Trooper

drew_

...at 7-8pm Pacific/10-11 pm Eastern. Hope to see you there!

http://www.edmunds.com/townhall/chat/isuzuchat.html

sbcooke

I use Meguiars wax/cleaner. Seems to be a good at preventing scratches and hides scratches in the surface well.

As far as the plastic bumpers and wheel out-croppings, forget it. They chip easily and are black underneath.

I would like to hear off-road reports regarding the manual and the 4wd-Hi operation. Welcome aboard.

tuckeg

I was working out of town this summer and drove only the automatic Trooper. Since I have almost exclusively driven manuals it was a difficult transition. This weekend when we picked up the new manual I was struggling for the first few minutes. My impression is that the shifting is a little notchy, but not bad. I assume that as I get use to it and as it wears in (it had 9 miles) it will be smoother. I would rate it in the middle of new manual transmissions I have owned for smoothness. Just checked and my wife agrees. Funny thing was after driving it for a couple hours when I switched back to the automatic at the first light I tried to put my right foot on the brake and my left foot on the clutch. However this resulted in both my feet being on the large brake pad. So I wound up standing on the brakes.

For the other questioner, it will probably be a while before we do any off-roading with the new Trooper. We plan to retire in a couple years and will be spending at least the first few years in the Baja. We will use the 2001 there off-road extensively. But for now we are saving it and will use the 1990 for the rough stuff.

Anyone with Wet Okole seat covers?

tuckeg

I actually have been a member for a while but will be much more active now. I have been reading posts about the poor performance of the current generation's A/C. This was a big concern for me with the Baja in our future. Having tried the 2001's A/C in Virginia before buying it seemed adaquate. Time will tell. I like the idea posted here about insulating the cooling lines although I am not sure how significantly this will improve performance. Adding a fan to the system is another promising improvement and perhaps the fact that the 2001 has one is a reason it performs better. Before I purchased mine I had planned to add one. Thanks to this board I found out the 2001s had them.
For those who are looking for an additional increase in performance a year or two ago I came across an additive that was injected into the system and claimed to increase A/C performance in 134 systems 5-10%. It was developed by one of the Air Force research labs for use in the Gulf War. A company then licenced the technology. It cost about $30 as I recall. I posted the information, I think it was here but I can't check because the site search engine is down. It also might have been on ITOG. A guy in Houston contacted me and was going to try it, but the last time I checked he hadn't. If anyone is interested let me know and I'll try and dig up the site. I would be interested in hearing how it works.

tuckeg

Sorry for the many posts but it's just an initial flurry.

Any recommendations on window tinting? I am in upstate NY if you have a company in mind.

basketballkid

I haven't been rotating my tires. My 1999 Trooper has 27K miles. Reading all these posts about rotating tires has gotten me a little nervous that I've messed up. Is it too late? I've read posts that suggest the TOD is very sensitive to tire diameter, etc. No unusual road noise - at least nothing that I've noticed. Flip them front to back - correct? Does the factory jack lift make it possible to lift one side the vehicle and swap the tires? Where is the lift point?

Thanks in advance.
Phil

paisan

Welcome aboard, be sure to check out http://isuzu-suvs.com lots of good info there. Where upstate NY? I have a place in the adirondacks, and can never find any good off-road places I had my front windows tinted down in NYC, but if I come across a good place upstate I'll let you know.

-mike

paisan

I don't even use the factory jack to change a single tire. I doubt it would be adequet to lift the whole side of a vehicle. You'd probably need a good floor jack to do that.

-mike

cdanschwartz

I have a 2001 Trooper. Has anyone tried to remove the spare wheel cover? What a pain! I can't imagine having to remove the cover in an emergency. I think it is a totally stupid design and it does nothing for the car. I have removed the cover and the useless black plastic piece that goes behind the spare. Now I want to buy a vinyl tire cover from one of the earlier years to protect the spare from UV. Does anyone know where I could find one? BTW. Is there any kind of kit that allows you to mount the spare underneath the car? I hate the location. It blocks the rear view, the tire is VERY heavy, and it causes wear on the rear door.

sbcooke

I carry fix-a-flat with me. First of all, on the side of a highway I am not changing a tire, second, there is no way my wife is going to be able to change one. I did run her through the drill of taking the spare cover off, which isn't the easiest. I recommend that anyone who has not taken it off or tried the jack in their driveway do so...it is easier than figuring it out in an emergency.

I believe you will also need the wheel locks, that are in the glove box, to take a wheel off. That is another thing to remember if you ever have the need.

paisan

No way to mount it under the vehicle. The gas tank is there. You could mount it inside the vehicle. I can get the cover off very easily, perhaps there is something wrong with your cover? There is no extra wear on the door since it's built to hold it. I know a few guys who use the spare tire as a ladder to the roof, no reported problems with rear doors and the rear door designa hasn't changed since '92. If you use the lare side-view mirrors, the rearward view isn't a problem.

If the tire bothers you in that position so much, what possesd you to buy the Trooper?

-mike

sbcooke

The location is actually great for off-road purposes...where the trucks roots come from. Imagine trying to crawl underneath the vehicle to pull the tire out on the trail. Also the plastic cover offers good protection from brush and what not, as well as a great spot to throw lug nuts, lug and any other misc. pieces when changing a tire.

breakor

Pretty much any auto parts store has a vinyl cover for the stock tire. If you want one with Isuzu written on it try St. Charles.

Before giving up on that hard cover you might want to practice removing and installing it a few times. We did that and my wife hated it until I showed her how easy it was to remove when you start at the bottom and at the top when installing.

If you still hate it, then based on past comments, I suspect you will have no problem selling the cover and the back plastic piece.

gpm5

The trick to it is spreading the bottom apart and lifting up and off so that you clear the plastic piece behind. It takes about 30 seconds. Same way in reverse putting it back on. Do you have stock tire size?

Taking off the spare on the trooper is much easier than on the sequoia, which we also have. I've looked under there briefly and can't figure out how to lower it even after reading the manual, so I'll have to lay on the ground to figure it out. I would not want to lay in mud, poison ivy, or even gravel at the side of the road, to get my spare tire, but laying in the gravel may be my only choice, if I get a flat in the sequoia (or call AAA to do it).

keepontroopin

Hey cdanschwartz have you ever tried to take off the older style vinyl Isuzu spare cover? I had one on my 94 trooper and it was twice as much of a pain in the ars as the new style. I second Paisan here by saying why did you buy the Trooper in the first place if you can't stand it as much as you expressed. I for one think that the spare is mounted in the right place and wouldn't want it any other way.

keepontroopin

You should not have to crawl under your Sequoia to get the spare off. There should be a bolt or screw or something in the cargo area that will lower the tire when turned. Then when the tire is down you simply take it off the cable and install.

keepontroopin

So where was everyone last night?

paisan

I've been busy this summer, for some reason on thurs nights I just haven't been able to make it. After labor day I'm sure things will settle down and we'll see more of a turnout.

-mike

paisan

Yep I had that on my '97 Rodeo. It was 100x worse than the hard cover on the Trooper. Especially in the summer when the tire was nice and expanded out due to heat.

-mike

sbcooke

Paisan is too busy drag racing and going to the drive-in soda shop with Ralph, Potsie and Richie. :-)

paisan

I've been doing lost of auto-xing and hanging with the boyz

Speaking of which if anyone needs a beater, I'm selling my Mazda MX6 and Subaru XT6, both '88, bothe 80K miles.

-mike

keepontroopin

I'll give you fifty cents for the mazda and an even buck for the Subarooooooooooo!

paisan

The Mazda is asking $2200 and the XT6 $2500

Both great commuter cars, especially the subie for the winter.

Just have the opportunity to purchase my aunt's SVX so have to raise some $.

-mike

gpm5

The manual says there is something to turn from underneath, but I can't see it. That's why I'll need to crawl under to figure it out--and I'm assuming if its that hard to find I'll probably need to crawl under again when it comes time to change. I need to lower it also to check the air. Its an alloy rim and facing up prevents damage from debris but makes checking the air a pain.

gpm5

I was watching the football game and snoozing mostly at 10 pm.

gpm5

Has anyone loaded a 17' canoe on their trooper 98+ roof without a rack. Do the foam blocks work without caving the roof in. It would be easier to use my utility trailer but the boat would extend out the back by ~6'.

cdanschwartz

Don't get me wrong. I still like my Trooper. But will the response be, every time I criticize anything about the Trooper, just to have someone say 'well then, why did you buy it?'

If that is the case, then I think I know why there is so little negative said about the Trooper on this board.

This is what happened. I had purchased a Thule spare tire bicycle rack that required that I remove the spare tire. So I experienced removing the cover tire on a hot day. The cover was all the way behind the tire and I couldn't slide it off. It took several minutes.

Then I decided that I didn't like the bike rack so I took it off and started to put the cover back on. I put some baby powder on the inside of the cover and it slipped on very easily.

I tried taking it off the next day - just to make sure it was easy enough - and it was nearly impossible again. I was cursing and my dog ran for cover.

My tire is the standard size. Should I try deflating it somewhat? Should I pray first? Would it help to believe in god?

Also, the little adjustable clasp at the bottom is too close together to get enough tension to close. Is it possible that my cover is somehow tweaked? Is there an ALLDATA bulletin for a tweaked cover?

I was also surprised at how HEAVY the spare is. Mine is mounted on a steel rim. Are all the models like that? Shouldn't they supply a kidney belt?

Several people mentioned that the vinyl covers are more difficult to put on and take off. In what way?

sdc2

The first time I tried to get the spare tire cover off, it was a real struggle. But after a few tries, I worked out a technique that works very well - only takes a few seconds to get it on, or off!

I grab the back edge of the cover with both hands at about the 5 and 7 position. Pull your hands toward you and apart at the same time, the cover will pop right off (assuming you remembered to undo the clasp :-) ). Reinstall is basically reverse of the procedure. Just practice a few times and you will get the hang of it.

Of course, now that I have bigger tires, it is a moot issue!

The spare is not light, it is a sizable tire with steel wheel. They stopped putting allow wheels on the spare in mid 99. I had to buy a alloy wheel for the spare. (BTW, if anybody wants a set of stock Trooper tires with 20K on them, and a virgin spare on a steel wheel, let me know).

paisan

We won't shoot you down, just your comments seemed a bit over the top especially the visibilty question. I generally unclap the bottom, then spread the plastic and pull the bottom out and up. It was stiff the first 2 or 3 times I did it, but after that, it was smooth and easy.

A full size spare is generally heavy, I guess we all got used to our donut tires from the 80s.

-mike

gpm5

I had stock trooper tires with 22k, and I threw mine out. I'm going to use the spare 684 (new) as a tire swing. All I got from F-stone/B-stone were excuses when I showed and told them about the tires cracking between the tread up front.

paisan

I have 26K on my 684s, so far so good. I'd buy yours but I want to up-size next time. Still debating if I'm gonna go for 4 or 5. Also anyone who is looking for a 2000/2001 LS rim, I have one that I'm willing to part with. E-mail for details.

-mike

keepontroopin

Was Paisan talking about the spare cover or the girl he met the other night in the second and third sentences of his last post???

paisan

I was talking about the guy with the new 684 tires for sale! And I have a 2000/2001 LS Alloy wheel that I am willing to part with.

-mike

keepontroopin

oooopppssss I meant next to last post. He snuck one in on me there!

keepontroopin

Is that the five spoke or the one the LS model has?

keepontroopin

How do I get on the AOL IM list and use it?

paisan

with the mesh.

-mike

paisan

Download it from http://aol.com and go to http://isuzu-suvs.com to download the isuzu buddy list (about 50 people on there now) and the shortcut to the IDS (Isuzu Dark Side) which is a 24x7 chat room where we discuss everything from Isuzus to childrearing, to work problems etc.

-mike

keepontroopin

OK I tried it and its not working. I think they must have a firewall on it here at work. I will try it at home and see what happens.

cwmoser

I took mine off and it was no problem at all. Maybe my spare tire is low or air? I do remember that it was easier to put back on and it was no problem aliging it so that the "Trooper" badging was level.

gtroop

Paisan, why are you wanting to get rid of the rim already? Do you need $$$ that bad? That rim is going to be well traveled by the time it finds a permanent home.

paisan

Well, just had to fork over $500 for tires on my XT6 (which I'm now selling) but just trying to raise cash to pay for the possible SVX I'm buying. I should probably keep it, in case I dent one of the other rims, but dunno. If someone desperately wants it I'm willing to sell it.

-mike

erinsquared

I don't know what tires they are putting on the new Troopers, but around the time I was looking for mine, I noticed the base models had the Bridgstones & the perf. pkg. models were mixed between Bridg. & GY Wranglers. Not all tires are equal and the Wranglers have about double the treadwear rating - so I made sure mine had them. Of course, that just means it will take that much longer before I can put on a set of 265/r16 BF Goodrich's .

gpm5

Much better tire IMO than the other one.

paisan

I've had a few goodyears and notice they do last a long time, but after about the first 1/3 they lose effectiveness IMHO. I really like the 684s, been through 3 sets in about 150K miles, great set of tires, not the best, but better than GYs

-mike

gpm5

In what way? I've not had experience with them recently. One set I had on a small car were ok. They did not crack apart. I like Dunlops and BFGoodrich. Good success with those. BFG got cracks but only after about 6 years, not 1.5 years. The Toyos I expect to have good wear from. Each of these is analyzed carefully before being released from the plant. Any imperfection gets thrown out.

gpm5

The problem with Bstone/Fstone is they are being sued into oblivion. This translates into poor customer service from my experience. They should be doing the right thing when their is even a potential problem.

paisan

By lose effectiveness, I mean they didn't have the handling and traction that they did when they were new or even post-breakin. Similar to the way that the Aquatreads lose their aquatreadability after the first 10K miles and basically become regular all-season tires at best after 10K. I found the same with GY. So far I like Yokohama on my subaru the best, and my Firestones on there are good all-season tires. For the SUV, the 684s have been good to me, but I'm gonna try Pirelli next time around.

-mike

boxtrooper

I had a set of GY RFA with different tread on front and rear tires. They were supposed to be rotation free, but needed to be rotated side to side instead to keep from developing a pulling to one side. I had an emergency stop and the GY RFA felt way to slick and failed to stop me in time. There was a very noticeable burn spot on each front tire proving that the brakes worked properly. I felt so bad about it that I ordered a set of Bridgestone Dueller H/L's from TrieRack.com and had them sent to my mechanic to await the Trooper's release from the body shop. I went with the Duelers because of the great reviews and the rubber is softer as the tire wears down. I think the GY RFA's rubber was very hard underneath the surface which after 40K miles was gone. I strongly recommend that anyone wanting to buy higher rated truck tires like LT's for their Trooper consider the emergency stop situation and the fact that harder rubber on the heavy rated tires will not stop you as fast as a tire rated for the load the Trooper puts on it. It is true that tires rated for much more load than the Trooper places on them will last a long time, but they never perform as well as the corect rated tire.

gpm5

One may not want to go with a tire handling more load unless towing all the time. Other specs are important to consider. Speed rating. Traction rating which relates to stopping distance. Tire wear rating or better for comparison among brands, is the mileage guarantee. Temperature rating. Finally, one should consider whether they want a car-like tread tire or AT offroad type tires and what type of agressive tread tire gives good on-road specs. I think most tires at 40k miles should be replaced. I can't imagine they can have the same characteristics as new even if they could last another 10k+ miles.