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Comments
-Ryan
Setting 1 = Lincoln Town Car Ride
Setting 3 = Normal everyday Riding, firm yet good ride
Setting 4 = Agressive highway driving/spirited rides
Setting 5 = Rock Hard for Off-roading and towing heavy trailers
Another option which is pricey is Bilstiens, they are probably the best shocks when money isn't an issue. The originals are Tokico shocks and non-gas charged on NA models.
-mike
I'd like to thank everybody for their posts over the past 6 months...the information was very useful in my car buying experience. Me and the little woman bought a 2000 Honda Passport EX a few weeks ago. I know, I know...we should have bought a 2001 Rodeo. Well, we tried to get a sweet LS 4WD, but it was a little bit out of our price range. We dealt with St. Charles Isuzu and they only went down to $23,500 for the LS 4WD. We got the Passport (loaded w/everything) for $18,500. Only problem...39K miles (D'OH!!!). Runs like a champ, though.
Enough with the intro. I'd like to ask a couple questions. Wanta hear it, here it go!
1. We're thinking about getting the Monroe Matic shocks. A place here in St. Louis will install them for $150...guaranteed for life. Do you think we should do it?...we don't off road that much. The Rancho's are out of our price range.
2. We're trying to figure out if the power-lock/power window buttons on the driver and passenger doors are supposed to illuminate when the headlights are on. They're very hard to see while night driving...plus the passenger side vanity mirror light (on the visor) is a little flaky. We're thinking that there may be an electrical problem. Any ideas? The manual is not very helpful.
Thanks,
Swagak.
tidester
Host
SUVs
Hope this helps.
-mike
Now I won't try to get the dealer to fix the problem. They'd probably try...since I bought the Passport from a Chevy dealer. "Uhhh...hey Charlie! Why don't we just slap a flashlight in there and sew 'er up!"
Thanks Mike! By the way...I admire your loyalty and devotion to Isuzu products. I don't know much about Isuzu...but I'm sure they like having you as a customer.
Arrivederci!
-mike
I'm trying to find a relatively painless way to get an additional 1" or 2" of ground clearance. I'm running the stock 15" wheels and tires. The gas tank and spare tire become pretty effective plows in "sugar" sand. Next thing you know, you're digging sand away from the undercarriage.
Let me know how any of you have solved this problem.
Thanks, Jake
If you want a 3-4 inch lift you need to replace the shocks (150-300) and new springs (140-180) and again crank the T-bars ... Link: http://www.outdoorwire.com/4x4/isuzu/tech/amigolift/?
As for off roading in the sand ... did you air down? Running at 15-18 Lbs will make the world of difference.
As for the rear tire you could relocate it to the roof via a roof rack. Or on the days that you run the sand drop the spare and carry it in the truck.
Good luck!
-Ryan
-mike
After having gone through lots of what-ifs (wheels/tires, lifting), decided on going with 30x9.50s. This will net 1/2" of clearance without adversely affecting too many other things.
Spare tire is going in the back while on the sand.
Found that an outfit called Calmini has a 3" lift kit for the Rodeo. I'm going to skip that for now, but I may take a look at the spring spacer and torsion bar arrangement. Actually, I had considered air shocks to be able to selectively raise and lower it according to conditions.
I'll let you know how the 30x9.50's do when I get back.
Thanks, Jake
-mike
Salesmen and Discount Tire told me That WinterMaster is a great tire except it's a little noisy, but I had this tires on my Prizm for one season and was completely dissatisfied with them. If I go with 245/75-16 I can get Winter King studdable tires which I also had on Prizm and was very happy with.
I can't say I'm a big fan of studless winter tires, but I didn't have that much experience with them, so any suggestions would be appreciated.
BridgestoneWinter Dueler DM-Z2
Size:245/70-16
Availability:
In Stock $102 Winter
Dunlop
Grandtrek SJ4
Size:245/70-16
Availability:
In Stock $83 Winter
Michelin
4X4 Alpin
Size:245/70-16
Availability:
In Stock $95 Winter
WinterMasterPlus
Size:245/70-16
Availability:
In Stock $64
-mike
Anybody got any experience with studless (or studable) tires on an SUV or Rodeo in particular.
I got a quote for $396 from local Discount Tire store for a set of WinterKings (245/75-16), studs, labor and warranty certificates (lifetime road hazard). It seems like a reasonable deal except I'm still debating if I should go with studs and get 75 instead of 70 or go with studless (more expensive, less road noise, original size).
-mike
We just got some more fresh snow here today and tonight I'll do a test drive to see how the stock Brigestones perform on the snow. For some reason I don't think they'll do good, which means within the next couple of days I'll definitely need to decide what kind of tires I'm going to have to get for myself.
-mike
Jim
Jim
P.S. Congratulations to Paisan for winning an autocross in his Subaru XT6! He beat some good competition.
Anyways, we got quite a lot of snow yesterday and I took a test drive to find out if the stock Brigestones are any good. Well, they did a very decent job. The breaking distance is still longer than on a car with any tires (winter or all season) but it's twice heavier than most of the cars :-) The handling and traction, on the other hand, was much better than I expected so I probably stay with original tires for a while. That's my first SUV and yesterday i got a full understanding what 4WD actually means... :-) I think I'll get a set of snow chains and put them in the trunk just in case though.
One thing that kind of turns me out about the studded snows that they offer in this size is that they all (it's actually only two brands) are car-like tires. I had them in different size on my prizm and even considering the size 245//75-16 the thread design is pretty much the same. I don't know if they are going to be any good for a truck.
-mike
-mike
Generally, a heavier tire with thicker tread is harder to balance, and sometimes a tire replacement is necessary.
I'm not a fan of Fstones, since I dumped my stock 684s at 20k miles due to cracking. But the 684s were well balanced. That larger size should not make a difference.
-mike
BTW Paisan, how do you like the new tires? Do you have white letters out?
-mike
The issues I have with the Rodeo are:
1. A slight vibration - not in the steering wheel but in the vehicle overall. I notice it when I sing along (badly) with the radio and my voice vibrates. Now this may have happened in the diesel as well, but it was kind of hard to hear or feel anything above the engine noise so I didn't notice it. It could be the tires. I've mentioned this to the dealer and they say it's the tires not being *perfectly* round and if a perfectly round tire could be found, the Rodeo's ride would be perfect(?).
2. Bounce and lean on turns. It often feels like I don't have full control of the vehicle and I feel like I'm wandering all over the road. It is easier over bumps, railroad tracks, etc. than the truck, however. I want a stiffer ride but then again I don't want to be thrown to the opposite side of the car when I hit a bump like I was in the truck.
I do not go off road, except my gravel driveway and the occasional curb hopping in traffic so that is not an issue. I'm just hoping for a firmer, smoother, more controlled ride. Given this, which shock - Monroe SensaTrak, MonroeMatic, or Ranchos (or something else) would be best for me and would any be better than these supposed "intelligent" shocks on it now? I seem to recall reading a post that implied the intelligent suspension solved the problems associated with the Rodeo ride.
Thanks for your help.
-mike
tidester
Host
SUVs
Currently, Monroe says they do not make shocks for the Rodeo 2001. Apparently, the design changed. Only the replacement shcoks are available from Isuzu. Is there another brand? These Isuzu shocks SUCK! It really makes it a drag to drive the car, if not plain unsafe! Also, I read that tire pressure changes might help. I have standard P245-70R16- Bridgestone. Can wait to get a size wider tire. Noisier, but more stable.
-mike
-mike
-mike
Hope this helps.