What have you done to your vehicle lately?

[TheDan]

The Fiata came with 16x6.5 wheels wearing 195/50 Yokohama Advan Sports. First of all, that's a bit too skinny. Secondly, those wheels weigh 18lbs each despite being so narrow. I bought a set of 16x7 O.Z. Alleggeritas, which weigh 14lbs each, and wrapped them in 205/50 RE-71Rs. I didn't want to put huge wheels and tires on the car because I wanted to keep unsprung mass to a minimum, and I didn't want to over tire the car. I like it's light and nimble feel.

The new wheels and tires were an improvement. How much so? I tested them out...

 

[satx78247]

They dry-rot. The OEM bags (way expensive) on the late 80's to mid 90's Lincolns have about a 10 year life span. I got 6 years out of the aftermarket units on my Mark VII and then the rears started to leak. Some guys on the Mark VII forum claim that every so often they lift the car off the ground with out disabling the air suspension (initiates a full deflate) to expose the entire outer side of the bag and hose them down with Black Magic or similar silicone based preservative to extend the longevity.

For the price of a full (4) set of bags I bought a set of coil springs (like $950 in 2002) that dropped it 1-1/2 inches (I haven't seen these {drop spring kits} available in a long time). Which is what a Mark VIII 8 will do automatically at 60mph. I had been experimenting trying to modify the factory air ride system to where I could control it with a bigger compressor, tank and solenoids that I controlled with manual switches and digital gauges. I couldn't get it to work right so I scrapped the whole deal and swapped to coils. The drop springs are stiffer and have less travel so it eliminated what I call the "float" effect on the interstate.

BMF500,

As I said earlier, the PO (I think that it was a funeral home in the DFW area.) got rid of the bags & put on coils & shocks.

Fwiw, I'm PLEASED, clear down to the ground with that modification.

The '92 Town Car rides NICE & just "floats along" down the Interstate.
(It's quiet as a mouse on the road at 75MPH, too. - I like that.)

yours, satx

 

[TheDan]

Slapped a piggyback on the Fiata. It actually delivered some measurable gains.

 

[BigTexasOne]

I have a 2017 Ram 2500 4x4 Cummins Diesel I picked up with 21,000 miles on it about 6 months ago. It didn't have remote start, which I need so that my dog doesn't overheat when he's with me, which is almost always. So I checked into the factory upgrade and it's stupid expensive, so i found these people. https://www.12volt.solutions/ for 1/3rd the cost of OEM. The install took me only 25 minutes, and it works perfectly. Their instructions were written by an idiot with learning disabilities, but thanks to youtube and two calls to customer service, (they were great), I AM A HAPPY CAMPER

 

[Txhillbilly]

Rebuilt the front end on my 2007 Isuzu I-290 (Chevy Colorado),new upper & lower ball joints - inner & outer tie rods - and both wheel hub bearing assemblies. The brake rotors and pads were replaced about a year ago.
I received the 4 new tires I ordered,so now I can take it and get the tires installed and a front end alignment done.
I also ordered a new clutch kit for it,but since I no longer have access to a lift,I'll pay a local shop to install the new clutch.

This has been a great little truck. I bought it used in 2011 with 42k miles on it,and it now has 153k miles. Other than routine maintenance,I've only had to replace the shocks,brakes,battery,ignition switch (dumbass security switch inside wore out),and some kind of emission box at the back of the truck that has to do with the fuel injection system.
One of these day's,I'm going to put a LS V8 in this little truck!

 

[2ManyGuns]

I washed mine...

 

[F350-6]

..... Getting 3+ more mpg now.

Hand calculated, or just what the computer is telling you? Aftermarket tunes tend to affect the way the computers estimate MPG's.

 

[cycleguy2300]

Put a winch and bumper on my 2004 LR Disco. Now I just need to get stuck!

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[Dawico]

powerstroke 6.7

just passed 260k miles and seemed that the system isn’t as efficient as when it was newer. Getting 3+ more mpg now.

Surprised at those gains but congrats.

I looked in to deleting mine and all that but most were reporting minimum fuel efficiency gains. Running better and lasting longer were big plusses though.

I decided against it when I blew an EGR pipe though.

The EPA has put a strangle hold on that industry as expected.

My biggest concern as I travel a lot was finding someone to service aftermarket parts where the manufacturer is out of business. Plus finding replacement tunes if that ever fails. I didn't want the exhaust any louder either.

Add in the fact that if I have a big issue (out of town) I may just trade it off and many dealers figure in the cost to bring them back to stock on pricing.

For my particular situation (towing all the time across country) I just couldn't justify it. I am jealous of those that do delete and tune though.

 

[pronstar]

^^^ I’m at that point when it comes to the powertrain on my vehicles, for both warranty and serviceability.

I had an Expedition that I put a supercharger on, with a lot of supporting mods. No one really wanted to work on it so I had to do everything myself. While I can do the work, I like the option of taking it to someone.


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[TheDan]

Several people have told me I should install Android Auto on the Fiata because it's really cool to have your phone on the infotainment screen, but I already have my phone on the screen...

 

[SQLGeek]

That's hilarious!

I have Android Auto on my Edge. I really like it...well once I found a compatible USB-C cord for it.

 

[Brains]

My Charger has all kinds of crap built into the 8" display, of which I use none of it In addition to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, there's this:

https://www.mopar.com/content/dam/mopar/pdf/uconnect/Uconnect.SRTPerformance.pdf

Gauges, 0-60 time, 1/8 and 1/4 mile time, braking distance, G force in X and Y, brake pressure, line lock, launch control, blah blah blah.

 

[deemus]

Got my Exterra all fixed up like I wanted it. New mud tires, new heavy duty shocks, new Bluetooth stereo, new mud mats for the floorboards and several other things. Now its got a knock in the motor. Crap. I think I will end up selling it. I don't want to put another dime into it.

I was really digging it too. After the $-Runner, it was a breath of fresh air. Good mileage on the highway. Ran well. Good highway speed. 4WD worked great. Pisses me off.

 

[pronstar]

Got my Exterra all fixed up like I wanted it. New mud tires, new heavy duty shocks, new Bluetooth stereo, new mud mats for the floorboards and several other things. Now its got a knock in the motor. Crap. I think I will end up selling it. I don't want to put another dime into it.

I was really digging it too. After the $-Runner, it was a breath of fresh air. Good mileage on the highway. Ran well. Good highway speed. 4WD worked great. Pisses me off.

I bet you could get that motor swapped for $1200 (maybe less) all-in



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[Brains]

 

[TheDan]

I put a gizmo on my pedal to make it go vroom quicker.

 

[F350-6]

Installed a soundracer.

 

[Bozz10mm]

Installed a soundracer.

Beats a card in the spokes

 

[TreyG-20]

Got some side steps. I noticed the bigger girls had trouble jumping in, so I figured I'd help them out a bit.