Tell me about your minivan

Lots of Sienna folks run an XL rated tire. Popular ones are the Falken AT3W and the Cooper Discoverer AT 4S. The Falken AT3 Trail is a little more highway oriented the the AT3W. I've run the AT3W and AT 4S personally and think the Falken is the better tire if you care about snow and dirt performance.

Not sure if airbags are an option for ya. But they made a big difference for me. <$100 and an hour or two to install. 3 years of good service so far. I keep them at ~18# when standard camping setup is in (95% of the time) and bump it up to 25# when adding 2 bikes to the back or packing for a long trip. Keeps the sag away. Obviously won't fix blown shocks though.

I run XL altimax arctic's in the winter on my Ody. Most vans are 4k+ lbs with enough body roll that they do fine with the stiff sidewall. Given the variable loads, airbags would make a lot of sense.

+1 to airbags vs helper shocks.

You can tune the psi to support when loaded and air down for a better ride when not.

Optimal.

Get the red ones.

re the astro: I was in a buddies last week and its light years in the past , he sez it needs this and that and even Lance the free lance mechanic won't work on it

At the grocery store this evening. Syncro, if you can’t read it. What’s the ladder for?
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How else you gonna wash that window?

The rug really brings the room together

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Originally Posted by gravitylover

I'm going to replace the rear shocks soon because I'm getting some annoying wheel hop and I'm trying to decide between simple (aka cheap) OE level replacements or load assist coilover type. I often have a couple of ebikes on a rack back there which adds ~200 pounds well behind the rear axle so I think it makes sense but will there be a downside when it's unloaded? If I go with them should I also be thinking a heavier duty strut up front?

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I think I'd look into some sumo spring inserts (or Airbags) in your van before overhauling the whole suspension for a bike rack.

It needs rear shocks ASAP anyway so I was thinking load assist but from what I've read they're bouncy and I don't necessarily need the lift it gives when unloaded. Actually the rest of the suspension is pretty tired too at 160k and the parts are surprisingly affordable so I'm gonna do a bunch of stuff in the near future.

So we've done 2 big road trips now and it's nice having a living room on wheels. The dogs dig it and the kid can go far enough away that we don't bother her lol. It sure would be nice if the rear door windows went down so at some point I might look for a set of color matched doors that have that, I already have the plugs on the harness.

The other thing that would be nice is some more power, this thing is a slug. Sometimes it downshifts 2 gears to hold 5 under the limit on big hills :redface: I think it's time to do something about that. I need to find out if this can be tuned like the Challenger to give it more low end torque and more accurate throttle mapping but that info is kind of elusive.

Working out the details slowly and actually enjoying the ride:eek: I've got about 10k on it so far, have replaced a whole bunch of shit and it's a much nicer rig but the big work is ahead. Cooling issues are mostly solved, brakes are done, rear end sorted for now and I put new tires on Friday. Holy shit are they nice :)

We we're talking about higher load ratings and that led me down a 2 week rabbit hole of tire research :eek: I chose the new Nokian Outpost APT with a 106H rating and the deepest tread depth I've seen on a minivan. They're almost AT tires but more directed at bigger crossovers that might spend time on real dirt and will see lots of snow. They're pretty aggressive for a minivan but feel really competent and they're nowhere near as noisy as a true AT on the highway. The tires I had sucked but the difference is amazing, rough streets and loose chunky gravel roads are surprisingly smooth and they corner great (for a minivan).

Top end of the engine work coming up before the end of the month because the bad rocker/lifter tick is driving me NUTZ. Then hopefully some KYB struts and urethane body mount and subframe bushings coming up soon after to deal with the excessive clunking and knocking under my feet and through the steering wheel. Like I said, I'm sort of enjoying this silly thing so it's gonna get better. Even my "there will never be a minivan in my life" wife has come around and agrees that I should make it what it's supposed to be.

Wish this was my minivan:

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a4...-auction-pick/

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Originally Posted by doebedoe

FWIW, relatively simple to put a small lift on the Odyssey (or Sienna, or Pacifica) for extra clearance: https://www.journeysoffroad.com/

I've got 40k on my lifted Sienna with no issues related to the lift except a loss of about 1mpg. Still drives like a minivan. But I don't worry about going up to higher-clearance trailheads. With lift + 1" larger AT tires I've got 10" of clearance.

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I had this lift added to a 14 Sienna and it’s awesome, however…

There’s an obvious shimmy after accelerating from a dead stop. Goes away after you hit 15 mph or so but it’s consistent. Brought it up w the installer who said “that’s normal”.

It doesn’t seem normal. I’m anticipating knowing the answer but will ask anyway, have you experienced this by chance?

It's not normal to the factory rig, but that lift increas the angles in cv joints which can easily cause vibrations, but is not necessarily a problem or fixable thing, just a nuisance.
There's a reason they aren't offered like that as an option from the factory.
Increased angles can vibrate and definitely shorten the life of drive lines.

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Originally Posted by heckacali

It's not normal to the factory rig, but that lift increas the angles in cv joints which can easily cause vibrations, but is not necessarily a problem or fixable thing, just a nuisance.
There's a reason they aren't offered like that as an option from the factory.
Increased angles can vibrate and definitely shorten the life of drive lines.

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Appreciate that. Was looking for a reason to be oK with it that made sense and you delivered

Nice one for sale on bat...
500hp AWD minivan...
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...s-benz-r63-39/

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Originally Posted by J. Barron DeJong

Wish this was my minivan:

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a4...-auction-pick/

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Originally Posted by basinbeater

Nice one for sale on bat...
500hp AWD minivan...
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...s-benz-r63-39/

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If only that had sliding doors then it would be the ultimate mini van.

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Originally Posted by basinbeater

Nice one for sale on bat...
500hp AWD minivan...
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...s-benz-r63-39/

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I really like the R-class. It was way ahead of its time since they all look like that now.

R500 has the sweet N/A V8. If my wagon bites it I’d consider one.

Gonna be in the market for a new car soonish. Only have 1 little person, but a minivan has piqued my interest due to the added space. Does it make sense to go with an AWD minivan, a small lift and slightly larger aggressive tires? Or should we just go typical midsize SUV? Any good mountain minivans out there right now (not looking for a dirtbag sienna setup)?

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Originally Posted by californiagrown

Gonna be in the market for a new car soonish. Only have 1 little person, but a minivan has piqued my interest due to the added space. Does it make sense to go with an AWD minivan, a small lift and slightly larger aggressive tires? Or should we just go typical midsize SUV? Any good mountain minivans out there right now (not looking for a dirtbag sienna setup)?

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Might I suggest the fabulous Volvo V60 or V90 CC for your needs? Solid choice for family mountain duty w/ skis, kids, and dogs in tow. We ended up hating SUVs for kid duty due to the rear door shape where little ones will whack their foreheads on the pointy part, and harder for them to climb into. Plus suckier load heights. These are things that minivans and wagons are far superior at.

If minivan, the Sienna might be your only choice for AWD. Super reliable and room galore. If wagon, your options open up signicantly, ie Subarus, Volvos, and the fabulous new Mercedes E450 4Matic "All-Terrain." That Merc is now high on my radar for a future replacement for our aging XC70. ...someday. lol

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Originally Posted by californiagrown

Gonna be in the market for a new car soonish. Only have 1 little person, but a minivan has piqued my interest due to the added space. Does it make sense to go with an AWD minivan, a small lift and slightly larger aggressive tires? Or should we just go typical midsize SUV? Any good mountain minivans out there right now (not looking for a dirtbag sienna setup)?

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For me personally, the only reason I’d choose a mid-size SUV over a van is if I needed the additional towing capacity. Our Sienna can tow 3500 lbs, but a lot of SUVs can tow 5000.

Ground clearance is also an issue with the van, but the lift kit solves that.

I assume Sienna is the only minivan option that is available with AWD, and that there is a lift kit for?

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Originally Posted by californiagrown

Gonna be in the market for a new car soonish. Only have 1 little person, but a minivan has piqued my interest due to the added space. Does it make sense to go with an AWD minivan, a small lift and slightly larger aggressive tires? Or should we just go typical midsize SUV? Any good mountain minivans out there right now (not looking for a dirtbag sienna setup)?

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Are you planning on having another kid? Really any CUV, wagon or sedan will work with 1 kid but becomes difficult with 2 or more. I think good snows or all seasons with snow symbol are more important than a lift.
Sienna is probably the best mountain one with AWD and 6.5 inches of ground clearance. As others have pointed out, no point going 3 row or midsize unless you're towing a bunch

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Originally Posted by J. Barron DeJong

For me personally, the only reason I’d choose a mid-size SUV over a van is if I needed the additional towing capacity. Our Sienna can tow 3500 lbs, but a lot of SUVs can tow 5000.

Ground clearance is also an issue with the van, but the lift kit solves that.

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Towing and ground clearance vs. interior space and head/legroom. I need head/legroom every single day no matter what I'm doing, and if I have adults riding with, the 2nd row in a minivan is more comfortable than any SUV. With a name of CAgrown, I'm assuming you never left CA. Which likely means you don't live in the snow, you only visit it. And that means any time you need more clearance to drive through snow than a minivan can handle, Caltrans has alreadly closed all the roads. So you don't need the SUV unless you're dragging a trailer around on the regular.

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Originally Posted by schuss

Are you planning on having another kid? Really any CUV, wagon or sedan will work with 1 kid but becomes difficult with 2 or more. I think good snows or all seasons with snow symbol are more important than a lift.
Sienna is probably the best mountain one with AWD and 6.5 inches of ground clearance. As others have pointed out, no point going 3 row or midsize unless you're towing a bunch

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For winter driving, definitely having proper winter tires is going to be a bigger benefit than a lift.

The reason I’d want a lift is for towing our pop-up trailer. The hitch is really low so it’s easy to drag, and having more ground clearance would help getting into certain campgrounds.

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Originally Posted by hatchgreenchile

Are these unlifted vans busting driveshafts, or ripping out brake lines, every time they meet a dirt road? It's a funny image.
When we upgraded our truckster, we decided on the MDX and can't say a bad thing about it.

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No, and normal dirt roads are fine, but for a lot of the areas we camp the roads through the campground itself are in less than perfect shape and scraping of the hitch does occur, and we’ve also avoided certain sites due to access.