Tell me about your minivan

[riser4]

[gravitylover]

Top left is a menu for bears. Bottom right is incongruous with top left. Dad is a little weird.

[4matic]

We been driving minivans the last few months. Not seriously looking. Still prefer a wagon. I haven’t driven the latest hybrid Sienna. I think I like Sienna a little better than odyssey because of ride quality. We drove a 2011 limited today on an independent lot. It had an obvious oil leak so that’s probably why it was not on a dealer lot. I’ve been reading that oil leaks are pretty common on the gen 3 V6.

[riser4]

We been driving minivans the last few months. Not seriously looking. Still prefer a wagon. I haven’t driven the latest hybrid Sienna. I think I like Sienna a little better than odyssey because of ride quality. We drove a 2011 limited today on an independent lot. It had an obvious oil leak so that’s probably why it was not on a dealer lot. I’ve been reading that oil leaks are pretty common on the gen 3 V6.

What source of the oil leak does your reading point out? The oil cooler hose and attachment? My Sienna is a 2011 LE.

[4matic]

What source of the oil leak does your reading point out? The oil cooler hose and attachment? My Sienna is a 2011 LE.

That’s the most common I guess and a relatively easy fix. Control arms are the other. We drove a 2011 AWD that had a noticeable vibration. The FWD one was dead calm. 2011 Limited w/100k was asking $16k and figured $1.5k to make it 100% plus tax and license approaching $20k. I wouldn’t buy one without HID headlamps. Car market rapidly cooling so no hurry.

The engine bay was absolutely spotless and looked new so maybe it was fixed or lipstick on a pig.

I’d prefer one with adaptive cruise and heated steering wheel too.

[singlesline]

I got a set of the Nokian Outpost APT last year expecting 50k+ out of them. I'm pretty good about rotating every 10k and when I went to do that a few weeks ago at 30k the rears were under 40% and look like they'll truly suck if it snows. I looked closely at the fronts yesterday and they're all split and cracked, they look like they're 10 years old and lived a hard life, they're still over 60% but the traction has been horrible for the last few weeks. Production date is June 2022 so it doesn't make much sense. I'm bummed because after looking at the details of the 60k treadwear warranty I can't meet it so I'm SOL. I've had such good luck with Nokians in the past that I want to go back with it even though this happened and get a set of the new, made in America, WR G5 in the 106 XL because that should be more than sufficient for a minivan in the mid 4k weight range. All I can figure is this last model made in Russia just didn't have the same QC that they always had before. Thoughts?

That's a bummer to hear as I've been considering the same for the wife's car. Hopefully it is a QC thing and presumably none of the ones being sold today are made in Russia...

What was the issue with the warranty? No proof of rotation? Or just that you're not actually willing to run them down to minimum (since months of driving in snow with shit traction isn't worth a discount on new tires).

[gravitylover]

That's a bummer to hear as I've been considering the same for the wife's car. Hopefully it is a QC thing and presumably none of the ones being sold today are made in Russia...

What was the issue with the warranty? No proof of rotation? Or just that you're not actually willing to run them down to minimum (since months of driving in snow with shit traction isn't worth a discount on new tires).

I've read a few reviews that are similar and on one of the car forums a tire guy was saying that as that factory was running out of time they ran low on some additives and whole batches of tires were run that aren't up to snuff. Most of them didn't come here to the US so you probably won't hear much about it and anything for sale here now was probably made here or Finland. I'm probably going to go with Nokian again but don't really need some of what the APT offers so I'll get the WR G5. It should be way quieter on the highway, get better mpg and be nearly as good in shit weather. I loved the WR G4 I had a few years ago and these look nearly the same but are made here in the US.

I rotate every 10k, usually do it myself, they require proof of it being done at a shop every 5k. I have a shop willing to fudge it but no, I'm not willing to bring them down to the minimum when they're already marginal traction and it's (finally) going to snow next weekend.

[fatnslow]

I got a set of the Nokian Outpost APT last year expecting 50k+ out of them. I'm pretty good about rotating every 10k and when I went to do that a few weeks ago at 30k the rears were under 40% and look like they'll truly suck if it snows. I looked closely at the fronts yesterday and they're all split and cracked, they look like they're 10 years old and lived a hard life, they're still over 60% but the traction has been horrible for the last few weeks. Production date is June 2022 so it doesn't make much sense. I'm bummed because after looking at the details of the 60k treadwear warranty I can't meet it so I'm SOL. I've had such good luck with Nokians in the past that I want to go back with it even though this happened and get a set of the new, made in America, WR G5 in the 106 XL because that should be more than sufficient for a minivan in the mid 4k weight range. All I can figure is this last model made in Russia just didn't have the same QC that they always had before. Thoughts?

Where did you buy them ? IF it's a decent tire shop they might work with you after looking at them as long as they're not worn funny from failing suspension parts.

[Brownski]

Just got back from a little beach vacation and no real complaints



I will say that I should have waited for a van with the factory tow hitch (the U-Haul hitch is pretty low) and that the factory rack is mounted too far back. Neither are big surprises. I still might invest in a suspension upgrade if I find some extra money before I run the miles up too high.

[Touring_Sedan]

Just got back from a little beach vacation and no real complaints



I will say that I should have waited for a van with the factory tow hitch (the U-Haul hitch is pretty low) and that the factory rack is mounted too far back. Neither are big surprises. I still might invest in a suspension upgrade if I find some extra money before I run the miles up too high.

Those expansion joints must have been gnarly.

[skaredshtles]

Just got back from a little beach vacation and no real complaints



I will say that I should have waited for a van with the factory tow hitch (the U-Haul hitch is pretty low) and that the factory rack is mounted too far back. Neither are big surprises. I still might invest in a suspension upgrade if I find some extra money before I run the miles up too high.

That van is *well* loaded! [emoji16]

[riser4]

Just got back from a little beach vacation and no real complaints



I will say that I should have waited for a van with the factory tow hitch (the U-Haul hitch is pretty low) and that the factory rack is mounted too far back. Neither are big surprises. I still might invest in a suspension upgrade if I find some extra money before I run the miles up too high.

Previous two gens, at least, of Sienna were well known for low aftermarket hitch mounts.

[Brownski]

Honestly, it rode pretty smooth. I was expecting worse than what I got

[lowsparkco]

I just put a hitch on a Metris mini-van. After a little research it seemed to be the consensus that all the common aftermarket hitches give up significant ground clearance.

Underneath the back of the van, the OEM hitch threads around the spare tire, bolts into existing holes in the frame rails, and requires the rear bumper to be removed and cut for it the hitch to seat properly.

Hitch was around 3 times the price of normal aftermarket, but when you get under there and see the clearance and difference in height makes sense that it's ncessary.

All of the hitch frame ends up above the spare, so ground clearance goes unchanged.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[heckacali]

Gotos thread is ^^ that way

[riser4]

Gotos thread is ^^ that way

Feel free to head over there. We're discussing mini vans.

[toast2266]

Anyone done any sort of rear suspension upgrades on a gen 4 (hybrid) sienna? Options seem very limited. Ours definitely rides low in the back when loaded up. I'd like airbags in there, but I'm not finding any that fit the newer siennas. Debating just putting some stiffer springs in there.

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

[bagtagley]

Anyone done any sort of rear suspension upgrades on a gen 4 (hybrid) sienna? Options seem very limited. Ours definitely rides low in the back when loaded up. I'd like airbags in there, but I'm not finding any that fit the newer siennas. Debating just putting some stiffer springs in there.

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

What about some helper bags or springs? I’ve seen SumoSpring, AirLift, and Firestone mentioned before. Timbren maybe? The Sienna forums will have better details on the best brand and setup.

[gravitylover]

I put the Firestone bags in my Caravan. They definitely do the job but they make things a little bouncy with a light or no load. You can't let the air down too low or things start moving and break so you can't totally eliminate the bounce.

[Brownski]

What about some helper bags or springs? I’ve seen SumoSpring, AirLift, and Firestone mentioned before. Timbren maybe? The Sienna forums will have better details on the best brand and setup.

I guess I need to research more. I looked and super springs doesn’t list anything for the latest generation Sienna. If anybody knows of something, I’d love to hear about it. I’m more interested in stiffening and increasing load than I am in a higher stance

[detrusor]

Firestone’s chief n our gen 2 sienna. Worked great for towing or bikes.

[gravitylover]

I’m more interested in stiffening and increasing load than I am in a higher stance

That would be my approach if I did it again. Maybe 20% stiffer. The other option is load sensing shocks like the Nivomats from Sachs. They're not cheap though. I don't know if there's something similar for Siennas.

[MyNameIsAugustWest]

Tell me more about Sienna Hybrids...my wife bought a Honda Ridgeline a few years ago and it's the one with the 6-speed transmission. It's now less than 10K miles from the expected implosion mileage for that tranny. Looking to trade it in on a more practical car. Liking the Sienna a lot.

BTW, I just got banned on the Ridgeline Owners forum for calling them a bunch of deluded phanbois for ignoring the obvious problems with their beloved Not A Real Truck.
Variable Cylinder Management that doesn't react fast enough in hilly terrain
A transmission that blows up 10K miles after the warranty runs out
Driver assist nannies that try to kill you
Poor QC where Honda left out a bunch of drain plugs so the cabin fills up with water shorting out all the electronics
No locking tailgate
The most worthless backup camera on the planet
Rear doors that don't open wide enough for even a medium sized Lab to jump in without banging the frame

Ignore the above, anybody want to buy a low mileage (under 50K on a 2019) Honda pickup?

[plugboots]

^^^ this is really funny. The fanboy forums are pretty wild. I’ve had three BMWs and when I first was considering one, I was on Bimmerfest and e91, and just criticizing obvious design choices would spark all kinds of reprimanding.
Also… we still miss our minivan, they’re so practical.

[m2711c]

Tell me more about Sienna Hybrids...my wife bought a Honda Ridgeline a few years ago and it's the one with the 6-speed transmission. It's now less than 10K miles from the expected implosion mileage for that tranny. Looking to trade it in on a more practical car. Liking the Sienna a lot.

BTW, I just got banned on the Ridgeline Owners forum for calling them a bunch of deluded phanbois for ignoring the obvious problems with their beloved Not A Real Truck.
Variable Cylinder Management that doesn't react fast enough in hilly terrain
A transmission that blows up 10K miles after the warranty runs out
Driver assist nannies that try to kill you
Poor QC where Honda left out a bunch of drain plugs so the cabin fills up with water shorting out all the electronics
No locking tailgate
The most worthless backup camera on the planet
Rear doors that don't open wide enough for even a medium sized Lab to jump in without banging the frame

Ignore the above, anybody want to buy a low mileage (under 50K on a 2019) Honda pickup?

carmax will buy that shit...