riNR AWD Chev Combi-Van

riNR

Observer
View attachment 387470


Ditto on the Aluminess tire carrier - zero problem to open and close it- even if you had to do it lots times every day. No rattles either - very good quality product. I have 275/70/17's so it's a decent size/weight- tire carrier handles it no problem.

Did the 275/70/17s rub at all. I have about 2.5" of lift and looking at buying tires this week to put on factory 17" rims.
 

Weldtec Designs

Supporting Sponsor
I just bought a 3500 with a Quigley 4 wheel drive and 3" lift. It has the stock 245/75-16 and I was hoping to go to a 265/70-17. There shouldn't be any clearance issues should there? The stock rims have +28 offset and the rims I'm looking at are +10.


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You should be able to fit a 265 tire or even a 285 tire on that van with the 3" lift form Quigley.
 

riNR

Observer
I finally finished up in the back of the van and got it painted in a light grey colour. I installed the back fold down crew cab seat of the rear of a Dodge Ram 1500 extra cab. I finished installing all the light switches up front, and the new 32" light bar on the roof rack works awesome! I installed some E-track system for keeping things tied down in transport and to hang my windsurfing racks off of. Picked up some Sierra rims tonight for $550 too.
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macexpress

Observer
What kind of plywood did you use for building the boxes along the sides in the back? I like how to turned out, the painted look looks good!
 

riNR

Observer
What kind of plywood did you use for building the boxes along the sides in the back? I like how to turned out, the painted look looks good!

Because my van is used primarily for my contracting business I used standard construction grade spruce plywood. I used 5/8" on the floor, 3/8" on the walls, and mostly 1/2" to build the crew cab pod. Matching the curve of the inside of the van is a giant pain to scribe and fit everything. I had to fight my urge to go overboard because I know it's only going to get beat up with moving around tools and materials. My wife thinks I'm nuts as it is, but I like taking care of my things and hate owning broken, disorganized, dirty crap. It's my German upbringing I guess.
 

riNR

Observer
Got some new tires mounted on the Sierra rims today. I ended up going with the 265/70/17 E rated BFG K02 tires because I didn't want to screw around with rubbing issues.

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dleeallen

Adventurer
Wheels look great! Sounds like a good deal. Are you happy with the KO2s in the snow?


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riNR

Observer
Wheels look great! Sounds like a good deal. Are you happy with the KO2s in the snow?

This would be the fourth set of K02s I've had. I went through three sets on my old 3/4 ton van, and they are great in the snow and mud. I originally went to the KO2 tires because I tow a 12 foot trailer and it's not fun in the snow. The tires are actually really quiet on the highway considering the tread. A lot quieter than the tires I ran on my dune buggy, but then that was an open frame with the tires 5 feet from my head.

My old toy:

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chilliwak

Expedition Leader
Rinr 2 questions for you. Why did you close off the drivers area form the cargo area? I would guess it is because you want to keep your tools safe from thieves. Also, does your van have doors on both sides, and what is the average price for a van like yours in Canada? Cheers, Chilli..:)
 

riNR

Observer
Rinr 2 questions for you. Why did you close off the drivers area form the cargo area? I would guess it is because you want to keep your tools safe from thieves. Also, does your van have doors on both sides, and what is the average price for a van like yours in Canada? Cheers, Chilli..:)

I closed off the driver's area from the cargo area for a bunch of reasons. When I bought my old extended van I had young children, and had to have the ability to drive them around, so I came up with fitting my van to be a crew cab seat belts etc. Buying a pick-up truck was not an option. They are nice to drive around in bu,t the tiny boxes in pick-up trucks are totally useless in my opinion. I also need the ability to transport thousands of dollars of tools, windsurfing and biking equipment, materials safe, secure, and out of the elements. The division also keeps all the construction related dust and dirt out of the cab, plus it keeps the heat and AC in the cab area too. It keeps all the noise of everything in the rear to the rear. I also wrote off and Ford van, and it was a miracle that all my tools never killed me, so this keeps me safe too. I guess with my old van I fell in love with the divider so much that I couldn't imagine not having it again. My friend and I chase wind and waves all over Ontario and take trips down to the Outer Banks, NC too. We likely have $40 - $50K worth of gear in my van when we do, so security is key. I would likely lose or alter the division if my van was a full time camping / fun mobile only, but until I retire.....
I paid $12,800 (Canadian dollars) + tax for my van which is 2010 - 170K km (104K miles). I looked for a long time to find the AWD that I wanted and that wasn't rusted out or priced ridiculously. I liked the doors on both sides option for windsurfing, because it provides better access and so my buddy is not in my way all the time when we go windsurfing. I plan on making some sort of awning / change area on both side doors for when we get in and out of our wetsuits. I'm hoping to go to a MB 4X4 Sprinter in couple years when there is more 4X4 vans available on the "used" market. I refuse to pay for a brand new van to drive it off the lot and lose thousands of dollar in depreciation. A friend of mine, who lives in Burnaby BC just had his windsurfing vehicle die, and he started looking into an AWD van out there. I was amazed at what people were asking for them. I know they are in better shape rust wise, but the prices seemed at least 15 -25% higher than a comparable van here.
 

riNR

Observer
I just took my van for a little off road run around my old dune buggy test track in town. I'm hardly driving it like a I stole it, like I did with the buggy, but I'm amazed at it's ability to climb loose washed out hills, and off camber inclines. This thing will just chug it's way along really nicely. It's pretty cool the way the stabilitrak works when the tires come off the ground when its teetering between corners. So glad I bought this thing. I can't wait to roll it onto the beach in the Outer Banks and not have to lug all my gear over the dunes to get to those sweet ocean waves.
 

riNR

Observer
Does anyone know how the tire pressure monitoring system works on a 2010 AWD van? I took the OEM rims and tires off and put on rims from a Sierra pick up and new tires. Now the system is giving me trouble lights. I tried setting according to the owner's manual, but no luck. I went to the tire place and the owner told me to check my old rims if they had the aluminum valve stems that would be attached to the sensor inside. I checked my old OEM rims and they have rubber valve stems. Can anyone shed some light on this? I don't want to drive around with the trouble light on and the error message that shows on the dashboard.
 

macexpress

Observer
If the rims you put on had tpms sensors in them you'll have to have a tire shop learn them to the van. If not you'll have to take the old ones out of your old rims, put new valve stems in your new rims and put the sensors on and have them relearned to their new locations.

Tpms valve stems aren't all aluminum, when I put my silverado wheels on I put rubber valve stems in with the tpms sensors.
 

riNR

Observer
So does anyone else hate the split rear view mirrors as much as I do? I hated them so much I went to the wreckers today and picked up the single mirror and stuck two small convex mirrors on them. I found the split mirrors made it impossible to back up my trailer, and the passenger side mirror always made it look like that everyone was tailgating me, or that I was going to change lanes right on top of them. Glad those are gone!
 

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