AWD astro van

[Heloflyboy]

I found a good deal on a 1999 awd astro so I had to buy it. It needs a few things, so here are my questions for the astro guys. How big of a tire can I fit stock height? If I went with a lift what would be the best way to go? What are common problems with these vans. It has 81k miles on it and everything looks pretty solid except for needing a thermostat,drivers side window motor,shocks and tires.

Thanks

 

[digitaldelay]

Stock tire is 215/75R15.

AFAIK, 225/75R15 should fit with no mods. 235/75R15 will fit by cranking the torsion bars.

Once lifted, you can go even bigger. There are some nice examples here, as you probably know. www.astrosafari.com is also a great resource.

Congrats!

Jason

 

[Heloflyboy]

Thanks Jason I did not know about astrosafari.com I will check it out.

 

[Mwilliamshs]

Weak points? Well fuel filters are definitely gonna be part of your life for the foreseeable future. I really don't know why but Astro's go through fuel filters like Bobby Hill through fried pies. If I owned an Astro I'd find a source for a case of good (wix?) fuel filters at a discount. Other than that, they're very durable vehicles. That 4.3 just won't quit. Lifting them puts added stress and speeds wear to the front suspension and cv joints...but everybody knows that. (sounds like a geico commercial)

I'm a full-time law student, full-time hospital employee (I dress up a lot) but then, and just for the discount, a part-time Auto Parts store (think O...irish) employee and part of what I do is uniquely-sold-quantity-analysis-worksheets (u-sqaws) and the most common parts for Astros (from memory here, not using company time for this) are #1 fuel filters and #2 ball-joints then blower motor stuff I think. That's obviously without counting the standards like oil filters (which would fit any 4.3, etc), brake pads, etc. Although I do think brake pads are kinda low on the Astro list unlike some vehicles that mush CHEW through brake pads to hit the numbers I see.

Also, they are a GM product which means most parts fit lots of vehicles and most parts are very reasonable for that reason. The 4.3 is 3/4 of a Chevy V8 so all engine parts are cheap (crank seals, timing chains, etc). If my big Ford hadn't fallen in my lap as cheaply as it did an Astro was near the top of my van list primarily because of the AWD availability and the ease with which they can become real 4WDs and honestly, because a v8 is an EASY swap.

 

[mdmead]

Up to 2", most folks use the Overland Vans spacer kit which is just regular body lift blocks. Other mods associated with the 2" lift are minor. Over 2", the best way to lift the front subframe is with welded in pipe spacers. More work involved doing it his way, but you can go 3" to 5" safely. Figure on 31" to 32" tires with 4-5" of lift and a bit of trimming, and you may still see rubbing in extreme situations.

A good resource besides the site mentioned above is astrosafarivans.com.

 

[Stroverlander]

Congrats on the Astro AWD purchase! All good points mentioned so far and other than basic new used vehicle maintenance filters/fluids, consider replacing fuel pump (before it fails!) and be set for 100k or so. Have a look at the rear brake line over the fuel tank which tends to rust out over time and also the rubber brake lines considering the age. I've always felt the brakes were fairly marginal on the pre-2003 models and went through several sets of rotors/pads on my old '97. Yes, parts availability, price and even maintenance knowledge base a big plus.

If you want a 2" to 4"-5" lift in a kit, Overland Vans is a great way to go and you can also source the lift parts piecemeal to save some money - body lift spacers (Performance Accessories, Zone Off-Road), longer subframe/body bolts (Fastenal), adjustable lift shackles and torsion keys (Airbagit), add-a-leafs (Fabtech FTS202) or leaf springs (SD Truck Springs 22-687 or 22-687HD). Some sort of front bumper relocation is necessary with body lift and the Overland Vans brackets are very nice and stout, I do recommend those. Quality shocks, along with LT tires can make a tremendous difference in the ride quality as well.

One question...

Where are the photos? :sombrero:

 

[Mwilliamshs]

Strover made a big point: stiffer tires. You won't be sorry you got them. They make a big big difference. There are "xl" load range tires available in the 235/75-15. Basically a 30"x9.50".

 

[ihatemybike]

I'm currently running 235/75R15 tires on Green, no lift, no trimming, no rubbing. This can be done by getting tires that don't have aggressive edge blocks.

Also, the stock fuel pumps in these vans tend to last 100-120k miles. Always use AC Delco or Delphi pumps as the cheap aftermarket pumps have a long history of early failure, where factory units will be good for another 100-120k miles.

 

[Heloflyboy]

Thanks for the great info guys. I bought 225/75/15 tires. Tried to put 235/75/15 on but they rubbed front bumper and support bar,they also rubbed plastic trim on back of fenders. I have a set of 235/75/15 studded goodyear duratac's that I might put on after a little lift. You know it needs a lift when your wife says a 2" lift would probably look good.

The brakes do feel marginal and the front rotors and pads were just done. I will have to look into that.

I will post up some pics soon.

Cheers

 

[arlon]

Have fun with the Astro. I really like mine. I use it for everthing from daily driving to lumber hauler and off road camper. It would be hard for me to find a better bang for the buck do everything vehicle.

 

[Stroverlander]

Thanks for the great info guys. I bought 225/75/15 tires. Tried to put 235/75/15 on but they rubbed front bumper and support bar,they also rubbed plastic trim on back of fenders. I have a set of 235/75/15 studded goodyear duratac's that I might put on after a little lift. You know it needs a lift when your wife says a 2" lift would probably look good.

The brakes do feel marginal and the front rotors and pads were just done. I will have to look into that.

I will post up some pics soon.

Cheers

Pre-lift, I installed 235/70-16 tires on my van after front end rebuild and they rubbed the same as you described. Relocating and slightly tweaking the bumper supports and light trimming of the bumper cover wasn't too bad at all.

Don't forget about astrosafarivans.com as well - less traffic than A/S site but that's not necessarily a bad thing...:sombrero:

Enjoy your new ride and if in the future you do decide to do 2" lift, Prothane 7-108 or Energy Suspension 3.4116G subframe/body bushings are a nice upgrade to replace the (most likely) worn stock rubber bushings.

 

[mapper]

FYI you don't have to replace ball joints straight away. I replaced my originals at over 200k. Probably had decent life left at that point too. Have fun, Astros can definitely be fun.

 

[TrainingWheelz]

I'm on my second AWD Astro and would recommend staying away from any "P" rated tire, which is most likely any 225/75R15. The P tires don't hold up to the weight of a loaded van and the high roof line. They'll wallow all over the road and you risk flats on easy gravel roads (this comes from experience as both vans came with P tires, the first had 215s and the 2nd had 225s). I love big tires but a LT215/75R15 is a much better choice unless you can go up to a LT235. A 2" lift and LT 235s are my next step.

Welcome to the club, they're great vehicles. Spent last Friday night in mine at the Mt. Bachelor parking lot. Decent turns came Saturday morning. And my 110k mile fuel filter didn't give out but will be replaced next summer.

 

[QCAuto]

second on the LTs, my first 4x4 van was a mazda MPV 3.0 5 spd and the extra sidewall strength made it handle so much better as well as handle a load

 

[arlon]

I went to E rated tires on mine after cutting the sidewall on a new set of lesser tires. It would depend a lot to me on what kind of roads you plan to travel. I'm in West Texas and drive to Big Bend a lot. Many of the roads down there are rock. So far the E rated BFG tires have held up well (the tire I found on most of the park and border patrol vehicles down there).