Hiace Rookie Season!

@djathens | hmmm I will have to test the rear AC vs the front. I have typically just turned them both on and it is cool at its very best.

On the tires do you use-studded tires in the winter? Or would you suggest a straight-up snow tire? Good call on the knobbies. Makes sense and I would really like the additional traction.

I don't run studded tires due to the damage they cause to the roads. These days, a top-rated winter tire will perform as well or better than a studded tire and is much quieter. There's a lot of debate on this topic, but that's my take after doing some research.

So far, I've run the K02's year round. They do great on the snow, but if there are stretches of ice, they get a little squirrelly. Feels like the wind can push the van around a bit, and on ice that is not confidence inspiring. Driving slower solves this. Running a few psi lower may have helped me a little in that scenario as well.

For the AC, another tip is to hit the recirculate button once the cabin has cooled to lower than the outside temp. That way you're not sucking in warmer air and trying to cool that. And one last tip, run your AC once a month for 10-15 mins to keep the seals in your compressor and AC lines in good health, as the fluid settles and seals can begin to dry out.

I am with you on the studded tires. It seems like a lot of people locally run studs in the wintertime. I can pursue some high-end winter tires. The good news on driving slow is that it is my specialty, and the van seems to preform ideally when she is cruising.

I felt the wind the other day when I was driving west down the gorge on 14. I was impressed by how well the van did in the high winds, surprisingly. My other car gets pushed all over the place. The van had some wiggle but seemed to handle it like a champ!

Thanks for the AC tips!

That's my MO as well. The van doesn't and often can't go fast, so it just encourages you to take it easy. To refute Sammy Hagar, "I can drive 55!"

Fun fact, I did a 0-60 test the other day from a metered freeway on-ramp and I got a whopping 24 seconds!

jbouchelle10 wrote:

I was messing around with the AC yesterday, and it appears the AC button on the dash does nothing in terms of cooling airflow vs. the AC button not being turned on.

Can you elaborate on this? It sounds like pushing the AC button on the dash does nothing?

@djathens | so the AC button the dash when you press it to turn it on it turns green. But if the AC is running and I turn it on or off the AC button, it doesn't make the air any cooler whatsoever. Not sure if that is an issue with the button or something more mechanical.

In short, exactly as you said, the button does more or less nothing.

do you guys have lift to fit 235 75 15?

@Djhatzigiannis I believe you may have to do a lift to get that size of tires to fit into the front wheel wells. I bought a set of 2" lift springs for the rear, and cranked up the torsion bars in the front. I get some rubbing in the front close to full lock on the steering wheel, but I've developed muscle memory on when to stop turning the wheel

Well, I just had my first van snag. My new insurance company (State Farm) just called me and told me that after the fact that they cannot provide insurance on the van because it is a gray market vehicle that doesn't meet the emissions and safety standards of the US.

My insurance consultant suggested that I get a vehicle inspection via the DMV. I told her I was likely to pursue other insurers first and make that the last resort. Has anybody had this issue before?

The tyres were feathering and that probably caused most of the noise. They were Goodrich mud tyres. They did look impressive though. Those KO2s look great - might consider those in the future.

"do you guys have lift to fit 235 75 15?"

My van has a 3" lift - and I have 235/70 tyres
(By the way the 3" lift restricts the number of insurers that will take me on)

@jobouchelle10 My van is insured through Hagerty, who insures specialty vehicles. I had no issues getting that set up. You just declare the value of the vehicle, ended up being ~$45/mo.

DEQ/DMV processes/requirements vary by state. In Oregon, I sailed through DEQ, but had issues with getting registered at the DMV. Had to go to a different DMV office and try another agent as the first one was demanding a bill of sale, even though the people I talked to never had to furnish one for Oregon DMV. Eventually got it sorted out, but was a PITA!

@djathens | Crisis averted. I reached out to my old insurance company, and they do insure gray market vehicles, and it is around the same rate as yourself per month. I was a little bugged out at first, but all was fixed within an hour.

I was going to reach out to Hagerty next if my old insurance company was unable to ensure the van. Happy days!