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  1. #1
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    30" tires and power, Aerostar springs

    I remember reading over on TVP that folks fitted 30" tires with some fender mods.

    I'm curious how much power was lost?
    What was the RPM change?

    I'm currently on 27"s that need to be replaced soon. Debating getting 15" rims for more size options.

    thoughts from the experienced?

    Thanks!

  2. #2
    Van Enthusiast gushaman's Avatar
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    Re: 30" tires and power

    I just got 5 tracker 15s. Trying to decide on tires. Did you upgrade your rims or just replace tires. If so what size. Also what brand and model. I am lookong at ta ko, some kumhos, some grabbers...... i prefer a very stiff sidewall. Amd sonce i got the 15s there are more size options, such as

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    Re: 30" tires and power

    I got tracker rims.
    About 10,000 miles now. No cracks.
    I wanted to get general grabbers again but they we're not available in 30". I was crushed. They grabbed every thing.

    I got talked into a version of good year wranglers. 225-75-15s. It took some fender well hammering and welding to fit them. Mostly the foot well needs to be moved forward with out affecting the door seal.
    I get a little rubbing occasionally on a bump.
    They are not noisy. They have not seen a lot of dirt or snow time yet.
    Side wall is much stiffer than the grabbers. The front is the van is heavy. With the wranglers there is almost no bulge. I think they are 6 ply.

    Torque is down a little but on the hwy I think all the rotating mass is like a bigger fly wheel. Once everything is spinning on the hwy power it's normal.

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    Re: 30" tires and power

    Any pics?

  5. #5
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    Re: 30" tires and power

    Starting in the rear: No sheet metal work. But i am running Ford Aerostar van springs and Tacoma Bisten HD shocks.
    Approx 2" lift.

    IMG_20150106_164510_226.jpg

    View of the Front. No mud flaps. Light pounding on the rear heater guard.
    IMG_20150106_164449_057.jpg

    Behind the front tire.
    IMG_20150106_164557_351.jpg

    Infront of the tire. From the Tires perspective. This is the tricky part. Pay attention to the area that makes the door seal. If you get crazy with the hammer you will push the metal out so the door does not close with out slamming it.

    The metal in this contains a lot of crimped and sandwiched sheet metal. When I started beating on the sheet metal separates. Which is OK. If an area i wanted to move was not moving I cut it with the grinder. If an area was moving that I did not want to: I tacked it with the welder. ( LIKE THE DOOR SEAL area) The sandwiched metal works out quite well because you can fold it over the open gaps that are created.

    This probably makes no sense but hopefully it will help someone once they start the process.

    IMG_20150106_164548_805.jpg


    Another view of in front of the tire. I trimmed about 3/8 of material off the fender because it pushed out and affected the door closing.

    IMG_20150106_164613_807.jpg

    Finally I notched the door about 1/2 inch.

    IMG_20150106_164624_263.jpg

    I painted it white and took it for a spin. Missing paint told me where the rubbing is.

    To finish i welded caulked and painted.

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    Re: 30" tires and power

    Wonderful, Thanks! Bilstein HD's are certainly the way to go, they are stiff so they work well with softer springs, and they just get better as time goes on! (They might ride a little tight for 6-7000 miles, and then they hit the sweet spot.) Do you have any problems with the slider door?

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    Re: 30" tires and power

    Coronan,

    I'm trying to get that 2" in the rear. Do the Aerostar springs fit in with no mods and give 2" lift or do you still need to use the mr. gasket spacers. Any idea what year springs will work or what year yours are? And are the Bilstein shocks you used part #48530-A9680 ? Thanks

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    How to install Aerostar (aftermarket) springs?

    Thinking through my van lift. Interested in using the Aerostar springs.
    Can anyone tell me how much I need to trim the springs? Or any info on the installation process?

    thanks!

  9. #9
    Van Enthusiast LightBlueToy's Avatar
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    Re: How to install Aerostar (aftermarket) springs?

    I am also curious if people are able to use the van spring insulators with the Aerostar springs. I am trying to decide between getting Moog CC845 and cutting them or getting the daystar spring boosters

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    Re: How to install Aerostar (aftermarket) springs?

    i have the moog aerostar springs and cut the top 2 coils IIRC. I would do one and see if its still to long then cut one more coil just to be safe. i borrowed my neighbors angle grinder and he actually cut one a hair too short but we were fortunately able to make it work. Im not using any spring insulators since paper thin OEM ones were toast so its metal to metal which isn't ideal but it hasn't presented any problems since i did it about 6 months ago. Highly recommend this mod over spacers as you get the greater travel and its not really any harder all you need is an angle grinder or something to cut the spring with. the lift height is perfect for my 215/75/15 tires (sidekick wheels) and the tacoma bilstein shocks. nice ride too.

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    Re: How to install Aerostar (aftermarket) springs?

    fitting 30" tires will require significant modification to the suspension, as well as cutting up the floor pan and door/frame. i just met a new user on here, VanCo, last night and he showed me his rig which had 30" hankook dynapro tires. it was amazing.you could ask him about it if you're interested. however, the work he put into getting the lift and room for those tires was....well....lets just say significant. i think 215/75/15 with the longer springs and cranked torsions up front is a pretty good setup but i may be biased

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    Van Enthusiast LightBlueToy's Avatar
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    Re: How to install Aerostar (aftermarket) springs?

    Oh yeah definitely, im only trying to fit 205/75/15's, mmmayybe 215. I was just referencing the title of that thread where coronan talks about the aerostar springs.

    Can't wait for vanco to release some more knowledge nuggets on modding the vans.

  13. #13
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    Fitting 30 x 9.50 15's on the Van

    I have run 28 to 30 inch tires for 12 years on my Van. About a year ago I got tired (pun haha) of the front rubbing so I made my final modification, cut the hell out of the door and floor pan, to make my Hankook Dynapro Mt's fit. When I made the modification I went big. I can probably fit 33's in the front now. Only problem is the 30's bottom out on the door now. If I went with a bigger tire I would need more suspension lift.

    For the lift, I cut the spring perch off the rear and fabricated some 3 inch blocks to raise the perch. This way I was able to maintain the factory ride in the rear. For years I ran 27 inch skyjacker shocks. They would allow the axle to drop to the point the spring would just start to get loose. Recently I just replaced the skyjackers with some fox shocks my brother gave me. I lost about an inch of drop, but now the spring doesn't get loose on the perch. Plus, the fox shocks ride so much better.

    In the front I cranked the torsions to match the rear. At first I hated the ride. There was no downward travel and every pothole felt like it would pop the dash into my lap. To fix this I cut the downward bump stop off and relocated it about two inches lower. I then bought a big poly bump stop for a jeep axle and replaced the factory tiny rubber one. I cut the poly bump stop to give about a quarter inch before the CV would bind on full drop out. To allow for the added need for shock travel I cut the top of the shock tower off and raised it a few inches using 2x4x1/4 steel. I now run a longer skyjacker shock.

    For the front I did remove the rear AC stuff to cut the wheel well behind the tire on the passenger side. If you have the airbox in on the driver's side 30's will rub it. With the turbo I was able to relocate the air box. Basically, there is a lot of sheet metal cutting, but it can be done and look good.

    Oh, for the rear sway bar I did have to fabricate extended links, but the sway bar broke in half in death valley 7 years ago and I have run without one since then. I have a replacement, but the difference it makes without one is negligible. I did also make a 3 inch extension bracket for the brake proportioning valve. I just barely did that, so I drove 12 years with a 3 inch lift without it. There is a noticeable difference in braking, with vs without the extension bracket.

    I have been running the lift like this the entire 12 years I have owned this van. It has been great, with no excessive wear due to the lift itself. Any wear has been due to my driving habits.

    small fox perch.jpg

    small front door.jpg

    small frame.jpg

    small inside door.jpg

    small bump.jpg

    small shock top.jpg

    small bump stop.jpg

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    Re: Fitting 30x9.50 15's on the Van

    I have seen this van in person and its every bit as amazing as it sounds. the level of effort and attention to detail is astounding. He should get an award for this - oh wait - he did!
    Space Cruisers - Cruising Across The Galaxy

  15. #15
    Van Enthusiast VanCo's Avatar
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    Re: Fitting 30x9.50 15's on the Van

    Hey thanks man!

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    Aerostar springs swapped rear end still sagging?

    I installed mr gasket spacers about 18 months ago. Van looked great! until recently. The rear end recently started sagging and rear tires are pretty much inside the wheel well :( I have added 300- 400 lbs of cargo to the van. Which I've been carrying for the past month.

    Today I pulled some Aerostar springs from the junkyard. They were considerably longer than the original yota coils. I cut off just enough of the spring top and bottom for them to fit the Toyota 'mounts'.

    After the installation was finished the vans rear lift was identical. Saggy :(

    Could it be my original springs 'went bad' and I installed a set of bad springs from the junk yard?

    Or am I missing something?

    Also my van was rear ended badly 18 months ago😞. The body damage on the rear passenger side seems to be getting worse with time. Could this play a part in the rear sag?

    Thanks! Look forward to getting her sitting level again. I still have another 150lbs of cargo I need to add

    Also how do insert pictures with my message?

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    Re: 30" tires and power, Aerostar springs

    Trying this in this older thread:

    So I've seen several people that have used the Aerostar springs, and invariably they say they cut 2-3 coils off (gradually)


    I seem to recall also people saying the small end bits were the first to go. Makes sense if needed to fit!


    My question is this for those that had used the Aerostar springs: The Aerostar coils are Dual rate springs, meaning they have a soft section for a nice ride and a stiffer section for heavy loads . Are you cutting the well spaced (I believe that is the soft side) coils, or the tight coils? are you counting the tight cutoffs?


    I went with the CC841's (still waiting for the Bilstien's to get here) as those are softer (should be better off road) and 18.69 inches free height, vs the CC845's I see most using, and at 20" I won't be cutting as much off.


    I didn't see the need for the 616# Load rating when I'm going to be empty or lightly loaded most of the time even when camping. If I go for a week, or with more people I tow a trailer (so finding or adapting a receiver hitch is high on my list), and that takes the bulk of the weight, so the 482# load rating should be fine for my use.

  18. #18
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    Aerostar Lift on an 87 4WD

    So last weekend I finally got enough dry weather to do the lift on the new to me Project van. This allowed me to do the taller 215/75R15;s on some Samurai rims.

    This is My take on the Aerostar lift, but I did NOT use the commonly used CC845's. I used the CC841's instead (new from Moog)

    Why? lets look at the specs:


    CHART.JPG

    The 41's are 18 " tall the 45's are 20 - Everyone cuts about 3 coils off - I'm not sure which end, and that matters as these are dual rate springs. If installed with the tight coils up as per the directions for an Aerostar, its the tight coils as that goes up and the coil needs to be fully open without a pigtail The bottom needs part of the pigtaii left.

    I only cut the partial Pig tail on the bottom, then the full pig tail and one more coil off the top.

    The full load rates are 482 for the 41;s and 616, for the 45's
    The Spring rate "per inch" is 101 for both BUT these are dual rate... so either the extra 2" in height adds the 128 lbs, or the spring get stronger as they compress, BUT if 3 coils are chopped by others, then they must be close to my finished height?

    In any case, softer springs are better for articulation, so I went with the 41's and only took 1 full coil off (not sure if others count the pigtail...)

    This is what I needed left for the bottom Pig tail for best fit in the bottom:

    Target.jpg

    And what was left after the cutting:

    Remnanta.jpg

    Other than that it was a pretty conventional remove and replace. I took the shocks off and that made more space for getting the springs out, then back in, and I did not need spring compressors to remove, but did for installation (taller spring, Someone mentioned you could disconnect a link and get more drop and do without the compressors, but I elected not to)

    I reused the stock spring pads, one probably needed replaced but it's in now. I'll keep an eye on it and replace if needed. If I do I may look at a smaller upper "cup" as the Aerostar springs ARE also a bit smaller in diameter.

    This was eyeballing the new tires after the lift. It did come up about 2" or so. I could probably have lived with leaving that one full coil in other than needing more compression to install (or dropping the link as mentioned)

    Planned tires.jpg

    And how it sits after the lift with the old "rollerskate" wheels, but Aerostar springs and Toyota/Bilstiens from a Tacoma:

    Adter.jpg

    About 4 hours all told for this part of the job.



    The following Sunday I did the tires:

    Tire day was a LONG day; I had to remove a wheel from the Donor sami, dismount the tire (all the old tires went to a neighbor that converted then to raised planters), Prep and paint the rim, replace with the "roller skate" wheels, and do the next...


    So some time spent "watching paint dry" -Not really, lots of other things needed done...


    On the front I had to trim a corner of the door as expected, and then beat the body corner to match, as well as hammer a seam flange flat and make some space in the back. I got by with less than others have that have done this and I still haven't jacked the front torsion bars up.


    Roller skate wheels off!

    Off with the old.jpg


    All the tire dismounting and mounting was done manually.

    Tire tools.jpg


    Painting the rims:

    Pinting the Sami rims.jpg

    Ready to seat the bead:

    Ready toi seat.jpg


    As soon as my ancient Compressor comes up to pressure - Made this ages ago from parts, the little one lunger is WAY too small for this monster...


    Compressor.jpg




    The Tire Balancer I use:

    Balancer.jpg

    So I went from this:

    Tvan Profile 002.jpg


    To this - I still haven't cranked the Torsion bars, probably needs about an inch? - The PO MAY have done a little as the roller skate wheels were hitting, (and the deep dish mags prevented the side door from opening - All fixed now!:

    Almost there.jpg

    I also need to install the Gabriel shocks up front.

  19. #19
    Van Enthusiast bikerjosh's Avatar
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    Re: 30" tires and power, Aerostar springs

    Nice job. Any pics of the front door trimming and hammer massaging to the front? Still have my 15” Suzuki wheels waiting for the final color coats and need to order new tires.
    thanks
    1987 4wd 5spd Cargo van (uncut)-modding in 3,2,1

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    Re: 30" tires and power, Aerostar springs

    Getting back to this - I'm NOT happy that the mods arbitrarily moved my thread start for a nice clean "How to lift the Toy van" into this thread. (When so many other "lift" threads have been left alone)

    Josh I didn't take pics of the hammer Forming, but I need to do a little more and make some adjustments to the front suspension so its a better ride, so I'l get some then

    The purpose of this post is a cleaner way to fix the rear brake Load sensor for the lift. There is an adjustable part of it, it's simply not long enough. so I made an extension for THAT part, rather than the bracket, and it does the job just fine!

    Pic is worth a thousand words but it took a threaded coupler, and a cut off section of a suitable metric bot and it was done! I can still adjust it as needed (and I used maybe 1/4" of that to get a full 2")

    Tvan Load sensor Extension.jpg
    Last edited by outlawmws; 06-11-2019 at 05:40 PM.

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