2015 Chevy Quigley with Duramax - Page 5

WhitH · 02-24-2017, 11:42 AM

The rack is a Yakima Load Warrior with extension on 4 Yakima cross bars with rain gutter towers. Ive got a Packasport narrow box next the Load Warrior on the back and solar panels from Goal Zero on the front two bars. Packasport makes in my opinion the best box out there by the way. Significantly better than the Yakima one I used to have and made right here in Eugene!

Texoma, I've been in touch with Weldtec about their upcoming 3" lift but I'd love to hear a bit more about the Agile Rip if you just installed one. I did it on my Ford and loved it.

TexomaPowerboater · 02-24-2017, 12:11 PM

Thanks for responding WhitH.

My RIP package came with fox shocks and an add an leaf and spring helper for the rear. My van is an explorer conversion 3/4 ton van with no real camping/rv type accessories other than typical middle captain seats on quick release mounts and DVD/stereo, but I'm working on that. I explained to agile offroad that it's my road trip vehicle so mostly highway with 5 people and lots of gear. I also tow a boat. The original setup was a 1/2 inch lower in the rear compared to front when unloaded, probably much worse with boat in tow. I told them I wanted a little lift to the rear thus the add a leaf. I also told them I add around 1,000-1,300 lbs to the van on road trips.

I haven't had it loaded yet and only around 60 miles on new RIP package. At slower speeds (less than 25mph) unloaded its a bit too bouncy, but that should stop once it's loaded per Agile. At other speeds it rides great. The ride has been completely change, but then again the van has 150,000 miles on it and what looked to be original shocks. It feels much more firmly planted. The steering is much stiffer and the steering more forgiving. At highway speeds the down force of the shocks is much more significant. When I hit a dip in the road the van stays put and tracks vs the more lateral movement I had on worn out shocks. The ride used to feel like a 2wd truck and now feels like a bus, but in a good way. Not a top heavy feel, but feels like it gained 2,000lbs the way it rides so much more firmly planted. Not sure if that makes any sense. Cost me around $1,300 shipped and another $500 in labor to get it done. I'm happy with how high it sits, but still have room to adjust torsion bars and may go with some shorter polyurethane bump stops to allow for more movement. I'll post some picks when I get home.

rallypanam · 02-24-2017, 12:31 PM

In case y'all didn't know.. Weldtec uses Agile spec'ed Fox shocks.. so if you're getting Weldtec lift, you're getting part of Agile RIP kit.

WhitH · 02-24-2017, 12:41 PM

Robb, I did suspect that but thanks for confirming.

Texoma, thank you for the write up and feedback. Let me know if you decide to do anything with the torsion bars upfront and what the impact is.

TexomaPowerboater · 02-28-2017, 11:46 AM

Couple of before and after picks. Parking lot photos are after, and driveway photo is before. Rear is about 1 inch higher bout the only difference. Tires are 245/75R16 Toyo AT

WhitH · 02-28-2017, 01:30 PM

Nice thank you. I can see that the rear went up but is the fron the same as it came from Quigley?

TexomaPowerboater · 02-28-2017, 02:18 PM

Yes, to the best of my knowledge. Ground effects reduce ground clearance, but they look so good I have a hard time spending the money to remove and fill the holes.

TexomaPowerboater · 03-02-2017, 02:03 PM

Put a few hundred miles it over the week and shocks have settled down much more. Much less bouncy and more smooth riding. I hit big dips at higher speed that I used to slow way down for; feels like the van is no longer hitting bump stops in the front and I notice very little movement on the rear. I used to get a decent bit of rolling/top sway in turns with bumps or tilts and now it just plants nicely with no side to side movement. Seems to be getting smoother with every mile. Very happy with the purchase.

WhitH · 03-02-2017, 06:39 PM

Nice great to hear.

WhitH · 06-08-2017, 04:19 PM

Been a while but some things to update and note. I got and EFI live tune done to the van from ATP performance along with an Edge CTS2 monitoring unit and EGT probe about a month ago (actually the probe is just being installed today). I also turned the front torsion keys up just a bit to add about 1 1/2" lift and added 1 inch blocks to the rear directly from Quigley. Here are some impressions on the van in general and the experience with the changes.

The van simply drives really smoothly both in experience over bumps and suspension and drive train. Keep in mind my impression are largely relative to a 2005 E350 Quigley with 6.0 diesel (which I loved). This van floats over uneven road surfaces and interstate overpasses and the transmission shifts very smoothly. I have wished it were a bit more aggressive in its down shifts but I'll talk more about that shortly. The Duramax engine is quite, and very strong. Getting up to and staying at 75 ish mph on the interstate is just a non event. Its easy to go fast in this van without really meaning to. Changes...

A couple of gripes I had with the van were that it sat a bit too low for my liking as its a stock ride hight 4x4 and the engine and transmission were too slow to respond. Since turning the front keys up a bit and adding the rear blocks it looks a heck of a lot better and I'm happy with it. Quigley was easy to order from I only have 265x17" tires on it now but I still would like to maybe go up just a bit more and get 285s on it. We shall see....ride quality appears to not have been compromised at all. I can't really tell any difference.

I asked for a 50 hp towing tune from ATP ( Idaho Rob) via EFI live and they responded that 40 hp was all that they were comfortable in doing since the 6l90 transmission is only rated up to a certain amount of torque. I was actually happy to hear them say that as it was something I was concerned about. It told me it wasn't their first rodeo with vans and that they want their tunes to be safe for the end user. The van now has a lot more throttle and transmission response as well as a noticeable amount of extra power. Passing is really easy on two lanes, and going up passes is really easy. Every day drive ability is also greatly improved. I'm very pleased. I should also note that while I'm eager to see how things go in the summer, the Duramax seems to run around 10 degrees cooler than the 6.0 does. The Edge unit is nice and adds some features like the ambient air temp that this van doesn't have along with of course the ability to actually see real temps and readings.

I'll try and post and update pic or two of the new stance. Oh, and the custom sheet metal work that an 18 wheeler did to me about two weeks ago when he rolled through a light....nothing serious or structural but I'll be without my van for about two weeks and his insurance will be out a good chunk of coin.