Hondo Garage's New Thing

ThisVVV

 

Do this long enough and anyone will give up haha

 

Even with a 4 banger and 3 pedals, I don't calculate my mpg. I carry 5-10g extra fuel, and like Monte said, it's rare that you're beyond reach of a gas station in this country.

If you miscalculate, odds are good that you can find cell service and take advantage of a 200 mile AAA tow lol.

 

If I need more than the 36gals I have, I’ll be in trouble... but I also plan for if road is washed out and I have to double back...

 

I think mpgs are important. With the cost of gasoline in CA being much more costly than in the surrounding states it is a big deal. I keep meticulous mpg/maintenance records. That's why on trip with my popup I take it easy on the skinny pedal. I know if I get a tail wind (almost never) on trips my mpgs increase substantially. I wouldn't expect the GFC to impact mpgs as much as other mods. Weight is a mpg killer and the GFC isn't heavy compared to other options. The biggest hit to my mpg was when I got my FWC. It is that much more heavy than the Flippac I had at first. Most mods done to vehicles are heavy. Bumpers, sliders, armor, tires (bigger than stock or even load range E) all impact mpgs substantially.

Aerodynamics are another issue. HBMurphy said something to me once about those badass cool front bumpers. He said unless you destroy your stock one, don't replace it with one of the built up types. The Toyota engineers know a lot more about aerodynamics than most fab companies. Of course their purposes are far different.

 

The FWCs are friggin' wide. They're catching air that the truck shouldn't / wouldn't / couldn't.

I'd like a winch someday. With all the room up front, I will be the hidden kind with one of the semi-hidden bumpers.

IMHO: There are a lot of tricks that can be done for MPGs, but I don't think Toyota did all that they could have up front. I like the looks and I think that was a bigger factor for the 3rd Gen. Myself, I really like the looks of the 1994 S10s and other jellybean shapes.

 

And the new ones are wider than my Finch. That's a big reason I'm holding onto mine as long as I can. For slide in pop-ups there are other options such as ATC. I really wish FWC wasn't limiting their orders to the new wider versions only. The 3rd gens have the kick ass "air dam" on the bottom of the front end. A lot of 3rd gen owners get rid of that soon after purchase and I'd bet they see it in their mpgs.

 

would you sell the top portion only?

 

I did yank mine but am saving it for long road trips. I did pull it off within the first couple weeks, so my MPGs were still increasing. I'm not sure if that was from break in or from me chilling out?

But, I am getting near 20mpg average. No complaints.

 

Thanks!

I read through all 113 pages, I guess I missed it lol. This looks amazing, keep up the good work!

 

any major difference between the Timbren vs sumos? our gears are usually pretty light, mostly climbing gears+food. also I'm hoping to keep stock suspension at least until the ext warranty runs out

 

How did you mount them inverted? how did you like driving around with them with carrying minimum weight?

 

Awesome, and slightly jealous.

Thanks for the story!

 

So good! That white on white w/ the gray looks damn good. I've got a blue, not sure what color is gonna work there.

 

100%, and driving style is a big determinant. If you cruise at 65-75 and aren't in a huge rush, it wouldn't affect you as much as if you are constantly throttle down at 90 in the mountains using cruise control. Also, the truck I had the camper on was stock, so I can't say whether something like 35" bias ply mud terrains with the wrong gear set will be more negatively affected without some empirical data.

 

Interested in how this would do in the snow. I do a lot of winter camping and need something that would hold up well in a storm.

 

Hi all!

Been following along for a couple weeks, and itching to put my name on the list for one of these.

I was curious to know if the 5052 aluminum sides and gas struts are rated to support the weight of a set of Maxtrax on one side and a shovel/axe setup or the other?

Thanks!

 

You could use quick fist clamps and GFC t-nuts on the Aluminum tent extrusion for shovel/axe

 

Ok 62.5lbs...

 

Better hit the gym