Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: Shakedown Cruise (Read 422 times) previous topic - next topic
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Shakedown Cruise

Yahoo Message Number: 2996
We just returned from a short trip to Central FL on what was the
shakedown cruise for our 07 Endura gasser. All-in-all it was a good,
albeit short, trip and the Endura/Kodiak behaved very well. I did not
have a chance to formally check the mileage but fully expect it was
between 6-7mpg towing our Tacoma pickup.

This was the first chance to really check out the effects of installing
the Bilsteins and I can honestly say the results were truly remarkable.
Even with towing the 4,000lb truck the ride and tracking were very
steady. I also noted only minor effects from big trucks going by. We
drove a steady 60mph with no appreciable winds but suspect a strong
crosswind will be more noticable.

There were a few issues that will require some follow-up attention. We
hit torrential rains in North GA on the return trip and several of the
bays have leaks that I will need to work on. There seems to be an
intermittent connection on the jacks control panel next to the drivers
seat. Occasionally I had to push down and re-seat the entire panel
before the individual button functions would operate. Hopefully it won't
entail replacing the entire panel.

In preparation for the trip I got my first introduction to the joys of
airing up tires with stainless steel wheel simulators and no valve
extenders. I don't have the wheel cover removal tool but a 1-9/16"
socket and long extension did the trick. After lots of "elbow grease" I
got all but one of the retaining nuts off. The final one had been
cross-threaded and required an overnight soaking of WD-40. Then I dug
out my brand new Sears 110v tire inflator and started taking the tires
up to 90psi. On the 3rd tire the little compressor began to smoke... so
I took it back to Sears and swapped it for a new one. After some
experimenting I found that I could fully inflate 2 tires before I needed
to let the unit cool down before starting again. So... I will likely
look into one of the other inflator units that Kodiak owners have
recommended on this and other forums.

All-in-all we are pleased with the Endura and the 34ft floor-plan and
are happy we made the trade back in May.

Bill

Re: Shakedown Cruise

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 2998
I hated the simulators on mine. I just replaced the rear outside wheels with polished aluminum accuride wheels they look great, no simulators to deal with, the only drawback is the rear wheels look so much better then the fronts which still have simulators.

For tire inflation I purchased a little Senco PC1010 that I keep in one of the storage bays. It's a tiny quiet little guy. It's not real fast but I've been happy with it for airing up the bike tires, airbags, and occasionally putting a few pounds in the tires.