Re: The 'customization' thread
 

do we know...like cold hard facts, that throwing a lift kit on a truck with larger tires, that it actually benfits it more than the factory does? i know the ground clearance is changed obviously. but is there testing showing us that by installing a lift kit, that the truck can do better than the manufacturers specs of a 31 degree slope approac and a 22 degree angle sideways? being a higher center of gravity, i find it hard to believe that the truck actually benefits from certain off roading mods.

im not arguing that lifted trucks have a purpose or whatnot, and i love the look. obviously, i had mine done. but does it REALLY benefit the truck? because honestly , you can fight your fight to both sides of the spectrum...the on road customizers...and the offroad customizers.

i never had intentions of taking my hummer offroad...since day 1. i liked it because it was different, controversal, large enough for me and my family, tough, rugged....blah blah...everything the hummer was meant to be....but the case your stating makes it sound like, im not deserving of my hummer because i dont take it offroad. call me a poser for lifting it and keeping it on the pavement...thats fine..i dont really care. i get lots of dumb looks and comments anyways, around town. but the thing that bothers me is that people get very vocal on how they feel the car needs to be used. and thats where i dont agree. at least we live in a place that gives us the option to drive what we want....for now....if obama stays in, im sure this will be bound to change somehow.

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

All good questions...and I've often wondered the same about the lift kits. I agree, when done in moderation, 4-6", they look pretty badass. The higher center of gravity is what's always kept me away from them. A slightly larger tire, better front-end components and a bit of leveling does the job nicely in my opinion...improves upon factory design without introducing any of these concerns.

Not deserving of your Hummer? LOL! This is America, you deserve what ever you want and can afford.


SIDE NOTE: You'd think that neither one of us has a job.

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

God he's got to go..:raar:

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

yeah were kinda slow this month so i can mess around on the computer more.
but on a side note about being able to drive whatever you want...my uncle works for us. he gets a company car...he wanted a tahoe...so he got one.....he lives literally 10 seconds away...his house is next to our shop.
my other uncle wanted a escalade...he got one...he lives about 2 minutes down the road....and they both use auto start to warm their cars up for their long drive home...... their a waste.

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

yeah but who do you go for? romney , who would have let the auto industry die if he were president...or santorum?.....

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

Oh I agree..we are in the sh!tter as far as candidates go. Our political system is in the pits right now.

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

I will say this that we cannot avoid getting attention..I get looks absolutely everywhere, and I've gotten a lot of compliments. I didn't do all this to my truck to be an attention getter, I did it because I wanted it for my own appeasement. I truly love driving my truck, just sheer enjoyment. I'm not the most dedicated offroader but I do take it through the sticks every now and then. And I have to admit it does pretty well! I agree that we should customize our H2's as we like them, but I'm definitely not a fan of dropping it to the ground, throwing 30's on it, or jacking it to the sky with 54's on it. Those are a little extreme IMO.

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

i'm still waiting for 0ne of them to jump in a chevy volt and go cross country to a fundraiser,but they can't,the big news could be gm is offering a natural gas option,just nowhere to buy it.....still the big news though....

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

volt wasnt intended for that. it was made for the commuter...they did studies showing the average distance people travel to work. it ended up being like 60 miles daily is the average. so they made the car run on electric for up to 60 or 80 miles before the generator kicks in. it wasnt intended for cross country touring.

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

That's like the fisker. I believe the porsche employee said that the fisker will only go so far on battery (and it wasnt far) then it ran on regular fuel.

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

and isnt the fisker solar powered generator? im not sure exactly how it works, but im sure they dont sell too many fiskers in seattle or england.

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

The Volt is supposed to do about 35 miles on the battery before the engine kicks in. Some have reported 40+ miles on a single charge, but that is under optimum conditions, warm weather, slow driving and braking, not using ac/heat, or power windows etc...

I had one last year, only put 800 miles on and sold it. I was driving it here in New England in about 40 degree temps and was getting about 15 miles per charge. I can't imagine how bad it would have been if it was colder...

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

And they did testing for that stuff. Why would it be so horrible? They did years and years of testing, including cold weather testing. That's weird. I'd rather just buy a Eco cruze if I'm looking to get better mpg. My buddies gets close to 50 on the highway.

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

I think diesel is the future. Batteries will only go so far.

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

I'm sure that's a big part of the reason why GM put the Volt production on halt today. The battery mileage just isn't there yet on it, and people ain't buying... I think the Nissan Leaf battery gets 70-80 miles, but theres no engine to kick in after that... So that stinks too...

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

diesel is already here....i just dont understand why we dont have it and its huge in europe.....probably politics im sure.

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

I've always wondered the same thing. We put diesels in work trucks, but nothing else. Makes me wonder if it has something to do with how it's refined and where we have to get the crude from...dunno, haven't really looked in to.

Diesel does seem to be the way to go, though. For sure my next truck will be 'making all that racket' (as my grandmother puts it). No more full-size gassers for me.

Although...you really can beat the sound of a big ole American V8... :)

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

I think the only diesel cars we have here are a few Volkswagen models and a mercedes. But in Europe they have all kinds of diesel cars. Getting 30+ mpg no problem. And that's out of large sedans. But you pay more for diesel at the pump. I'm sure people will love the mpg but then they'll complain about the money they have to she'll out at the pump

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

But I bet if you do the math it all washes out anyway...more at the pump per gallon, but more miles for each gallon. Kinda reverse from how E85 was/is...less at the pump per gallon, but you get less MPG.

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

My mom has a 2012 BMW X5 with a diesel in it. It will flat haul and gets in the high 20's in gas mileage. And diesel is about the exact same as premium gas where I live. And I'm sure it's politics..America is absolutely retarded when it comes to oil. We could easily drill our own but instead we keep doing the same sh!t we always do. Depend on someone else.

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

Guys, I think it's your lucky day, I just found this on CL for sale! :giggling: Seriously, what are the chances of that though, how funny!
http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/ctd/2889486523.html

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

for only 20 grand....thats a hell of a deal.

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

The ad says he has 2 to choose from, so I am guessing that is for the stock 110k mile one that is pictured...

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

btw, why are the front tires like that in that photo above? Is that a bad front end alignment?

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

The front wheels look cambered..

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

What does cambered mean, is it good or bad, done on purpose, or is it screwed up?

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

the wheel looks turned to the left a bit. but there probably is some camber in there too. camber is basically used in racing, but in most regular car cases, its what results in bad tire wear and an allignment. camber angles the tire inward toward the motor from the top and the bottom outward a bit.

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

Prolly something to do with how the front suspension has been dropped. I notice this a lot on those 'fast and furious' imports that get lowered a nut hair from the ground.

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

ford trucks(rangers) are notorious for having horrible camber issues when lowered.

but nost people that have camber dialed in, do it intentionally. i have about 2 degrees negative camber in my camaro. helps with oversteer. not bad enough to run through tires, but just enough to help me in the corners.

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

Camber is the aspect of alignment that measures the angle of the wheel/tire from top to bottom. The word "camber" does not mean that the wheel/tire is tilted inward. That would be "negative camber". Remember, it is possible for a car to "positive camber", where the wheel/tire actually leans out. Most manufacturers purposely dial in a little negative camber on all cars to ensure even tire wear because when a car corners, the camber flattens out on the outside wheel.

Also, when you lower a car, you increase negative camber. When you raise a car, you increase positive camber.

And like mentioned in the above post, for race/sports car applications, even what seems like a considerable amount of negative camber will still result in even tire wear because of the hard cornering.

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

I get so pissed at people that give me the finger when I drive my H2. But then I thought what the hell. So know when I get flipped off I just smile and wave back at them. It really pisses them off more so I feel better. I had three guys come up to me bitching about gas guzzling,something about carbon footprint.. LOL and when I opened the door to greet them they seen my pistol sitting on the dash and for some reason they shut up. By the way I do have a CCW so I was legal. LOL should have seen their faces. But really between the bling and fuel prices they both killed the HUMMER.

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

The way hummer was seen through the media killed it..it "labeled" the vehicle AND it's drivers. Gas prices didn't help because 99% of americans aren't willing to pay for it. Luckily I haven't been bitched to about gas or the fact that I drive mine. I'm pretty sure I've been flipped off and I get some interesting looks from time to time. But most of the time its good. I'm just tired of the stereotyping, it's a vehicle for God sake.

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

:iagree: That's the point I was trying to make...

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

I agree with that statement..now to say someone shouldn't customize it their own way is wrong. But please don't drop it, or make it something that it wasn't intended for. I get the feeling people had a bad taste in their mouth when contemplating on buying a hummer. Sure it isn't economical, but what fullsize non-diesel vehicle is? Show me one..(with a V8). I'm also very tired of the, "it's just a tahoe with a hummer shell" statement too..that's just ignorant. For the last time, it is NOT a tahoe. If ferrari were to say they based their frame off a toyota camry, does that make it a toyota camry? I think NOT!! ;)

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

I agree 100%!

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

its like saying a masseratti is a ferarri...their powertrain is made by ferarri...same with the hummer. its more comparable to a 2500 truck chassis but interior from a tahoe/escalade/yukon. so its similar....just not exact.

and hummer did what they had to do. sales were droping by the fistfull. and the gas wasnt helping out. the media doesnt control the companies ability to shut down business......but the govt can. and being that the gas prices were up higher than before, who knows...maybe that was their way to kill off some car brands...it killed of 4 of GM's. i think it even killed off a few of fords. even got restrictions passed after everything. even if the hummer were still around now, i dont think they would have as large of a market as they need to to stay in business. they would have been reaching for new ideas to get the sales....majorit of their sales would be from H3's. it just wouldnt have worked out.

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

In six and half years of Hummer ownership, I've never been flipped off and 95% of the comments I've gotten have been positive. Almost all the negative comments have been about the styling from women over 50. Younger women and almost all men seem to love the styling. Maybe it's a Midwestern thing, but at the gas station or in a parking lot I've always had either no comment or positive comments. When it snows here, everyone loves Hummer owners. When I go out to my cousin's farm with mud up the axles, everyone wants to know if I know where I can find them a nice used one!!

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

I was going to write something very similar. I haven't had any bad experiences.

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

At my hometown everyone loves the truck..but venturing out to bigger cities here in Alabama I've had a bad look or two, not that I give a crap. But most of the time it's good.

Re: The 'customization' thread
 

You're probably right..BUT I do think Hummer was on the right track to improving the vehicle.