Big suburban or small jeep

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Go with the Geo Tracker. Did you know both it and the Geo Metro were based on a car called Cultus? How cool is that?

I think I was getting 24 mpg when mine was new back in 1990. I did mostly city driving and it was just under 20 mpg. After 20 years of ownership rust finally took her down,

Zebra Tracker by George Kachadoorian | Photobucket


I converted to an electric fan on my 4.3L in the S10 just over a month ago. I had it powered up to the big fuse for the ABS (which I don't use). This allowed the fan to run after the ignition was off, and when it got cold killed the battery. It is now wired to the A/C fuse (A/C non-working as well), others have it wired to the back-up lights or the wipers are also good junction points in the engine bay fuse box.

With electric fan, a little bit more get up and go, and the feeling I'm getting better mpg, but cannot confirm as the odometer stopped working last year. Trips which used to use close to a half tank, are now 1/3 of a tank trips. I think my old fan clutch was original on a close to 200,000 mile truck. I read they last 50,000 to a max of 100,000 miles, 75K on average.

FYI: Just as good, perhaps greater improvement by switching to Shell gas. I swear this nitrogen enriched V-Power thing is not hype, not marketing, it works. Better gas mileage, better acceleration, smoother running............I do not lie.

Both my S-10 and vintage Porsche 911 run on it now, I try not to use anything else.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Go with the Geo Tracker. Did you know both it and the Geo Metro were based on a car called Cultus?

Are you sure the Tracker was based on the Cultus?

[oldtamiyaphile]

Originally Posted by kach22i

I swear this nitrogen enriched V-Power thing is not hype, not marketing, it works. Better gas mileage, better acceleration, smoother running............I do not lie.

Both my S-10 and vintage Porsche 911 run on it now, I try not to use anything else.

Probably because it has zero ethanol content. I've never been able to see a difference on V-Power vs E0. Why would nitrogen, an inert gas, be a good thing to add to fuel anyway?

[oldtamiyaphile]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Are you sure the Tracker was based on the Cultus?

They share engine architecture and that's about it. Both were available with the same 1.6.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by oldtamiyaphile

Probably because it has zero ethanol content. I've never been able to see a difference on V-Power vs E0. Why would nitrogen, an inert gas, be a good thing to add to fuel anyway?

I never heard/read the zero ethanol claim before, will research it - good news for vintage vehicles if true.

The nitrogen or "Nitro" as Shell likes to brand it is said to lower the friction, hence the alleged HP and MPG gains.

These claims have been verified by labs, but since Shell was paying for the bills I have to hold out a small bit of skepticism myself despite my own personal experiences.

The reason I have minor reservations allocated for doubt is that my two vehicles for the past three years were running on Costco gas. As I understand it, they were exempt until last summer from adding detergents to the gas like oil companies are required to do, because they were technically a grocery store. The exemption has now run out, I made my transition to Shell at about the same time.

Three years of no detergents, then sudden cleaning may explain a few things. However, about every six weeks I try gas from somewhere other than Shell and immediately notice a performance drop, mostly on how smooth my S10 truck idles and how perky the Porsche is.

Below are some posts on the topic in another forum from earlier in the year, plus a video:

Gas Quality question - Pelican Parts Technical BBS
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4WPfLnVuQyM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Link to video, forgot embedding doesn't work here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WPfLnVuQyM

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by oldtamiyaphile

They share engine architecture and that's about it. Both were available with the same 1.6.

Yep, the Tracker has a truck frame, not a uni-body.

Here is the frame crack in the rear well to prove it.




Not sure what was holding the front of the truck up either.





The road salt killed the electrical system though this engine bay hole:


Go to Arizona if you want one, they no longer exist in Michigan.

[oldtamiyaphile]

Originally Posted by kach22i

I never heard/read the zero ethanol claim before, will research it - good news for vintage vehicles if true.

I suppose it may not apply to America, our fuels are different. Most of our fuels are E0, in fact it's hard to get E10 or E85.

I often hear reports about V-Power preforming better on US/Euro sites, and yet I've never really noticed anything at all really switching from E0 95 RON to V-Power 98 RON, even on cars where others swear there's a night and day difference.

I know if I go from E10 to V-Power yes, there's a difference.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by oldtamiyaphile

I often hear reports about V-Power preforming better on US/Euro sites........

The US test market was California starting about a year ago. It came to Michigan (the mid-west) only about late May, early June of this year.

At one time I posted a Detroit News or Detroit Free Press on-line article about it.

Shell has been using the Nitro and V-Power labels longer than that, these recent changes are game changers in my opinion.

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Are you sure the Tracker was based on the Cultus?

Tracker was a mini SUV introduced in late 1988 as a 1989 model. It was developed by CAMI which was a joint venture between General Motors of Canada and Suzuki. North American Models were to be built in CAMI's Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada plant alongside its almost identical twin the domestic-built Suzuki Sidekick (Escudo). All 1989 and some 1990 Trackers were built in Japan and imported to the US because of delays at the CAMI factory in Canada. In 1990, production began in Ingersoll and all Trackers were now being built there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Tracker_%28Americas%29

I mis-remembered. I thought it said on the same assembly line as the Metro, not 'alongside' the Sidekick.

I am so sorry.

[kach22i]

My 1990 tracker was purchased mid-June and made in Canada/CAMI factory.

Closest vehicle on the road to it today is the Juke, I say that for it's odd quirky but cute looks which some people reject. In 1989 the Tracker was considered radical looking when it came out, some people loved to hate it. Same with the Juke today.