Well, folks, I just returned last night to Everett from my semi-annual trip to MN to visit family. The truck began with 219k and was ready to go. This past year was mostly spent getting the Redhead and T-steering to work right (see other threads) and finally solving my vibration (Cooper tire junk- see thread) whereas last year I did major work while in MN putting on new t-chain, water pump, hoses, etc. and a new clutch, oil pump, engine mounts, etc, etc, etc, prior to the trip. So needless to say, it has been nice to just drive it this year and not worry about any work. I thought maybe it was time to finally get a Fastman while in MN. More on that later.

Trip impressions:
- First trip there and back that I didn't have to fight wind! Wow! I even had a TAIL wind across 212 westbound. That has NEVER happened.
- the steering is working quite well, no wander and super control over bridges, potholes, etc. but I'm not convinced the pump is good. It is difficult to steer at rpms below 2k but really lightens up if cruising at 70
- it is so much quieter with the new door seal and BFGs while cruising. When other vehicles pass, especially trucks, I hardly noticed.
- there is definitely a drivetrain vibe above 70 that increases exponentially to 80. I have no idea how to find this but I never really went over 70 which sucks in MT and SD where the speed limit is 80 and 75, respectively. After fighting the last vibe, I replaced all things that could cause it so I'm just gonna live with it instead of losing more sleep.
- My new rear brakes are amazing! I cannot believe how bad they were the last five years and I never noticed. Fantastic stopping power and I just put on the stock parts.
- The new BFGs ran great, never changed pressure ( I ran 40-45) and were very secure and planted. No wander but they may be buzzing above 70
- I averaged 15-16 mpg. The worst was high 14 and the best was mid-16. Not bad for cruising at 65-75 with AC and 33s!

What I saw:
- It's always fun to drive through Ram country (Spokane to Rapid) and see how many awesome trucks are on the road. This trip was all about the 4th gens. Man, there were a ton! Very few 2nd gens which is to be expected, but also very few 3rd gens. I would say that for every Chevy, there were two Fords, and for every Ford, there were two Rams. Most campers were towed by a 4th gen, second was Ford, and then Chevy. I was also surprised to see just how many 1500s were towing campers. Lots of Hemis and Cummins all across the country! There were a lot of ecoboosts as well going too fast and squatting under their loads. While in MN, I saw more Ram 1500s then ever before. No longer is it Chevy country out there!
- I like to count break-downs also and there were a total of 8 --- one chevy, one jeep, one 2nd gen, and the rest were Fords.
- Regarding the hideous >RAM< grilles that are coming out in more and more models, I counted a total of 8 across 3200 miles. I must've seen a couple hundred Rams and only 8 with the stupid grille! Why is Ram putting it on all their trucks?? It is clear that very few people like them. Way to listen to your customers, Fiat.
- It also appears that lifting and "modding" trucks is going away. Most trucks were stock with stock wheels and I only saw a couple lifted beasts around Spokane which is typical.

What I did:
- Stopped in Rapid for a couple days and hiked Harney Peak with family. It was 100 that day but truck did great in the heat with AC running constantly.
- While in MN I enjoyed the All-Star festivities and made it to Target Field for another game (they lost). My folks' 05 Tahoe is still doing great at 186k with no major repairs to date. What a car!
- Grabbed a quart of oil and some seafoam for the return trip but that was all needed this entire trip! It was great.

The new:
- I finally had the time to call Dan the Fastman up in Little Canada and inquire about a throttle body. He said he normally needs 5 days to make them but he'd rush a job since I came all this way. Two days later he had it done. So I cruised up there and met him at his house. Great guy and we talked Dodges for a while. He installed the TB himself and included a Mopar gasket and new bolts even! First impressions were nothing had changed. As I put on the miles, though, I can tell it really wants to go at light throttle. It seems that all the hp is now at light throttle with less at full. But if you need some more pickup, I recommend it. I still have more testing to do but I think at this point, it was worth it. It helped over some hills that I normally would shift to 4th, but going over passes I didn't notice anything. Again, that's full throttle. No improvement in MPG was noticed even though he claims +1mpg. When I got back to sea level, I noticed more power. I'm looking forward to playing around with it here on the coast.

The postgame:
- This was probably the fastest and easiest trip to date since 2002 when she was stock. It rides so nice, steers perfect, cruises comfortably and got great mileage. All the money, effort, and time has paid off! There is another 100k easy in my 318 and many more road trips. Funny how my same trip at last Christmas I was ready to trade it off. But new tires, brakes, steering, and the Fastman have given me a new truck. I even had a guy in MN that wanted to trade me his 3rd gen for it! No way buddy!

Thanks for reading and for your advice and help over the past year! I love my truck (16 years together) and she's now at 222,xxx with much more life to go. Happy trucking folks!

 

Cool trip, glad everything went good!