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I'm taking it up on my self to tint my own windows. 5% instead of the factory 20%. Rear is finished. Now working on shrinking the tint for the sides. Here is a nice comparison of factory vs 5%.
Good work. Have you done the main 2nd row windows yet?
Got the side and rear MOLLE plates (almost totally empty so far, figuring out what we want to be there and how we want to fasten that), drop down table (long and scary story coming elsewhere), and the Thule Motion 3 XL on top of the Expedition Roof Rack with 30mm custom risers (also elsewhere later).
Not to the trip itself (here). The story is about how the table was installed; teaser:
First, I searched the Internet for "best tailgate drop table for Defender".
Then, I got the table and got busy installing it.
Then, I searched the Internet for "worst tailgate drop table for Defender".
Then, having remembered the "on Internet, you find exactly what you look for", I was no longer surprised that both searches yielded the same result.
I've got installation photos and comments in my head, all I need now is the right mood and a bit of time to put it all together and publish. The fury is gone, so hopefully it will be reasonable. When I get to it
I installed new boots increasing my effective sidewall height by 38%
Costco wouldn't install so I did it myself. Managed to find a local construction site to baptize them in a little dirt. Finally a tire worthy of this truck.
Added a lucky8 wind fairing this weekend. I had been looking at the Colorado Wind Fairing ones but have a TG road trip planned and the lead times were much longer. Not yet sold on it but seems like wind noise is down a bit. Its also not going to do anything to solve the crosswind problem or when i really load the rack up, which actually seemed to help the noise pre fairing,
I replaced some of the hardware so that the fairing is attached with black button heads vs silver zinc? bolts. Think it looks a little cleaner. I also took the 30 minutes to unbolt the rack and shift it to drill up from the bottom as the instructions / video have you drilling down from the top but then just leaving a hole on top because the bolts don't go all the way through. This would make more sense if they at least included a plug for that top hole but whatever. We'll see on Tuesday if it actually helps at all with gas milage.
Added a lucky8 wind fairing this weekend. I had been looking at the Colorado Wind Fairing ones but have a TG road trip planned and the lead times were much longer. Not yet sold on it but seems like wind noise is down a bit. Its also not going to do anything to solve the crosswind problem or when i really load the rack up, which actually seemed to help the noise pre fairing,
I replaced some of the hardware so that the fairing is attached with black button heads vs silver zinc? bolts. Think it looks a little cleaner. I also took the 30 minutes to unbolt the rack and shift it to drill up from the bottom as the instructions / video have you drilling down from the top but then just leaving a hole on top because the bolts don't go all the way through. This would make more sense if they at least included a plug for that top hole but whatever. We'll see on Tuesday if it actually helps at all with gas milage.
It would be interesting to know, indeed. I've been getting 16 some MPG at best, and still wondering if this is due to short trips, or HVAC consuming a truckload because of extreme heat, or the roof rack and the ladder.
Side note - I'd be concerned about the wear the front edge (even with a rubber shim) impacts on the paint on the roof; no matter how rigid the whole structure is there will be micro-movement caused by wind and overall vibration, and together with dust inevitably accumulating between the rubber and the paint it will start eating a groove sooner or later, depending on your climate.
I'd love if someone with this fairing chipped in and confirmed or disproved this speculation.
I hadn't thought about the wear on the front edge but will be on the lookout. As for the MPGs I really am not expecting much. Even with the rack / winch / sliders i was still getting 19-20 on the highway. (P400) but yeah around town maybe I'll see an increase... the daily school run is pretty abysmal.
Enjoy: MUD Table: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, or don't buy this if you're hourly
