Anyone has expiriance with high roof Ford Transit 4x4 (or lifted)?

Yaldor

New member
I am considering Transit

Any expiriance one can share is very helpfull.
Is it too high with lift ?
Too long with LWB ?

I am *not* a hard-core 4 wheeling guy.
Mainly need it for hard dirt/sand roads and snow

Thanks.
 

cdthiker

Meandering Idaho
For what it is worth....

The high roof 2x4 with the high output 6 cyl pulled plenty of people and trailer up and down nasty 12 percent switch back single lane dirt FS roads. ( work rig) Awesome to drive and comfortable.
Almost brand new, less then 30 k miles. The thing has been in and out of the shop for xyz electrical problems and all the other little crap that a lot of these new ford trucks and vans are plagued with. Great rig. When it worked. Traction control the balance of the wheel base, and careful driving worked really well with a 2x4. 4x4 was not at all needed. Comfortable, decent MPG, room to stand up. plenty zippy. But over all a pain in butt for the above mentioned reasons. I would avoid the newer ones till they get the gremlins sorted.
 
Some threads at sportsmobileforum website have more info on the transit. Recalled reading that Ford wouldn't warranty the transit if you add bigger tires. Haven't seen any with a substantial lift, most are pretty close to standard height. I think the chevy/gmc van is a better choice at the moment. Can get a higher lift on a chevy/gmc van and still retain warranty. The chevy is not a new model either although the new 2.8L duramax is new for 2018 chevy/gm vans. Should be more accessories out there for the chevy/gmc.

I like the Nissan van as well, but really only one place I know of that is lifting them (advanced 4x4 vans). Quigley is only using a one speed transfer case, but I read an owners post that said the transfer case just has a block that prevents the use of low speed and he was able to remove it pretty easily. The single speed transfer case is Nissan driven as they would not allow for a low speed 4x4, but as a practical matter I doubt anybody makes a true one speed transfer case for a full size vehicle.
 

Weldtec Designs

Supporting Sponsor
I think the chevy/gmc van is a better choice at the moment. Can get a higher lift on a chevy/gmc van and still retain warranty. The chevy is not a new model either although the new 2.8L duramax is new for 2018 chevy/gm vans. Should be more accessories out there for the chevy/gmc.

I like the Nissan van as well, but really only one place I know of that is lifting them (advanced 4x4 vans).

We do have all kinds of fun stuff for the Chevrolet Express vans with some really nice new stuff in the works. As far as the Transit and Nissan we will have lift kits for both available early 2018, depending on what make of van you do.

Thanks

Jeremy
 
Jeremy,

Thanks for posting. On the Nissan and Transit project you have in the works. Will these be lift kits for 2wd Nissan or Transit or will they be for Quigley/4x4 Nissans and Transits?
 

Ranchero

Wanderer
I replaced this...
35290877256_eab4c2ca6c_c.jpg
[/url]IMG_1708 by Steve Stewart, on Flickr[/IMG]

With this...
IMG_0224 by Steve Stewart, on Flickr

2017 Transit Quigley 4x4 HR LWB. Ecoboost and 3.31 Ltd Slip. Couldn't be happier. The lift from Quigley is 2". I was, with one beer, one hour, and a grinder, able to fit 235/85/16s underneath with no rubbing. My Ford dealer says that tire size doesn't affect warranty. However, Quigley says that if a front hub fails and the van has bigger than 245/75/16 or more than X amount of rim offset( sorry don't remember that), Quigley won't cover the hub under warranty.

I have 8000 miles on mine so far. 15.6mpg average. Way more power than the 5.4. Or maybe it just feels like it since the 4x4 Transit is a solid 2500 pounds lighter than the E350 SMB? The six-speed automatic feels great. True mechanical 2-speed transfer case. Traditional mechanical shifter inside, with automatic-locking hubs. Can shift into 4-High while driving.

I'm not a serious off roader, but I camp in my van off-road 3-4 days/week all year long. Think of it like you would a stock club cab f150 4x4 with a limited slip. It will be comparable to that off-road - meaning if you're not a serious off-roader it will be just fine. If you were climbing a lot of rock slabs the front overhang might be an issue.
 

Simo_4x4

Adventurer
Hi guys, someone knows if the Transit is equipped by a 2 speed transfer case directly by Ford or it's a secondary application (by Quigley for example...) sorry for the stupid question but on the italian site is not specified...
 

Ranchero

Wanderer
Hi guys, someone knows if the Transit is equipped by a 2 speed transfer case directly by Ford or it's a secondary application (by Quigley for example...) sorry for the stupid question but on the italian site is not specified...

US Ford Transit 4x4s are made by Quigley at the moment. The transfer case is a Magna/New Venture 2-speed.
 

Steamboater

New member
IMG_0224 by Steve Stewart, on Flickr

2017 Transit Quigley 4x4 HR LWB. Ecoboost and 3.31 Ltd Slip. Couldn't be happier. The lift from Quigley is 2". I was, with one beer, one hour, and a grinder, able to fit 235/85/16s underneath with no rubbing. My Ford dealer says that tire size doesn't affect warranty. However, Quigley says that if a front hub fails and the van has bigger than 245/75/16 or more than X amount of rim offset( sorry don't remember that), Quigley won't cover the hub under warranty.

I have 8000 miles on mine so far. 15.6mpg average. Way more power than the 5.4. Or maybe it just feels like it since the 4x4 Transit is a solid 2500 pounds lighter than the E350 SMB? The six-speed automatic feels great. True mechanical 2-speed transfer case. Traditional mechanical shifter inside, with automatic-locking hubs. Can shift into 4-High while driving.

I'm not a serious off roader, but I camp in my van off-road 3-4 days/week all year long. Think of it like you would a stock club cab f150 4x4 with a limited slip. It will be comparable to that off-road - meaning if you're not a serious off-roader it will be just fine. If you were climbing a lot of rock slabs the front overhang might be an issue.

This looks awesome! Do you have a build thread? How long did it take to order the Quigley?
 

Keyne

Adventurer
Curious why you went with the Ford with Quigley conversion vs 4wd Sprinter?

Is there much of a price delta?

From what I can see costing things out the Ford is cheaper (maybe 10K) with 4x4 than a Sprinter but that is just based on web builds so real $$ it might be different. One reason to pick a Ford is you can get a gas engine instead of diesel, so you could go south of the border without the Sprinter diesel fuel availability problem. However, I wonder how much Ford support there is south of the border (e.g. Argentina). Also, there are a lot more Ford dealers around than Mercedes Sprinter dealers.
 

sg1

Adventurer
I have been traveling with an European 4x4 Transit in Latin America for the last 5 years. Transits are sold in most countries and I had no problems finding well equipped Ford dealerships. Sprinters are quite common in Latin America but they have different engines and gear boxes.
Stefan
 

86scotty

Cynic
Ranchero, I hadn't seen a good pic of yours lately. It looks amazing. I went with a mid roof 148" wheelbase Ecoboost and love it so far. it's only 2wd. Of course any new vehicle is going to have a couple of problems, I'm sure the Econoline did 25 years ago when they brought it out (the last generation I mean) but the Transit is solid and the drivetrain is proven in the F150s. They are fast, strong and reliable. The only known issue to worry about is the flex disc (guibo) cracking problem which Ford is recalling and replacing.

Quigley isn't the only one converting these to 4wd. Expovans/MgMetalworks is working on a system and Quadvan is doing them solely now. Lots of the Quadvan ones on the road. If you just need a lift there is VanCompass for less than $2k and several others in the works.
 

Weldtec Designs

Supporting Sponsor
Jeremy,

Thanks for posting. On the Nissan and Transit project you have in the works. Will these be lift kits for 2wd Nissan or Transit or will they be for Quigley/4x4 Nissans and Transits?

These will be for the 2 wheel drive Transit and Nissans. Nothing for the Quigley 4x4 as of yet but that only takes one crazy person with a dream to go big.
 
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