2015 Sprinter 4x4 build begins

[theMec]

Err,
Have you taken this thing on rugged terrain yet? I'm thinking a van may be in my future after my truck dies. I need a "trailhead" vehicle though. My truck gets me everywhere. I wouldn't expect the van to do as well but maybe 50%? I'm talking the usual Western US off pavement terrain, rocks, slickrock, mud & sand.
Thanks!
-steve

 

[Err]

Err,
Have you taken this thing on rugged terrain yet? I'm thinking a van may be in my future after my truck dies. I need a "trailhead" vehicle though. My truck gets me everywhere. I wouldn't expect the van to do as well but maybe 50%? I'm talking the usual Western US off pavement terrain, rocks, slickrock, mud & sand.
Thanks!
-steve

The very first day I had it, I took it offroad a bit. Mostly on rough double-track, enough to get a feel for it. like you, my vehicle delivers me to the trailhead and then from there it's on moto, mtb, or foot. Being in UT, sometimes our access roads are rougher than the actual trails in other parts of the country. I think the van is going to do just fine with sand, mud, and slickrock that we run on out here. The limited suspension articulation and uninspiring traction control will keep things interesting but I think it's the break-over angle and total ground clearance that will be limiting factors for me, especially on rock. The short answer is I have no concerns with its capabilities as a trail-head machine but if ground clearance and/over break-over a big factors where you go, custom armor is going to be a must.

One thing I haven't tested is turning off traction control for mud to get the spinning required to clean out tire tread.

 

[theMec]

Thanks for the info, Err.
Yeah, around here (CO & UT) departure, ground clearance and approach angle are crucial. That's why I wouldn't consider the vans longer than 144' WB. By the time I'm in the market, there might be a rental I can test. Thanks.

 

[Err]

Got the interior back together after a lengthy stereo install and a good start to sound and heat insulation up front. Its been raining like crazy in the SLC area and all the good MTB is shut down right now so we loaded up the motos and headed south a bit for some desert riding. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday and it was nice to actually use the van rather than work on it. Couple more crappy cell phone shots of the progress -

 

[Paddy]

Berry jelly

 

[jfieldaz]

Anyone else have experience putting 265/75R16 on the stock 16x 6.5 rims? I have read that Discount won't mount them.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Err]

Anyone else have experience putting 265/75R16 on the stock 16x 6.5 rims? I have read that Discount won't mount them.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I have a good friend with them on his 2wd. Discount mounted both of ours, no questions.

 

[Jwestpro]

Anyone else have experience putting 265/75R16 on the stock 16x 6.5 rims? I have read that Discount won't mount them.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I've heard of this sort of behavior at some shops. Either take the wheels without the vehicle or find a manager you can "talk" with about the situation. It's either a company policy that all the shops I've been to will ignore, or it's the employee's misinformation or misinterpretation of policies at your shop.

I've been putting on oversized tires on my land rover and my bmw for several sets now without issue at 3 local shops.

 

[BajaSportsmobile]

Anyone else have experience putting 265/75R16 on the stock 16x 6.5 rims? I have read that Discount won't mount them.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I have them on my 2008, they rub a little - not a problem. If they don't want to mount them, take in the wheels without the vehicle and they will.

 

[Err]

Been a while since an update but making good progress. I've got a few trips under my belt now and getting a better feel for things.

I found myself to be using the roof box a lot which means a ton of trips up and down the Aluminess ladder. Unfortunately the ladder was supplied without any sort of grip tape or knurling on the rungs and was a bit deathy when wet. I hit my local skateboard shop for some grip tape and it's all good now -

I went up to race the Idaho 100 ISDE enduro a couple weeks ago which was my longest trip in the heat with the National Luna running off the factory aux 100ah LA battery. The Luna seems to really sip the power, especially considering I had neither venting nor my vented windows in. One thing I took advantage of was to pull the fridge out of the van, attach to shore power, and kick it on Turbo Cool to bring it down below zero. Then I threw it back in the van where it hardly ran for quite a while. I'm really liking this setup. Pulling ice cream out of the freezer following a 6+ hour, 120 mile race was darn near priceless. Even after 40 hours with only a couple hours engine run time, I haven't seen my battery voltage drop below 12.3.

My Stark Power 125ah lithium battery is still AWOL, ordered a few months ago, hoping that it will show soon so I can finish out my solar and house battery setup.

I had a CRL vented window installed last week. No trips in since the install but it looks fairly nice and should really help temps in combination with the roof vent I'll be installing shortly. Still debating whether to add a vented window to the sliding door -

Yesterday, about $1200 worth of 8020 showed up and I'm working on my panel bed now. I went all black ano. Crossing my fingers that the design I came up with will work.

Lastly, for now, everyone keeps asking about mileage. All I can say is don't go racing out to buy a 4x4 Sprinter to save on fuel. Big tires + 4x4 + high roof + a bit under powered = crappy gas mileage. I have seen 16 and 17 for flat, slower trips but driving up around the speed limit gets ugly, especially when there's any wind.

 

[Err]

Oh and I fabbed up a basic rotopax mount for my roof rack. For now, I'm carrying just 2 x 2 Gal cans for my motos but have extensions around to allow for diesel or whatever. When I first threw this up there I was fairly convinced I wasn't going to like it long-term but it's actually working out well and cost next to nothing since it was made of out $6 piece of scrap metal and "found" hardware. The gas cans actually form a bit of a shelf to hold things when I'm getting gear out of the roof box. My original plan was to put the cans on the rear doors but clearance is super tight with motos on the hitch carrier so that's out for now.

 

[java]

Boy that mileage is not what I expected at all. But I guess its really not bad when you look at the size of the brick your driving.

 

[Err]

Boy that mileage is not what I expected at all. But I guess its really not bad when you look at the size of the brick your driving.

Heh, yeah, I was hoping for a bit better, but hard to complain when you're pushing a giant 4x4 toaster through the wind and up our hills. I still think it'll improve a little as the engine breaks in but it's never gonna be a 20 MPG setup. Even allowing for my tires and error in the computer, I'm not seeing over 15-18 MPH and frequently a bit less.

 

[Haf-E]

Do you watch the LOD value via a scan gauge or similar device and downshift accordingly? That seems to improve mileage for many.

 

[Redline]

Nice update, thanks for sharing.