Thoughts on using a 2 Wheel Drive Sprinter

[James86004]

We have a 2wd 2004 Sprinter. We got an excellent deal on it, so we put up with the 2wd. We have gotten it stuck twice. Each time Maxtrax got us out. One thing we have learned is the traction control is meant for ice, it stinks in mud, because it kills the power when you need some wheelspin to keep moving. At least it is easy to turn off. You can see us getting it unstuck at the Trona Pinnacles starting at minute 12 here: Joshua Tree National Park In The SNOW??? (Also, Trona Pinnacles) - YouTube

We throw a tent into our 92 Range Rover for rougher stuff.

 

[rruff]

Hi Folks, I have a chance to buy a 2 wheel drive Sprinter 4 cylinder 144wb 2019 with a conversion.

I'd rather have the 4cyl gas Sprinter than the diesel, but that's just me. Lived 56 years without 4WD, so no... I believe it's a "nice" thing but definitely not necessary for getting out in the boonies. I mostly got stuck in sand (western US and Baja), and airing down works wonders for that. For snow, snow tires are great and carry chains. Don't know about mud. A little extra ground clearance is a good idea on rugged terrain.

IMO if you never get stuck, then you aren't being adventurous enough. How else do you know your limits? Just keep some basic recovery gear and try not to be stupid...

 

[luthj]

Realistically evaluate your needs. 4wd is typically not necessary. I would argue that if you really needed it, you would already know. Given the premium 4wd vans command, I don't think its worth it for marginal usage cases.

 

[billiebob]

We have a 2wd 2004 Sprinter. We got an excellent deal on it, so we put up with the 2wd. We have gotten it stuck twice. Each time Maxtrax got us out. One thing we have learned is the traction control is meant for ice, it stinks in mud, because it kills the power when you need some wheelspin to keep moving. At least it is easy to turn off. You can see us getting it unstuck at the Trona Pinnacles starting at minute 12 here: Joshua Tree National Park In The SNOW??? (Also, Trona Pinnacles) - YouTube

We throw a tent into our 92 Range Rover for rougher stuff.

Sounds like our thoughts can't compare with your experience but whatever you drive you learn the limits.
The only difference between 2WD & 4WD is you get truly stuck with 4WD.

 

[Riptide]

There's jeep stuck, and then there's big van stuck. You can jack a jeep to get stuff under the wheel, but you're not really going to do that with a van. Plan accordingly.

 

[Scotty D]

There's jeep stuck, and then there's big van stuck. You can jack a jeep to get stuff under the wheel, but you're not really going to do that with a van. Plan accordingly.

This is so important. There is no camper that should be rock crawling in my opinion.
I think having 4x4 is for getting across a few tricky obstacles that would stop a 2wd from getting to an amazing campsite.
This is so often the case in Baja. I will get out and slowly decide on a plan of attack and maybe add and remove a few key rocks then make my move.
There is no sense in using your rig as a vehicle for the sport of offroading.
If you are on a long self supported trip, damaging your undercarriage is a vacation ruiner

 

[rruff]

If you are on a long self supported trip, damaging your undercarriage is a vacation ruiner

I guess I was lucky... I beat the everloving crap out of my undercarriage and nothing ever broke. Lots of dents though... don't recommend it! Ground clearance would solve that... more important than 4wd, IMO. Add power/gearing to go slow, and a rear locker and you can go damn near anywhere.

 

[mobydick 11]

I had asked this question before ,but never got a good response . What do you feel is better for light off road in a two wheel drive van ? single or duel back wheels . Also if airing down in a stuck two wheel drive ,would you air down the front tires ? Or would there be no traction gain just maybe some flotation ?

 

[Scotty D]

In sand air down all tires
You can run into problems airing down duals because they will touch and create friction
My understanding is that this is why singles are preferred off road

 

[rruff]

That and getting rocks stuck between the tires....

 

[luthj]

There are situations where dual rear wheel provide more flotation. But this is only true if you net tire width and load ratios comparable. Duals can pick up rocks, especially aired down. Having two flats at once sucks... That being said its not very common.

In most of the soft stuff, having both front and rear axles with the same track reduces power needed to maintain speed.

If the vehicle configuration allows for correctly sized singles, then that is the preferred setup for off road.

Now secondary roads it probably doesn't matter much. If its an actual improved road of any kind, you won't have issues typically.

 

[paddlenbike]

I've been driving Toyota 4x4s for the past twenty years and my 2WD Sprinter for the past four. We push the van pretty hard and it has taken us places I never thought a 2wd would go. In my experience, the height of a high roof Sprinter has held me back way more than the number of driving wheels. I've simply learned I don't need 4x4. If you opt for the 4 cylinder diesel Sprinter you'll get 24-25 MPG and a range of over 550 miles, even at full camper van build-out weight.

 

[Bravo30]

Yes to campgrounds, parking lots, and the occasional well-maintained forest service roads and yes to snow on maintained dirt and tar roads. Not really as to sand or off roading in Northeast. Maybe some logging roads.

what your describing is exactly what we’ve been doing for 8 years in our 2wd 170ext Sprinter. We pretty much only camp in the winter here in Pa on state forest land.
The thing is, with these vans being so large, your typically never going to be on a road or situation where you would need 4x4. My biggest problem is overhead branches and the back end bottoming out. Carry snow chains, traction boards, shovels etc and you’ll be fine.
I carry 2 sets of chains. 1 set of Pewag D-link chains for when I know in advance things will be bad and 1 set of Pewag Brenta self tensioning chains for temporary situations or for driving on snow covered blacktop. The self tensioning chains are nice because you can put them on without moving the van. They’re great for when you really don’t need chains but happen to get stuck and can’t move the van. You just hop out, put them on, drive off and then take them off all in the span of 10mins

pewag brenta-c 4x4

The tried and tested pewag brenta-c is pewag’s bestselling snow chain: the chain was especially strengthened for 4x4 use.

www.pewagchain.com

 

[Jonnyo]

what your describing is exactly what we’ve been doing for 8 years in our 2wd 170ext Sprinter. We pretty much only camp in the winter here in Pa on state forest land.
The thing is, with these vans being so large, your typically never going to be on a road or situation where you would need 4x4. My biggest problem is overhead branches and the back end bottoming out. Carry snow chains, traction boards, shovels etc and you’ll be fine.
I carry 2 sets of chains. 1 set of Pewag D-link chains for when I know in advance things will be bad and 1 set of Pewag Brenta self tensioning chains for temporary situations or for driving on snow covered blacktop. The self tensioning chains are nice because you can put them on without moving the van. They’re great for when you really don’t need chains but happen to get stuck and can’t move the van. You just hop out, put them on, drive off and then take them off all in the span of 10mins

pewag brenta-c 4x4

The tried and tested pewag brenta-c is pewag’s bestselling snow chain: the chain was especially strengthened for 4x4 use.

www.pewagchain.com

View attachment 648747

not all van are created equal. A 170 or even better a 170 EXT and Transit HR EXT make for very strong winter performer as they naturally are easy to load the rear axle. Mine (transit 350hd ext) is truly a excellent winter vehicle and didnt even consider AWD when i purchased my second van.

but for someone with the shorter wheelbase and short overhang at the back, the rear axle wont be as easy to load and if you drive this unloaded or on a light build with heavy item near the front, it can make for a frustrating experience on snow and ice.