Which 4x4 Van Conversion Has the Smoothest Ride?

[DjDrewDigital]

I'm looking to get a 4x4 conversion for a Ford E350 van. I want a soft smooth ride so I can travel off road in comfort. Plus my back is sensitive to the bumps. Which 4x4 conversion will give the smoothest ride? Sportsmobile, Quadvan, Salem Kroger? What factors determine ride quality? Is it the shocks? Or both springs and shocks?

 

[ujoint]

Everyone has a different scale of ride quality. I've driven trucks that I thought rode terrible, and the customer was happy as can be. I've also driven trucks that rode great to me, and the customer wasn't satisfied at all. So everyone has a different opinion.

I don't have a specific answer to your question because I haven't driven all of those conversions. The coil guys will always say their conversion rides better, they use the factory spring, etc. I do know that my van rides as good as it did stock 90% of the time, and my lift is pretty high. (on leaf springs)

You're correct that the bottom line is a quality spring & shock that is valved properly for the application.

 

[Icebox]

I agree with Ujoint in that ride quality is subjective. I will also add that you get what you pay for as well. Since there was never a "factory" 4wd van and that all are conversions, still everything in most conversions are built for a price. Meaning if you get a cheap spring and a cheap shock, it will ride, well, cheap. If you compare a stock type leaf pack you typically see thick leafs in small numbers add that to a high GVWR and ride quality is just non existent. A custom set from a quality mfg will have very thin leafs in high numbers with floating clamps and even teflon buttons added to the ends to reduce friction and improve ride quality. Add a High quality shock (really!! don't cheap out here) that is valved to match the combo and you will have something you can live with, and be proud of for years to come. So spend time and money wisely. Do as much research with manufacturers as possible before turning the first wrench, and you should be very, very happy. Just remeber that old Cadillacs rode really smooth but handled like marshmallows. A quality that is less than desirable in any vehicle IMO.

Hope this helps, Good luck.

 

[xped]

I use suspenion seats in my Pathfinder van which has probably the worst 4x4 van suspenion ever built (about 2" of travel). I can adjust the seats for that cadillac ride without wallowing all over the road. Mid 80's Mitsubishi Monteros used them on the drivers seat, I find them cheap at the pick n pull wrecking yards.

 

[DjDrewDigital]

Thanks for the input. The ride quality in my Jeep TJ with stock springs and shocks is horrible and jarring. It hurts my back even ont he freeway. So looking for something better when I get my van.

 

[ntsqd]

A well built and trick set of leaves will still lack the suppleness of a coil spring, no matter how well damped.

The 63" leaves that GM uses on the rear of late model trucks are pretty supple, but they're still no match for a coil spring. A coil has no internal friction and a leaf, no matter how well designed built will unless it is a single leaf. I would not consider a single leaf for off road use. There is no limp-home mode in a catastrophic failure of those.

If you plan to keep the TJ for a while try putting some Bilstein dampers on it and see if that doesn't transform the ride quality.

The air ride seat, if possible to use, is a good suggestion. Passenger cars always place the passengers between the wheels and not directly over them. Historically this is a ride quality based decision. Just like riding in the middle of a boat is smoother than riding at the bow.

 

[xped]

With the Montero seats you dont need air, they are an adjustable spring and shock. They bolted right in place of the old seat and base. They also have a lockout if you want them ridgid.

 

[jammyauto]

The challenge with any van conversion to 4x4 is that there is simply not much room for the axel to travel upward. I've only ever driven Sporsmobile and Quigley conversion. Both of these only have 2" max upward travel on the front axel. This requires that the suspension be somewhat stiff to prevent the suspension from constantly bottoming out. What you end up with is a van the rides poorly (compared to a factory built 4x4 truck) and has a tendency to bottom out on bumps and dips that would not bottom out most other trucks. The only way to improve the ride is to change the springs out for more clearance. To improve driver comfort usually a slightly softer spring is used. The problem here is that with incresed ride height and softer springs higher speed performance and cornering suffers. It's really a challenge to build a van that performs well on and off road. You might want to check out Salem-Kroeger. I've only ever seen pictures on the net but they offer a coil spring conversion that I think has more clearance than the quigley. Ujoints conversion looks pretty sweet to but is'nt that more of a DIY deal?

 

[ujoint]

Ujoints conversion looks pretty sweet to but is'nt that more of a DIY deal?

It is, or it can be installed at a local shop. You're 100% correct about up travel, it's hard to keep the van low and still have decent suspension travel because of the engine crossmember. I usually recommend a 4" spring with my kit for a good balance of lift height/usable travel. That gives the van a 6" lift, enough for 35's.

 

[deserteagle56]

The challenge with any van conversion to 4x4 is that there is simply not much room for the axel to travel upward. I've only ever driven Sporsmobile and Quigley conversion. Both of these only have 2" max upward travel on the front axel. This requires that the suspension be somewhat stiff to prevent the suspension from constantly bottoming out. What you end up with is a van the rides poorly (compared to a factory built 4x4 truck) and has a tendency to bottom out on bumps and dips that would not bottom out most other trucks.

I'm sorry, but this argument I do not buy. I just went out with my tape measure to the garage and here's what I came up with: my stock Dodge Ram 2500 = 2". Stock work SuperDuty F250 = 2". My stock Jeep TJ = 2". My 2007 Quigley = 2-1/4". That's the actual measurement from the rubber bump stop to the metal pad on the axle on each of these vehicles. So it would seem that the manufacturers have chosen 2" as a good compromise between travel and vehicle height. That's all any of these solid axles can travel upward on any of these stock vehicles so that's no different than any of the conversion vans. For 32 years I drove a GMC Terravan 4x4 conversion and it had barely an inch of upward travel available - and it did just fine off highway. It's only hitting a washout at speed that would actually cause it to bottom out. I submit that the poorer ride of the vans is more of a function of the driver sitting almost directly over the front tire than it is the available uptravel of the front axle.

 

[jammyauto]

Well the truth is that my sportsmobile is the only amercan made vehicle I have ever owned. I did'nt go out and measure a bunch of trucks. I stand corrected. I have driven my dads stock f250 off road and come to think of it it was pretty unforgiving as well. Maybe it just that most of the american made stuff just does not ride a well as european and japanese vehicles. When we go to mexico with both the sportsmoblie and the syncro we usually set up camp at some remote beach. We always use the syncro to run into town. I can comfortably travel 40 to 50 mph on the mexican back roads in the syncro. It'll take the bad whoopdees no problem with 7" up travel at the wheels. Same bump at same speed in the SMB and your supprised that the truck is still in one piece. Same thing with a toyota truck or LC. I juess these vehicles just ride better stock. At anyrate I can say from my own direct experiance that a SMB 4x4 conversion or quigley does not even come close to ride quality off road with any syncro or toyota truck or landcruiser. I have driven all these vehicles on Mexican roads which is my gauge for off road performance.

 

[UHAULER]

I'm looking to get a 4x4 conversion for a Ford E350 van. I want a soft smooth ride so I can travel off road in comfort. Plus my back is sensitive to the bumps. Which 4x4 conversion will give the smoothest ride? Sportsmobile, Quadvan, Salem Kroger? What factors determine ride quality? Is it the shocks? Or both springs and shocks?

Are you set on getting an E350 ? How hard of off roading are you talking about ?

I would look into a stock Chevy/GMC AWD van. My friend has an 05 GMC 2500
AWD van and it rides very smooth, like a 2wd.

 

[ntsqd]

I'm sorry, but this argument I do not buy. I just went out with my tape measure to the garage and here's what I came up with: my stock Dodge Ram 2500 = 2". Stock work SuperDuty F250 = 2". My stock Jeep TJ = 2". My 2007 Quigley = 2-1/4". That's the actual measurement from the rubber bump stop to the metal pad on the axle on each of these vehicles. So it would seem that the manufacturers have chosen 2" as a good compromise between travel and vehicle height. That's all any of these solid axles can travel upward on any of these stock vehicles so that's no different than any of the conversion vans. For 32 years I drove a GMC Terravan 4x4 conversion and it had barely an inch of upward travel available - and it did just fine off highway. It's only hitting a washout at speed that would actually cause it to bottom out. I submit that the poorer ride of the vans is more of a function of the driver sitting almost directly over the front tire than it is the available uptravel of the front axle.

How tall are the related bumpstops?

Wheel travel doesn't end at first contact with the bumps. In my messing about with suspensions I consider the normal upper limit to be at 1/2 of the bump stop's height and the extreme upper limit to be metal to metal (bump stop has 'evaporated').

 

[1leglance]

I use suspenion seats in my Pathfinder van which has probably the worst 4x4 van suspenion ever built (about 2" of travel). I can adjust the seats for that cadillac ride without wallowing all over the road. Mid 80's Mitsubishi Monteros used them on the drivers seat, I find them cheap at the pick n pull wrecking yards.

I really like this idea as a way to improve comfort for the disabled driver or passenger without having to completely re-engineer the suspension of the vehicle.

I wonder if it would be possible to place these seats on a swivel base which would ease transfer in & out of a wheelchair.

Great info guys. I am following this thread very closely.

 

[xped]

I would love to make mine swivel and its probably possible if you can keep the swivel part from making the seat to high.
With the stock Montero seat I had a 1" spacer and the seat was still a little lower than stock.
I have since replaced the Montero seat with a 2007 Dodge PU seat and removed the spacer.
The swivel part on van/motorhome seats is just two round plates with holes in them and a spring loaded lever to lock them in place.
You could probably cut the swivel part off and build a base to mount to the top of the suspension base.
You might also look into semi truck or tractor seats someone may make one that swivels.
One problem I ran into was the seat belt has to be mounted to the seat or as it compresses it will get tighter.
This worries me as the seat and base are not as strong as mounting thru the floor.
Just for safety I am going to put a steel cable between the seat belt mount and the floor which will allow the seat to move but in a crash with stop the seat from ripping out of the floor.