This is definitely off-topic, but I figure that others who own and drive Sportsmobiles would have some answers.
I am driving a group of kids in a 15 passenger van (extended) from the San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles. It will probably be a Ford. Our Sportsmobile is the standard-length Chevy ('97). I'm pretty comfortable with our van and how it handles and stops. I have never driven an extended van. Will a newer Ford van handle significantly differently than ours? I do plan on double-checking the tire pressure and loading as much as I can between the axles. Are there any other precautions that I should take. I would not be so worried except that there are kids involved and want to be as safe as possible. Any input would be appreciated.
Don't swerve and if you have to, don't swerve back. There is a great video about wheelbase, sway and extended vans, if nothing else it will give you a great idea of what NOT to do.
Also remember if you blow a tire accelerate (regains you control of the vehicle) and then ease to a stop. There is a good instructional video about this as well.
The new vans, from 08 and up, have the break upgrade. Braking should be better. We have an EB SMB and before our delivery date, we rented a 15 packer from enterprise and drove it from Southern California to the Bay Area with 7 adults and 3 Kids. Driving it was great, however the TPMS kept lighting up, didn't give us any trouble though. Good Luck!
My #1 suggestion is to always look for an escape route in a situation. Find a way out w/o having to put much thought into it. Drive like somebody on a bike... well a sane person on a bike. On my HD I always look out for the other guy. Yeah it sounds stupid, but many drivers are idiots. When I'm driving a class A vehicle, I don't have the luxury to expect quick results to mishaps due to the weight of the vehicle. The same is true if driving an ambulance or a heavy van. The amount of space between you and somebody else is critical so long distance is your friend.
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2006 Ford 6.0PSD EB-50/E-PH SMB 4X4 Rock Crawler Trailer