Planning to purchase soon. Here come the questions....

[carringb]

Originally Posted by Nomadcat

So I have been thinking about Quadvans. Spoke with them today and they seemed very decent. Have some used vans in stock and I could get one of their work vans converted for a little over 40k. Can I get a new one, V10, and get it converted for that much, though?

New. no. At least not a passenger van. The V10 XLT wagons start at about $34,000. No idea on cargo vans. Then you add the $14ish for 4x4...

Keep in mind QuadVan will convert any Ford van, so you can always find a great deal on your own, and ship it to them.

For a true deer resistant bumper, look Buckstop http://www.buckstop.biz/ They are close to QuadVan, so shipping would be less too.

[SteveInLA]

Originally Posted by carringb

At least not a passenger van. The V10 XLT wagons start at about $34,000.

As Alan Feld pointed out to me, all new 2010 XLT wagons come with Ford's Anti-Roll System standard and there is no way to order one without it. When I asked QuadVan about this, the part of the explanation that I could understand was that the ARS works in just the opposite way that you want a 4x4 system to work. When a tire starts to get traction at a high speed, like when you swerve to avoid that deer in the road, the ARS applies the brakes. The theory is that a skidding car is less likely to flip over than one whose tires are digging in or something like that. Anyway, if you want 4x4, you don't want ARS. I don't remember what model year it started appearing on wagons, but I would guess it was 2008. Sort of a bummer since dealers stock these in all different colors and engines and don't seem to stock cargo vans in much more than white 5.4L V8's.
For what it's worth,
Steve in L.A.

[carringb]

The roll stability control system works by correcting unindented yaw. So, if you point the steering wheel right, and the van goes straight, the RSC system will brake the inside rear wheel which will cause the van to turn right.

Likewise, if the van starts to understeer, it will brake opposing corners to return the vehicle to the intended yaw angle. Ford's RSC improves on most stability systems by also sensing impending rollover, and changing the yaw angle regardless of driver input. I cannot find any information suggesting it will intentionally lockup a wheel or wheels to reduce traction (wouldn't make any sense either since the vans don't roll on driving surfaces when tires are properly inflated... they roll when they leave a driving surface and are "tripped" by a barrier, ditch, or soft dirt)

There is no reason this would affect the usability of 4x4 at highway speeds. This is the same system that has been on the Expedition and Volvo XC90 for year.

The only issue that may affect 4x4 vans is the RSC system may not guaranteed to function properly if the vertical center of gravity of the completed vehicle (does not say loaded vehicle) is greater than 39.2". A 4" lift should be below this. Not sure about a 6" lift.

The traction control element of the system can get confused by loose surfaces (mud, soft gravel, sand etc) but it can be disabled with the button on the dash. I also don't think there is a way to ignore the Tire Pressure Monitoring System when running aired down tires, so that could get annoying.


RSC came out on the extended wagons in 2006, then was put on all wagons in 2007.

[kinewave]

Steve,

I am going to be putting our 2006 SMB 4x4 up for sale. My family and I aren't getting enough use out of it right now, and we could use the money to fund some other projects.

Anyways, I am in Culver City, and since you're close by, you might want to come check it out.

It's a white, 2006 V10 Gas, SMB 4x4, RB50 with 24k miles on it (Practically brand new)
Penthouse top
$6k Sound System +DVD
Air Compressor
Aluminess Bumpers Front & Rear
Ladder
Thule Roof Racks with euro box, ski racks, and surf racks
2000watt Inverter
Baja Box + Bike Rack
Extra Large Floor Storage
Porch Lights on both sides
Loncoin Flooring
Awning

It's in immaculate condition.

email me directly for pics if you're at all interested.

wavesync@mac.com

best,
jim

[carringb]

Got the scoop on the RSC issues...

It operates fine during normal driving. Issue is it may intrude when driving in sand. It will constantly try to straighten out the van using the brakes, and when it can't, it will reduce throttle.

Sounds like an annoyance most of the time, but I could see it allowing you to get stuck in some situations.

The work-around is to order a cargo van with window and rear HVAC packages and add the interior bits and pieces for a passenger van. Diesels do not have RSC (even though the door badge says it does).