To AWD or 4WD??

Fishingman · 09-21-2016, 10:03 AM

Hi I'm in the market for a van and need some help. I'll be doing 80% of my driving on pavement (long road trips from the east coast to the west) and 20% of my time on the beach sand on Long Island NY as a fishing vechile. I'll also be using it as a daily driver (I work 5 miles from home) so nothing major. I'll eventually do some camping equipment but now need seats for an infant at seat. Do you guys think I need a true 4x4 conversion or do you think I could get away with a AWD savana type van with a lift and tire (thinking 4" with 33")?? Do you think that it would drive on the highways with that type of mod well? Am I better off finding a quigley? I have working with a budget of 25-30k$ I will not be towing so don't think I want a big V10 or diesel.
Thanks to anyone who can help!!

mikracer · 09-21-2016, 11:16 AM

An AWD van with proper tires and a mild lift will most likely get you where you want to go. If beach fishing in NY is anything like beach fishing in CA, you'll keep close to the water and the hard pack is easy to get around on. Even in the soft stuff, you would do fine with the AWD and proper tires.

As far as ride, I can bet that the AWD will ride better than a stock Quigley.

Fishingman · 09-21-2016, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikracer

An AWD van with proper tires and a mild lift will most likely get you where you want to go. If beach fishing in NY is anything like beach fishing in CA, you'll keep close to the water and the hard pack is easy to get around on. Even in the soft stuff, you would do fine with the AWD and proper tires.

As far as ride, I can bet that the AWD will ride better than a stock Quigley.

Thank you so much mikracer appreciate the info. Do you think airing the tires down it would perform good in soft sand? Also any clue the cost on doing a lift in one of those?
Thanks again for your time

rallypanam · 09-21-2016, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishingman

Thank you so much mikracer appreciate the info. Do you think airing the tires down it would perform good in soft sand? Also any clue the cost on doing a lift in one of those?
Thanks again for your time

Airing down definitely helps.

Lift kit for the Chevy AWD here:
AWD Chevy and GMC VanLift Kits

86Scotty · 09-21-2016, 05:48 PM

You definitely sound like a candidate for a 5.3l GM AWD van. They aren't hard to lift, lots of folks on the Expo van forum have info and pics on that. With your budget you could get a nice one and trick it out a bit. Add on-board-air so you can air down/up for the beach and you're set.