Fitz’ 2016 Sprinter 4x4 RB 150S Build

[whwv]

Originally Posted by Fitz

Downieville? Come on over to Homewood at Lake Tahoe on Saturday to the Adventure Van Expo and those of us there will do our best to avoid spilling beer in your new van as we "help" you look it all over!


https://www.adventurevanexpo.com/new-page-2/

Very tempting, but I need to get some mountain biking in before the season is over!

[kreese]

Just finished reading all 591 posts in your build thread Fitz. Took me a month! Just awesome.

My SMB enters production next week, and your thread shaped a lot of my decisions over months of planning. I'm building my SMB on a new Ford Transit platform instead of your MB Sprinter platform, but the systems and my application are very similar to yours.

One of my most difficult decisions was the interior finish selection, and when I saw yours I told SMB Fresno "I want that!" (post #61). All credit and many thanks to your wife's superb design sensibilities.

[Fitz]

kreese,

I’m glad you had the patience to wade through the entire thread, even more glad that you found some information in there of use. Looking forward to you sharing more on your build!

I haven’t added to the thread in a while, been busy using the van and working on other things. I have a couple of van projects that I need to get done, I’ll be sure to report back here when I do.

Turned 30k on the odometer coming back from the Russian River today, not bad for 24 months of ownership while working full time!

[Fitz]

I was looking at VtSoundman's van the other day. He has recently been off exploring some brushy areas in the Sierra foothills and the sides of his CCV top have the well-earned pinstripes to prove it!


I have carried pruners with us in the past but they have never been quite long enough. I have an expandable pole saw with a rope-pull pruner that is a great tool, but a bit much to carry along. Mike's pinstripes convinced me to look a bit more and here is what I came up with: https://shop.coronatoolsusa.com/tp-3...-1-1-4-in.html


At 2-1/2 pounds weight isn't much of a consideration, next came looking for a convenient and secure way to carry it. Laura has two small shovels that she likes to carry (in addition to the one larger shovel mounted with the axe on the Expedition kit), ultimately one of the small shovels had to go to provide what looks to be a great storage solution. Take a look:






The top of the pruner is well below the roofline of the van and the pole is obscured from visibility from the inside by the center of the rear doors, thus I think this location should work well. Time will be the judge of that...


I'll make a cover to protect the blades, just another thing on the list. In the meantime, we have a trip planned this coming weekend that should put the tool and the mounting system to the test, we are looking forward to it!

[Fitz]

First off, I'm happy to report that the pruner mount location described in the post above worked really well bouncing around off road. Didn't use the pruner (what's a few more pinstripes?), but pleased that the pruner itself stayed perfectly in place as we jostled it around. Seven stream crossings, nothing deeper than a foot, but that gives you an idea of the type of trail we were on. The local who was with us didn't think we would make it, not only did we make it in style, we had a cold beer for him at the end!


Anyway, on to the point of this. Note how far down the Trasharoo hangs in the picture above. I seldom use it for its stated purpose, rather I carry several items in it full time, thus there is always some weight being carried with the result being that it always looks "droopy". I don't like this look, so of course I looked for a way to spend more money on Flint and do another minor modification!


Made from aluminum, this little support bracket weighs very little and provides the additional support I was looking for.





The bracket itself was sized to fit between the two 2" tubes that support the tire on the Aluminess swing-arm, and the protrusion is sized such that the assembly extends to the rear the same distance as the Aluminess Deluxe Box, thus resulting in a balanced look.


Here is the installed bracket without the spare tire installed:





And here it is with the spare in place. You will note that I made the cut-out for the tire large enough for a larger tire, still thinking about that one...





Stepping back, here is what it all looks like. I am confident that the weight is better supported and that the upper straps on the Trasharoo will have a longer life as a result, plus I think it looks better!

[Backcountryguy]

Nice! I like the rails around the top of your aluminess box, shovel bracket, and now this new support. Like the trasharoo, thinking of adding that as well for dirty gear.

[Fitz]

I started a thread over on the Sprinter Forum thinking that I would get a wide response from a large group of users. While I was surprised at the lack of response, especially from those running 35’s, (I guess this topic is of more interest to me than to others), I did get some excellent feedback. I thought I would post a summary here and see what you all have to say.


The topic is axle ratios and the effect larger tires have on the performance of a fully loaded/built out van. As a stock van, the rear axle ratio of my Sprinter is 3.92. As tire size increases, the axle ratio decreases, and along with it acceleration performance. In a different van changing out the gears is the answer, not an option readily available to those of us driving a modern Sprinter. (MB offers two axle ratios. Most, if not all, with single rear wheels are 3.92).


Flint is a 2016 4wd 144" RB 2500 Sprinter with a full SMB build including the electric pop top, plus the full complement of Aluminess and Van Compass goodies, including the VC 2" Striker lift and the full VC suspension upgrade package. All the extras make for a heavy van (think GVWR plus a bit but still under the axle ratings). With the VC suspension modifications the van handles GREAT, but that is not the point of this thread.

Regarding the overall issue of weight in the real world, in a recent Instagram post I noted this Sprinter-specific total-weight comment from Van Compass in their response to a question: “Everyone goes overweight. Many hit 10,000 lbs.”

I am not interested in the biggest, widest and tallest tire that I can squeeze under the van. What I am interested in is identifying the largest tire size that balances additional clearance with what I consider acceptable performance. My parameters are this: Fully loaded, at or above GVWR at all times, no spacers, retain my 17" Method Standard wheels and fit a tire that is within both tire and wheel manufacturer’s specifications.


I calculated axle ratios with a variety of 16” and 17" E-rated tire sizes. Note that different brands differ a bit in diameter and width and weight, for my purposes of this comparison I used the popular BFG T/A KO2's when available in the sizes listed, noted by the *. Note also that this is NOT an ad for the BFG KO2’s. I have them now and like them, but I have in no way made up my mind to run them as my next set of tires. Truth be told, I am leaning toward the Falken Wildpeak A/T3W’s with their stronger sidewall, but with plenty of tread left on the current set of KO2’s at 32k I am in no hurry to decide.

245/75/16 - 30.5" diameter - 30.5 lbs. – 9.8” wide - 3.92 - This is the stock Continental tire
265/70/17* - 31.7" diameter - 53.5 lbs. – 10.4” wide - 3.77 - Running this size now, perfectly acceptable
275/70/17* - 32.2" diameter – 55.5 lbs. – 10.8” wide - 3.70 – This is what the Agile RIP kit allows
285/70/17* - 32.8" diameter – 58.6 lbs. – 11.2” wide - 3.62
255/80/17 – 32.8” diameter – 58.0 lbs. – 10.2” wide - 3.62
255/85/16 – 33.1” diameter – 59.0 lbs. – 10.2” wide - 3.59– Narrow for snow, fits on stock wheel
295/70/17 - 33.5" diameter – 60.0 lbs. – 11.6” wide- 3.53
285/75/17* - 33.9" diameter – 60.9 lbs. – 11.3” wide - 3.48
Note: Tires above this line are rated for my 7.5” rim width Method wheels, tires below are often mounted on this width rim, but exceed the manufacturer’s width specification
305/70/17 - 33.9" diameter – 60.0 lbs. – 12.2” wide - 3.48
315/70/17* - 34.4" diameter – 64.5 lbs. – 12.4” wide - 3.42
35/12.5/17* - 34.5" diameter – 66.3 lbs. – 12.5” wide - 3.41

You can go to the other thread for the details, https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=71096 but here is my summary of pertinent overall performance comments from experienced Sprinter owners with fully loaded vans:

Wrinkledpants: (255/85/16) "For me personally, 33" is my limit when I think about the gains we get in ground clearance vs. the offsets we get on the highway."

NEWFISHER: (285/70/17 plus the VC 2” Striker lift) "I have no issues with needing more power and feel that the 33" tire, loaded and towing has not compromised what "I feel" it needs."

snowy: (285/70/17) "I am very happy with power at the road, including the placement of the power band at practical speeds. I can climb steep mountain grades without issue, pass vehicles on two lane highways, it feels plenty peppy around town..."

Given my parameters and the results I am seeing, it looks like the 33" tire is the upper-limit practical selection for my fully built heavy Sprinter van. Sizing options that I intend to explore more include:

285/70/17, 285/75/17 & 255/80/17

The 285/70/17 is the most common size of the three, that translates into more selection and availability if a tire is needed "now" when out on the road. In addition, the 285/70/17's have the most options with the Snowflake rating, if that is important as part of your selection process (important to me).

BTW, the width of the tire is the controlling factor with respect to the clearance between the tire and the stock front strut. With my BFG 265/70/17 KO2’s the strut clearance measured 0.36” before the VC 2” Striker lift and 0.53” after. Having been raised in the Midwest I understand the issue of mud and snow packing in this space, thus that is another factor to give consideration to when examining your use case and making your decision.

As always, your thoughts and experiences are appreciated! Thanks in advance.

Fitz

[Backcountryguy]

Tim,


As usual, exceptional detail and thought in your posts.


For our van Linus, I can say I'm more than happy with our combination. Pretty much driven by the Agile RIP and what was recommended by John Brindle. The items are all compatible and work well together.


Having said that, we've been on some fairly pot-holed, washboard logging roads, a couple of very minor stream crossings, but nothing that would be considered extreme off-road work.




Paved highway performance/handling has been greatly enhanced by the Agile work. I find that for MPG and general ride I like to stay at around 55-60MPH on two lane roads, no more than even 70MPH on freeway driving. We don't pass much..


The main components:
1. Agile RIP - I've already broken down the components previously
2. 275/70-17 BFG KO2 tires
3. Roambuilt rims - these fit the Agile RIP very well and do not require spacers. They are very expensive though, no question about it. They do have the separate stem for airing down, which is nice to bypass the TPMS. In reality though, it's very easy to reset the TPMS and I would qualify that feature as mildly helpful. But now that they are purchased and in use I'm all for them...


I think the main reason I went with all the above is they all fit well together if you're taking your van to Agile for the after delivery suspension work. I like everything about how Agile goes about business and the install they did for us.

[Fitz]

Anyone who drives a Sprinter knows what a weak horn it has. A while back we met our daughter and the grandsons at a park and Laura honked at them as we pulled up. Daughter Erin's comment: What a tiny horn for such a big van....


That got me thinking and I started to look around. The Sprinter has a 15 amp horn circuit, and while it's easy enough to run a new circuit and a relay (think air horn), I decided I wanted to stay within the limits of the existing circuit. I want Flint to have a better voice, but not to be mistaken for what he isn't!


I looked at a range of options - The Wolo Bad Boy, the FIAMM Freeway Blaster, the HELLA Super Tone and the HELLA Sharp Tone to name a few, but ultimately selected the PIAA Superior Bass Horn (330/400Hz). This two-horn unit is rated at 115 decibels at 2.7 amps each and after playing all of them on the internet this is the one Laura liked the sound of the best.


So I bought the PIAA and it sat on my workbench waiting for a window of time. But then the other day I was in my daily driver (a Honda with a manual) when I was at an intersection with a Sprinter behind me. We were stopped at a red light on a grade and I rolled back a bit, enough that the proud new Sprinter owner behind me felt he had to honk his horn at me....


Did I say honk? It was more like "Meeeeeppp". My little Honda wasn't intimidated in the least and I resolved then and there that it was time to find time to install the PIAA's.


First the facts: Here is the decibel reading of the stock horn centered and 5' in front of the van:





And here is the stock mounting location:






I looked at various mounting locations and options, here is the simple approach I ultimately went with:






As you can see, installation was fairly straightforward and I was able to connect directly to the existing wiring. Once the grill was reinstalled there is no visible difference.


Is the final result an earth-shattering one that makes other vehicles tremble in fear? Not hardly, but we are no longer embarrassed when we use the horn and the sound is much better matched to the expectation. In short, I claim success!


For comparison, here is the decibel reading of the new horn centered and 5' in front of the van. When looking at this, keep in mind that decibels are measured on a logarithmic scale.

[Mer1039]

I too have been wanting to do a horn replacement. I'm going to be a copy cat, follow your lead and replace my horns with the same units as you did.

I think I see them on Amazon (are these the ones you got https://www.amazon.com/PIAA-85115-Su.../dp/B0060ZB43G