4x4 or Air Suspension Option

[ScottP]

[QUOTE=InterBlog;1933068]I've noted this on other threads... I think each owner has to take a hard look at how they are going to be using their Interstate predominantly, and make the choice accordingly. One size will never fit all.

For instance, the live-in vehicle that whisks us efficiently and comfortably across the 6,000-mile round-trip from Houston to northeastern Nova Scotia is just never going to be the same vehicle that is simultaneously optimized for getting us down Old Ore Road in Big Bend National Park. Not without there being *several* hundred thousand dollars of investment in said vehicle, that is, and our budget is far lower than that.

To date on this analysis, the husband and I have leaned toward air suspension as the better fit to our needs. That round trip cited above requires about 90 hours behind the wheel each and every time it is made. I'm for prioritizing that experience over an off-road experience, especially given that the Sprinter's breakover and departure angles are not going to change very much no matter what its wheels are capable of doing. On all of the the backroads I've encountered to date where I might have liked to have taken our Interstate, 4x4 would not have helped us, because we still would have struck tail or belly even if we had it.

If we get to a back road that the Interstate can't handle, we put a contingency plan into action

I'm confused.....

Why is the example of a backroad and off road being referred to?

I recognize there is some perception that 4wd is only used for accessing remote areas ....but frankly I've never felt this way.

Traveling from Bend Oregon to Portland requires a trip through a Cascade Mtn pass. Traveling from Jackson WY to Alta WY requires crossing the Teton Mtn Pass....climbing and descending icy highways in the winter. Our 4wd vehicle drives great and rides great from our perspective. We're not terribly concerned with departure angles, we have a Jeep for that stuff. Every tool has a purpose

[xrvr]

They're called Interstates for a reason! Not back roads.

[InterBlog]

One size does not fit all. We don't have ice because we live in the subtropics. As Interstate owners, we have no intention of ever dealing with ice. I spent 23 years in Canada, dealing with snow and ice. I reached my lifetime quota a long time ago.

The only reason we'd need 4x4 capability is for back roads, that are free of ice. But even with the potential for a slight chassis lift, breakover angle is still breakover angle. A 4x4 would not help us in those scenarios.

Hell, one of those roads to which I refer technically belongs to me, in part. It's an old logging road, now a private (non-municipally-maintained) road used for multiple property access. The radius of curvature on a number of topographic features is just too small for my Interstate, or anyone else's Interstate, to ever handle. It doesn't matter what they're upfitted with - the Sprinter wheel base makes transiting it physically impossible.

[don000]

It's great to hear different perspectives, but I concur with InterBlog that everyone must consider their own use.

As the owner of several collector cars that survived because Oregon does not use salt I appreciate the differences between locales. But I don't live in Oregon. Moreover, my concern about corrosion is not about Sprinter body panels, it's about all the utilities hanging under the vehicle and their mounting arrangements, which make scant allowance for the effects of corrosion. I expect to keep this vehicle for many years, so will try my best to avoid driving on snowy or salted roads.

ScottP's greater need for traction is completely irrelevant to the ways I use the vehicle, and I have no doubt that his tolerance for bouncing around is far higher than my wife's big dog. Avoiding canine nausea is one of my highest priorities.

[InterBlog]

+1 on that!! LOL, my husband used to complain because we paid to have a custom carpet installed in our T1N Interstate cab (Airstream's OEM was poor quality and also at the end of its functional life), BUT, following that installation, I covered up much of it with mats of various types. Kind of defeats the purpose, at least visually.

But then on a particularly bad section of road, our dog vomited

E V E R Y W H E R E

and even managed to find a few areas where she could project the barf beyond the edges of the overlying mats and onto the carpet below.

That was the end of the spousal objections. Mats are a GOOD thing. And so will be air suspension, when we eventually get it.

[felixkagi]

Originally Posted by avionstream

Not necessarily so. Some are for ride improvement.

Have had air suspension vehicles for years, Allroad, Ram 1500, Grand Cherokee
and would not have anything else as long as I can afford it. Even a Citroen DS way back when, hydropneumatic suspension, a marvelous vehicle to ride in but otherwise .............

A working air suspension improves the ride (smoother) and it will get you up some roads you could otherwise not go (use it for work)

Back to MB Sprinter vans; they do have a pretty basic and rudimentary suspension, especially if you look at the vehicle price after all the AI value adders. In the eyes of Mercedes Benz they are a world utility vehicle (trucks).

Coil spring systems IMHO would be more adaptive for air suspension conversion (RAM seems to be able to do it, four corner on 1500's, rear on 25 and 3500) whereby on the heavier vehicles it's more meant for load leveling. But then, as any professional driver will tell you, a road tractor with air suspension rides with considerably more comfort than the older type leave spring suspension systems. Drive around Europe for a while, you will hardly see a road truck without air suspension, buses have it and so on.

So back to Sprinter Vans, a full rear (air) suspension with leave springs removed and properly sized bags will undoubtedly improve the ride. The vehicle will not behave like an air ride car or SUV but much better than what it is in its basic edition. There are some auxiliary air suspension systems available, that work between the chassis frame and the leave spring pack, they do improve the ride somewhat, but they definitely act as load leveling device and for purposes of raising the chassis height as well as sideways leveling with a two way pressuring system.

The biggest problem is cost. Is it worth to spend five to ten grand for a functioning rear air suspension?

Looking at conventional available systems, we should be looking at a Sprinter Van OEM supplied rear suspension for at most 2000 dollars.

Problem is that most Sprinter vans are built for utility use and not for Class B RV's, so Mercedes Benz could not give a hoot unless they make a lot of money.
There are some aftermarket kits springing up in the US like Kelderman that do not cost that much, but there is the installation.

There will be a time in the not too distance future, when full four corner air suspensions on MB Sprinter vans will become optional equipment, be it on 4 x 2 or 4 x 4 drives.

I for one hope it's not too long because it makes a comfort difference, though everything has a price.

[73shark]

Don't forget when looking at aftermarket air suspension kits, check for frame reinforcement since the Sprinter is unibody and w/o reinforcement, the frame which is not designed for point loading may be damaged.

Someone pointed this out in an earlier discussion in another thread.

Anything would be better than leaf springs.

[Titus]

My concern with winter driving is not the traction or corrosion. It's all the Airstream stuff that is not designed to deal with tens or hundreds of pounds of snow/slush. Can't imagine how much would sit on top of the generator, propane tank, fresh water tank, grey water tank, sewage plumbing and valves, etc.. Not to mention all the wires underneath that are barely secured well enough to support their own weight, let alone snow and ice.

[InterBlog]

Agreed, and that point was made on previous threads also (in fact, someone thanked me for making it, on this, a forum that is not nearly as thanks-oriented as some of them are). I drove in snow and ice for years - I know what adheres under a vehicle. Personally I'd never do it with an Interstate.

[ScottP]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Agreed, and that point was made on previous threads also (in fact, someone thanked me for making it, on this, a forum that is not nearly as thanks-oriented as some of them are). I drove in snow and ice for years - I know what adheres under a vehicle. Personally I'd never do it with an Interstate.

"To each their own..."

I like the extra utility of a 4wd unit. Our 2017 ASI is an asset designed to enhance my life, rather than to be served and prayed to...

Otherwise....

Let's just leave them in our driveway, tinkering, petting and polishing them unless it's sunny and dry out.

No thanks... visiting Banff, Sun Valley, Jackson Hole during a 14 day window in early March was just priceless!!!! And if we were freaked out about snow and slush, we'd have missed terrific memories.

YMMV