Interstate Mods - I'll go First

[Tiato]

Originally Posted by UKDUDE

The OutSide Van shades are very efficient but tricky to put up, especially the side shades, and my wife is quite neurotic about any little gaps around them. Have you found a way to get them straight and tight first time?

UK - I lower the window about an inch. Slip the straps over the edge, then move the shade into its final position. I place my forearm on the shade to get equal pressure along the upper edge and slowly raise the window. So far I have not found a solution for the gaps caused by the folds but using some velcro came to mind.

[UKDUDE]

Originally Posted by Tiato

UK - I lower the window about an inch. Slip the straps over the edge, then move the shade into its final position. I place my forearm on the shade to get equal pressure along the upper edge and slowly raise the window. So far I have not found a solution for the gaps caused by the folds but using some velcro came to mind.

I find when you raise the window, carefully holding the shade in position, the straps get pushed back down a half inch or so when the window reaches the top of the window frame.
But I think something like Protag's suggestion will work. Just have to find a way to attach the suction cups to the straps.
Thanks Protag!

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by UKDUDE

I find when you raise the window, carefully holding the shade in position, the straps get pushed back down a half inch or so when the window reaches the top of the window frame.
But I think something like Protag's suggestion will work. Just have to find a way to attach the suction cups to the straps.
Thanks Protag!

Easy. Buy suction cups with wire hooks attached. Push the wire hooks through the tabs and flatten the hooks against the fabric with a pair of pliers to keep them from coming off.

If you want to get fancy, I suppose you could set some tiny grommets in the fabric tabs first rather than just pushing the wire hooks through.

[InterBlog]

Placeholder, headlight replacement

Have you ever gotten the feeling that you are being watched?


I laughed out loud when I encountered this bizarre sight in our garage. My husband is in the process of replacing the original crummy halogen T1N Sprinter headlights with projectors. The new units got shipped in from Poland, baked open in my kitchen oven (the adhesive holding on the covers releases at 200 F), and I don't exactly know what the next step is. The stand in the pic was constructed so that the beams could be projected onto the garage wall for aiming and leveling purposes. I'll backfill a descriptive link if this experiment proves to work (my husband is navigating through the project on another forum but the pics are not publicly visible there).

[73shark]

ET, phone home.

[InterBlog]

On Saturday, my husband replaced our 2007 Interstate's shocks with new Koni shocks, and replaced the original sway bar with a Roadmaster version (both of those items are referenced extensively on Sprinter forums).

On Sunday, we took it for a test spin to the most challenging local environment we can access on short notice - Galveston Island, with its stiff onshore breeze perpendicular to the main road. I was hoping that our pending weather system (anticipated to become Tropical Storm Bill) would kick up even more winds, but it was still too far out to have any effect. But the winds were brisk anyway.

I was amazed at the improvement. Suddenly it had become a fairly well-mannered Interstate - much less fatiguing to drive. With only 28,000 miles on it, I would not have anticipated a noticeable degradation in the shocks, but it had clearly occurred.

With such a tall vehicle and higher CG, I must conclude that it really is that sensitive to the quality and age of its stabilizing devices.

[Ron_CA]

I think you guys got the benefit of new shocks and new shocks that were better than the OEM shocks. Congrats on the upgrade.

I agree that crosswinds driving these vans are what can make you tired the most.

[weirdstuff]

Originally Posted by Ron_CA

I think you guys got the benefit of new shocks and new shocks that were better than the OEM shocks. Congrats on the upgrade.

I agree that crosswinds driving these vans are what can make you tired the most.

Ron, have you upgraded your shocks yet? It made such a huge improvement, that we only felt stupid for not having done it sooner. Highly recommend it.

[Ron_CA]

Nope. I didn't think I needed to with the newer chassis, but may want to look into it.

[73shark]

Stiffer shocks and bigger sway bars are good for controlling body motion at the expense of ride.

[LB_3]

I went with the middle setting on the adjustable shocks figuring that the larger sway bar would reduce the rocking magnitude enough that I wouldn't have to get things so stiff that expansion joints feel like speed bumps.

[lewster]

My Sprinter is at 117,000 mikes with about 28K on my Koni, spring package and sway bar upgrade that Sprinter Store did last Sept.

Awesome upgrade in overall ride and handling!! Something all Sprinter owners should consider.


Lew Farber
RVIA/RVDA Nationally Certified Master Tech
Master Tech Energy Systems, Inc.
AM Solar Certified Installation Center
Lifeline Batteries**Magnum Inverters
541-490-6357

[unifreck]

I had the Sprinter Store put Koni's and heavy sway bar on last year and a few months ago added Sumo springs to the front and rear. Feels like a sports car now. I could not agree more how much easier and relaxing the drive is compared to stock OEM's.

[InterBlog]

This particular upgrade came in partial response to a debate between my husband and I. We are in the unusual (temporary) situation of him being the engineer and motor vehicle expert whereas I have been the main Interstate user thus far, having taken the thing solo on the most recent three overnights plus numerous day trips. So I have more diverse actual driving experience, even though he has more tech knowledge.

I was making the point that in even a moderately high broadside wind, there will be no exceeding 45 mph in this vehicle because you will physically leave the lane of travel if you try (and attainable average speed is a pivotal consideration for trip timing and planning, so this is more than a rhetorical question). At that point, it doesn't matter what the "ride quality" is like, because you are not going anywhere fast either way.

Well, them's fightin' words in the DIY sense, so he decided that was just not right, and something had to be done about it.

I took this pic as illustration several weeks ago, Hwy 71 through Bastrop Texas. That flag standing up like that signals worst-case scenario. This was a 45 mph trip for quite some distance - it took me for-ev-er to get home that day. But with these new upgrades, I bet I could go a bit faster in the same conditions. Safely, that is.