I've read elsewhere that there is an additional sway bar that can be added to the back and it sits on the back end of the rear axle. Know anything about that and do they do them? Added to reduce the sway.
Very informative , thanks..... I do not own a van yet but before I do buy one I am educating myself on ( everything ) ......... What the best electrical system should be , the weight , converting to better mechanics other than factory made , tires ....etc.... This lady added life saving info for van life
Very informative! Thanks so much! Also, you said in the video that gave a tour of your newest, current van, that you would explain in another video what you are doing about the toilet situation since your new van has not toilet. Can you tell us what you do when you're on the road and need to use the bathroom?
Hey Elizabeth - I really do need to make a video about this...but in the meantime, I wrote a blog post about it: bearfoottheory.com/best-campervan-toilet-options/
Great video. Surprised your Sprinter is not a 3500 dual rear wheel setup. I installed Sumosprings on the front and rear of our American Coach Patriot MD4 3500 Sprinter and they made a big difference. Much better handling now.
David Haney here is their website: vancompass.com I also have a full write up here on my website with a lot more details: bearfoottheory.com/sprinter-suspension-van-compass-review/
Kristen, thank you for the update on your suspension upgrades. And your companion web article is great for providing the details. I'd like to discuss some context for the work you had done for those viewers that wonder whether everyone needs these sorts of expensive suspension upgrades. It looks to me that the total cost of your suspension upgrades approaches $3-4K (not including installation.) Just the rear springs upgrade from Van Compass is about $650. I found equivalents for $450. (SuperSprings Suspension Stabilizer and Sway Control Kit - OEM Leaf Springs Above Axle.) An important question is what makes these upgrades necessary and why one would need to replace a factory suspension that presumably works just fine for Mercedes Sprinters used as delivery/utility/commercial vans. I think two essential RV conversion issues play the dominant role here; 1) overall conversion weight, 2) vehicle top heaviness. The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of RV conversions when coupled with non-conversion weight carried place the vehicle way over designed GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight). The maximum weight for a Sprinter 2500 is rated at 8,550 regardless of whether it is a 144", 170", 2WD or 4WD. The worst case configuration is your (and my) 170" 4WD configuration. The 4WD takes away 700 lbs of weight carrying capacity. The 170" version's 26" extension costs a few hundred pounds. What you and I are left with is Maximum Payload (occupants & cargo) of only 2,431 lbs. That is for the RV conversion AND the occupants and their stuff. When I estimated my crew, food, water and stuff I arrived at a weight of between 900 and 1,150. That leaves only about 1,300 to 1,530 pounds for the RV conversion. When Van Compass weighed your converted Sprinter, it was 1,400 lbs over GVWR. No wonder it was a heavy rolling ride. The factory springs were designed for its GVWR not for something 1,400 pounds over. The second issue is top-heaviness. Many, Sprinter RV conversions include lots of stuff on the roof combined with fixed ceiling level cabinets full of stuff (often heavy food stuffs). Mercedes provides the following safe limits for its low and high roof version roof loads. The maximum safe roof load of a high-roof Sprinter is 330 lbs. The 660 lbs. maximum safe roof load of a standard-roof Sprinter corresponds to the maximum safe combined weight of the high-roof Sprinter roof load and any interior loads mounted under the high-roof Sprinter’s ceiling. When carrying roof loads, Mercedes recommends the installation of stabilizers on the front axle. Now, my 2 solar panels, solar panel framework, Maxx Fann, Thule Awning and 20"x20" boat hatch skylight combined weigh of just over 150 lbs. And that's not including any gear rack or gear stored on the roof. It is easy to see how ceiling level cabinets, contents and a full roof of gear can put one in dangerous top-heavy territory,. Your roof configuration includes a full-length gear rack as well as any gear you are carrying. On uneven surfaces I can imagine your van acting top-heavy. These design and load decisions are what determine whether one will need an expensive suspension upgrade. I limited my roof load to a vertically low 150 pounds. And I do not have any permanent inside ceiling-level cabinetry (using instead removable bike panniers). Still my max conversion and non-conversion loads are several hundred pounds over GVWR. My Mercedes salesman tells me that is absolutely nothing to worry about; the Sprinter can handle a couple hundred extra pounds without damaging the suspension. But always riding a few hundred pounds over weight means that my back end would ride low and that would reduce available spring flex in bumpy zones. And of course always being at maximum carry load stresses a suspension. So I have gone with a $450 upgrade of my rear springs and that is all. So far that has proven sufficient. P.S. Another viewer commented that the Sprinter 4WD is an expensive boondoggle and totally unnecessary,. I guess that guy doesn't go anywhere 4WD is necessary. I CANNOT get up my country driveway in the winter without the 4WD. I cannot drive out of a flat soggy wet field in two wheel drive with the Sprinter's slip differential. I had VASTLY better highway control in 4WD during this winter's first blizzard. For me a 2WD Sprinter was not an option.
Thanks for the detailed thoughts. The Van Compass upgrades are just under $2k. I also don't carry any gear on my roof, so the van isn't actually isn't top heavy, not compared to my old van anyways. But yes, my van is overweight and the upgrades have made a huge difference. Are they absolutely necessary? Not really. But I definitely feel safer and that the van handles much better in all cases. And you're right it depends exactly what you are carrying in your van and what kind of driving you are doing.
Kristen, It is valuable threads like @@bearfoottheory that help educate your readers/viewers about their own vehicle, equipment and lifestyle choices. I really appreciate it. It was hard to observe how some trolls kept banging you on the head about the presumed high cost of your professional conversion. You didn't rise to the bait in those conversations. As a small business person I know that you must be deservedly deducting most of the costs associated with your Sprinter as business expenses. That's totally legitimate. For my part, the simple and legal choice to declare my Sprinter as my primary dwelling will allow me to a) deduct the five years of interest payments on the vehicle payments, and b) one-third of all the costs of the electrical system as legitimate primary dwelling renewable energy investments. Where there is a will, there is a way.
Useful info, thanks. To be exact, 4x4 adds 271lbs (123kg) and the extended body 530lbs (240kg). (www.mercedes-benz-vans.ca/files/en/data-sheets/2016_Sprinter_4x4_Model_Sheet.pdf)
After the suspension upgrade are you able to keep up with your friends in trucks driving forestry roads? Do you air down your tires when doing so? I am thinking of getting van compasses upgrade as well but want to be fairly sure that my speed on forestry roads will be decent and not shaking my build apart.
Tim Ob I’ve had the upgrades for 15 months now and am still stoked on them. We drove all over the mountains of Colorado this summer and the van handled the rough roads really well. Of course the durability of your actual Build comes into play too, but the upgrades will greatly help. And we don’t air down our tires on dirt roads. Only on sand
Great information on this video. I agree on the upgrades. Those are great shocks. Where I currently am located for work in West Texas all the roads are washboard and pot hole back roads. And that basically the shocks out here everyone installs on most of there trucks.
@@bearfoottheory Been following you (and others) since the 1st van. The more I learn, it seems that Sportsmobile West really is the complete package for vans. Keep up the good work. God bless...
@@Bingwadc I think it really depends what you want. Sportsmobile has been around forever and it seems like they do great work. However, they aren't fully custom. They have a lot of different layouts and design options to choose from, but there are constraints to what they will do. Outside Van can pretty much do whatever you think of (as long as it's not a terrible idea, in that case, they'd tell you).
@@Bingwadc Sportmobile's interior is dated in my opinion. The laminated plywood cabinetry they use gives off that grandma's RV interior feel. While outside van uses aluminum and materials that look good and function well by withstanding water and the weather.
Nice video. I am wondering how your suspension upgrade compares with rear air bag installation. Both seem to improve the ride characteristics of LWB and ELWB vans.
Hi, how is your sprinter doing as far of braking down, Is it reliable. How many miles you got so far. I know that ford transit awd will come out in 2020
Do you know if this installation raises the overall height of the van? I have a 10 foot garage door currently with only an inch to spare on my sprinter setup. Thanks
energymaven I’m pretty sure you can install the van compass kit yourself or just have someone experienced with suspension do it. As far as my tires they are BFG K02s (17s)
J.G. Conumdrum thanks for the correction. Much of this lingo is new to me. I did my best explaining but hopefully what people take from this is the improved end result
@@Scrambler85 Nope. Sprinters don't have coil springs. You are right in that most vehicles with struts have coil springs. But the sprinters, at least my 2006, have an inverted leaf spring that runs from side to side in the front instead of coil springs.
Airbags for the rear and Sumospring bump stops are a good poor-man’s version for taking care of the rocking. Easy install. I did mine at camp. I’d still argue that 4wd is a total boondoggle on these vans. With decent off-road tires the limit becomes popping spot welds on the unibody construction and approach angle - not traction. I haven’t found anywhere my 2wd couldn’t make it because of traction, but I’ve had to abort many times due to the lack of a proper frame.
Vanarchy I think it depends where you spend winter. I use my 4x4 way more driving up to alta than I ever do in the summer. Really wouldn’t want to drive without it in Utah in winter. But summer, I know plenty of people who have 2wd and are happy with the improved gas mileage
I suppose that’s true. I have yet to be in conditions where I needed chains (even though the gestapo told me to put them on or get fined). For off-road use there’s really no justification. Even in deep sand I’ve managed fine with 2wd and carpet. One of these days I’ll invest in some recovery tracks.
Agree. 2014 4cylinder 2wd and have yet to meet an obstacle that was reasonable to travel, we haven’t been able to overcome. Except snow at a dead stop with an incline. This is where 4x4 comes in handy.
I've read elsewhere that there is an additional sway bar that can be added to the back and it sits on the back end of the rear axle. Know anything about that and do they do them? Added to reduce the sway.
I have one for sale. Works great
Very informative , thanks.....
I do not own a van yet but before I do buy one I am educating myself on ( everything ) .........
What the best electrical system should be , the weight , converting to better mechanics other than factory made , tires ....etc....
This lady added life saving info for van life
Great job explaining the procedure. You can tell you educated yourself while you did this.
Danny Hancock thanks!
Their Stage 2 kit just arrived yesterday. I can’t wait to install it!
Jon White cool! Let me know what you think about it once you get it installed
I’m happy with the shock upgrade on my 2016 Van Specialties 4x4. Money well spent.
Cool! That's great to hear.
Thanks for teaching!
Thanks for watching!
The stock shocks feel like you hit a brick wall with every bump, the upgrades are totally worth it
Agreed :)
Very informative! Thanks so much! Also, you said in the video that gave a tour of your newest, current van, that you would explain in another video what you are doing about the toilet situation since your new van has not toilet. Can you tell us what you do when you're on the road and need to use the bathroom?
Hey Elizabeth - I really do need to make a video about this...but in the meantime, I wrote a blog post about it: bearfoottheory.com/best-campervan-toilet-options/
Great video. Surprised your Sprinter is not a 3500 dual rear wheel setup.
I installed Sumosprings on the front and rear of our American Coach Patriot MD4 3500 Sprinter and they made a big difference. Much better handling now.
Where's the link to these guys website so we can order the kits?
David Haney here is their website: vancompass.com
I also have a full write up here on my website with a lot more details: bearfoottheory.com/sprinter-suspension-van-compass-review/
Kristen, thank you for the update on your suspension upgrades. And your companion web article is great for providing the details. I'd like to discuss some context for the work you had done for those viewers that wonder whether everyone needs these sorts of expensive suspension upgrades. It looks to me that the total cost of your suspension upgrades approaches $3-4K (not including installation.) Just the rear springs upgrade from Van Compass is about $650. I found equivalents for $450. (SuperSprings Suspension Stabilizer and Sway Control Kit - OEM Leaf Springs Above Axle.) An important question is what makes these upgrades necessary and why one would need to replace a factory suspension that presumably works just fine for Mercedes Sprinters used as delivery/utility/commercial vans. I think two essential RV conversion issues play the dominant role here; 1) overall conversion weight, 2) vehicle top heaviness. The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of RV conversions when coupled with non-conversion weight carried place the vehicle way over designed GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight). The maximum weight for a Sprinter 2500 is rated at 8,550 regardless of whether it is a 144", 170", 2WD or 4WD. The worst case configuration is your (and my) 170" 4WD configuration. The 4WD takes away 700 lbs of weight carrying capacity. The 170" version's 26" extension costs a few hundred pounds. What you and I are left with is Maximum Payload (occupants & cargo) of only 2,431 lbs. That is for the RV conversion AND the occupants and their stuff. When I estimated my crew, food, water and stuff I arrived at a weight of between 900 and 1,150. That leaves only about 1,300 to 1,530 pounds for the RV conversion. When Van Compass weighed your converted Sprinter, it was 1,400 lbs over GVWR. No wonder it was a heavy rolling ride. The factory springs were designed for its GVWR not for something 1,400 pounds over. The second issue is top-heaviness. Many, Sprinter RV conversions include lots of stuff on the roof combined with fixed ceiling level cabinets full of stuff (often heavy food stuffs). Mercedes provides the following safe limits for its low and high roof version roof loads. The maximum safe roof load of a high-roof Sprinter is 330 lbs. The 660 lbs. maximum safe roof load of a standard-roof Sprinter corresponds to the maximum safe combined weight of the high-roof Sprinter roof load and any interior loads mounted under the high-roof Sprinter’s ceiling. When carrying roof loads, Mercedes recommends the installation of stabilizers on the front axle. Now, my 2 solar panels, solar panel framework, Maxx Fann, Thule Awning and 20"x20" boat hatch skylight combined weigh of just over 150 lbs. And that's not including any gear rack or gear stored on the roof. It is easy to see how ceiling level cabinets, contents and a full roof of gear can put one in dangerous top-heavy territory,. Your roof configuration includes a full-length gear rack as well as any gear you are carrying. On uneven surfaces I can imagine your van acting top-heavy. These design and load decisions are what determine whether one will need an expensive suspension upgrade. I limited my roof load to a vertically low 150 pounds. And I do not have any permanent inside ceiling-level cabinetry (using instead removable bike panniers). Still my max conversion and non-conversion loads are several hundred pounds over GVWR. My Mercedes salesman tells me that is absolutely nothing to worry about; the Sprinter can handle a couple hundred extra pounds without damaging the suspension. But always riding a few hundred pounds over weight means that my back end would ride low and that would reduce available spring flex in bumpy zones. And of course always being at maximum carry load stresses a suspension. So I have gone with a $450 upgrade of my rear springs and that is all. So far that has proven sufficient. P.S. Another viewer commented that the Sprinter 4WD is an expensive boondoggle and totally unnecessary,. I guess that guy doesn't go anywhere 4WD is necessary. I CANNOT get up my country driveway in the winter without the 4WD. I cannot drive out of a flat soggy wet field in two wheel drive with the Sprinter's slip differential. I had VASTLY better highway control in 4WD during this winter's first blizzard. For me a 2WD Sprinter was not an option.
Thanks for the detailed thoughts. The Van Compass upgrades are just under $2k. I also don't carry any gear on my roof, so the van isn't actually isn't top heavy, not compared to my old van anyways. But yes, my van is overweight and the upgrades have made a huge difference. Are they absolutely necessary? Not really. But I definitely feel safer and that the van handles much better in all cases. And you're right it depends exactly what you are carrying in your van and what kind of driving you are doing.
Kristen, It is valuable threads like @@bearfoottheory that help educate your readers/viewers about their own vehicle, equipment and lifestyle choices. I really appreciate it. It was hard to observe how some trolls kept banging you on the head about the presumed high cost of your professional conversion. You didn't rise to the bait in those conversations. As a small business person I know that you must be deservedly deducting most of the costs associated with your
Sprinter as business expenses. That's totally legitimate. For my part, the simple and legal choice to declare my Sprinter as my primary dwelling will allow me to a) deduct the five years of interest payments on the vehicle payments, and b) one-third of all the costs of the electrical system as legitimate primary dwelling renewable energy investments. Where there is a will, there is a way.
@@markusrobinson3858 Wow that's so interesting. I haven't heard about those tax deductions. That's really neat.
yup... I confirmed it with my CPA. Of course I first heard about it on TH-cam.
Useful info, thanks. To be exact, 4x4 adds 271lbs (123kg) and the extended body 530lbs (240kg). (www.mercedes-benz-vans.ca/files/en/data-sheets/2016_Sprinter_4x4_Model_Sheet.pdf)
When you’re driving do you usually stay in 4 wheel drive?
After the suspension upgrade are you able to keep up with your friends in trucks driving forestry roads? Do you air down your tires when doing so? I am thinking of getting van compasses upgrade as well but want to be fairly sure that my speed on forestry roads will be decent and not shaking my build apart.
Tim Ob I’ve had the upgrades for 15 months now and am still stoked on them. We drove all over the mountains of Colorado this summer and the van handled the rough roads really well. Of course the durability of your actual
Build comes into play too, but the upgrades will greatly help. And we don’t air down our tires on dirt roads. Only on sand
Excellent explanation, tks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
I have 2009 2x4 170 RV and I need to upgrade where can I buy the kit.
Great information on this video. I agree on the upgrades. Those are great shocks. Where I currently am located for work in West Texas all the roads are washboard and pot hole back roads. And that basically the shocks out here everyone installs on most of there trucks.
Nice. Outside Van doesn't do suspension mods?
No Outside Van doesn't do the mods. Perhaps they will in the future though.
@@bearfoottheory Been following you (and others) since the 1st van. The more I learn, it seems that Sportsmobile West really is the complete package for vans. Keep up the good work. God bless...
@@Bingwadc I think it really depends what you want. Sportsmobile has been around forever and it seems like they do great work. However, they aren't fully custom. They have a lot of different layouts and design options to choose from, but there are constraints to what they will do. Outside Van can pretty much do whatever you think of (as long as it's not a terrible idea, in that case, they'd tell you).
@@Bingwadc Sportmobile's interior is dated in my opinion. The laminated plywood cabinetry they use gives off that grandma's RV interior feel. While outside van uses aluminum and materials that look good and function well by withstanding water and the weather.
Nice video. I am wondering how your suspension upgrade compares with rear air bag installation. Both seem to improve the ride characteristics of LWB and ELWB vans.
How much ??
You look so tiny next to that beast, thanks for the vid 👍
Does a 2WD van have the same requirements?
How much does it cost?
what is the size of the tire?
I learn more thank you
Hi, how is your sprinter doing as far of braking down, Is it reliable. How many miles you got so far. I know that ford transit awd will come out in 2020
I've put 30k miles on mine and haven't had any major issues.
Do you know if this installation raises the overall height of the van? I have a 10 foot garage door currently with only an inch to spare on my sprinter setup. Thanks
Shane no this doesn’t change the height of the van. It maintains all of the vans existing geometry. So you should be good.
@@bearfoottheory what if you wanted to raise the height? Is the the place to start?
We are having the same thing done in SoCal but the wait time is 2 months. What kind of tires do you have?
energymaven I’m pretty sure you can install the van compass kit yourself or just have someone experienced with suspension do it. As far as my tires they are BFG K02s (17s)
Is this van the extended version?
This is a normal 170" wheelbase 4x4 Sprinter. You can see the whole thing here: th-cam.com/video/GLtN33KfELw/w-d-xo.html
great video
Great informative video
how much $?
Thanks you for the great info. My 170 is getting heavier by the day while building it. I will have to address this issue one day I’m sure.
Yea it adds up fast. The batteries are soooo heavy and water and people. Combine that and all of a sudden you are over max gw.
How much did you spend?$$$
Long time subscriber, Nitpicking but the front springs are coil springs. Looks like a major upgrade
J.G. Conumdrum thanks for the correction. Much of this lingo is new to me. I did my best explaining but hopefully what people take from this is the improved end result
@J.G. Conumdrum The sprinter actually has struts, not coil springs. :)
@@bearfoottheory I am impressed with the amount of "lingo" that you know! Thanks for sharing about your experience with VanCompass :)
@@kylehiebert22 the struts have coil springs on them
@@Scrambler85 Nope. Sprinters don't have coil springs. You are right in that most vehicles with struts have coil springs. But the sprinters, at least my 2006, have an inverted leaf spring that runs from side to side in the front instead of coil springs.
how much is that kit ?
All of the prices are on the Van Compass website.
cost?
The Van Compass upgrades were just under $2k including install
Airbags for the rear and Sumospring bump stops are a good poor-man’s version for taking care of the rocking. Easy install. I did mine at camp.
I’d still argue that 4wd is a total boondoggle on these vans. With decent off-road tires the limit becomes popping spot welds on the unibody construction and approach angle - not traction. I haven’t found anywhere my 2wd couldn’t make it because of traction, but I’ve had to abort many times due to the lack of a proper frame.
Vanarchy I think it depends where you spend winter. I use my 4x4 way more driving up to alta than I ever do in the summer. Really wouldn’t want to drive without it in Utah in winter. But summer, I know plenty of people who have 2wd and are happy with the improved gas mileage
I suppose that’s true. I have yet to be in conditions where I needed chains (even though the gestapo told me to put them on or get fined). For off-road use there’s really no justification. Even in deep sand I’ve managed fine with 2wd and carpet. One of these days I’ll invest in some recovery tracks.
Agree. 2014 4cylinder 2wd and have yet to meet an obstacle that was reasonable to travel, we haven’t been able to overcome. Except snow at a dead stop with an incline. This is where 4x4 comes in handy.
Had to down vote because of sound quality. Unwatchable(unlistenable).