Sportsmobile Sprinter 4x4

[Mamontof]

http://www.defpro.com/news/details/17667/


Mercedes Benz Sprinter On 44 Inch Tires
http://jeepmambo.blogspot.com/2009/1...nch-tires.html

Desert - wolf create interested updates for Sprinter http://www.desert-wolf.com/index.php...ery&Itemid=135

[18seeds]

PS. Having money, does not mean to squander it.
Adam

40k for a new sprinter (guessing)
30k for a 4x4 conversion if it was available
30k can buy you a lot of interior work

or

Buy a van with an interior that is not what you want.

[Motobueno]

I'll try and clear some of this up.There are two OEM equiped 4x4 NAFTA sprinters in the U.S. One is the red one that smb has for sale and the other is mine.Both van's parts came from the OEM in Austria.Smb's first then mine.After mine was done MB told the Austrians that they could not sell the parts to anyone!But we could by them from MB in euro land.Unfortunatly MB is very proud of there parts and it would more than double the price.Salem-Kroger in Red Bluff Ca has done some.But there are some things to be aware of.Because of ratio issues they are using different tire sizes front to rear.They are fitting a ford straight axle.It has a poor turning radius(can you say football field)The lift to accomadate the axle is to the moon.I saw a posting where the owner of the Euro sprinter (one of there first) was asking"Does anyone know how to make a Ford axle talk to the MB computer?"
My lift is 3" The automatic trans works great for off road!Watch the youtube video of my van.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF7Bgs0k_CM"]YouTube - Sportsvans MB Sprinter 4wd[/ame]
I have really pushed my van ,as, if we are going to sell this ,I'm not about to bull**** anyone as to what it can do.That would only come back to haunt us.
The damn thing works.If I had a dollar for every time I could have sold mine ,I wouldn't have to do a 4x4.
We (The Sprinter Store in Oregon)are still working on a 4x4 conversion.Because ,we cannot ignore all the calls we get for it.Trust me-making a diesel powered computer called a Sprinter, 4x4 is NOT EASY!!!
I'm sorry that I can't tell you when it will be done.WE ARE WORKING ON IT.
Tom
P.S. I researched converting a Euro model to U.S. spec's.Get this one. It's not even on the EPA list of convertable vech's and the two company's that I spoke with said it would cost about $15,000 to TRY and get it listed.That's not counting the $15,000 to $25,000 for the work if they could get it on the list.

[Riptide]

Trust me-making a diesel powered computer called a Sprinter, 4x4 is NOT EASY!!!

If that's not an accurate description of a Sprinter, I don't know what is!

I hope the conversion you're working on is for the T1N Sprinters like yours, not for the NCV models. I think in the not-too-distant future M-B will offer the NCV's in 4x4, especially if they get competition from any Fiats that may start showing up here...

Keep at it!!

[Motobueno]

Riptide
We are working on both platforms,as they share many of the same components.
As to MB bringing a 4x4 in,here are my thoughts.
1.Mb will have to crash test at least several vans.(destroy)
2.Gov compliance (paper work)will be in the hundreds of thousands!
(smb had to destroy 1 van and the paper work was the size of a small phone book for there Sprinter pop top project) I have seen it.
3.Auto trans is somewhat unique to the NAFTA market.
(every euro model van that I that I have seen online has been a manual trans and 4 cyl)development costs before it even gets here.
Now you do the numbers-How many vans would you have to sell just to recover the ? $400,000+ ? to do it.

[mhiscox]

Hey, Tom,

Thanks for posting up here and sharing your expertise. Hope all is well with you.

[Riptide]

Riptide
We are working on both platforms,as they share many of the same components.
As to MB bringing a 4x4 in,here are my thoughts.
1.Mb will have to crash test at least several vans.(destroy)
2.Gov compliance (paper work)will be in the hundreds of thousands!
(smb had to destroy 1 van and the paper work was the size of a small phone book for there Sprinter pop top project) I have seen it.
3.Auto trans is somewhat unique to the NAFTA market.
(every euro model van that I that I have seen online has been a manual trans and 4 cyl)development costs before it even gets here.
Now you do the numbers-How many vans would you have to sell just to recover the ? $400,000+ ? to do it.

Really? I'm not familiar in these matters, but with the Sprinter already firmly established here, I'm surprised to hear that certifying/crash testing a 4x4 version would be that much more effort...

I just figured that with MB taking over sales of their van, and with impending competition for the same niche, that MB is finally serious about offering the full product line.

Hey, what do I know?

I will say that as a T1N owner myself, I salivate at the possibilities that your van offers...

Pat

[Regcabguy]

I sat in a red 5 cylinder Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion at our Auto Show here when they first came out. Asking price was $100,000. Dynatrac had one up at there location in Huntington Beach working on a solid axle upgrade. I don't know if that ever came to fruition.

[AdamK]

Motobueno
Did the parts for your conversion come from Iglhaut-Allrad or Oberaigner?
Can you tell us how much the 4x4 conversion cost you?
I still say, that all this testing is just protectionist b.s.
Any vehicle, designed and build by Germans for German roads, is safer and cleaner than most vehicles on NA roads.
AdamK

[Motobueno]

It seems that the voices in your head are louder that mine.
Please try and quiet them and reread my post.