Vid on how you would expect your 4x4 Sprinter to perform.

FourWheelers1987

A 2017 2500 144” Crew 4x4 High
Outstanding video! The Sprinter 4x4 is obviously a techno marvel but it always helps to remember "It's a van!" Knowing it's stock limits (tire upgrades aside) will be a key for me when my 4x4 arrives; especially since i don't want to start bash plating the whole undercarriage.

Thank you Tooth Fairy; I plan on giving your outfit a call.
 

DenCA

New member
Nice vid Tooth Fairy. How did you get those ATX Artillerys to fit on your Sprinter? I can't even find them listed as a current product anymore here in the US.
 

Eric Experience

Well-known member
Now I can see why you have trouble, you do not think logically. The video was made in California and Toothfairy just provided a link to it. Eric.
 

DenCA

New member
Other than the lack of an Aussie accent, it wasn't obvious to me that Tooth Fairy didn't make that himself. Assumed he was an expat down under. Anyway, I'm still curious if anyone who happens to read this knows how those wheels (ATX Artillery) were fit on a Sprinter? I'm not thrilled with the standard options that I can find on Tire Rack.
 

GSWatson

2013 144
I did, but it seemed the bolt offsets are different, or maybe I'm just not sure of what the sprinter's are in inches. I sent an email to ATX about figment, as their site says nothing fits the sprinter.
 

Sprinter SS

Well-known member
I'm still learning how to finesse the ETS, it does a great job of rerouting power when it senses wheel spin, so it feels like "slip, surge, slip, surge."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCDOKpgAVgk&feature=youtu.be
Wow, watched in the first time with the sound off. Second time with sound on and that sounds brutal! Is that with 4x4 engaged and still high range? Any easier to finesse with low range on? I have a 144" 4x4 with low range and have engaged the 4x, but never even put it in low yet. I did get out of a deep sand section on my way into a dirbike area I go. Got stuck in 2wd, put it in 4x4 and it creeped out easy, just figuring out which wheel had traction. Kind of cool actually.

Most of the videos I have seen online are about as graceful as a dentist with a pick hammer!
 
Wow, watched in the first time with the sound off. Second time with sound on and that sounds brutal! Is that with 4x4 engaged and still high range? Any easier to finesse with low range on? I have a 144" 4x4 with low range and have engaged the 4x, but never even put it in low yet. I did get out of a deep sand section on my way into a dirbike area I go. Got stuck in 2wd, put it in 4x4 and it creeped out easy, just figuring out which wheel had traction. Kind of cool actually.

Most of the videos I have seen online are about as graceful as a dentist with a pick hammer!
Its actually in 4low in the video, but the video doesn't do a good job of depicting how steep that little section is, It was pretty steep! I was having to give her quite a bit of gas just to keep from rolling back down the hill, and then the ETS only brakes the slipping wheel, so then I had to give even more gas to get some slippage...but then when the good wheel hooks up its like "whoa too much!" haha. Takes practice I guess.

I need to practice the feather-the-handbrake technique to get a little better front to back power ratio, but bending down to reach the hadnle isn't ideal.
Also my 255/85R16 33" tires might take a little more diesel to push up the hill...:bounce:

Looking up at the section from the bottom the first time I drove it...agian, its steeper than it looks and that ledge at the top had me worried...:wtf:
 

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Ed463

Active member
I'd noticed the slip, surge, stop as well. Thanks for the explanation, I'd have hoped the ets software was a little more intelligent. I've used LR Discovery 4's for example where you hardly know it's working.

As you say practice makes perfect and believe in the electronic intervention by trying to keep a constant throttle. Easier said than done. Otherwise the slip, surge has the potential to damage a relatively light weight drive train. On that subject my son's 2016 4x4 Sprinter just destroyed a diff:idunno: glad I'm not paying that bill!

I still love my G Wagen diff locks for non dramatic off road progress:laughing:

Videos and photos never do justice to the terrain.

Thanks for sharing.
 
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I'd noticed the slip, surge, stop as well. Thanks for the explanation, I'd have hoped the ets software was a little more intelligent. I've used LR Discovery 4's for example where you hardly know it's working.

As you say practice makes perfect and believe in the electronic intervention by trying to keep a constant throttle. Easier said than done. Otherwise the slip, surge has the potential to damage a relatively light weight drive train. On that subject my son's 2016 4x4 Sprinter just destroyed a diff:idunno: glad I'm not paying that bill!

I still love my G Wagen diff locks for non dramatic off road progress:laughing:

Videos and photos never do justice to the terrain.

Thanks for sharing.
Agree Ed, constant throttle is ideal, partly I think those bumps were big/abrupt enough that the suspension couldn't soak them up in order to allow me to maintain momentum for better traction, I was getting bounced to a stop with each new hit...so that's a suspension limitation (obviously haha). But basically I think it's fair to say the ETS system is designed for slippery conditions and not really "crawling" so to speak...

Sad news about your sons diff, I need to keep reminding myself this isn't a box on frame pickup truck like I'm used to!
 
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Ed463

Active member
Agree Ed, constant throttle is ideal, partly I think those bumps were big/abrupt enough that the suspension couldn't soak them up in order to allow me to maintain momentum for better traction, I was getting bounced to a stop with each new hit...so that's a suspension limitation (obviously haha). But basically I think it's fair to say the ETS system is designed for slippery conditions and not really "crawling" so to speak...

Sad news about your sons diff, I need to keep reminding myself this isn't a box on frame pickup truck like I'm used to!
Yes that's a good summation.

I'm very impressed with the Sprinters capabilities, in certain situations I've seen it out perform a LR Defender, but it'll never be a G Wagen or Toyota Land Cruiser when it comes to suspension and drive train. In my manual sprinter I would have struggled in that terrain.

My son uses his for work and it's off road every day, at times in extreme conditions, so around 90k miles of that will take it's toll on anything:smirk:
It took a tractor and a 7 ton tracked excavator to recover him from this predicament:bounce:
 

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Yes that's a good summation.

I'm very impressed with the Sprinters capabilities, in certain situations I've seen it out perform a LR Defender, but it'll never be a G Wagen or Toyota Land Cruiser when it comes to suspension and drive train. In my manual sprinter I would have struggled in that terrain.

My son uses his for work and it's off road every day, at times in extreme conditions, so around 90k miles of that will take it's toll on anything:smirk:
It took a tractor and a 7 ton tracked excavator to recover him from this predicament:bounce:
WHOA!!! looks like that could have been MUCH worse.. lucky it was just the rear end and not a complete loss..
 

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