Tooth Fairy
Away with the fairies.
Vid on how you would expect your 4x4 Sprinter to perform.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zTjeRRfGmU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zTjeRRfGmU
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.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
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.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!
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...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 glad I'm not paying that bill!
I still love my G Wagen diff locks for non dramatic off road progress
Videos and photos never do justice to the terrain.
Thanks for sharing.
Yes that's a good summation.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!
WHOA!!! looks like that could have been MUCH worse.. lucky it was just the rear end and not a complete loss..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
It took a tractor and a 7 ton tracked excavator to recover him from this predicament
Absolutely. Either lucky or he knew when to quitWHOA!!! looks like that could have been MUCH worse.. lucky it was just the rear end and not a complete loss..