Has anyone honestly really romped on a 4x4?

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hokecro

Member
Was having some anxiety as Mike after all the no van crap. Owned a Ford/Quigley e-350 for 14 years and never let down or held back. Should have invested 10% of what I spent on the '16 Sprinter 4x upgrading the Ford. Can't count the disappointments and haven't touched the 4x controls.
 
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desertdog

Member
I happened to be camping at the hot springs and was riding my trailbike through steel pass when these madmen took their sprinter 4x4 through the pass. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed it! Well done and was a pleasure meeting you guys. Jud
 
Farfrumwork

Farfrumwork

Active member
Engineer pass (East to West) into Silverton.

And then Ohpir Pass (East to West) into Telluride.

This van is %$(*#^ awesome! Sure its not a Rubicon... but THEY were taking a lot of pictures of US :rad:


We also toured the first part of Schofield pass road from Marble to the West. We knew we wouldn't make the whole pass into Crested Butte (we were just looking for some camping - which we didn't find on that craztynarrow road). I'd say that was the limit of what I (we) felt comfortable with (or a bit past that point maybe :crazy:). Skid plates came into play here....
 

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braapbraap

New member
kjackson said:
We took our brand new (paper license plates and all) 2016 4x4 passenger on the White Rim trail just outside of Moab UT. The White Rim is over 100 miles of moderate 4 wheeling (that's what some 4x4 forum said). We were stopped multiple times by folks in Jeeps and the such telling us to turn around that we'd never make it. I figured we had insurance and if we wrecked it, it could be fixed - that's why we bought it right - adventure! There is a section where there are multiple vehicles that have fallen off of the road and are completely destroyed. So I was thinking more of a smashed bumper or dinged panel, not utter destruction. I did have the family get out of the van on one particular steep section, just in case. Call me crazy.

There was lots of only 3 wheels on the ground and I thought that we'd high center many times but no issues. We got stuck a few times and would have never made it if I hadn't pulled out the manual and started using the low gear selector. We got to the top of Murphy Hogback and a group of beer drinking folks cheered and said they never thought we'd make it (I was shaking so badly from the stress that I could only nod my head). The low gear is fantastic and controls steep descents really well. Even when my 14 year old daughter lost her mind as we were going down a very steep section, the van never faltered. She did say she'd never go on that drive again. We took our time and stayed below the 15 miles per hour speed limit. The washboard roads nearly shook us to death until I let maybe 1/3 the pressure out of the stock tires. Then it was smooth sailing.

There were sections where the mirror on the inside of the road was mere inches away from the cliff walls and my outside tires were 12 inches or less from going off the side. So it was a tight squeeze in some sections.

I'd say we romped our Sprinter hard and it came through with flying colors. The park rangers who stopped us as we were leaving the trail said we were the first van they'd ever seen on the trail. We were shocked and thrilled that it did so well. Due to my zero experience in 4x4 driving, we should have started with something less demanding (maybe a forest service road). I'd also say, I should have brought a towel to sit on as I nearly shat myself a number of times.

By the way, this is my wife's daily driver (during the ski season she is regularly stopped in the grocery store parking lot and asked if shes the shuttle to Snowbird). We're averaging 18 MPG on the freeway and about 16 around town. We've put just short of 20,000 miles in the last 6 months. It holds an amazing amount of gear and is fantastic for river trips, skiing trips, long road trips, camping and around town. On the downside and we were caught off guard by this but we get stopped everywhere and are asked many questions about the van. We didn't think a commercial van would attract so much attention.
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Years later i know but there are 4 people in the world that make me laugh and this fella is one of them
 
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mk216v

Active member
kjackson said:
Folks, sorry if I came across as an embellish-er, however, some of the comments make me feel a bit defensive. So a couple of things to consider. First, I looked up the comments on Jay Shapiro, his rig is enormous and I immediately felt pretty stupid for my initial comments about the width of the road and even the difficulty of the drive. If he can drive that rig though the White Rim, then a Sprinter van is just kind of silly. However, if you closely review his comments, he also states that he only drove the Potash road and Shafer Switchbacks (the Potash road is a near flat dirt road that starts near Moab and connects at the bottom of the switchbacks). My 1994 Camry can drive both sections as can anything else (only limit would be the length), it's a well maintained forest service road.

The Shafer Switchbacks are amazing and provides some of the most stunning views you've ever seen, it's also highly deceptive as it has no relevance to the challenges of the White Rim. I'm quite sure that many have driven this section and though, holly cow this is easy and keep going. In fact, we had those exact thoughts and wondered why anyone would need 4x4. It takes about 40 or so miles before a Camry or most two-wheel drive vehicle would reach their limits. There is absolutely no way his rig could drive the WR, the big limiter is length. There were some spots where I had to do 4 point turns and I’m at least 10 feet shorter than he is.

There are sections that are narrow and I'm going to stick with my original width assessments, I might be off by a few inches but not feet. Also there is a section that has a significant overhang. I called the Ranger station before I left and they informed me that a 9' tall vehicle would have no problem on the trail but anything over 12' could be risky. As for the Rangers statement about the van, I'd propose that he was referring to Sprinter vans, and yes you are correct about the E350's, which are awesome vehicles. For what it’s worth, I don’t mind being called embellish-er, hell I’m smart, tall, wealthy and quite handsome. But saying that I outright lied about my experience to mislead folks into questionable trail situations is silly. Come on relax, were all friends here.

If you look at the videos of the White Rim, they clearly illustrate that it is difficult to catch the steepness and challenges that the road offers from the cockpit of a vehicle. With that said, I'd agree with one of the 4x4 forums that the White Rim is a moderate 4x4 challenge. It’s not a forest service road with some mud and a few rocks and it’s not a rock crawling challenge. A neighbor of ours did it in their 4x4 Suburban, the drive damaged their car by ruining their running boards. He said that he high centered a few times and scraped the front bumper and bounced the back trailer hitch a few times as well. I’d guess that the 4x4 Sprinter has to have at least 4 more inches of clearance over a Suburban.

After spending two days on the route, I was much more comfortable with how the van handled and knew how to approach more technical sections without worrying as much as I did when we started into the drive. On the second day is when I reduced the air pressure in my tires which significantly reduced the harsh vehicle shake we'd experience as we were driving over washboard sections. I'd suggest that anyone in a 4x4 144 sprinter could make this drive without significant issue if they’re careful. A 170 might be a stretch as I was certain that I was going to high center on a couple of sections.

Last but not least, I didn't set out to "romp" on my brand new vehicle. I set out on an adventure and after reviewing video and different forums on the White Rim, figured that the Sprinter would do just fine. I mean come on, Sprinter owners have to be some of the most anxious research driven folks I’ve ever met, we know more about our vehicle that most sales people and I’d propose that we research most of what we do before we do it. Nevertheless, I most certainly over estimated my driving abilities and under estimated the challenges. There were moments where I was quite overwhelmed by the route, nevertheless, the Sprinter was what won the day. With careful driving, it is a competent 4x4 on moderate roads that would stop a lot of other vehicles. Go out and have some fun, we had a grand adventure!
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All of you that have taken your Sprinter's on the ~100mi WRT, thank you! Having been on it before in a larger 4x4 van, I was glad to hear some of you have done it with even stock 144WB Sprinter 4x4's. I don't think a 170WB would make it, even with an Agile or Vancompass lift--departure angle might be an issue.

Nightpanda said:
We just got back from the Whiterim in Utah. 4x4 low range required. Highly recommend
https://youtu.be/AnfpEo6m5oo
https://youtu.be/m4cerGPiO3U
https://youtu.be/no-TI0g0Gho
Scott
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Scott, stock suspension? Tire size? Aired down to what psi? Glad to see it pass along Green River in the Labyrinth.

FourWheelers1987 said:
https://youtu.be/CgvOneQYT_8
https://youtu.be/5lnfKkztyKI
Any guesses out there on what rims and tires they were rolling on
in the first video?
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Can't place them.
2nd are Hutchinson beadlocks (sadly, not as hubcentric as they should be).

I didn't see this video posted here, VanCompass LR 4x4 on Fins N Things in UT;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnwII3tMCbc
 
Nightpanda

Nightpanda

2016 4x4 144 premie
mk216v said:
All of you that have taken your Sprinter's on the ~100mi WRT, thank you! Having been on it before in a larger 4x4 van, I was glad to hear some of you have done it with even stock 144WB Sprinter 4x4's. I don't think a 170WB would make it, even with an Agile or Vancompass lift--departure angle might be an issue.


Scott, stock suspension? Tire size? Aired down to what psi? Glad to see it pass along Green River in the Labyrinth.


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Glad to hear you getting your stoke going on this adventure! We have the stock suspension, 26575R16’s, and no air down game for this trip. That would have helped a bunch. We didn’t even know that the Green River section was going to be the tightest spot on the whole trip.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
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mk216v

Active member
Nightpanda said:
Glad to hear you getting your stoke going on this adventure! We have the stock suspension, 26575R16’s, and no air down game for this trip. That would have helped a bunch. We didn’t even know that the Green River section was going to be the tightest spot on the whole trip.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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Excellent, good to know you were stock susp, smaller tires, no airing down...means that AO or VC susp, 275/70/17+, airing down would prove even better for the WRT!
 
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Ed463

Active member
Not sure I'd call it "romping" but we've just completed a 9k mile trip through West Africa.
Mixture of tarmac.
What was tarmac many years ago. These were probably the worst tracks. Holes that would rip your wheels off or swallow a small car.
Desert tracks. Some nice and smooth, some horribly corrugated (I hate those!)
Bull dust.
Soft sand.
Rocks.
Desert, no tracks.

Zero issues:bounce:
The VC suspension was brilliant. Best modification ever.
Of course the photos don't do any justice to reality.
 

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Ed463

Active member
Farfrumwork said:
^^ Putting those sand ladders to WORK!
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Yes they work:bow:
I nearly didn't take them on the basis that there's a limit to what you can take and when you're a VERY long walk to even a phone signal you shouldn't get stuck:laughing:
It still took 2hrs+ of digging. Plus of course the commentary from my wife along the lines of "told you so.........":lol:

Some locals took pity on us and provided dinner though.
 

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Sprintaroundtheworld

New member
Nightpanda said:
We just got back from the Whiterim in Utah. 4x4 low range required. Highly recommend





Scott
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Scott, was the labyrinth section in your third video the tightest part of the road height wise? Despite being hairy in a few sections were you able to finish the whole 100 mile loop? I'm looking to drive white rim in october in my 2019 144 high roof. Only permits left were for Potato Bottom on night 1 and Airport on night 2, forcing a counter clockwise loop.

Just looking for as much info as I can before heading out west. I'm surprised at how little information i've been able to find on sprinters driving the full loop of the road...

Thanks for the help!
 
gltrimble

gltrimble

2017 170 4x4
Sprintaroundtheworld said:
Scott, was the labyrinth section in your third video the tightest part of the road height wise? Despite being hairy in a few sections were you able to finish the whole 100 mile loop? I'm looking to drive white rim in october in my 2019 144 high roof. Only permits left were for Potato Bottom on night 1 and Airport on night 2, forcing a counter clockwise loop.

Just looking for as much info as I can before heading out west. I'm surprised at how little information i've been able to find on sprinters driving the full loop of the road...

Thanks for the help!
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I have driven the White Rim three times and honestly do not recall the “labyrinth”. On our trips we had an assortment of trucks and a Jeep but no Sprinters. I recall the most difficult section of the road was the clockwise climb to Murphy Hogback. Just before reaching the Mesa at Murphy Hogback the road is steep, rocky, and loose. However, all of our mostly stock 4x4 vehicles made it up in 2 wheel drive. My biggest concern on the White Rim would be a serious rain storm. Some of the White Rim sections can turn to mud as evidenced by the deep tire tracks in many areas. The weather is very unpredictable. At Murphy Hogback we arrived in late June in 90 degree weather and an hour later it was hailing, followed by powerful wind gusts all night long that would flatten our 3 season tents. Good luck.
 
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mk216v

Active member
gltrimble said:
I have driven the White Rim three times and honestly do not recall the “labyrinth”. On our trips we had an assortment of trucks and a Jeep but no Sprinters. I recall the most difficult section of the road was the clockwise climb to Murphy Hogback. Just before reaching the Mesa at Murphy Hogback the road is a steep, rocky, and loose. However, all of our mostly stock 4x4 vehicles made it up in 2 wheel drive. My biggest concern on the White Rim would be a serious rain storm. Some of the White Rim sections can turn to mud as evidenced by the deep tire tracks in many areas. The weather is very unpredictable. At Murphy Hogback we arrived in late June in 90 degree weather and an hour later it was hailing, followed by powerful wind gusts all night long that would flatten our 3 season tents. Good luck.
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What size/brand/model tire were you on? BFG K02's or others?
 
Nightpanda

Nightpanda

2016 4x4 144 premie
Sprintaroundtheworld said:
Scott, was the labyrinth section in your third video the tightest part of the road height wise? Despite being hairy in a few sections were you able to finish the whole 100 mile loop? I'm looking to drive white rim in october in my 2019 144 high roof. Only permits left were for Potato Bottom on night 1 and Airport on night 2, forcing a counter clockwise loop.

Just looking for as much info as I can before heading out west. I'm surprised at how little information i've been able to find on sprinters driving the full loop of the road...

Thanks for the help!
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The tightest part was the labyrinth for sure. Narrow road and low rock outcropping as seen in the video. If we we’re going to do it again, I would get an air down game plan for sure.

The video we posted from that section was in a clockwise direction. Good luck, it’s totally doable. (The primary warning we got from the rangers was to beware of the mud after a rainstorm.)
 
gltrimble

gltrimble

2017 170 4x4
mk216v said:
What size/brand/model tire were you on? BFG K02's or others?
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My pickup truck had an older set of Bridgestone Dueler AT tires. In good weather almost any LT rated tire will work for the White Rim. I have little doubt that my 4x4 170 Sprinter can make the 100+ mile loop. Sufficient ground clearance is key given the ruts and rock ledges along the route.
 
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