02 Sprinter
Member
HELP,,,I need a source to buy one of the Heavy Duty sway bars for my 2002 Sprinter..Also,does the 2002 take the same as 2004?? Ypur info. is appreciated,,,Regards,Gary Jestice(02Sprinter)
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Sway Bar
- Thread starter 02 Sprinter
- Start date
Douglas Hicks
Member
Upscale Automotive
503.692.0846 in Tualatin, OR
I have the upgrade on my 2003 140 2500 SHC and will soon do the same on the 2005 158 2500 SHC. Ask about the terribly expensive shocks also. The combination will make a difference.
503.692.0846 in Tualatin, OR
I have the upgrade on my 2003 140 2500 SHC and will soon do the same on the 2005 158 2500 SHC. Ask about the terribly expensive shocks also. The combination will make a difference.
02 Sprinter
Member
Thank YOU Douglas,,I will contact them at once...
My experience with Upscale Automotive Tualatin,Oregon.
At 55K transmission oil and filter change.
2 of 6 oilpan retainers loose,2 completely missing.
2 rectangular rubber torque converter covers completely missing (access to torque converter drain plug)
Made 3 trips and 4hr on the road including $30 of diesel to retrieve all missing parts.
The cocky arrogant bitch behind the counter "ACT OF GOD" not teir foult.
Never got compensated for all my expenses.
Recently,at 100K I executed transmission oil and filter change myself and discovert oilpan magnet donut also missing.
If you like getting screwed for your money and shady workmanship take your Sprinter to Upscale Automotive in Tualatin,Oregon.
BaywoodBill
pre-Yuppiedom
Kurt, we heard you the first time. If you wish you can continue to nurse your unfortunate experience until it give you an ulcer, but please don't keep on bringing it to this forum.
sikwan
06 Tin Can
I suggest you try the stock ride first. I doubt the dealer will exchange the shocks for new ones unless you want to pay extra. I don't know about Bilsteins, but the Koni's were certainly worth swapping to to get rid of the rocking side to side going over speed bumps or entering/exiting ramps.
IMHO, you don't really need the rear sway bar if you're not going to be driving fast around corners. The stock sway bars are fine.
Had fun this past weekend on a drive to and from Portland....took several low speed curves and much higher speeds...like 60 mph around a 35 mph curve...WHHEEEE!!! Thanks to the upgraded sway bar and Koni's my sprinter just hugged the road.
Should have seen the looks on the faces of the folks driving the domestic pickups, and SUVs as I came from behind and zipped by them while they were trying to keep their unit on all fours....
I only had my wife with me (no kids to slosh around in the back) so I pushed the Sprinter a bit more than normal...it was really neat.
The shocks and sway bar also provide much greater stability around town when going into various parking lots, and corners etc...way less lean and body roll (groceries/kids dont go sliding all over the van!)
Also provide much better stability in wind and when passing semi's etc...
BUT...from the factory my sprinter out handled the chevy vans I had before...by a long shot!
Ed
Should have seen the looks on the faces of the folks driving the domestic pickups, and SUVs as I came from behind and zipped by them while they were trying to keep their unit on all fours....
I only had my wife with me (no kids to slosh around in the back) so I pushed the Sprinter a bit more than normal...it was really neat.
The shocks and sway bar also provide much greater stability around town when going into various parking lots, and corners etc...way less lean and body roll (groceries/kids dont go sliding all over the van!)
Also provide much better stability in wind and when passing semi's etc...
BUT...from the factory my sprinter out handled the chevy vans I had before...by a long shot!
Ed
Don Horner
2012 Unity IB
Here's the deal about sway bars and shocks.
Any sway bar, stock or HD, is set to do nothing while you're going straight down the road. But, when you go around a corner and the vehicle starts to lean, the bar works to counter-act the body lean. It does this by acting as a gorsion bar across the width of the vehicle -- as the outside corner of the vehicle goes down, the bar pushes back and minimizes the lean. If your Sprinter has excessive lean or "wallows" when crossing a diagonal swale (like into a parking lot), you may benefit from the heavier bar. Normal up-and-down motion while going straight, such as hitting a bump, is not affected by the bar.
Increasing the stiffness of the bar at the rear also reduces understeer.
Making the bar TOO stiff can have detrimental effects -- hard cornering may raise an inside wheel, and rear oversteer may be excessive.
That said, the available HD bars are not too stiff, and the confidence that results from reducing body lean is what makes it easier to take corners more aggressively. In my case, with an RV conversion, I wish I had the HD bar to reduce the rapid body swinging that results when I go up certain driveways. These can be so violent as to cause the upper cabinets to pop open and stuff (including dishes, etc.) to fall out. However, I have learned to recognize the swales that cause this and rather than spend the money for the bar, I just take it easier.
Shocks, on the other hand, are more properly called dampers. Their purpose is to reduce the repetitive up-and-down motion caused by hitting bumps. The easiest way to test your shocks is to bounce on the rear bumper a few times, then jump off. If the vehicle bounces more than once, your shocks are shot. HD shocks provide the most benefit in extreme situations. We ran Koni adjustable shocks on our sports racing car to control high speed bumps. You'll see off-road racers with multiple shocks at each wheel to control dampen the motion when jumping and landing violently. They also have a benefit similar to sway bars in that if they are stiff enough, they won't move very much, which reduces body lean. Making them that stiff, however, defeats their purpose in damping.
For Sprinters driven in every-day conditions, I can see the benefit of a HD sway bar. However, despite the fact that a stiffer sway bar was the first modification I performed on all of our sports performance and race cars, I'm personally not willing to spend the money to achieve the benefit on my Sprinter. This may in part be because I'm an old fart, now, and I don't mind driving a little easier.
I personally believe (and it is a matter of educated opinion) that stock shocks in good condition are adequate for every day conditions, but no doubt you will be able to perceive that Koni shocks have been installed.
Any sway bar, stock or HD, is set to do nothing while you're going straight down the road. But, when you go around a corner and the vehicle starts to lean, the bar works to counter-act the body lean. It does this by acting as a gorsion bar across the width of the vehicle -- as the outside corner of the vehicle goes down, the bar pushes back and minimizes the lean. If your Sprinter has excessive lean or "wallows" when crossing a diagonal swale (like into a parking lot), you may benefit from the heavier bar. Normal up-and-down motion while going straight, such as hitting a bump, is not affected by the bar.
Increasing the stiffness of the bar at the rear also reduces understeer.
Making the bar TOO stiff can have detrimental effects -- hard cornering may raise an inside wheel, and rear oversteer may be excessive.
That said, the available HD bars are not too stiff, and the confidence that results from reducing body lean is what makes it easier to take corners more aggressively. In my case, with an RV conversion, I wish I had the HD bar to reduce the rapid body swinging that results when I go up certain driveways. These can be so violent as to cause the upper cabinets to pop open and stuff (including dishes, etc.) to fall out. However, I have learned to recognize the swales that cause this and rather than spend the money for the bar, I just take it easier.
Shocks, on the other hand, are more properly called dampers. Their purpose is to reduce the repetitive up-and-down motion caused by hitting bumps. The easiest way to test your shocks is to bounce on the rear bumper a few times, then jump off. If the vehicle bounces more than once, your shocks are shot. HD shocks provide the most benefit in extreme situations. We ran Koni adjustable shocks on our sports racing car to control high speed bumps. You'll see off-road racers with multiple shocks at each wheel to control dampen the motion when jumping and landing violently. They also have a benefit similar to sway bars in that if they are stiff enough, they won't move very much, which reduces body lean. Making them that stiff, however, defeats their purpose in damping.
For Sprinters driven in every-day conditions, I can see the benefit of a HD sway bar. However, despite the fact that a stiffer sway bar was the first modification I performed on all of our sports performance and race cars, I'm personally not willing to spend the money to achieve the benefit on my Sprinter. This may in part be because I'm an old fart, now, and I don't mind driving a little easier.
I personally believe (and it is a matter of educated opinion) that stock shocks in good condition are adequate for every day conditions, but no doubt you will be able to perceive that Koni shocks have been installed.
Mr.BaywoodBill!
You don't like my complaint do "NOT" read.I provide a warning
and service to all forum members about this shady scam shop.
BTW.U'll see my problem with Upscale every time I see a plug from or about Upscale Automotive
Tualatin,Oregon on any Internet-Sprinter-Forum
FYI.Total transmission service cost,Original transmission oil and filter change,all my expenses,excluding the
big pain in the a*** between $700-$800
Wish you a speedy recovery from your chronic ulcer dondition.
My experience with Upscale Automotive Tualatin,Oregon
At 55K transmission oil and filter change.
2 of 6 oilpan retainers loose,2 completely missing.
2 rectangular rubber torque converter covers completely missing (access to torque converter drain plug)
Made 3 trips and 4hr on the road including $30 of diesel to retrieve all missing parts.
The cocky arrogant bitch behind the counter "ACT OF GOD" not teir foult.
Never got compensated for all my expenses.
Recently,at 100K I executed transmission oil and filter change myself and discovert oilpan magnet donut also missing.
If you like getting screwed for your money and shady workmanship take your Sprinter to Upscale Automotive in Tualatin,Oregon.
Douglas Hicks
Member
My last expeerience at Upscale
I took the 2005 in for a trailer hitch, wiring, and brake control. John did the work himself. The wiring at the hitch was run over the top of the hitch, so the wire was protected. He must have found a good source on zip ties, as the wireing does not hang down any place. The brake control was installed so I could see the read out and reach it for manual control. The trailer connector was installed at an angle so the trailer wire end will not stick out and get damaged. The trialer wire is protected by a fuse at the battery. I had mentioned to John I was thinking about a power wire from the auxillary battery to the trailer. I wanted to make sure the plug he installed had enough terminals, but I would install the wire when I was ready for it. He added that wire for me.
The front rotors and fuel filters I ordered were in stock for me. the only drawback, my loaner car was not the gray Sprinter in the parking lot, but a lowly Ford car.
He also showed me the 2 leaf rear springs he said I would need for the trailer. But those will wait until I get the trailer, sometime after our vacation to Thailand.
I took the 2005 in for a trailer hitch, wiring, and brake control. John did the work himself. The wiring at the hitch was run over the top of the hitch, so the wire was protected. He must have found a good source on zip ties, as the wireing does not hang down any place. The brake control was installed so I could see the read out and reach it for manual control. The trailer connector was installed at an angle so the trailer wire end will not stick out and get damaged. The trialer wire is protected by a fuse at the battery. I had mentioned to John I was thinking about a power wire from the auxillary battery to the trailer. I wanted to make sure the plug he installed had enough terminals, but I would install the wire when I was ready for it. He added that wire for me.
The front rotors and fuel filters I ordered were in stock for me. the only drawback, my loaner car was not the gray Sprinter in the parking lot, but a lowly Ford car.
He also showed me the 2 leaf rear springs he said I would need for the trailer. But those will wait until I get the trailer, sometime after our vacation to Thailand.
Altered Sprinter
Happy Little Vegemite
In defense of the one sided story as to up-scales reply
Please read page7
Moderating for equal opportunity: Richard
motobueno
New member
THANK YOU RICHARD!
I have had all of our service work done at Upscale.Shortly after our purchase in Dec.'06 we took the van to them for some upgrades.Hey-If it ain't broke-LETS UPGRADE!!(motorcycle saying)Hitch,Chip,Shocks,Sway bar and extra leaf spring in back.These mods were not cheap but I feel that they are worth it because we are going to have this van for a long time.The suspension mods made a very noticeable improvement in the handeling!Overall the truck is much more stable.It goes around corners like-- Lets just say- Please pull over and let me by!!With the extra leaf it is stiffer with no load.I hauled 2500 #'s from Ca to Wa last summer and the truck was a pleasure to drive.Empty it corners like it's on rails with very little body roll.
My recomendation would be the shocks and sway bar first.
This is a great clip of a Woman driving on the track.If you listen closely at the end you can hear them comment about how the sprinter is going around the OUTSIDE
of the Lotus that it overtakes! I just love the squealing tires!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tf5LZqc15g
I have had all of our service work done at Upscale.Shortly after our purchase in Dec.'06 we took the van to them for some upgrades.Hey-If it ain't broke-LETS UPGRADE!!(motorcycle saying)Hitch,Chip,Shocks,Sway bar and extra leaf spring in back.These mods were not cheap but I feel that they are worth it because we are going to have this van for a long time.The suspension mods made a very noticeable improvement in the handeling!Overall the truck is much more stable.It goes around corners like-- Lets just say- Please pull over and let me by!!With the extra leaf it is stiffer with no load.I hauled 2500 #'s from Ca to Wa last summer and the truck was a pleasure to drive.Empty it corners like it's on rails with very little body roll.
My recomendation would be the shocks and sway bar first.
This is a great clip of a Woman driving on the track.If you listen closely at the end you can hear them comment about how the sprinter is going around the OUTSIDE
of the Lotus that it overtakes! I just love the squealing tires!!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tf5LZqc15g
BaywoodBill
pre-Yuppiedom
This is a great clip of a Woman driving on the track.If you listen closely at the end you can hear them comment about how the sprinter is going around the OUTSIDE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tf5LZqc15g
Great race track clip. Wonder how they came by on the next lap.