Clark 2.0 - 2019 2WD Iridium Silver 144"

asimba2 said:

Those look great. I love my blacked-out MB alloys but I'm considering a move to those exact Method 17s specifically so I can run 255/70R17s. IMHO they are the perfect tire size for a Sprinter. (A 4x4 needs much larger just to fill the wheel wells, then gas mileage suffers.)

If I stick with 16s the next step up is 265/75R16. Your size splits the difference down the middle between stock and the 265s.

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zither99 said:

Hey Ken, BFG Ko2 come also in size 265/70-16 which is slightly larger than stock, but not as heavy as a 265-75-16

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zither99 said:

Hey Ken, BFG Ko2 come also in size 265/70-16 which is slightly larger than stock, but not as heavy as a 265-75-16

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sanomechanic said:

265/70r16 is not proper load range for a Sprinter. That size is a P metric tire for Light Truck applications.

Sprinter requires a commercial grade Load Range E

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asimba2 said:

Thanks. I'm now eyeing the Hankook Dynapro AT2 as I can get a load range E in the size I want. They get great reviews and I'm hoping to not loose too much of the 24-28 MPG I currently get.

I took a big MPG hit on my 4Runner when I went to BFGs (which is an acceptable tradeoff on a dedicated Offroad rig), but I'm hoping to lose less on the van with the lighter Hankooks. I'm taking the van down the Baja Peninsula soon so I need to get something installed ASAP.

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AndyMAC said:

POWER! Part 1

If you use the search bar on this forum you will find endless threads on battery/solar/alternator etc...The information is abundant, but that doesn't mean it's correct. Same goes for this post...I may do things that other do and do things that others don't. The great thing about building out your electrical system is that you can build it to your needs or from your experience. When we built out Clark 1.0 I didn't have a ton of 12v experience. I had enough electrical knowledge to understand what I was doing and do it safely. We also learned a lot from Clark 1.0. We had the factory aux battery so i hooked into that initially and then used it as a back for the Epsar. Once we switched over to the lithium system, I never used the Factory Aux back up. So when the extra battery wasn't included in Clark 2.0, it was not big deal.

I never tapped into the Mercedes electrical system for charging. I wanted to keep my build separate from the chassis and not mess with trying to use the alternator for charging. I did do a ton of research on the Sterling B2B (which would be my choice for vehicle charging).

So we can charge two ways...solar and shore power (Progressive Dynamics Lithium charger). That's what we had in Clark 1.0 and it worked beautifully. I will go over the charging system in another post so this one is not too long.

I chose to use all Blue Sea components. Battery switches, fues blocks, breakers, fuses, power bars, usb outlets, etc. I like Blue Sea, yes they are more expensive, but I really like the quality that comes with a little more cost.

I use the 2 Blue Sea fuse block set up. I like having a power block on each side of the van. It allows me to have shorter wire runs and also allows for easy expansion when the kids want to add a usb or something later in the build. I don't have to fish a wire through the ceiling. When we were camping in Clark 1.0, it didn't take long to realize that the kids wanted some extra usb outlets in the bed for led reading lights, so having access to a fuse block made the addition of the usb a breeze.

I also chose to keep my battery inside, I just like being able to access the entire electrical system from inside.

My battery - Battleborn 100ah!!! I love the Battle Born lithium batteries. You can't beat the 10 year warranty and I didn't have a bit of trouble with my previous setup. In Clark 1.0 we had 2 100Ah batteries and the entire time my battery never dipped below 88% (Running Espar all night, watching a movie on computer, cooking dinner in the instant pot, etc) We just had a ton of power. I chose to go down to one battery for Clark 2.0 and so far I do not regret that decision at all. I still have plenty of power (for our set up) Now if you are looking at running a 3000W inverter, you will need more battery power. I am running a 1000W Cotek and can run that with not a problem. I left room in the electrical cabinet to add a second battery if needed, but I honestly think that 1 battery is going to be more than enough.

All my wires are Ancor Marine wire (mix of 16 awg and 14awg and 10awg for Espar power supply)) and the battery cables are 1/0 Windy Nation and 4awg for the Cotek inverter and PD Charger. I tested the inverter under load and the wire stayed nice a cool and the power blocks didn't heat up at all. I build all my own wires, that way they are custom sized and makes me feel more comfortable that I crimped the lugs and tested the crimp. I use the Ancor lugs for all the connections and heatshrink all crimps. I still have a little bit of wire management to do, but the system is up and running.

I will cover solar and shore power in another post. You can check out our IG @cruising.in.clark My wife does a really good job of updating the build process.

Happy wiring!

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