My New RALIVAN

[Team Illuminata]

Hi, Thought you might like to see our new tow and delivery vehicle.

We only recently got it and plan to use it to tow our race cars to events and move tires and wheels around for our parts business. First thing we did was throw some of our wheels on it.

They are 15x7 BRAID Winrace Acropolis rally wheels and are super-strong. We mounted some Yokohama A/T tires in 235/75-15 and are rather pleased with the result. We also mounted up a pair of PIAA driving lights as no self-respecting RALIVAN would be seen dead without some extra lighting.

and of course lots of stickers:

This is one of the cars it will be towing:

Of course we plan a few more modofications but nothing too radical. Just a bit of RALLY-BLING. Mud flaps are a must and we might add a couple more lights to the front. We ordered a Mercedes grill too as the Dodge one is falling off. We are also planning on replacing the dampers with Bilsteins or KONIs and maybe a K&N air filter as well as more stickers.

Although only a 2005 it already has 250,000 miles on it so we won't be flogging it very hard even though it runs great. Already suffering from Sprinter cancer but only surface stuff, mostly around the windshield and right in the middle of some of the body panels. Have to take care of that soon. It needs a windshield anyway so popping this one out and painting the surround will have to be coordinated.

I love driving this thing and am looking forward to many happy miles, some more mods and conversing with fellow Sprinter owners on this forum. BTW you can see bigger versions of the pictures here: http://www.teamilluminata.com./cars/Harvey/ralivan.htm

If you have any suggestions or questions let me know.

 

[schwarzwaldsprinter]

Can you get these wheels in 16" for a T1N and what is their weight rating and price?

Thanks,

Sven

 

[Team Illuminata]

Can you get these wheels in 16" for a T1N and what is their weight rating and price?

Thanks,

Sven

Actually, yes, I can. And 17"

size offsets* weight price
16 x 7 -25 to 45 25.6 $324
17 x 7.5 -5 to +52 tbd $349
prices are for white. Other colors are +$45.

I've asked the factory for the load ratings.

 

[Team Illuminata]

Actually, yes, I can. And 17"

size offsets* weight price
16 x 7 -25 to 45 25.6 $324
17 x 7.5 -5 to +52 tbd $349
prices are for white. Other colors are +$45.

I've asked the factory for the load ratings.

Load rating 1265lbs. Seems low for such a strong wheel.[EDIT] Actually Load rating 1540lbs for the 15" and 1760lbs for the 16" and 17".

On this car the wheels and tires were the only things that survived the roll intact.

 

[Team Illuminata]

The team Dynamics Rimfire we put on my friend's van are rated at 2750lbs though.

 

[Team Illuminata]

Actually, upon further investigation"

Load rating 1540lbs for the 15" and 1760lbs for the 16" and 17".

 

[schwarzwaldsprinter]

Actually, upon further investigation"

Load rating 1540lbs for the 15" and 1760lbs for the 16" and 17".

Not sufficient for a Sprinter.

Thanks.

Sven

 

[Team Illuminata]

Not sufficient for a Sprinter.

Thanks.

Sven

Yes, I was thinking that. What do they need to be?

 

[Team Illuminata]

Now the van is officially the Michigan RALIVAN

Also got a Mercedes grill today:

Had to peel off the hood mounted chrome strip after bolting it in place. Left a terrible mess of goop that took half a can of Goop Off and a gallon of elbow gease to remove.

but worth it

OK, needs a chrome Mercedes star and apparantly theres a trim that goes round it too.

 

[Team Illuminata]

A bit more Mercedes bling arrived over the weekend:

 

[Team Illuminata]

Got the rest of the Mercedes grill parts last week and slapped them on.

Had to paint the grill surround flat black but the chrome star came already chromed! I think it looks rather nice

Next day I rented a trailer from U-Drag and loaded up the race car for a RallyCross 2.5 hours away.

The RALIVAN did very well and had no problem pulling the car and trailer at 65-70 mph. At 70mph the temperature was slightly elevated from 65mph but not too high at all.

It struggled a bit more on the way back however. Not sure why but we towed a different car back and there was a rather large headwind. With the cruise on it would drop from 70mph to 65mph on some of the drags. Once we got half way home (and the wind died down a bit) it was business as usual.

Generally I was very satisfied with the way it towed and it was great to have the van at the race instead of unloading everything from the race car after driving it there on rally tires! I think it's time to buy a trailer.

For those who are interested in these things for the 300 mile round trip it got 17.5 mpg. Not bad I think.

 

[sprinter77]

Nice!

 

[Team Illuminata]

Wel, it's been a while since we updated this thread as we have just been enjoying the vehicle instead. Now it's time for a few fixes and improvements so I'm looking for advice. Here's what I need or want:

• Some sort of scanner to monitor transmission temperature, engine oil temperature, boost, etc in real time. Was thinking of ScanGauge or similar.
  
• Workshop manual
  
• Side visor or clips. I hate that there is no side visor
  
• iPhone mount.
  
• dampers. ours a definately done. Bilstein or Koni?

Anyone have any experience with any of this stuff?

 

[Mrdi]

Do you know the weight of trailer+race vehicle
fully loaded?

 

[autostaretx]

Workshop manual

Download the 2006 manual from http://aie-services-2.net/Sprinter/ ... it's as good as the 2005
(i.e. has the same errors, such as saying that the turbo actuator is vacuum driven)

Side visor or clips. I hate that there is no side visor

There's a 3rd party adapter kit that converts the existing visors to swingable.
Thread: https://sprinter-source.com/forums/showthread.php?t=843
Source: http://www.langeoriginals.com/sprinterworx/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=11

--dick (recently added magnet to keep visor from swinging back during cornering...)

 

[Team Illuminata]

Do you know the weight of trailer+race vehicle
fully loaded?

No idea, sorry

 

[Team Illuminata]

I'm having trouble finding the Koni dampers for this thing. Twice now I've placed an order online and had it refunded without explaination. Any idea who has these? Need all four.

 

[shortshort]

Download the 2006 manual from http://aie-services-2.net/Sprinter/ ... it's as good as the 2005
(i.e. has the same errors, such as saying that the turbo actuator is vacuum driven)


There's a 3rd party adapter kit that converts the existing visors to swingable.
Thread: https://sprinter-source.com/forums/showthread.php?t=843
Source: http://www.langeoriginals.com/sprinterworx/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=11

--dick (recently added magnet to keep visor from swinging back during cornering...)

I put limo tint on the top 8" or so of the drivers windows. I covered down to the point where more would obscure the mirrors (I have the convex top mirrors). Never need to touch the visor. I used the "static cling" variety so if some mudshark ever got in my face about it I could just peel it off and then re-apply it when he left.

 

[brianmcgaha]

Do you know the weight of trailer+race vehicle
fully loaded?

Based on his milage/observations I was wondering the samething. Iam guessing he was over max. towing 5000lbs.

Trailer is heavier than I thought 2210lbs
http://www.uhaul.com/Reservations/EquipmentDetail.aspx?model=AT

I would assume a little weight reduction in the car, 3200lbs?http://www.theautochannel.com/vehicles/new/reviews/1998/gap9816.html

5400ish?

As a side note, I have drawn the conclusion over time that these Sprinters can tow more than max.....if you are aware of the load.

 

[Mrdi]

Brian says:
"As a side note, I have drawn the conclusion over time that these Sprinters can tow more than max.....if you are aware of the load."

Admittedly my antiquity forces a shudder when I contemplate the liability you would incur by overloading the towing capability as posted by the manufacturer. Your insurance company will take a similar view if their incurred payout, as a result of an accident, is avoidable.

Towing is more than an ability of the vehicle to "tow" a given load; It also takes into the equation other functions, including the ability to STOP!