Snow driving in 4x4 like a champ!

Eric B

Well-known member
@Seacoaster @Roamers I just re-read ZH4 desc and it says it engages low range - and you're saying lowest speed that can be set on Distronic is 30mph so you figure these are non-overlapping conditions in the Great Venn diagram of MBZ offerings ... that's why I kept wondering why you can't have both - one or the other ... in the ZH4 desc it seems to indicate it is only software, not hardware, if that was something that could be dealer-added I'd be there in a heartbeat ... oh well
 

Seacoaster

Active member
@Seacoaster @Roamers I just re-read ZH4 desc and it says it engages low range - and you're saying lowest speed that can be set on Distronic is 30mph so you figure these are non-overlapping conditions in the Great Venn diagram of MBZ offerings ... that's why I kept wondering why you can't have both - one or the other ... in the ZH4 desc it seems to indicate it is only software, not hardware, if that was something that could be dealer-added I'd be there in a heartbeat ... oh well
I asked if the dealer could add it as it is software only, they looked into it and all but laughed. I think it was only like a $98 option ?‍♂
 

Mathewst

Active member
Anyone driving in snow using only 2WD without chains deserves to crash.
Downshift to a lower gear while in 4wd high range especially when going down hill. Controls the coasting momentum better. Then when under 15 mph use the brakes easily coming to a slow steady stop. Works great. Try it

I'm talking about in the snow. NOT ON ICE
Agree, do not forget abs doesnt work in speeds zh4 is designed for. Lo range 1gear brakes pretty well.
These features are for extreme terrain, i remember days I was happy having it in wrangler.
in eu distronic is 20kmh i believe
 

Kajtek1

2015 3500 X long limo RV
Beware that when in LO in very slippery condition - abrupt gas pedal backing will put you in 4 wheels sliding.
 

Mathewst

Active member
Lo on sprinter is 1,4 its minor, it just brakes more, when you put bigger wheels lo is actually kind of hi if you get me
 
I'm having a hard time being excited about driving the Sprinter in the snow. Sure I could benefit from dedicated snow tires, but stopping 8,000 lbs, driving a 9-foot-tall rig on ice in high wind, and being behind the wheel of something with a $175,000 replacement value gets me excited in the wrong kind of way. The way people drive in the snow, I feel like the chances of loss are fairly high...it would take me 2 years to build another one, or somewhere around a year and $80,000-$100,000 to have one built if mine were totaled.

Add to that the fact that the windshield is so large it's hard to keep it free of snow build up, difficult to keep it defrosted, but most of all, my child riding in the second row has a difficult time staying warm. Passenger vans with ducted heat may not have this issue, not sure. I'm back to my SUV for snow.

With the snow build up on the windshield issue would you recommend the heated windshield option?
 

gltrimble

2017 170 4x4
With the snow build up on the windshield issue would you recommend the heated windshield option?
I use my heated windshield frequently when visiting my favorite ski resorts. Snow and ice fall off the windshield within minutes, quicker than it takes the engine and defroster to warm up in freezing temperatures.

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VanGoSki

Well-known member
I use my heated windshield frequently when visiting my favorite ski resorts. Snow and ice fall off the windshield within minutes, quicker than it takes the engine and defroster to warm up in freezing temperatures.
You have to have the engine running in order for the electric windshield to work though. Correct? And since Sprinters shouldn't be run for long periods at idle when cold, it seems like a bad idea unless you have an H-12 pre-heater. But in that case the pre-heater already defrosted your windshield, at least to some degree. I skied all last winter and also drove through the northern states and still never had the necessity to use it. Maybe next season. I'm anxious to see it work. I did use the H-12 all the time when the van was cold though. Love that thing.
 
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Rocksnsalt

There Can Be Only ONE
You have to have the engine running in order for the electric windshield to work though. Correct? And since Sprinters shouldn't be run for long periods at idle when cold, it seems like a bad idea unless you have an H-12 pre-heater. But in that case the pre-heater already defrosted your windshield, at least to some degree. I skied all last winter and also drove through the northern states and still never had the necessity to use it. Maybe next season. I'm anxious to see it work. I did use the H-12 all the time when the van was cold though. Love that thing.
Glad to hear you love the preheater.
I couldn’t get mine to work, the proper info wouldn’t display on the menu. C’mon Mercedes, really?
Gotta love MB electWRONGics.
Called the dealer and they said it likely just needed a software update, but by then winter was almost over, and I believe it needs <40F to activate. Figure I’ll take it in for the update this fall.
I wonder if anyone has been able or tried to make the H12 preheater work like an espar or similar.
Seems like it would be possible.
 

VanGoSki

Well-known member
Glad to hear you love the preheater.
I couldn’t get mine to work, the proper info wouldn’t display on the menu. C’mon Mercedes, really?
Gotta love MB electWRONGics.
Called the dealer and they said it likely just needed a software update, but by then winter was almost over, and I believe it needs <40F to activate. Figure I’ll take it in for the update this fall.
I wonder if anyone has been able or tried to make the H12 preheater work like an espar or similar.
Seems like it would be possible.
Hmm, you actually don't even need to access the menu, do you? If it's below 40F, just hit the pre-heater button on the dash and off you go. I don't *think* I had to enable anything on the menu originally. I do remember it took me a while to find that darn little menu, so maybe you just haven't located it yet? Anyway, the red LED on the button should come on and the heating action is very quiet for a few minutes while it's warming up the coolant. Then it automagically turns on the cabin heater according to whatever temp you last set in the cabin. I usually sleep with my D2 set a little cool, and that warm blast coming out of the cabin's heater makes the van toasty warm in a hurry for waking up and it also defrosts the windshield and of course warms up the engine.

The H12 will also turn on by itself if it feels the engine is not running warm enough while you're driving in cold weather. I though it was malfunctioning the first couple times I noticed it was running by itself via the red LED.

What do you mean make it work like an espar or similar? I know that some people have hacked the outdoor temp sensor so that they can use it year around for providing the heat on an IsoTemp. The one thing that wouldn't be so easy is hacking around the 45 minute automatic shutoff. I believe that's there to prevent you from running your starter battery dead by accident, much like the stereo timeout.
 
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Rocksnsalt

There Can Be Only ONE
Hmm, you actually don't even need to access the menu, do you? If it's below 40F, just hit the pre-heater button on the dash and off you go. I don't *think* I had to enable anything on the menu originally. I do remember it took me a while to find that darn little menu, so maybe you just haven't located it yet? Anyway, the red LED on the button should come on and the heating action is very quiet for a few minutes while it's warming up the coolant. Then it automagically turns on the cabin heater according to whatever temp you last set in the cabin. I usually sleep with my D2 set a little cool, and that warm blast coming out of the cabin's heater makes the van toasty warm in a hurry for waking up and it also defrosts the windshield and of course warms up the engine.

What do you mean make it work like an espar or similar? I know that some people have hacked the outdoor temp sensor so that they can use it year around for providing the heat on an IsoTemp. If you have an H88 coolant line extension it's easy to add a hot air heat exchanger regardless whether you have the H12. The one thing that wouldn't be so easy is hacking around the 45 minute automatic shutoff. I believe that's there to prevent you from running your starter battery dead by accident, much like the stereo timeout.
The dash button wouldn’t activate it. Looked in the manual for a walk through, looked online, and called the dealer, who indicated software upgrade likely needed.
I’d rather not add an additional heater item if unnecessary. Yet another project -and another item to have a potential problem with.
Yes the factory 45 min timer would be an issue to be resolved and I’d like it to run off a (future) house battery or maybe switched for either. Just a thought.
It’s a ridiculously giant system for what it is designed to do, it would make sense to me to get more out of it if it can be kept simple. Otherwise I may just scrap it and install an espar someday. Or just sell the van and get a storeyteller mode. ?


UPDATE
Just looked at my specs. Apparently I don’t have the H12 or H88.
I have:

H13 Additional Heat Exchanger
HH2 Electric Warm Air Auxiliary Heater
HH9 TEMPMATIC Semi-Automatic air conditioning
HZ9 Heater Booster, Diesel
 
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VanGoSki

Well-known member
That still sounds like a pretty decent setup. The HZ9 can be converted to an H12 without too much effort, mainly a firmware update. Possibly also the addition of a recirculating pump but I've heard conflicting info on that. It may depend on your particular build.
 

gltrimble

2017 170 4x4
You have to have the engine running in order for the electric windshield to work though. Correct? And since Sprinters shouldn't be run for long periods at idle when cold, it seems like a bad idea unless you have an H-12 pre-heater. But in that case the pre-heater already defrosted your windshield, at least to some degree. I skied all last winter and also drove through the northern states and still never had the necessity to use it. Maybe next season. I'm anxious to see it work. I did use the H-12 all the time when the van was cold though. Love that thing.
I routinely operate my H12 when I visit Mammoth, sometimes three times a night if it is sub-zero, using the programming schedule on the dash or my remote control. My H12 does a good job pre-warming the engine and keeping my hot water hot but it does not have the capacity to heat the van interior or melt the snow and ice off the windshield. The electric windshield has the snow and ice sliding off the windshield within a few minutes. It automatically cycles off in less than 10 minutes.

I also use the factory H12 to heat my hot water with minimal limitations. The H12 will cycle up to three 40 minute cycles. Two cycles is usually enough to get the water close to 140F. The factory cycle count can be reset by simply turning on the ignition.

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LSD208

Active member
I had no idea the H-12 option exists - going to call my dealer on Tuesday and see if it's not too late to add it to my spec sheet. I live in the mountains of Idaho and it gets chilly up here.

I haven't used studded tires in 25 years. Modern winter tires make studs useless - and at the risk of offending studded tire lovers, they should be banned. Last winter I went up a hill with sheer ice and a thin film of water, which no one could stand on. The studded tire vehicles couldn't make it.
 

Rocksnsalt

There Can Be Only ONE
I had no idea the H-12 option exists - going to call my dealer on Tuesday and see if it's not too late to add it to my spec sheet. I live in the mountains of Idaho and it gets chilly up here.

I haven't used studded tires in 25 years. Modern winter tires make studs useless - and at the risk of offending studded tire lovers, they should be banned. Last winter I went up a hill with sheer ice and a thin film of water, which no one could stand on. The studded tire vehicles couldn't make it.
what tires were you using and were you on LSD?
 

LSD208

Active member
For the last 10 years I’ve run Bridgestone Blizzaks, but this fete was done on Continental Viking Contacts. I have two seasons on the Vikings and think they’re a slightly better tire than the Bridgestone.

Newer tires have sipe cuts that used to dramatically shorten the life of the tire. The rubber compound is amazing.

no.
 

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