Sprinters

arkjarhead · Aug 29, 2007

People are talking alot about tricking out Sprinters well here is what i've seen. Today at the college the red cross was here with a sprinter that had a full blown lift gate on it. Not like the one at the VA for putting the wheel chair guys in there but a real lift gate. Yesterday I picked up a catalog from a local pick up truck accesory store and they an exhaust brake for the disel engines that are in pick ups. I'm sure this would work on a Sprinter but I don't know. This catalog also has after market turbos for the diesels. So you can get more ponys out of it. They also had some other devices for getting better mpg.

talkinghorse43 · Aug 29, 2007

Re the exhaust brake, I estimate that my '02 already has an exhaust brake from the factory that soaks up about 67 hp max. In my opinion, that's pretty good for an engine that puts out 150-some hp on the power side and displaces 2.7 liters.

x06col · Aug 29, 2007

yep, I got one of those four banger diesels in my jeep, pulls a big boat like a bandit. No brake tho. Bet you can tweak em to be bitchin. Just not ready for anything smaller than my big tandems yet. Maybe in anuther ten or so.

greg334 · Aug 30, 2007

x06col, you got one of those VM engined contraptions from jeep?

You know that not one jeep product uses a Mercedes engine - what a shame. Too bad you didn't get a jeep Compass, it at least uses a VW engine.

Wow, thinking about it, I am surprised. I didn't know that they made more than 3 of them, two I saw crashed 'tested' on the side of I75 by D-C engineers and the other I saw on US 23 outside of Columbus with "I am special because I use biodiesel" stickers all over it. Poor thing.

Yesterday I saw the Ford Transit in Dearborn, I was told that they will be here soon - maybe kicking the sprinters a** because of their dealer network and there will be no confusion about it's identity, like is it a freight liner, is it a dodge or is it a Mercedes? Nope it is a Ford.

Also Exhaust brake on a sprinter? oh come on, doesn't it have brakes?

FireGears · Aug 30, 2007

Exhaust brake on a sprinter..
***********************

The only experience I've had with an exhaust brake was on
our International "brush fire trucks"..
(2-axle, 4x4 rigs which carry a lot of weight..
one-manual, one-automatic)

Since they could not be ordered with "jake brakes"
they came with with exhaust brakes.

The mechanic was not too impressed as he felt that they held
heat at the engine causing long term damage manifesting
as loss of horsepower.
After 3-years of use these truck were "dogs"

Bottom line ... no more exhaust brakes were ordered...

Could this be a problem for expeditor vans/trucks..????

STAY FROSTY ... ;-)

and ...

arkjarhead · Aug 30, 2007

I wasn't suggesting everyone run out and get one I just thought it was neat beacause i never knew they existed.

greg334 · Aug 30, 2007

arkjarhead
Relax, I am poking fun at x06col.

Yesterday I saw a full length lift gate on a new sprinter. I mean this thing covered the entire rear almost to the top of the van, looked odd.

unorthodoxneon · Aug 30, 2007

Eh, screw the sprinter. Daimler can take the POS back with them too since the thing is a big hunk of junk.

Rumor has it that dodge is working on a cargo van again to replace the sprinter.

Anything Daimler can do Dodge can do better!!! :+
Dont belive me? Research the ME-412.

OntarioVanMan · Aug 31, 2007

Well my POS is running just fine thank you muchly...

Tech the other day he's seen so much twinking of the motor and drive train that it throws the whole thing out of whack!!!

It doesn't NEED twinked!!!

Example: Auxillary Trans cooler....people tighten the belt so tight it throws bearing out of alignment....hence they snap the bolts and pieces get into the cam and poof!!! And these same backyard mechanics call them a POS....

The Sprinter had growing pains like ANY new model, the Ford and the 6.0 comes to mind...it was discontinued and replaced by the 6.2.

The new 6 cylinder diesel is also in the new Jeep Cherokee for 07

The Ford Transit if you go to the website advertizes it as a LIGHT to MEDIUM duty van.

http://www.newfordtransit.com/

greg334 · Aug 31, 2007

"The Sprinter had growing pains like ANY new model"

OVM, the sprinter is not a new model if you are talking about 2006 and prior - production started in 95. The growing pains is nothing more then poor dealers.

As for the Ford, the new transit (UK version) is not the van I drove today. The one I took home for the afternoon was rated at 12,000 lbs GVW and actually really nice to drive. I could only get it for 6 hours, but I hope to have it next week for a whole day.

OntarioVanMan · Aug 31, 2007

Excuse...should have said North American growing pains...like poor dealer support and the all famous EGR that didn't like out dirty diesel.

As far as the Transit...they must have a model design more suited to the N/A market.

12,000? Thats no good....thats log and scale territory...It does nothing to compete with the Sprinter for highway use unless they trim the weight off as far as our business goes..
might be good for Pauls Plumbing though....someone whos local only.

BTW...greg... you thinking of going back vanning????

greg334 · Aug 31, 2007

OVM,
The transit I drove is at 12K gvw because they were under the impression I only owned the truck, I later learned I could have gotten the passenger version of the thing for the weekend. By the way, that is not what the van is going to be rated, they are going to (or plan on at this moment) sell for, the top model is direct competition for the sprinter; size, length, width and weight.

I was explained the dealer strategy when this get rolled out, but as I wrote in the survey after the drive that unless they want to screw the owner, they have to straighten the dealer franchise with demanding that they train before they get the thing in the show room.

These guys could not tell me what the models are going to be called (name change possible), if it is going to be called something else or when it is coming to market.

Jack_Berry · Sep 1, 2007

the 3500 has always been the higher gvrw with duals.

i have seen 07 sprints with the local ryder folks also.

Jack Berry

MSinger · Sep 2, 2007

True but the 3500 cargo vans never went above 10,000 until the 2007 model year. They were rated at 9990 gvwr. The 2007 3500 cargo van is still rated at 9990 with an 11030 gvwr as an available option.

2002 GMC Savana 3500 DRW 15' cube 10,000 GVWR "Old Yeller"
former Penske truck

Jack_Berry · Sep 3, 2007

one of the armor car companies in milwaukee uses the 3500 on the 140" chassis. looks funny with the windshield smaller with the steel reinforcement around it now.

Jack Berry