The Simpson in a Sprinter P 1

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Жыл бұрын

We set out for quick shake down trip in our Mercedes Sprinter 4x4 into the eastern side of Australia's Simpson Desert. On an impulse, around the campfire, we decided to use our phones to shoot some video to share the experience.
How capable will it be off road?

Пікірлер: 60

@bugmeister404 10 ай бұрын

Great to see a van based adventure channel that’s not just stuck on bitumen 👍

@eatcommies1375 10 ай бұрын

That’s awesome & ballsy, Simpson with a sprinter👍

@WeHitTheRoad-qo8wn 10 ай бұрын

Thanks.

@jjbee9229 11 ай бұрын

Just found your channel, we're looking forward to seeing your travels in a 4x4 sprinter.

@adrianianna2868 11 ай бұрын

Very supprised at how well it went. Good luck. Wii keep watching.

@Mark_Bridges 10 ай бұрын

Good video, thanks for showing us how your van went on the sand. No bad, as it turns out, better than I expected. You mentioned a way to spin the seats around to face the back - I reckon that would make a big big difference, if it isn't too much money and effort to change to a bucket seat on the left and add the spinny bits. Regarding the beeping with traction control off - you mentioned in reply to another commenter than it's a bit annoying - it would drive me batty, I'd be under the dashboard trying to disconnect the damn beeper. Apart from all that, it was good to see the desert through your camera, it hasn't changed that much in the 32 years since I was there except for a few more tracks over Big Red.

@WeHitTheRoad-qo8wn 10 ай бұрын

There is a big metal box arrangement that the seat is mounted on that I have filled with house batteries and circuit breakers. I think I would have to change all of that to go to a single bucket. Yes a switch on the warning beeper would be good

@craigtomkinson2837 11 ай бұрын

Lovely Ep guys.

@4x4smile 11 ай бұрын

Looking at where you got hung up. With sand my discovery 4 you have to turn off the traction control system, if you don't it will effectively stop you. Most people dont realise this (its in the manual 4x4 driving on sand) and you see them bogged at inskip etc. Turn it off and where you just got bogged you can drive right over. When you got hung up 1 rear wheel spinning this is where a centre diff lock comes in. With a centre lock it will thow power to the front and rear equally and if 1 wheel spins you only lose drive to one end of the vehicle. This is where a rear locker comes in, essentially both rear wheels are locked together when engaged. You are right to question the traction control system because it let one rear spin its head off. Some tcs are not as good as others and is normally demonstrated by putting the vehicle on 3 sets of rollers. If the tcs is any good it should grab the spinning wheels and send power to the one with traction. Some so called 4x4's fail this test. Wonder if you had tcs disabled, some tcs systems take a good 30 seconds of spin to wake up and divert power. Landrovers are the leaders here and almost immediately divert power and actually negates the need for a rear locker, although it is an option. Id probaby add a winch before playing with lockers, a 30m static strap and another 30m of dynema can normally reach some sort of an anchor to winch off of. It great to see you guys out there. I agree with you in your van, the ability to escape the flies/rain can make all the difference. Best thing is you guys see it. BTW the flies can be a lot worse at birdsville, last time we were up there peoples backs where black in them, and we hid in the car.

@tommygreens1 11 ай бұрын

We have a 4x4 drive Explorer motor home and have wondered just how capable the 4x4 vans such as your Sprinter are. Pretty good I would say after watching your video (better that I expected). We have taken ours across the Simpson as part of a tagalong group and yes the holes on the dunes are a big pain. We had our tyres down to 10 psi to get up one particular dune. We also made it up one of the harder tracks on Big Red - but it took us several attempts - so well done you.

@WeHitTheRoad-qo8wn 11 ай бұрын

I rather like those explorers. Like our Sprinter you don't really see them show what they are capable of.

@8080naderane 11 ай бұрын

beautiful trip

@WeHitTheRoad-qo8wn 10 ай бұрын

thanks

@anthonylayt6188 10 ай бұрын

Great video. I really enjoyed it. I do not know these vehicles but the following may help. I read in the comments how expensive the rear diff locks are but is it feasible to have the rear shimmed internally to tighten it up ? With regards to suspension travel one of the limiting factors is the shock absorbers. You may be able to find longer shocks to allow more sag /droop on the rear . If you do watch out the length of the brake lines are okay. If the front is IFS / CVs check to see if you can trim the rubber bump stops on the sag side of the travel. This is a popular mod on Gen 2 Pajeros. It allows more travel. Watch the brake lines again and that the CV stays in place at full droop. Another trick is to apply a light pressure on the brake to limit wheel spin up which gives better drive to the wheel on the ground. This should only be done sparingly. Keep up the good work . Cheers Tony.

@WeHitTheRoad-qo8wn 10 ай бұрын

The whole design of the rear suspension is a bit compromised. Especially the location of the shock absorbers. Possibly to keep the load space as big and flat as possible. I think the spring itself has limited movement, but I'm trying to come up with a plan. The front is a transverse leaf! I think made from a composite material no less.

@surfing4theloveofit 11 ай бұрын

Great video guys, you may have to give the suspension lefted a bit , your ground clearance looks a bit low , love to know what you've done to the sprinter, it's not ugly it's a good van, 😂❤ from rick in Perth Australia 👍

@damienkillalea3863 2 ай бұрын

Great to see you enjoying the Sprinter. Based on my experience (towing Ulti camper-trailer across the Simpson, Googs Track, Ngala Rocks on Fraser without missing a beat, and cruising up the big dune out of Cape Flattery, nothing helps more than low tyre pressures (as well as switching off traction control). If you stuck with 18 and 23 psi, you'll experience a huge improvement dropping down to say 10 and 12 even if only for the tougher dunes. I'm not sure what tyres you were running, but good ATs with 3-ply sidewalls (like BFG KO2s) at these low pressures will help too.

@WeHitTheRoad-qo8wn 2 ай бұрын

Those pressures were set very hot just before we went up the easy side of Big Red. They would have been a fair bit lower went we went into the desert proper early the next day. But yes I should have made note of where they were at. I agree totally about tyre pressures. I literally learned to drive as a kid on the sand on Moreton Island in an Austin A30, and later VW buggies and old land cruisers, but this thing is a whole new experience. Having said that I have since experimented with pressures on our local sand island, trying them as low as 16 and 17 psi. It's a pretty tall heavy vehicle so I'm going a bit at a time. Some of those desert dunes put a lot of side load on things. We had Bridgestone AT duellers 265/70/16, but we have just fitted the same tyres in 225/95/16. We tested them back to back, doing the same trip two days in a row. A bit more height, a longer footprint, a bit less drag and no more weight. We think they are better. Drove past a bogged ford Everest, and a bogged VW Amarock in deep sand the other day. Not saying they knew what they were doing but I'm getting more confident in what the sprinter can do. Next experiment is a sway bar disconnect off road.

@grahames9228 10 ай бұрын

That damper certainly looked pretty good.

@steamy38 11 ай бұрын

We have just stumbled over your channel and enjoyed your videos, good content. Look forward to any future videos. Like to hear what you find out about the traction system on your sprinter. It did seam odd you didn’t get any drive on the front wheels when you got hung up. cheers Jeff & Sharyn

@WeHitTheRoad-qo8wn 11 ай бұрын

I think I just needed to give it more time for the computer to work out what wheels to brake. It doesn't have a centre diff lock, so it relies on the computer to move drive around by locking the brakes on spinning wheels.

@maximusreed 5 ай бұрын

Planning to buy a jayco all terrain van sprinter lab so this got my interest

@aussiebackroadadventures9927 Жыл бұрын

Fantastic first video. We loved it.

@WeHitTheRoad-qo8wn 11 ай бұрын

Thanks guys.

@mickowens9839 10 ай бұрын

Not a bad run on stock road tires and standard suspension. Most Sprinters I`ve seen from America have upgraded and they all are currently bogged at Burning man

@MuhammadAbdullah-mu5vs Жыл бұрын

Good Vedio..👍 Best of Luck

@WeHitTheRoad-qo8wn 11 ай бұрын

Thanks mate

@philg2468 11 ай бұрын

Normally when you get to a flooded Eyre Creek, it spans out over many dunes. You were at the start of the Goonamillera bypass track - head north 40ks to the stony crossing - its a nice drive and the waterhole at Goonamillera can be teeming with birdlife. You did well to get the Sprinter van across those dunes - just looking at it, taller tyres would make a big difference to its 4wd ability, but not sure how big you can go with a Sprinter. My Troopy has tall skinny tyres - 225/95R16 and with the tyre pressures down, it gets a really long footprint and you can easily walk it over those chopped up dunes.

@WeHitTheRoad-qo8wn 11 ай бұрын

We have 265/70/16s on it. roughly 31 inch. 33s will easily fit, we did fit one to check clearances, but decided not to push our luck legally. The stock tyres are only 225/75 from memory. I'm not sure how far you can push your luck with the computer and wheel speed changes either. In the end I also knew that the 265/70 can be found nearly anywhere, so we went with that. The desert has made me think twice about it though.

@4x4smile 11 ай бұрын

Just make sure you meet the load ratings if you change tyres.

@notsorare 10 ай бұрын

On this video your system seems to be working fine

@kliga1000 11 ай бұрын

Nice ❤

@WeHitTheRoad-qo8wn 11 ай бұрын

Thanks, It was a bit of fun to do.

@ImprovingFactories 9 ай бұрын

You're amazing. Crossing the Simpson in a van !!?! You have the more comfortable car ever (compared to LC 79). I never thought it was possible. Do you have a transfer gearbox in this van ? I mean with a real Low-Range ? Whatever, Congratulations to both of you. Kiss from New-Caledonia

@grahameroberts8109 10 ай бұрын

Maybe if you find a dune with those big holes, stop, get out the long handled shovel and fill them up or smooth them out. With lower tyre pressures and 2nd gear low, you should make it up in one go. Thanks for the heads up. Cheers 👍🏻🙏👍🏻

@spudboy1328 10 ай бұрын

Not sure they have a low range gearbox...

@WeHitTheRoad-qo8wn 10 ай бұрын

Yes it has a low range, but it is a much taller ratio than a typical 4x4. @@spudboy1328

@spudboy1328 10 ай бұрын

@@WeHitTheRoad-qo8wn OK - I've only experience with VW Kombi/Crafters, and they don't have a low range. Lucky you've got that.

@4x4smile 11 ай бұрын

That's pretty cool. We had around 14 psi to do the Simpson in a landcruiser, they are normally at 70 on bitumen. What pressures were you running? That climb up big red is pretty impressive, one of the hardest in the whole Simpson. 1500 dunes between where you are and dalhousie springs. Bit of an eye opener how capable that van is mind you I used to get my 1977 Toyota hiace many spots where it was 4x4 only and that was 2wd. Nice vid thanks for sharing.

@WeHitTheRoad-qo8wn 11 ай бұрын

I set them hot at 18 and 23 hot straight from the drive from Windorah, but we didn't go into the desert proper until early the next morning. With the cold morning I recon 14 and 19. Once in the ball park I tend to judge the sidewall bulge. Maybe I could have gone lower at the back, but it's nearly 3500 kg and tall, and some of these dunes are off camber. I'm still learning about it really, so I was a bit cautious . It feels very different to your typical 4x4 ute.

@fattonyfitness Ай бұрын

Any chance thats an old 2015/2016 Telstra fibre splicing sprinter van? Happens to be my current work van. Was thinking how well it would do on a trip. Would love to buy it once it goes to auction. Did you get this one from Pickles auctions and how much? Please keep posting vids, wanna see more.

@WeHitTheRoad-qo8wn Ай бұрын

Yep, that what it is. We bought this one through a dealer at the height of the covid inflation.....so we paid a lot more than I thought it was worth, but there were absolutely none about. They seem to be being resold in the 60s now unless they have a lot of kilometres. The GVM of 3550 is a challenge during fit out, if you want to carry plenty of fuel and water. A lot of the campers have a GVM of 4100 kg. But if you can keep it light everything is better. I would be really interested to know what your work van weighs on an average day. I'm pretty sure I took more Telstra weight out than I put camper fitout back into it. Those steel shelves and the wall cladding are heavy!

@TAM-gz5tc 10 ай бұрын

You need a high lift and wider rims and tyers suggest BF Goodrich all terrains. Learn about tyre pressures to use to clime sand dunes. Your shock control is not good suggest Bilsteins. Higher tyres will require transmission regearing. You also need a bull bar winch set up.

@surfing4theloveofit 11 ай бұрын

What's the beeping noise 🤔

@WeHitTheRoad-qo8wn 11 ай бұрын

Because the traction control applies brake to a spinning wheel it is best to turn it off in the sand,..there is a switch for this, but apparently it is never 100% off unless you go into the dash menu and select "Rolling Road or Dynometer Mode" It's a bit of a last resort. When you do this you get that warning beep. It's annoying for sure, but it is a bit messy to select so I left in that mode for a bit, thinking I had another tricky dune coming up. I only used it a couple of times.

@rouserealty5540 11 ай бұрын

Maybe a rear locker could have made the difference?

@WeHitTheRoad-qo8wn 11 ай бұрын

It's on the wish list, and part of the plan, but they are more expensive for these vans, as it involves a new crown wheel and pinion as well.

@kevinward4714 11 ай бұрын

Campervans cause lumpy holed tracks (vehicles towing them spinning the wheels).

@WeHitTheRoad-qo8wn 11 ай бұрын

I agree

@Hapi2bpba 11 ай бұрын

All the best - it is hard to watch when paning around too fast or zoomed in too close.

@WeHitTheRoad-qo8wn 11 ай бұрын

yep, we'll work on it

@Straitjacket808 5 ай бұрын

Great video. What an awesome van ❤

@cliff1551 4 ай бұрын

4:08 what about snakes

@duke22234 11 ай бұрын

you contributed a fair bit to get them chewed up

@WeHitTheRoad-qo8wn 11 ай бұрын

True, but only where the holes were already there, making us bounce. We ended up leaving it better than it was, because the only way for us to get through those two chopped up dunes was for us to fill in holes left by others and then lay our maxtrax over the soft bits. The rest of them we hardly spun a wheel, including the first one after big red where the previous afternoon, I watched a v8 Landcruiser dig itself in twice before dropping tyre pressure then easily and driving over on it's third attempt.