Ski RV's, who's sleeping in parking lots?

[Dromond]

I spied a Promaster ski-company van one the way to Mt Baker during insane nukeage conditions this week and thought "well, I guess FWD is pretty good after all"

20 minutes later when I was in a line of cars stuck behind said van chaining up in the middle of the narrow access road, I was less impressed. There was a stuck Sprinter as well although I don't know if it was 4WD.

[babybear]

we just got a promaster and got some new snow tires. it's been slippery AF lately so will be excited to see how they help
I'll report back how it works for us
the eurovan was big shoes to fill though bc it performed so well in all of our travels (and daily driving) with some good snow tires and maybe a sand bag or two int he rear
FWD was the biggest determining factor in going for the promaster vs the sprinter vs ford
interested to see how it works out- we have the slightly beefier suspension and andrew thought of removing one of the leaf springs (one of our friends did this and seemed to improve the ride for daily driving etc) to soften the ride but we are going to feel it out further once we start building inside

[Dromond]

To be clear: I was least impressed by the driver's plan to head up without chains when the forecast was for 20" of 30 degree snow to fall within a 12 hour period! Slippery AF would be putting in mildly and I was driving very tentatively with AWD and snow tires.

[oldblue]

I spied a Promaster ski-company van one the way to Mt Baker during insane nukeage conditions this week and thought "well, I guess FWD is pretty good after all"

20 minutes later when I was in a line of cars stuck behind said van chaining up in the middle of the narrow access road, I was less impressed.

I'd be curious to hear how folks do with these Promasters. Front wheel drive performance in the snow is predicated on the weight being over the front axle. A kitted out van is going to be putting a great deal of weight on the rear axle. Climb a grade and even more weight is transferred to the rear axle.

[GeezerSteve]

Promaster rear axle beam is a potential snow plow in 6"+ snow and rock catcher/crasher on all but the smoothest dirt road

and Fix It Again Tony

ETA pic

[babybear]

for sure we'll see
and yea as you all point out (in true tgr style) all the negs. but for half the price of a sprinter 4wd and non 4wd sprinter being a rwd as well as the transit- this came out the best choice
I'm pretty sure it will be ok given that we have driven the euorvan for yrs and we managed to stay alive and still have fun with a similar axle
wish there were more choices for axle height, awd etc but there isn't so gotta prioritize

[Dromond]

I think it all depends on what your expectations are and where you go. Personally, I mostly go to ski areas and mtb trail heads, so the clearance think is not a huge issue for me. Even with our huge local snowfall totals and some occasional dirt road driving I maybe 2x per year run into deep enough snow or a rutted enough road that it's a problem in a truly low clearance (6") hatchback and never in 8.9" clearance Forester. And honestly, if you get stuck in a snowy parking lot it is super annoying but you can probably dig to 2 minutes and you are out of there. It's a hassle but not life threatening.

The no AWD/4WD thing on the other hand seems like deal breaker to me for regular use for NW mountain winter driving. You don't need it 95% of the time but when you do you really need it. Having seen a vehicle spinning wheels and slowly sliding sideways towards a precipitous dropoff makes me think. There are always tire chains but applying those on the side of the highway with people ripping past at 50mph is a safety issue of its own. I'm sure others regions vary a lot, and I have driven a Civic with studded tires through some gnarly winter conditions in CO.

[oldblue]

for sure we'll see
and yea as you all point out (in true tgr style) all the negs.

I'm genuinely curious how it performs

[Name Redacted]

for sure we'll see
and yea as you all point out (in true tgr style) all the negs. but for half the price of a sprinter 4wd and non 4wd sprinter being a rwd as well as the transit- this came out the best choice
I'm pretty sure it will be ok given that we have driven the euorvan for yrs and we managed to stay alive and still have fun with a similar axle
wish there were more choices for axle height, awd etc but there isn't so gotta prioritize

Yeah, keep us posted bbear ! My guess is that you’ll do just fine.


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[Name Redacted]

I think it all depends on what your expectations are and where you go. Personally, I mostly go to ski areas and mtb trail heads, so the clearance think is not a huge issue for me. Even with our huge local snowfall totals and some occasional dirt road driving I maybe 2x per year run into deep enough snow or a rutted enough road that it's a problem in a truly low clearance (6") hatchback and never in 8.9" clearance Forester. And honestly, if you get stuck in a snowy parking lot it is super annoying but you can probably dig to 2 minutes and you are out of there. It's a hassle but not life threatening.

The no AWD/4WD thing on the other hand seems like deal breaker to me for regular use for NW mountain winter driving. You don't need it 95% of the time but when you do you really need it. Having seen a vehicle spinning wheels and slowly sliding sideways towards a precipitous dropoff makes me think. There are always tire chains but applying those on the side of the highway with people ripping past at 50mph is a safety issue of its own. I'm sure others regions vary a lot, and I have driven a Civic with studded tires through some gnarly winter conditions in CO.

What a lot of the FWD vs AWD discussion is missing is the fact that the FWD will have snow tires, maybe even studs. I doubt the van would be sliding toward the precipitous drop off nearly as easily with the right equipment.
I drove a RWD Ford ranger with shitty All Season tires to Baker during two pretty big seasons. Only used chains once and that was because I was hauling a guy with a broken back down to the hospital in a storm.


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[byates1]

i'm coming up on a year owning my promaster, got brand new cooper winterclaws when i bought it last jan, went up and down bcc every day, also trips to idaho and s utah etc

as i mentioned earlier, i agree w the rear clearance, but it is what it is. i guess living in it in the winter and skiing nordic/bc/resort equally for about 100 days means i can find something to ski whenever/wherever. definitely have to be mindful and on top of road conditions.

i'm not the weekend idiot jonzing to get to the hill driving like a moron. i'm already at the hill.

i do need to get some chains, sort of slagging on that. pretty stoked overall on it though.

[byates1]

"be water my friend" b lee

[eshed]

https://saltlakecity.craigslist.org/...440723737.html

Not mine. Wish it was.

[east or bust]

I'll just leave this here….

http://ujointoffroad.com/ujor4x4vanbuilds.html

[banzaibikes]

Wow...nice vans in there.

[babybear]

I'll just leave this here….

http://ujointoffroad.com/ujor4x4vanbuilds.html

I need to know how to get that creampuff van- I love it!

[snapt]

BBear, keep us updated on the promaster, curious to hear how it does in these parts.

This belong to a maggot? Spotted in the Targhee lot yesterday with CA plates, looked pretty sweet, would have liked to have learned more about it.

[simple]

This one is next to my van.

[spnce]

This belong to a maggot? Spotted in the Targhee lot yesterday with CA plates, looked pretty sweet, would have liked to have learned more about it.

That's me! Whatchu wanna know?

[babybear]

BBear, keep us updated on the promaster, curious to hear how it does in these parts.

of course we haven't had the big big snows yet but on the high pressure ice on all the roads around it has been a champ! andrew put new tires on it but they are not even fully full-on winters- just a winter rated all season - I'll ask him the exact model when he gets home
I dont know if it's the wheelbase or what but it feels really stable
our other car is a volvo xc awd and that spins out more than the promaster (promaster geared lower too so I think that helps)
but so far we are very happy

also homemadesalsa and her hubby, panchosdad, have a promaster they've been driving over the pass for at least 1 if not 2 winters now so might reach out to them too- HMS said panchosdad likes to talk van so maybe pm him too but will keep updating as we get more wintery conditions

[snapt]

That's me! Whatchu wanna know?

Ha! What engine you got in that thing? Gasser or Diesel? MPG? Any interior pics? Enjoy the hood!

[Yukonrider]

How do you get to the skis on the top?

[spnce]

Ha! What engine you got in that thing? Gasser or Diesel? MPG? Any interior pics? Enjoy the hood!

It's got the 460 gasser, 7-10 MPG. I guess the original owner decided to save some $ off the powerstroke...

I spent a year+ redoing the interior then sold most of our shit & took off in october.

[spnce]

How do you get to the skis on the top?

Trampoline. Or the ladder on the back sometimes

[snowaddict91]

That's me! Whatchu wanna know?

That thing is sweet! For a winter rig I think I'd rather have a 460, saves dealing with all the cold weather headaches of the 7.3.