Considering paying more for FWD or 4WD

[gangrelchik]

I'm trying to find the van of my dreams, but I am struggling with some driving and build considerations.  I will be doing some driving in the Northeast US in the winter for holidays.  So inclement weather driving is guaranteed including snow and ice.  My plan for the build includes getting a camper high top so my bed will be lofted over the cab.  I want to have a desk for work and my bathroom in the back over the rear wheels.

For these reasons I am concerned about a standard RWD van.  They're not as good in the snow from everything I've heard and I won't have weight over the drive wheels to help me.  I would prefer a FWD van, or 4WD if that's easier to get, but they seem to be so expensive.  I've driven FWD cars through the snow for years so I don't feel like I need 4WD.

Am I way off base here?  Does anyone else have a FWD van?  I can't even find a list of make/model/years that offer FWD to try and look for something used.  Same problem with 4WD vans.

 

[jonsun]

Put 4 golf cart batteries over the rear passenger wheel and 20-30 gallon water tank plus tools, propane, etc over driver side rear. In conjunction with snow chains and good AT tires. Also a hitch tray with a generator.

 

[Minivanmotoman]

Minivans are FWD mostly. All standard vans are RWD with 4WD available but rare and several $1000s more. Newer Ram van is FWD and all others RWD. Like everything in life, do you research on van types, features and reliability.

If you have a conventional RWD van with typical build, meaning loaded, you will have weight over the rear wheels. Traction should not be a problem like an empty van would.

Key to bad weather driving, good snow/ AT tires and smart driving, meaning mostly slow down. Loss of control is always due to too fast for low traction conditions. Tap the brakes occasionally to test road conditions and see how the vehicle reacts. Lets you know how much traction, stopping and how slippery conditions are. Carry chains where legal, tow straps, shovel, traction mats, and get a AAA membership. 4wd isn't the be all end all answer just by itself. Helps in deeper snow but does nothing to improve braking. 2wd and smart driving is doable for 95% of situations. The others, should you even be out driving? Have a hot chocolate, sit by the fire, listen to some Sinatra and wait out the storm. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

 

[wagoneer]

those big "sportsmobil" conversion vans are super expensive and overkill for 90%

 

[Scout]

This is something I've thought about too.Ive owned 4wd vehicle most of my life and love them but Ive only used the 4wd a few times. I considered getting a quigly van but finding one is impossible it seems and they will convert a 2wd but it seems so expensive then you have extra maintenance to do.i just decided my money is better spent elsewhere. Maybe someday ill get a trailer hitch winch that i can fit on the front or back.

 

[Scout]

Im also looking for a van that has a locking differential

 

[mr_elijah_gardner]

Good tires, as much weight as possible over the rear end. You should be okay-ish. 

Most FWD vans are going to be smaller. I've driven vans in the snow quite a bit for field service work. They do okay just go slow and plan ahead. If conditions aren't safe then don't go. In my experience once you're on the main road you should be fine.  Parking lots and side roads might be a little hairy.

 

[drysailor]

Im also looking for a van that has a locking differential

A locking / limited slip diff + ideas above on weight & tires might be just as good as 4WD. Once snow gets up to the vehicle bottom, 4WD won't be that much help anyway.

 

[tx2sturgis]

For your intended, stated use, I would consider AWD along with the others.

To get you started, here is a listing of results from searchcraigslist.org, several pages worth:

https://cse.google.com/cse?cx=00873...kaTv5Cahvo#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=AWD van&gsc.page=1

 

[gangrelchik]

To clarify a few points. I am not looking to do a typical van build, hence the concern about lack of weight over the rear wheels. I won't have storage for snow tires, though I will check if chains are legal where I'll be going. My winter driving for holidays will be in a rural area, so we are not talking main roads here. The highway department is good, but there's a lot of ground to cover out there. I am trying to do research, part of that is asking questions on forums like this where so many of you are knowledgeable and have experience with these vehicles.

 

[John61CT]

If you can deal with the smaller space, Toyota Sienna, super reliable and excellent in the deepest snow.

If you *really* need more space but don't want go with $printer / ProMaster / Transit / NV,

look at a nice big-truck platform.


Either way, top-notch snow tires are a must; if you can't swap just accept faster wearing little growlier ride when it's warm.

Also carry chains, folding shovel, kitty litter maybe traction mats.

 

[akrvbob]

The Chevy Express was made in AWD for several years and would be your very best option. They are hard to find but they are out there. You'll need to do a very wide search on Craigslist and be ready to travel to get it.

 

[gangrelchik]

I will look into that. Thanks much for the recommendation.

 

[accrete]

My wife and i went with the full size chevy AWD van and converted it into a high-top camper van. My wife uses it as here daily driver in our wet conditions on the Oregon Coast. With the right tires and suspension upgrades (we have both) these vans drive like they are on rails. While we don't have much snow on the coast we do have several times in the winter that the roads are sheets of ice, and again, with proper technique behind the wheel, these are great rigs.

We also have a FWD 2017 Promaster currently at a conversion shop. The first thing i did was put BFG KO2 all-season/all-terrain tires on it that qualify as "Traction Devices" in Oregon so we will not have to chain up. The handling of the FWD PM is fantastic (we drove the Sprinter and Transit - RWD and 4WD models) and it won out as being as close to the characteristics of our AWD van that we have found to date. The PM will replace the AWD once it is out of the conversion shop...we don't need two vans in the driveway : )

Have fun researching. Lots of choices out there.

 

[gangrelchik]

Thank you for sharing your experience. It's very helpful. This is my first rig so I was having analysis paralysis on what to go for before just deciding one day it's going to be a van. Once I get the van squared away it will be time to look for a shop to put the high top on.

 

[accrete]

... first rig so I was having analysis paralysis on what to go for...

totally get the analysis issue. 
For my wife and i, van 1 was our second adventure rig (a maxed out TACO was our first)... took three years of research to get to V1. V2 (our Promaster) took four years!

They say the journey is half the fun... i agree.
Thom

PS, added after the post... each rig we've had we really enjoyed. We were taking baby steps along the way of developing a rig that would suit our style of living/adventures. Each met our expectations we had at the time in our development.

 

[steamjam1]

I converted a Dodge van into a 4x4. I did all that work.. I used it once, and I haven't so much as touched it again over a year. I thought 4x4 was going to be cool, but ended up not really needing it.

 

[MrNoodly]

Put 4 golf cart batteries over the rear passenger wheel and 20-30 gallon water tank plus tools, propane, etc over driver side rear. In conjunction with snow chains and good AT tires. Also a hitch tray with a generator.

Yeah, by the time you get your stuff loaded in a RWD van, there should be plenty of weight on the rear -- even without a hitch tray.