regular wheel base or extended wheel base

[snooker]

if i have a choice, I am gonna live in my van, regular wheel base or extended wheel base

 

[nature lover]

Deciding between space and fuel efficiency it’s always a matter of balance. Usually more space equals more money spent on fuel. I’d really like to have some more space but I like to travel and with gas price going up it’s hard to think of a bigger vehicle. Your specific question about longer wheelbase versus shorter, I’m not certain how much that will affect mpg. It seems that if you have more space you’re gonna put more weight in The vehicle and therefore your mileage goes down. Certainly if you can afford the gas prices then more space makes sense. The politics of gas prices is amazing. I came here on Thanksgiving day 2020 and in the short time since gas prices are up $.80 a gallon. I paid over $80 to fill my tank the other day. That hurts.

 

[crofter]

I have short wheel base ProMaster front wheel drive and can turn on a dime, cabin measures 6X10. 

Abnorm has a long wheelbase Ford and it is much bigger, luxurious even I have heard, screen door on a steel tent. Not sure if he can turn on a dime though.

Can stand up in both vans, depending on your height.

I am not sure if there is much difference in MPG, but then I travel pretty light compared to some.
-crofter

 

[WayOutWest]

If you have a chance to do so, I recommend renting a van of each of the sizes you are considering, and drive it around and see how it handles on the road, how tightly it can turn, how you feel in it, etc. Do drawings of possible plans for how you'd set up your van and see what size makes the most sense.
I originally planned to buy a shorter van than the one I ended up with. I realized that for me, having a "spacious" feel inside the van was important, because I'd be spending a lot of time in there (on cold winter nights, 12 hrs or more inside the van is not uncommon!). BTW, I don't live in my van, I only do camping road trips with it.

A lot of people have everything plus the kitchen sink inside the van, but the overall feel is crowded and cluttered, with very little space to just move around. Because I wanted a spacious feeling, I got the slightly longer van, and though this somewhat impacts the MPG and the turning radius, it's not by a lot. In fact my van can turn in a similar radius to my 30 yr old pickup truck! Also, even in years past with my pickup truck, I didn't like traveling on narrow "mystery" dirt roads where I didn't know if I would get stuck or having a hard time turning around and getting out. I still have a strong preference for wider and more heavily traveled dirt roads, leaving the lonely and 4WD ones for those who are more adventurous.

 

[abnorm]

Called out by Crofter !

YES we have the Long and Tall 2017 Ford Transit............That's nearly 14' of space.....6'+ tall from behind the seats to the rear doors

But there's TWO of us now....and the two cats.....our entire House/Home.....and a whole bunch of "Build" tools......about 10,000 lbs total

That weight can Ding the gas mileage....we're in the 14-15 MPG range......and YES it takes about 4 lanes to complete a U-turn !!!!!

No complaints about the the extra "Wheel Estate" ......It's all about LOCATION Location location

 

[eDJ_]

[font=Tahoma,Verdana,Arial,sans-serif]My original Van was a short wheel base and as a single guy I had plenty of room for the kind of use I needed from it.[/font][font=Tahoma,Verdana,Arial,sans-serif]   With a girl friend with me it was a bit cramped with us both inside.  Sleeping was about the same.  So in nicer weather when we were out I'd use the awning so we could expand our living space. [/font]

[font=Tahoma,Verdana,Arial,sans-serif]The Van I have now is a high top extended and for just me it feels like too much space.  Still, at this point I'd rather have too much than too little.

Everyone needs a certain amount of space,  both physically and psychologically.
I once read in a book regarding "body language" how in crowds the tipping point to the beginning of riots was when people had less than 9 square feet to stand in.[/font]

[font=Tahoma,Verdana,Arial,sans-serif]The amount of space may depend on the situation.  Check out this site which helps to evaluate what is comfortable.[/font]

[font=Tahoma,Verdana,Arial,sans-serif]Cvent | Social Tables[/font]

 

[Lorelei072]

For me it was about availability. I had planned on getting a long wb van, but with my budget there weren’t many options. I actually didn’t notice George was a short wb until after I bought him, but even with the terrible turning radius and gas milage I have no regrets.

 

[user 37446]

If I were to have to decide on either I'd go longer, if only to fit more solar up top.
Since I'm currently 100% urban, I don't want any extra length to have to park/maneuver. If I was camping out for weeks at a time in the west I'd get a bigger vehicle.

I don't think theres even a single mpg difference between an E350 std or extended. Maybe the newer Ford Transit ultra high and long pays a small mileage penalty over its smaller E150 standard length brother but its likely little. Also depends on how many people/critters are in the van and if you intend on carrying everything you own or not.

Me, I am by myself and would have a 5'x10' storage unit for $45 a month, thus keeping all the clutter and weight out of the van. But then I'm tied to a single smaller geographical area so a storage unit works for me.

 

[itsnotliving]

Anyone have experience with the earlier extended Chevy versus Ford E series?  Chevy/GMC has longer wheelbase on their extended vans than Ford.  Guessing the Ford is probably a bit more maneuverable around town.

I'm also looking into a travel trailer at some point. 24' maybe.  Any thoughts or experience on whether the extended vans are better, worse or no difference over their shorter cousins welcome.

 

[user 423]

If you had a 24' trailer, would you need the extra space of an extended van?

 

[Giggles]

It's March now, and I've had my van for about 3 months, and I can say I'm very very happy I got a short wheel base. It fits in normal parking spaces, and I would have a hell of a time finding a place to park most of the places I drive to. Plus, I'm single, so with a twin-size platform bed, I have more than enough room. If I had built a bigger bed, I might now have so much room.. But this size is plenty for me.

 

[B and C]

The Ford extended vans have more overhang in the rear which lends them to tail dragging through washes, ruts.

 

[highdesertranger]

Yeah and that overhang also makes them less desirable as tow rigs. Highdesertranger

 

[itsnotliving]

That was something I wanted to know.  Guessed it would be more of an issue than the longer wheelbase GMC/Chevy.

 

[itsnotliving]

If you had a 24' trailer, would you need the extra space of an extended van?

I have this idea of a van for sleeping and a travel trailer for living (standing!), shower/toilet and a decent kitchen.  I like to cook.  I would not have a sleeping area in the trailer.  If I wanted to tool around town or head off into the wilderness I can park the trailer and still have a decent space in the van.
I'm not wedded to the idea of an extended van.  Still in planning mode although I see some kind of van sooner rather than later.

 

[B and C]

A LWB (long wheel base) chevy will handle a trailer much better than the long body (SWB) of a ford.

 

[WalkaboutTed]

we love our Nissan high top, but the cargo area is pretty small because the cab is so large. If they had manufactured a longer wheelbase, we would have gotten it. It gets a little cramped with the two of us and two dogs. Get bigger.
Ted

 

[user 37446]

A LWB (long wheel base) chevy will handle a trailer much better than the long body (SWB) of a ford.

^ This

 

[BelgianPup]

WHY does the Chevy do it better than the Ford???

 

[user 423]

The Chevy has a longer wheelbase and has less overhang than a Ford.