KyMotoVan – Report #11
New Tires: Originally, the van had 245/75 R16 Continental VancoFourSeason tires gracing the silver steel rims. It rode very well on the highway and there was minimal road noise. No complaints at all in that regard. However, I was told early on that the Continentals wouldn’t last very long . . . maybe 35-40K at the very best. So, my plan was to wear them out and do some research in the meantime regarding appropriate replacements.
Well this plan started to deteriorate very soon. My first bad experience was during our big snow this past winter. The van did very well on the icy and snowy roadways that had been plowed, but I got it off into some fresh snow about 10-12″ inches deep and climbing out was not easy. I had it in 4×4 mode but didn’t know to turn the ASR features off. Regardless, those Continentals just wouldn’t dig in. They’d sit on the top of the snow and just burn in a nice icy patch. I was concerned, but I also thought well I’ll just be careful where I take when it snows really deep.
Motovan in the Snow
A couple weeks later I went to park the van in a field where I’d parked my F-150 hundreds of times. It was a little wet, but certainly nothing bad at all. At least that is what I thought. As soon as I hit this one wet grassy area I could feel it spinning and the traction control warnings were lighting up the dashboard. In this instance, I was alone and there was no one there to pull me out if I got really stuck. So I eased on up to my parking spot trying not to spin excessively in the big rig. Immediately, I put it into 4×4 mode just hoping that I could get out later that afternoon with no issue.
Parking in the Field
When I climbed out to survey the damage to the field I noted that the tires were just packed full of mud. It was obvious that Continentals did not clean themselves well and my experience with the snow highlighted their lack of ability to dig in. This is not good. I have this nice big adventure vehicle with 4×4 and it is getting stuck in a damp, flat, grassy field.
The next weekend, I put the darn thing in 4×4 when I pulled off the main road. It was damp again and I was worried that I’d damage the field or worse, get stuck. It did well but I could feel it spin a couple times as I got into the grassy area. It didn’t slow down like last time or even feel like I’d get stuck, but it still spun a bit. Once again, the tires had packed up with dirt. That’s it! I’m getting some real tires for this ride!
From what I’d read online, it was obvious that the BF Goodrich All Terrain KO2s were the way to go. They are highly recommended, I’ve seen them on dozens of Sprinters online, and Jesse had gotten over 50K on his last two sets on a Chevy 2500. Lots of folks seemed to think that a larger tire size than stock was a good idea, but I just wasn’t comfortable with that. Narrower tires go the best in mud and snow and tires that are too big around could rub and would make the vehicle taller. Let me tell you . . . making that beast taller just doesn’t sound like a good idea at all!
BFGs on the KyMotoVan
It took some effort but I found a tire place in Lexington that would give me a good deal on just the tires. This way, I could have the MB Service Center do the mounting and balancing. In the end, this worked out very well as the MB Service Center had the best rate on mounting and balancing and they have the wheel weights made specifically for the “steely” wheels on the van.
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Their turnaround was very quick and the Technician said I’d made a great choice on the BFGs. He indicated they’d be perfect for the type of traveling and off road excursions we’d be doing. One thing he said though was that, “They will talk to you a bit more going down the road.” At this point I was anxious to see how well it rode and how much road noise would be generated by the more aggressive and deeper tread.
My drive home was an eye opener. Pulling out of the parking lot I could tell that there was a bit more drag when turning at a slow speed. But, as soon as I hit the main road the steering and ride were just as effortless and smooth as with the Continentals. Hmmm . . . I surely didn’t expect that.
BFGs on the KyMotoVan
On the way home, there are about 12 miles of Parkway driving with a 70mph speed limit. As I sped up and headed down the on-ramp to the Parkway I was shocked. The road noise did not increase at all and it was silky smooth at 72mph. After a mile or so I eased it up to 80mph just see how it would feel. Wonderful! I simply did not anticipate that such an aggressive looking tire would ride that well and be that quiet.
One thing the BFGs did for the van was really change its appearance. Those new tires coupled with the nice black Aluminess nerf bars make it look like more of an adventure vehicle and less like and expediter’s van. My dad commented that it looked more “manly” now and Philip strongly agreed. Oh well . . .
BFGs on the KyMotoVan
I’ve parked in the same field twice with the new tires and never even had to think about engaging the 4×4. It doesn’t spin at all nor do they pack up with dirt. If there is one drawback it is that they do pick up rocks a bit more, but I can live with that. I now feel much more comfortable taking the van on some Forest Service roads out west this summer. I’m certain it won’t go where my old F-150 could, but the KyMotoVan will get a lot closer with the BFGs in the mix!
Stay tuned for an upcoming post on my partition door and some ventilation work.
See you on the trail!