The Setup
The test van is a 1992 GMC extended van with AWD. It came with the factory 3.73:1 differential gearing with an open front and a limited slip rear. The transmission is the 4 speed automatic with a B&M shift kit to firm up the shifting. The engine is the original high output 4.3 liter V6. The only changes are a 3" Flowmaster exhaust and a modified air box (a few large holes were bored in it to improve air intake) with a K&N air filter.
The stock composite springs have been replaced with a pair of heavy duty 3" lifting steel leaf springs. Custom shackles provide an additional 2" of rear lift. Up front a 2" body lift is used to provide much needed tire clearance while late model torsion bars are adjusted to provide an additional 3" of lift. A 2" longer steering shaft takes care of the height difference. Rancho 5000 shocks at all 4 corners provide the ride control.
The wheels are GM stock "rally" wheels (15x6) fitted with 235/75x15 TrailHandler light truck all terrain tires. Later we decided to beef things up and improve the looks so we gave it a set of Chrome 15x7 Crager QuickTrick wheels with 31x10.50 Mickey Thompson MTX tires. Some mild inner fender trimming was needed to accomadate the larger tires.
First Impressions
One glance is all it took to see that this was not your average "minivan". Sitting about 6-7" taller than a stock all wheel drive Astro or Safari and sporting larger all-terrain tires gave it a whole new look. The look associated with a rugged off road vehicle. In fact with rocker panels measuring some 18" from the ground it appears much more trail ready than most todays "sport utilities"
Getting into the van, or should I say climbing up into the van really made you notice how high it sat. Now let's see how this van on steroids drives.
On The Road
The Safari's engine came to life with a mellow throaty sound through it's modified exhaust. Acceleration was crisp and the shifts were firm. In no time we were up to speed and working our way through the traffic that cluttered the highway.
The suspension felt firm and truck like yet comfortable on the road . In fact in going to and from our destinations for snow boarding, mountain biking, canoeing, kayaking, surfing, fishing and hunting some 50,000 road miles were placed on this van in all sorts of weather and conditions. It always felt sure and predictable on the road and no one ever complained of a harsh ride.
One thing that was certain. No matter where we went someone would come up and ask about the van. "Never saw one like that before", "Does it have a lift or something?", "Did you put a truck frame under it?", "How'd you get yours to sit so high?" I never got so much attention with a vehicle before. It was fun to watch other Astro/Safari owners give it a double take as we drove by.
Where It Really Matters
A lifted vehicle may look good on the road but off-road is what it's all about so we headed for the dirt. This vehicle was modified with a purpose in mind. Since we are located along the shores of Lake Michigan there is no shortage of dunes and beach sand. Often when off roading in this area large sandy areas and hills are incountered that quick to put an end to forward momentum. A little too much spinning and you are barried to the body and calling for the wrecker. We figured we would find one the biggest sand boxes around to put the van to the test so we headed for Silver Lake State Park in Mears, MI.
For safety reasons you are required to equip your vehicle with an orange flag to alert other drivers you are resting a hill or are located on the other side of a sand ridge. We installed one on the front bumper and purchased our ORV registration sticker. The park also requires you to "air down" your tires to around 15 psi. This was a good idea since we were only running 235/75 all purpose tires on a 4000 plus pound vehicle. We adjusted all four to 15psi and headed into the sand.
Upon entering the dunes there is a large ridge of sand called "Test Hill". This is where alot of the set-up vehicles show off thier stuff. We were a little reluctant to attempt it at first so we drove around in the easier sections of the dunes just to see how it would do. The van seemed at home in all this sand. The smaller hills presented no problem so it was time to head for the more challenging ones.
On-lookers laughed at a "mini-van" being in the dunes and thought "no way" as we approached Test Hill. We rolled to the base of the hill and stared at this mountain of sand. After a few minutes of thought it was go time. I dropped the van down into low gear and punched the throttle. She lunged forward and started climbing. The base of the hill has more of a gentle angle and I could feel the van accelerating through that portion, which was promising. About a third of he way up you are angled more skyward and I felt the engines RPM begin to drop as it worked against the incline. I began to question it's ability to but it jsut kept on pulling. All of a sudden there I was with my front tires airborne as I crested the summit. "Yeah Baby!" She can climb. Laughter became respect and we got thumbs up from these would be doubters. They only laugh once.
After successfully climbing the hills a few times we got brave and kept the throttle down until we launched off the tops of the dunes. We used the excuse that we were testing the suspension but it was such a rush and the spectators loved it. By the way the suspension performed quite well while landing jumps. Just make sure you don't have loose items laying around in your van. Laws like that of inertia have a tendency to turn things like flashlights into head bumping projectiles. Ouch.
On The Trail
Next it was time to put it to more practical tests. Other than you surfers and sand boarders not too many have to deal with dunes. So we headed for the two tracks and jeep trails of Northern Michigan.
Right away we noticed how manuverable the van is in tight spots. With only an 111" wheelbase it was able to negotiate tight turns in the trail as well as clear ledges and drops. Having some 18" of rocker clearence also helped with that task. The suspension was firm yet allowed for good articulation. In fact we spent quite alot of time just twiting the van back and forth over obsticals to test it's performance. All in all it was quite impressive.
We also tested the suspension at speed, hamering the van down some of the more open two tracks and power line service trails. At over 4000 pounds these vans are no lightweights and we found it was possable to bottom out the suspension on abrupt bumps and landing from jumps. Even though we were putting the bumpstops to the test the ride was not excessively harsh.
Even though we retained the stock transfer case on this van it still climbed like a mule. Low range would have been an asset but we were able to torque our way up most any hill we encountered. Descending hills required more braking than a low range equipped vehicle but for the typical owner the stock transfer case will be fine. After all look at all the stuff we put it through.
The vans high air intake made fairly deep water crossing possable. Beavers can be inconsiderate as to where they place thier dams so we were able to put this to the test on a few occasions. Crossing slowly proved to get things less wet than trying to plow through the water.
We also had alot of opportunities to see how she did in snow and/or mud and were very impressed with the vans ability to maintain traction. Especially once we installed the Mickeys. In fact we had a hard time getting it stuck. Sure if you try hard enough you can get anything stuck and we did. One time we tried to go slowly over a tall icy snowbank and ended up playing teeter toter on it. Some guys in a Jeep got us out of that one. We later repaid the favor by helping them get out of snow filled ravine they slid into. ( Word to the wise: always go prepaired with tow straps,etc.) Another time I tried to cross an ugly mudhole that was only about 20 yards long. About a half hour and a quarter tank of fuel later I had managed to spin and churn my way out of it. I was lucky. Later I found out two 4x4 trucks had to call a wrecker to get them out of it the day before and one of them was sporting 39" Swampers and a huge lift.
Results
Overall this van impresses the heck out of me. It doesn't know when to quit. We even used for a tractor to pull some stumps and drag huge Oak logs while clearing some land. It never ceases to amaze me. In fact the only time it let me down was on one trip to the dunes when the catalytic converter failed (later replaced) and it didn't have enough power to do much of anything.
Where else can you get a sport utility that has over 170 cubic feet of cargo space (GMC Suburban only has 149) a 111" wheelbase (Suburban 131", Yukon 117") gets 20MPG and is great on the trails. Not to mention it is usually alot more affordable than a SUV. Besides it is fun to drive something out of the ordinary. Every body has a SUV these days but who has a lifted 4wd van with big tires and a bad attitude?
