[PNW Islander]

I have a 2021 Metris Peace Van Weekender conversion. I have taken it to Baja three times and am spending several days a month in the Cascades sleeping in blizzards waiting for fresh powder.

I have a 1.5 inch lift with 225/65/17 Yokohama Geolandar A/T for Baja and Michelin Ice X Studless Snowtires for the mountains. I bought this incredible van for the same reason as many who own Metris Campers - I wanted something that I could camp and adventure in but also drive around town and actually fit in a parking place or on the ferry to the island where I live without being over-height. I also however… and this is a must, need a car that can get me to mountains in the middle of a snow storm and to remote surf spots in baja. While a 4x4 Sprinter was the obvious choice (and a similar price to the Peace Van conversion), for the reasons above, I wanted to try the Metris. …I also like bucking the trend and seeing one less Sprinter on the road.

Baja: while the Peace Van with the slight lift is amazing for Baja on and off road, I have gotten stuck a few times and simply can not access some of my favorite spots. Also, on my second trip, with only 25k miles on the rig, I blew out both rear shocks and found myself driving north to the Escondido Mercedes dealer where the staff were wonderful and replaced both under warranty. And, to clarify, I was not driving hard, just slowly off road.

This said, the van has performed really well in many situations where I thought it would not including soft sand and mud. And while I could not drive into a few remote spots, having a smaller van that handles well that also has all that a Peace Van offers, is really nice - AND SAFER - on narrow, windy, sketchy Mex 1 with psycho bus and truck drivers passing within inches of your side view mirror at 90 MPH. I have driven Mex 1 for over thirty years and several times in wider vehicles and it is pure white knuckle high stress driving. The Metris on the otherhand is a wonderful safe commuter. I am also going to install custom LED light bar to be countersunk into the front bumper (where license plate would normally be) for better vision and also considering upgrading tires for even better traction. When off-road, I’m typically running 15-18 PSI which helps, but would appreciate others suggestions on tires and traction ideas. I have also spent a lot of time looking for aftermarket shocks and have found nothing so far that would be a significant upgrade from stock. Again, would love input here!

Mountains: The greatest bonus, which is the same as in Baja is that the Peace Van Weekender is an amazing conversation which offers two full beds (sleeping four!) in a combination of westfelia type pop top and fold down rear bench. This combined with the kitchenette out the back, awning, heater and duel batteries makes it an incredible mountain snow and Baja desert camper.

I’ve had my Peace Van in some pretty deep snow (6-7” fresh) and done well, but I have not really pushed it in some of the conditions I would push my past all wheel drive cars or trucks. I have also, on a few occasions, lost tractions, once on ice in plowed parking area - which made me second guess going stud-less and twice in deeper snow where the incline of the road exceeded the traction of the van. I will say that I did a lot of research before settling on the Michelin Ice X and am overall very impressed. My issue is rarely ice but more often deep snow. For that, the Ice X continues to surpass its competition in traction, stoping. I’m also impressed with the weight distribution of the Metris with good weight over both front and rear axles allowing for better traction as opposed to how pickup trucks offer perform.

I wanted to begin this discussion to see whom else in the Metris world is pushing the limits of their van and is willing to share their recent insights and experiences. I’ll update this forum with pictures and more stories as I continue to see where my Metris can take me and if I’ll be able to keep it.

 

[pounce]

Nice. Love the snow pix. I grew up in Seattle and miss the mountains.

Did you get the webasto heater and lifepo4 battery option from PV? Curious how your power management is going on long stays.

 

[RocketVan]

I wanted to try the Metris. …I also like bucking the trend and seeing one less Sprinter on the road.

I have also spent a lot of time looking for aftermarket shocks and have found nothing so far that would be a significant upgrade from stock. Again, would love input here!

I did the same for dirt biking. Everyone has a Sprinter, even though a Sprinter fits in my garage, I was willing to risk the Metris for the advantage of its slight smaller size. I was one of the first people in NorCal to get one for dirt biking and now there are a half a dozen of us I see regularly at the track.

I put Bilsteins on all my vehicles, usually after the first year or two. I will say that over a dozen vehicles or so including many BMW M cars it is a night and day difference of overall improvement. I have not driven this van off-road, so I am not sure how much improvement they would be over stock. I have read on this forum that lifted Metris need longer shocks to avoid topping out on rebound, so I am not sure I could recommend Bilsteins in this application without some custom mounts.

I am not sure who makes a limited-slip for the Metris or if one drops in from another Mercedes Benz product. I am 100% on-road except for dirt parking lots, so I have not researched further. I know for example that Tacomas have the option of installing an Eaton Detroit TrueTrac in the stock differential housing.

Sounds like you have had some fun adventures with your Metris and looking forward to hearing about which improvements you go with.

 

[Le Manchot]

I have a Metris full camper (ADF Anacapa) with a 2" lift and use K02s on Black Rhino Arches wheels in spring/summer/fall and Nokian Hakkapellitta 10s (a studded tire) on Black Rhino Arches wheels in winter. The K02s are very noisy and I am looking to replace them with Nokian Outpost ATs, but the Outposts are not yet available in the right size (225/65/17). The Hakkepelliita's are very quiet, much quieter than the K02s, even with the studs. Performance has been excellent so far (one spring/summer/fall season of off-road use and one winter season (almost) in deep snow and ice - we have had a big winter here, particularly in December and early January). I've been on medium-level off road terrain and in deep snow and black ice regularly; no issues so far. I have taken off-road and winter driving courses however (highly recommended) and I put a couple of sand bags over the rear axle for the season. I had to help push out a stuck Metris that had the stock tires in a ski area parking lot in 5" of snow with an inexperienced driver. I was able to get that stock van to maneuver in the 5" of heavy snow, but it was definitely on the edge of capability. I would be careful about off-road use without the lift and some more aggressive and stronger tires (10 ply preferably).

 

[PNW Islander]

Nice. Love the snow pix. I grew up in Seattle and miss the mountains.

Did you get the webasto heater and lifepo4 battery option from PV? Curious how your power management is going on long stays.

Yes, webasto heater. It works extremely well. My longest stay on the mountain so far was four full days without starting the engine. Most days were about 10 degrees Fahrenheit and there was about 3.5’ of snow during that period. The battery low voltage alarm came up on webasto on my very last day a few hours before I was leaving so pretty good.

 

[pounce]

I had a design for a thermal wrap for the tent before they canceled the van. Anyone could make one. Might be something to consider for next winter. Lots of examples in Europe for the Marco polo vans.

Consider the PV battery option the next time you are in the area. 3x the stock storage in the same location.

 

[harleysitner]

This is such a rad thread for so many reasons. Love hearing about folks pushing the Metris.
We were going to bit the bullet on an IGLHaut triple knob, 7" lift for a Metris as a demo vehicle, but some cold feet when the dealer mentioned losing our allocation if we were even suspected of violating export laws....simply could not take the risk.

That is great data on 4 days w/ the Webasto (and we imagine a few other things) on that 150aH LIFEPO4 battery. It's an expensive upgrade but it is proving it's worth for those who can do it.

Harley

 

[schlabinski]

Thanks for starting this thread and sharing your experiences! I applaud you for not choosing a full size van and giving the Metris a go. We have a very similar van (2021 Peace Vans Weekender, with Webasto heater and same Geolandar tires) and absolutely love it. We have young kids, so our adventures are quite a bit different than yours, but it's awesome and inspiring to know what our van is capable of.

Our van started off with the spacer-based lift and we also experienced over-extending the rear shocks. Ultimately, we ended up springing (pun intended) for the Twin Monotube Projekt suspension. It was expensive and a pain to get installed, but it is a massive upgrade in terms of how the van handles. We can now drive it much more confidently as it settles more quickly and predictably after all kinds of bumps, big and small.

If the Twin Monotube Projekt complete solution isn't a good option for you, it's my understanding that the Bilstein B6 front strut OEM replacements (22-262172) work with the spacer-based lift. For the rear, I wonder if you could track down just the shocks from the Twin Monotube Projekt solution. I am under the impression that they are more or less a slightly lengthened version of the Bilstein B6. I honestly have no idea if that is actually the case, so please do your own research. For what it's worth, it does look like GTV-VAN in France sells the shocks separately. That is not who we sourced our kit from, so I'd be happy to share more about our experience if you message me directly.

I look forward to hearing more stories of your adventures!

 

[harleysitner]

Thanks for starting this thread and sharing your experiences! I applaud you for not choosing a full size van and giving the Metris a go. We have a very similar van (2021 Peace Vans Weekender, with Webasto heater and same Geolandar tires) and absolutely love it. We have young kids, so our adventures are quite a bit different than yours, but it's awesome and inspiring to know what our van is capable of.

Our van started off with the spacer-based lift and we also experienced over-extending the rear shocks. Ultimately, we ended up springing (pun intended) for the Twin Monotube Projekt suspension. It was expensive and a pain to get installed, but it is a massive upgrade in terms of how the van handles. We can now drive it much more confidently as it settles more quickly and predictably after all kinds of bumps, big and small.

If the Twin Monotube Projekt complete solution isn't a good option for you, it's my understanding that the Bilstein B6 front strut OEM replacements (22-262172) work with the spacer-based lift. For the rear, I wonder if you could track down just the shocks from the Twin Monotube Projekt solution. I am under the impression that they are more or less a slightly lengthened version of the Bilstein B6. I honestly have no idea if that is actually the case, so please do your own research. For what it's worth, it does look like GTV-VAN in France sells the shocks separately. That is not who we sourced our kit from, so I'd be happy to share more about our experience if you message me directly.

I look forward to hearing more stories of your adventures!

I can't 100% determine who this is Can you shoot me an email to discuss? [email protected]

 

[PNW Islander]

Thanks for starting this thread and sharing your experiences! I applaud you for not choosing a full size van and giving the Metris a go. We have a very similar van (2021 Peace Vans Weekender, with Webasto heater and same Geolandar tires) and absolutely love it. We have young kids, so our adventures are quite a bit different than yours, but it's awesome and inspiring to know what our van is capable of.

Our van started off with the spacer-based lift and we also experienced over-extending the rear shocks. Ultimately, we ended up springing (pun intended) for the Twin Monotube Projekt suspension. It was expensive and a pain to get installed, but it is a massive upgrade in terms of how the van handles. We can now drive it much more confidently as it settles more quickly and predictably after all kinds of bumps, big and small.

If the Twin Monotube Projekt complete solution isn't a good option for you, it's my understanding that the Bilstein B6 front strut OEM replacements (22-262172) work with the spacer-based lift. For the rear, I wonder if you could track down just the shocks from the Twin Monotube Projekt solution. I am under the impression that they are more or less a slightly lengthened version of the Bilstein B6. I honestly have no idea if that is actually the case, so please do your own research. For what it's worth, it does look like GTV-VAN in France sells the shocks separately. That is not who we sourced our kit from, so I'd be happy to share more about our experience if you message me directly.

I look forward to hearing more stories of your adventures!

Thank you for sharing the info about the suspension. I will message you for sure! This is promising!

if the shocks had not been under warranty I would not have replaced them with the stock ones again. In fact, I went to three off road stores in San Diego looking for alternatives and no one had a clue - in fact… all but one had actually never heard of a Metris. I will definitely research your suggestions as the rear handles poorly in most bumpy conditions - which in my travels is a majority of the time. I’m very much looking forward to following your lead on this.

As an FYI my 14 year old daughter and wife are on most of these journeys so it’s also a family adventure! My daughter and I are actually heading up tomorrow to stay the night on top of or favorite mountain as we’re expecting 9”-12” inches of snow over night Saturday (combined with significant wind and very cool temps). It will - I am sure - be another wonderful #peacevan adventure. I’ll make sure to post stories of how the van handles up and down the mountain and overnight during the blizzard!

thanks again for the information! Really appreciate it!

 

[Bhad]

Lift Kits and bigger tires did you see a drop in MPG? Fun read for me thanks for starting.

 

[cafebmw]

Lift Kits and bigger tires did you see a drop in MPG? Fun read for me thanks for starting.

no change here (2" lift, 225/65R17).
a lift kit doesn't really change the relevant aerodynamic parameters.
bigger tires doesn't have much effect on the MPG in this case either as the weight change is only minimal and the drag coefficient due to bigger frontal tire area is negligible.
the size doesn't matter as the coefficient of rolling resistance is dimensionless.
indeed, the indicated MPG has to be corrected by adding around 5-7% compensating for the bigger circumference, same for the speedometer and odometer.

 

[cafebmw]

for driving off-road 12-15 psi is recommended depending on the terrain, also to avoid hard impacts causing tire damage/puncture (i learned the hard way decades ago in Australia's deserts).
on sand i deflate even down to 8-10psi.

 

[Claytonroy]

Chiming in..as this week I had my first opportunity to try my Metris in DEEP snow. As you heard, Portland Metro area got 10” in a short time period. I’m running good tires - Michelin Cross Climates. I tried to back out of a parking spot…almost got stuck immediately and decided to leave the van. FWIW I have the extra clearance of the Twin Monotube Projekt (I agree it is the best solution for our vans).

Dedicated Winter tires may have helped my predicament? But also, extra weight is your friend. My van right now is stripped down - no bench seating, bed platform and rear panels are out as I’m about to sound insulate. In this flyweight configuration, drive traction was almost non existent. I even tried adding 150lb of sand, but it didn’t help. Glad I left my van safely parked. I hitched a ride home, Thursday morning in a friends 4WD truck. We saw 2 cars that had just gone into the ditch, not to mention DOZENS of abandoned cars and trucks still littering the roads.

 

[brow]

no change here (2" lift, 225/65R17).
a lift kit doesn't really change the relevant aerodynamic parameters.
bigger tires doesn't have much effect on the MPG in this case either as the weight change is only minimal and the drag coefficient due to bigger frontal tire area is negligible.
the size doesn't matter as the coefficient of rolling resistance is dimensionless.
indeed, the indicated MPG has to be corrected by adding around 5-7% compensating for the bigger circumference, same for the speedometer and odometer.

I have a 2" lift and 225/65R17 tires and I have seen a significant drop in HWY MPG.
This makes sense to me as I feel it does reduce the relevant aerodynamics. Ride height is directly proportional to drag increase (and also lift). Increased tire weight is more complex relative to MPG. Tire weight is both unsprung weight and rotational mass. Adding to these quantities will have outsized effects on the dynamics of the vehicle. You would expect increased rotational mass to have more MPG downside in city driving (stopping and starting) and less on the highway (once you get the wheels rolling, it takes less energy to maintain speed). But the interactions are complex. So I would be careful about matching tires to your requirements. BFG KO2 225/65/r17s are 39 lbs each! That is 13 more pounds that the stock tires at each corner. I went with Toyo Open Country III 225/60/r17 which are 30 lbs each as I wanted to minimize the impact on dynamics.

 

[cafebmw]

I have a 2" lift and 225/65R17 tires and I have seen a significant drop in HWY MPG.
This makes sense to me as I feel it does reduce the relevant aerodynamics. Ride height is directly proportional to drag increase (and also lift). Increased tire weight is more complex relative to MPG. Tire weight is both unsprung weight and rotational mass. Adding to these quantities will have outsized effects on the dynamics of the vehicle. You would expect increased rotational mass to have more MPG downside in city driving (stopping and starting) and less on the highway (one you get the wheels rolling, it takes less energy to maintain speed). But the interactions are complex. So I would be careful about matching tires to your requirements. BFG KO2 225/65/r17s are 39 lbs each! That is 13 more pounds that the stock tires at each corner. I went with Toyo Open Country III 225/60/r17 which are 30 lbs each as I wanted to minimize the impact on dynamics.

i have the same toyo tires but in 225/65r17.
did you compensate for the larger circumference of the tires regarding MPG?
i noticed a drop too after the modifications but when i made the calculations and measurements the MPG stayed the same. for example the speedometer shows 8% less than the actual speed.

i look at the issue from my POV as mechanical engineer. regarding the aerodynamics nothing is changing to the resistance by lifting the vehicle. actually there is less ground effect resulting in less resistance.
the only parameter which might change drastically is, what you mentioned, the weight of the tires and therefore the higher momentum relating to acceleration and deceleration.

 

[PNW Islander]

Last night and today were the greatest challenges yet for the Peace Van! What was expected to be 9-12” of snow with some moderate wind, turn into nearly two feet of snow and significant wind with near 50 knot gusts and temperatures in the low 20s before windchill. We made it up slow, steady and perfectly all the way to the top. My daughter and I then cranked up the Webasto and broke out the stove and cooked up and amazing dinner while darkness, snow and wind increased dramatically.

Sometime back I had Peace Vans replace the struts that raise the roof with stronger ones as the old ones were collapsing with a single long board on the roof rack. While I can remove a board pretty easy, I was worried about snow accumulation. Following the replacement I thought the roof would be good with a little weight but found on my last trip to the mountain - when there was only maybe 2” of snow - the roof came down pretty aggressively in evening - luckily before I went to sleep so all it did was startle me as opposed to being a frightening wake up while I was asleep up there.

I spoke to the great folks at Peace Vans and did some research and decided upon the Green Elephant telescoping tarp poles (Tarp Poles) to provide extra bracing inside the pop up top when there may be snow. Well, last night there was snow and the poles did there job and combined with the Webasto, provided for a good night of (very windy) sleep in a blizzard.

After a day of incredible powder, we got back got the van to find an additional several inches of snow - which provided fresh tracks on every run, but now buried the van further. Wisely I had collapsed the top first thing in the morning so we didn’t have to clear the channels and canvass off again - which can take awhile and must be done thoroughly or the top won’t close properly. But when we returned to the van, it was pretty buried with snow over halfway up the tires. We shoveled for a bit and then, thanks to thanks to not only the amazing #Michelin Ice X tires but… wait for it, #K&K tire socks we got out and drove safely with great traction through ice and deep snow. In fact, a Subaru Forester couldn’t get out right next to me and had to be pushed and later, a 4x4 ford slid-out on the road in front of me (at approximately same speed as me) as I confidently drove on. I always carry my chains but after doing a bunch of research decided to try a set of #tiresocks for the front wheels. This afternoon I put them on the rear and literally pulled out of a heavy snow drift and then onto ice on the other side with very little loss of traction. These things are insane! They only take about two minutes a tire to put on and they come off in 10 seconds. I’m ordering another set to have all four tires covered if I need it, but today blew me away as I felt in more control than in my all wheel drive.

Sorry I don’t have images of todays snow or the socks, just from the evening before it really closed in.

today, the #Metris #PeaceVan performed like a champ!

 

[PNW Islander]

for driving off-road 12-15 psi is recommended depending on the terrain, also to avoid hard impacts causing tire damage/puncture (i learned the hard way decades ago in Australia's deserts).
on sand i deflate even down to 8-10psi.

In baja, once of Mex 1, I’m generally around 15-18 PSI and do ok. Definitely lookout for obstacles and try not to compress at any rate of speed due to the potential for tire damage as you describe. Thanks for sharing your comment.

Lift Kits and bigger tires did you see a drop in MPG? Fun read for me thanks for starting.

I started with the lift and larger tires so can’t comment on decreased MPG, although I will say that it’s not great on any Metris which is very disappointing. The speedometer is off by about 3MPH though.

 

[Le Manchot]

Thanks for the description of your experience! Does the Webasto keep up with heat loss through the canvas. We had issues with heat loss in a Westy with a Propex heater if the temps were 20F or below. Great that the socks work - I'll be getting a set. We used telescoping poles to hold up the poptop on our Westy filled with 5 whitewater kayaks; never had a problem with snow accumulation but the Westy design is more substantial than the SCA 152. I'll be putting those poles in when/if we expect snow on camp trips! Thanks for the heads up.

 

[cafebmw]

We shoveled for a bit and then, thanks to thanks to not only the amazing #Michelin Ice X tires but… wait for it, #K&K tire socks we got out and drove safely with great traction through ice and deep snow. In fact, a Subaru Forester couldn’t get out right next to me and had to be pushed and later, a 4x4 ford slid-out on the road in front of me (at approximately same speed as me) as I confidently drove on. I always carry my chains but after doing a bunch of research decided to try a set of #tiresocks for the front wheels. This afternoon I put them on the rear and literally pulled out of a heavy snow drift and then onto ice on the other side with very little loss of traction. These things are insane! They only take about two minutes a tire to put on and they come off in 10 seconds. I’m ordering another set to have all four tires covered if I need it, but today blew me away as I felt in more control than in my all wheel drive.

are the K&K socks accepted by the chain control posts ( highway patrol, DOT?do you you even have them in Oregon?