systemic_anomaly

Great, thanks a lot radin2son. Let's wait for responses from actual 4x4 owners (if they decide to share their experience). Please consider yourself optional to future discussion since you aren't one and consider it worthless anyway.

I'm not sure what your point is, radin2son. I have a legitimate question based on my analysis and experience, and would like to hear from owners (more than 1, preferably) if the real world results correlate to my simplistic and very preliminary analysis (don't need to be an engineer to do this simple math). It sounds like you have a problem with me posting here, if that's the case I'd be happy to leave and find my info elsewhere.

Not sure why the attachment isnt showing up.

Hi Mark, The %Front proportion comes from an estimate of seat locations along the wheelbase. This info is available in the body builders guide, but their data could have been presented a little bit better. I have a high degree of confidence in the math, but I'm still human :) . Actually with the 150lbx12 passengers in factory stock condition, the front GAWR is well below their rated number. The reason is that the 3rd row adds very little to the front weight, and the 4th row actually REDUCES the load on the front axle since it is behind the rear axle by quite a bit.

Original Titan and NV are completely different. The Titan XD and NV front ends are very alike. I am surprised Nissan still doesnt offer a factory 4wd version, it would sell like hot cakes literally. BTW, I am a chassis engineer and have worked on actual vehicle programs for all of the US OEMs and some Asian, including specialty work for Nissan. Spreadsheets are where a lot of vehicle programs begin, even ones as simple as the one I posted above.

Hi Pete - I really do appreciate you chiming in. I am hoping to hear the same positive experience with other Quigley or in fact any 4x4 conversion owners. Numbers sometimes don't tell the whole story. It is interesting to note that the Titan XD, which shares most of its front end with the NV, is rated a minimum of 500lbs MORE than the NV for front GAWR, and upto 1000lbs more with its optional HD package. I agree that the NV front end looks over-built compared to what it is rated at, especially in relation to the Transit which is rated 300lbs higher! Here are my numbers that you are free to double-check (attached below). Basically its easy to see that with just 2 x 200lb occupants in the drivers and passengers seat, you are over the front axle GAWR. Is it possible that curb weight includes the driver weight? Potentially, but that still puts it over as soon as you add any 2nd row passengers. Its anybody's guess what happens when you add a winch and steel front bumper.

Hi Mark - wow, thanks for letting me know about the Tim Dahle option! I will look into it. I have seen a report published by Nissan from the Auto/Steel Partnership where they said the Titan XD's front half of the frame is borrowed from the NV. so it's possible they're using XD parts (my speculation). As far as I'm able to tell, Quigley and Advanced use the same front diff and transfer case, so the weight added should be similar. This is not in anyway to disparage either of these fine outfits, just to state that Nissan's published GAWR is easily exceeded with a 4wd conversion.

Thanks radin2son, I had missed the fact that NVs cannot be serviced everywhere, however it's not a problem for me if it's scheduled maintenance vs recurring issues/defects for the other vans. The Body Builders guides for cargo and passenger vans are published by Nissan Vehicle Engineering and extremely detailed..I have no reason to doubt the authenticity of that information. I'm notsaying there's a weight distribution problem as such, its just that even lightly loaded, it exceeds manufacturer ratings for the front axle. Quigley adds 250lbs to the front axle with their 4x4 parts and that's the main reason for the weight going over. I will look up KMG. Thanks again!

Hi guys, Please go easy on me, I'm not (yet) a NV owner as of now. :) I am still researching options for a 4x4 camper-van and the NV+Quigley combo is winning for now. I am considering Transit+Quigley, the Sprinter 4x4, and the V8 NV2500 or 3500, all in high roof versions. I intend to add a 2nd row seat and a removable 3rd row with the intention of having some flexibility in family camper vs extended family road-trips. These are the facts that swayed me towards the Nissan (winner for each in bold): Recalls (all model years, per NHTSA website) - 22 Transit, 40 Sprinter, 7 Nissan Total Cost for my 4x4 config - $57k Transit, $57k Sprinter, $48k Nissan Construction - Unibody Transit, Unibody Sprinter, Body-on-Frame Nissan Conversion Done by - Quigley Transit, Factory Sprinter, Quigley Nissan 4x4 component donors - 1/2 Ton Transit, Unknown but factory Sprinter, 3/4 ton Nissan Max Tire Size without body mods (per owner forums) - 33" Transit, 31.5" Sprinter, 33" Nissan Of course there are more details but these are the main hitters. I am still continuing to research and today I discovered a rather disturbing fact. I studied the Nissan documentation and body builders guide in detail, and did some rough calcs to figure out weight distribution etc. I am finding that with the Quigley conversion, and just 2 occupants in the front seats, the front axle GAWR (gross axle weight rating) is exceeded! This will obviously get a fair bit worse when camper equipment such as large AGM batteries, kitchen cabinets, beds, etc are added. Since the proportion of weight for all of this junk is not 100% on the rear axle. General consensus is that GAWRs are not to be exceeded, whereas exceeding GVWR by a small amount for short periods isnt that big of a deal (I am not sure of legalities, I'm only talking from a vehicle durability perspective). This is the main reason I decided to post here. I would like to hear from owners who have done the Quigely conversion if they have noticed any adverse effects on the front suspension. Such as uneven tire wear, shortened life of front struts, bushings, etc or anything unusual. Your comments are appreciated!