New owner, "Must Have" mods?

[Psyched]

On New Years Eve I bought a 2013 NVP SV with 32k miles. I'm sending it to Advanced for a 4x4 conversion in February. This van will replace my Sprinter van and be my daily driver and family adventure rig (six kids). We just got back from a 2200 mile trip in Baja, Mexico; I wish I had the van for that trip, I might not have gotten stuck in the mud and sand so often! We tow a 3000 lb 6x12 camp trailer with off-road suspension.

 

What are the "must have" or "wish I had" mods for this type of use?

 

Lift? I don't really care about looks, so is a lift worth it? Will it significantly increase ground or break-over clearance, or will it just make it harder to get into? Will I need running boards, thus negating any clearance gains?

 

Winch? I want to have a winch for self-recovery since we usually travel alone. Are there any winch mount options besides the Aluminess bumper? I'm not crazy about how huge that bumper looks.

 

Rack? I plan to have Advanced install an Aluminess rack unless there is something comparable at a lower cost. We haul a roof box in the winter for skis and kayaks and "stuff" in the summer.

 

Ladder?  Which is preferable: Rear or side ladder? The side seems nice for loading skis into a roof box, but they look funny on the side of the rig. On our sprinter I just use a collapsable ladder.

 

Wheels/Tires? What are the best tires, and what is the largest "sensible" size to put on? Does the lift change that at all or is the sliding door the limiting factor?

 

Performance upgrades? Anything that should be changed?

 

Any other things you wish you had?

 

Thanks, we're looking forward to exploring Nevada and the west in our rig!

[ASD Dad]

Rack - You have a few options.  Custom made to order, Aluminess and then multiple contractors racks.  I wanted the Aluminess but price was out of budget.  Custom would run me close to the Aluminess.  I went with the Topper Galvanized rack and really like it.  $450 shipped, well made and it is huge (12 feet long).  You can easily modify it to fit your needs.  I added some extra bars and carry 3 large kayaks up there along with other camping gear.  I can also mount our bikes up there. The rear hangs off the back far enough to lay things on it to slide up without hitting the back of the van.  It does make wind noise and it decreased MPG like any roof rack.  To cut down the noise I did the normal rope wrap on the front bar and that helped immensely.  

 

If you want to go piece by piece you can do Yakima as well.  There is another brand that I cant remember they make a H2 and H3 bar rack that mounts up there (it's just 2 or 3 bars vs. a full rack).  

 

Ladder - again I wanted the Aluminess and their ladder but at $2500 delivered just too much!  I am using Gorilla aluminum folding step ladders, the 3 step ones made for working on 9' ceilings.  Super light, fold flat and very sturdy and steady.  Cheap too!

 

Performance - You have tuners and I highly recommend the Bully Dog Platinum GT.  Made a world of difference (I have a full review on this site) and others I have helped install it agree.  You can do the free snorkel mod to the air box with a better filter (again see review).  Titan intakes fit with minor mods, I had the Airaid for a while (too noisy when towing, also reviewed).  Titan headers should fit.  Titan exhausts fit with mods as well.  I would guess many Titan internal mods would fit (cams, throttle bodies, etc) but I dont think anyone tried.

 

Now if you want to get nutty the Stillen 5.6L supercharger fits!  Also needs mods and also needs a custom tune from UpRev.  There is one owner on here that did the install and the tune was wrong so he popped his transmission.  That was sorted out I think but he had some nagging idiot lights on the dash come on a bit.  He was the first to try it so was the test mule for the install.  

 

Tires - lots of options including going way up in wheel size.  I just went larger on width on the stock wheels with my Hankooks and am quite happy.  There are several threads here on both wheels and tires.

[Psyched]

Thanks ASD Dad. I certainly like the price of the Topper rack but my fan is white and I think the galvanized would look too "commercial" for me. I'll look up all the mods and tires you mentioned.

[Jrrzgrrl]

Hey! New guy here. I was just perusing the forum and found your post. We're in the market for a 4x4 conversion, and also have 6 kids! I'm wondering how everything went for you? Which mods did you go with? Are there any you didn't get that you probably should have, looking back? Or any that you got that turned out unnecessary?

 

Also, thanks ASD DAD. I'm finding a lot of your replies helpful. Once I get this site figured out, I'm hoping to look up more of your input.

[radin2son]

Welcome. This site can be difficult...

 

Other than cosmetic, there are few mods NVP that need to be done. Wants? ASD Dad’s posts are a great resource.

 

Good luck finding a 4x4 on a lot or having one converted.

[Flowinby]

Are there recommendations on cosmetic additions and the best place to purchase them.

Fronting shield that is less than the Nissan offered from the dealer?

Is there anyplace to get a trim piece(flare?) over the wheel... not the mud flaps.

 

I’m also interested in pics from anyone who has added some pin striping or decorative designs to kick it up a notch.