The most important thing when you are off road (and on road) is traction. When your wheels are spinning, you are not going anywhere. That’s what makes Off Highway Van’s (OHV) new limited slip differential for the Mercedes Sprinter van such a fantastic new product.
For those that are unfamiliar an open differential, like Sprinters have stock, applies power equally to both wheels as long as there is traction. Once one wheel begins to loose traction, all power goes to that wheel because it has the least resistance.
Most people are more familiar with lockers, which sends power equally to both wheels no matter what. With a limited slip, only some of the power continues to be sent to the spinning wheel; thus continuing to move you forward. In some situations, like rock-crawling, a full locker is a more ideal setup.
In others, however, like snow or loose gravel, where having both wheels spinning at full power can make your vehicle harder to control, a limited slip is actually a more suitable traction aid.
Since most people with Sprinters are more likely to encounter snow and gravel than say, Tipover Challenge in Moab, this will make a great addition to many peoples vans.
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Available for both the NCV3 (2007-2018) and VS30 (2019+) chassis and only available for installation through OHV at there Salt Lake City facility for $7,500. This includes installation, traction unit, new 3.92 gear ring and pinion, as well as new pinion and differential carrier bearings and seals.
Upfitting vans has been getting more popular in recent years, and owners have been pushing the limits of what you can do with them both in terms of comfort and off road capabilities. As more people use their Sprinters to explore further into the backcountry with them, having a limited slip will certainly be a game changer.
