We bought our Hiace Super Custom 1990 3L last summer and have some questions.

Ours appears to have REALLY LOW clearance, in spite of the fact it is 4WD and wonderful in most respects. we are now taking it into snow and notice that it pushes snow on the highway (the snow that builds up in the middle of the lane) ... has anyone else experienced this? any comments?

Cheers.

This one is going to be out of my league. I can't even picture the idea of snow that gets that deep. Here in the south, the thing we have to worry about is how the vehicle handles in the rain. And that usually has as much to do with the tires as anything else.

I will say this, though. My husbands metro could clear almost as much water as my 4-runner. (of course he's crazy - but that's another story). You have to go slow and take it east, and I would think it would be similar with snow?

You probably have found a solution to your "snowplowing" problem by now.Or the snow is gone.
Either way, my only coment on the subject would be larger wheels or raising the suspension, either would be costly and opens up another " can of worms"
Or sell it and get a Mitsubishi Delica. Sad that one has to mention other makers.

BTW. Have you found DOT or E code headlight replacements yet??????????? If so, I would very much like to know

I noticed the same in my driveway which I never plow... until I got the hiace, and now I plow the top few inches everytime I drive in and out. :O) Great 4WD, but not tonnes of clearance.

It might have been lowered. I know that there are many lowered Hiaces in Japan. (no snow to worry about there).

I have a BMW from Japan that has been lowered. Very cool looking car, but not practical for Canada.

The Hiace is sadly not a "real" 4X4. It's not designed for bush-bashing or serious off-road adventures. The lack of ground clearance is the issue here.

The size of the wheel arches limits the size of the tyres you can get under there, and even if you go for the biggest that will fit, you will then need to change the diff ratios front and back which will be costly.

When I picked up my 4WD Hiace, it was SO low it nearly scraped on the ground!

Prior to me owning it, the van had a wheelchair lift in the back, and it seems they had lowered the van as much as possible to get it closer to the ground for easier access.

They'd put low profile '60' series tyres on it as well.

First thing I did was put it back on standard tyres - so check yours and see if they are standard size.

Next, I cranked up the front clearance. If you get under the vehicle you will find an adjustment that allows around 2" of travel.
Problem with this is you can only adjust the front. There is no adjustment for the rear.

I have considered having the rear springs redone, which would raise the height - but given the sort of tyres I am running and the fact that I rarely go anywhere serious off-road, I doubt I will outlay the money to do it.

I think when Toyota implemented 4WD in these vans they were aiming it at people who need to climb snowy mountain roads to go skiing, or want to tow their boat across a sandy beach.

If you want a serious 4X4 then you have to buy a Landcruiser or something like that.