Man Spent $150,000 To Turn His Mercedes G-Class Into A Snow Tank

January 14, 2023

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Man Spent $150,000 To Turn His Mercedes G-Class Into A Snow Tank

The conversion was undertaken by tunner delta4x4 and off-road specialist CapricornTrucks at the request of a customer

The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is one of the most off-road capable SUVs in the luxury segment. Still, a Swiss owner wasn’t satisfied with how the stock G500 performed in snowy conditions, so he decided to replace the wheels with snow tracks.

The conversion was undertaken by tuner delta4x4 and off-road specialist CapricornTrucks. In order to fit the new shoes sourced from a US company called Mattracks, the G500 got a ride-height increase of a further 200 mm (7.9 inches).

The 88M1-A1 snow tracks are made of fibe-reinfornced rubber which is good for temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees. Each module weighs around 170 kg (375 pounds), translating to 680 kg (1,500 pounds) for the set of four. Besides adding weight however, the tracks add huge amounts of grip due to their wide contact area (between 424-600 square cm). This allows the rugged Mercedes to attack snowy and icy slopes, as long as the top speed stays below the 65 km/h (40 mph) mark.

According to the tuner, the snow tracks dock on the stock wheel hubs via 18.5-inch pinions. This means they can be easily converted back to all-terrain wheels for the summer season, bringing back the G-Wagen’s handling and ride quality abilities on the tarmac.

The resulting G-Class feels right at home in the Swiss Alps. Thanks to the conversion, the owner who is described as an “addicted car fan” is able to drive to his hut which is located at an altitude of 3,000 m (9,843 feet) near Laax. Delta4x4 doesn’t mention any powertrain upgrades, so the model is likely fitted with the stock twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 that produces 416 hp (310 kW / 421 PS) and 610 Nm (450 lb-ft) of torque in the EU-spec G500.

If you are wondering about the cost of the conversion be prepared for some impressive numbers. The cost of the snow tracks including installation is €50,000 ($53,092), but another €69,000 ($73,277) were invested for homologation and testing purposes. Finally, the owner paid another €20,000 ($21,237) for other modifications including the roof rack, front bull bar, and larger wheels for summer use. This means that he spend around €140k ($149k) for the vehicle, not including the price of the Mercedes-Benz G500 donor car.