Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2000 20:54:22 -0500
Reply-To: Derek Drew <drew@INTERPORT.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Derek Drew <drew@INTERPORT.NET>
Subject: About The Factory Fender Flares
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Believe it or not, there are *three* different factory fender flare sets
depending on the vanagon model you are talking about. 14", 16", and a
special 14" model.
But since they cost $600 for a set, and since you will want a spare set or
two in the event of accident due to the obscurity and potential
unavailability of spare parts, the cost right now to go this route could
push $1,000 so nobody does it.
Many listiees signed up for the Winkler fender flares Helmut so graciously
decided to organize two years ago, but the shipment resulted in a
resounding thud as everyone saw that there was a reason they cost 1/6th as
much as a factory set. Many purchasers simply did not install their
Winklers and there were posts as they tried to unload them onto the list.
I've never seen either type of flares except for in jpegs or gifs so I
cannot comment.
In any case, for the reasons of access to replacement parts in the event of
damage and also price it is not practical to order the factory flares until
we find out the OEM manufacturer and order direct, assuming that the
manufacturer is not VW. Possibly I will be able to make some progress in
this area through some pursuits in the event that all goes well with the
current viscous initiative. These fender flares are the kind of thing I
would expected Michael Sullivan to be contemplating as it has that
exquisite toy aspect he seems to go for, and that I would like to go for
too some day.
The fender flares are a nice touch because they help keep mud off the side
of the vanagon, something the vehicle has problems with in non-fender flare
version.
The main logical reason to go for flares is not so much a matter of
extravagance, however, as it is to make possible a full-bore 16"-max
configuration.
The max configuration is 6.17 final drive ratio gears together with 30" or
possibly 31" tall tires on 16" rims (plus 16" rear trailing arms and plus
the 16" fender flares).
This big tires are so big that the rear trailing arms must be replaced with
the special 16" rear trailing arms or the tires will hit these. Also, the
fender wells must be cut away to make room for the tire, and consequently
there is a need for fender flares to hide the cutting to the vehicle.
It seems to me then that the 14" flares are of questionable value in a cost
benefit ratio whereas the 16" flares are an entirely different animal; they
have another purpose, being part of an extraordinary package that brings
the vehicle into the ultimate state reached by the SDP engineers before
having the rug pulled out of them by the Eurovan marketing department.
From my perspective, the ideal thing would be to import a large number of
the flares in an agreed upon size to the USA and for some bloke to
stockpile a healthy number of extras and sell the extra pieces to those
list members who need replacements due to accident--a ratio of 1.5 to one
in ordering and stockpiling seems about right.
There are three pieces per side, or six altogether that might need to be
replaced.
Giving pause to this whole thing is the simple math behind the problem of
the 16"-max package. In parts alone it looks something like $3,600 for the
front and rear ring and pinion + fender flare set + rear trailing arms.
While I'd be willing to save my pennies for this kind of thing (see URLs
below in my SIG for why this might be so), I have simply have not run into
another list member who things it is a cool idea besides myself in any kind
of serious way. No wonder: include labor and the idea yields for probably
close to $5,000 the benefit of 2" of additional ground clearance. To me
this sounds to me like an excellent deal notwithstanding the fact that I am
not paying for it right now pending investigations into increased
practicality.
At 06:07 PM 1/23/00 -0500, you wrote:
Dear Larry,
For starters, the "real" ones are NOT fiberglas, rather a rubber-like plastic.
If someone tries to sell you fiberglas ones -- run away!!!!
Cheers,
MJS
At 02:42 PM 1/23/00 -0800, G&L Ostrom wrote:
>>>>
Hi-
I've seen a few pictures of non-USA Syncros with fiberglass fender
flares that rap arount the whole wheel well instead of the tiny
"mudflaps" on the USA Syncros. Does anybody know if there is a way of
getting a set of these?
Larry O.
'90 Syncro Westy
Auburn, WA
<<<<
Michael J. Sullivan
IPS "SWATteam" Architect
Open Market, Inc.
*********************************************
phone: 781.359.7624
work: http://www.openmarket.com
scan tips: http://www.hsdesign.com/scanning
vanagon: http://www.hsdesign.com/vanagon
*********************************************
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_______________________________________________
Derek Drew New York, NY
CEO & Co-Founder, www.ConsumerSearch.com
drew@interport.net
212-580-6486
Alternate numbers for the industrious phone caller that wants to try every
avenue: 917-848-6425 (cell); 202-966-7907 (Work), 212-580-4459 (Home),
202-966-0938 (Home).
