Date:         Wed, 25 Oct 2000 14:56:01 -0700
Reply-To:     Donna Stewart <DStewart@CHRM.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Donna Stewart <DStewart@CHRM.COM>
Subject:      Re: Short Tires, Tall Vans
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

If you linked to the NHS whatever data they had none on the Vanagon (though a 1971 Beetle did surprisingly well - got 4 stars but there were no occupants!)  One thing the article pointed out is you have to look at other factors.  How do you drive - recklessly?  Do you wear your seatbelt?  Vanagons generally aren't hot rods - I can cruise at 70+, but soccer moms in SUVs are still passing me like I'm going backwards.  Do you think if you have a tire blowout in any vehicle going that fast that it's going to have a positive outcome?  I don't think the Vanagon's center of gravity is all that bad compared to SUVs; remember we've got better weight distribution.  Also if I'm not mistaken the Vanagon is considered a "passenger" vehicle, not a truck, so it had to conform to a higher safety standard at the time.  I will say that my 1960 double cab gave me a scare one day - I turned a corner a little too sharp and let me tell you there's a difference between it and a Vanagon!

>>> Ed Mellinger <meed@MBARI.ORG> 10/25/00 11:56AM >>>
A general question for you folks running those low and/or wide tires on
your vans... how much more cornering ability can a Vanagon handle?  I've
always felt like the van was getting ready to roll over *before* my
tires got to the limit of adhesion, and that's on stock tires (185 width
and probably 78 aspect ratio, IIRC).  In the sports cars I've owned,
tire adhesion has dominated the cornering performance.  In my Van, I
suspect it is the center of gravity... and I don't want to find out
myself!

Just to motivate the discussion (though I hate to mention the dreaded
S*V word here), here's a different group of consumers who is dealing
with the immutability of the laws of physics:

http://www.msnbc.com/news/480570.asp?cp1=1 

I generally feel just that teeny bit smug, in my Van, when the press
lampoons the S*V... but not when reading this article.  Wouldn't mind
seeing the rollover-stat list that Dateline claims they have... anyone
else have any experience with Vanagon rollovers, or rollover statistics?

regards,
Ed Mellinger
'84 plain jane