Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 16:47:53 -0700
Reply-To: Aristotle Sagan <killer_jupiter@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Aristotle Sagan <killer_jupiter@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Friday: First Vanagon Race Report
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
Only 18.8?
I get better than that and I haven't tuned it up in 2 years. I like your use
of exclamation marks!
tim (It's Friday) o'brien
>Hi everyone. It has taken me until now to finally get to use my '84
Vanagon
>WBX for its intended purpose - hauling my shifter kart and gear to the
>track. Up until now, all my teammates weren't able to go, so there was
>room
>in the other vehicles for my gear. This time, I was self-sufficient. : )
>
>The bus worked great! All my stuff fits fairly easily in the bus
>(including
>the kart), and loading/unloading is simple with the low lift height and
>side
>door. Once at the track, there is enough room in the bus to be a changing
>room, stretch out and relax, get out of the rain, whatever. I have tinted
>windows, so it works well if you need to change clothes. The rear hatch is
>a great place to lay out my tools - the hatch provides a little cover, and
>the height of the rear deck is great for laying out wrenches, sockets, etc.
>I was even able to tie a canopy (Easy-Up) to the rear bumper with enough
>clearance to open and close the hatch.
>
>Here is all the stuff that fits:
>* 125cc racing kart
>* Kart stand
>* Large Rubbermaid canister that holds 8 kart tires
>* Two smaller Rubbermaid canisters with all my spare parts, tools,
>solvents,
>tape, etc.
>* Igloo 48 cooler full of Gatorade and food
>* Two 5-gallon racing fuel jugs
>* Huge hockey bag full of my racing suit, boots, gloves, helmet, etc.
>* Large overnight bag with my clothes, cameras, etc.
>* Folding chair
>* 12" subwoofer box that includes two 6" midrange and two 1" tweeters
>* Extra sidepods and mounting bars for kart
>
>And there's still room to fit an Easy-Up once I get my own (this one was
>borrowed), as well as a passenger in the front seat. Outward vision isn't
>even blocked at all with all this stuff in there. This is a great vehicle
>for my purposes! You can see some pictures of some of the stuff at
>http://photos.yahoo.com/ctbtyper in the "Race Bus" album. I have since
>replaced the light green container you see with the big Rubbermaid canister
>mentioned above.
>
>I can't believe the mileage I got. I have undersized tires on the bus
>(came
>with it - working on getting good tires now), so the revs are a bit higher
>than they should be. While "drafting" behind my friend's trailer, I got
>18.3 mpg! On the way back, they were going too fast and I really didn't
>feel like screaming the engine for that long with the small tires, so I
>backed it down and no drafting. 18.8 mpg! And that is corrected mileage
>for the smaller tires - I calculated how much smaller they are and adjusted
>the number on the odometer accordingly. I'd say it is running great. I'm
>going to put larger-than-stock tires on the bus to drop the revs lower on
>the highway - I think I'll be in even better shape then.
>
>While at the track, another racer showed up with a 1983 Vanagon Aircooler!
>He felt the same way I did about the bus - his son races, and they fit
>their
>gear in the bus while still keeping the middle seat in place! He came over
>to look at my bus, and we swapped stories, etc. Seems I'm not the only one
>that thinks it's a great hauler. A few people commented, "Hey, nice VW!"
>Yep, it's pretty cool. But you guys know that already.
>
>Sorry about the length, but I thought I'd toss out some Friday content
>about
>how pleased I am with my purchase. Later!
>
>Chris
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