Date:         Sun, 4 Aug 2002 13:30:47 +0200
Reply-To:     Robert Steven Fish <fish@SALZBURG.CO.AT>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Robert Steven Fish <fish@SALZBURG.CO.AT>
Subject:      Trip Report - Salzburg to Nurnberg
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

First big (actually not so big) trip since putting the Vanagon back
together.

Salzburg, Austria - Nurnberg, Germany
300 miles (on one tank!!)  54.88 liters (14.498 gal) = 20.69 miles per
gallon
Highway cruising speed between 70-85 mph
Highest speed = 92 mph (based on my speedo with 185 tires)
Lowest speed = driving like 2-3 mph for about 30 min (not so much fun)
Temp gauge = between led and 3/4
1987 Vanagon Wolfsburg GL 2.1 liter MV original motor with 138,000 miles

We got stuck in a nasty Stau (Traffic jam) where we drove in first gear at a
snails pace for like 30 minutes or so... in the hot sun, and often up slight
grades.  I used my manual High-Speed Radiator Fan Switch during the
slowdowns, and watched my temp gauge fall from well above 3/4 to right above
the led... I like that!

Since removing the A/C I have the feeling that the Vanagon runs better...
hard to judge quantitatively, but on flat highway, or slight downgrades, I
would look at the speedometer, and see that I was pushing 90mph... and the
pedal still had an inch to go before hitting the floor.  The temp is also
lower than pre-A/C removal.

The trip was to buy a cheap, 1982 Westy poptop.  So now I have it home, and
it is pretty dirty... will be a fun project to get it cleaned up and
installed.

On the return trip there was very little traffic, and the entire autobahn
seemed to be going downhill... so we cruised a bit faster, 85-90 mph.  I do
not ahve the mpg stats for the return leg though, seeing that the Vanagon
was somewhat loaded, and we were flying, I doubt that we got 20 mpg though.

RSF

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<º)))>{   <º)))>{   <º)))>{   <º)))>{   <º)))>{   <º)))>{

Robert S. Fish
Salzburg, Austria
1987 Wolfsburg Vanagon 2.1 GL Weekender
1987 Golf Cabriolet
1991 Golf