Date:         Thu, 5 Dec 2002 13:58:53 -0500
Reply-To:     ian Butler <ian@BLUEMOON.HPLX.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         ian Butler <ian@BLUEMOON.HPLX.NET>
Subject:      Stupid Car Tricks
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

So!  Southeast Michigan has received its first blush of winter this week,
with snow both here and on its way.  Abandoned parking lots abound, and it's
time for stupid winter car tricks!

Driving in snow (with good tires and food and blankets) is one of my
favorite winter activities.  The care and concentration required make it
fun, and it can be recreational and amusing as long as you're not creeping
across the snow-blanketed continent (as I was when I moved here around this
time two years ago.)

Parking lots are fun for much juvenile amusement.  Rear-wheel drive trucks
and cars are always good for RWD donuts, the quintessential parking lot
pastime, in exchange for some moments of terror on traffic-clogged
throughfares.  Front-wheel drive cars are fun in reverse, and sliding around
in circles with creative handbrake use.  And the bus .. the bus.  Mine's a
syncro; I don't know how 2.1L 2WD vans fare, but achieving wheelspin on dry
ground in mine is but a pipe dream.  But in snow, not-terribly-judicious use
of the throttle results in beautiful figure 8's, huge circles, and wide
half-assed AWD donuts.

What has anyone else done in this right?  I'm hesitant to do handbrake
spins, as that requires 20+ mph which may not be conducive to keeping the
rubber side down.  As it was, the donuts and whatnot didn't result in any
scary tipping or rocking, thanks to the low traction...

Long-winded, I know.  And all disclaimers apply, of course; if they weren't
stupid, they wouldn't be stupid winter tricks. :)

ian Butler / ian@hplx.net
'88 Scirocco 16v, '87 Syncro GL