Hi Dave, Are you running on the correct rated tires? If the PO had installed Car Tires, the sidewalls will flex too much and the effect of crosswinds and over-steer will be quite noticeable. Upgrading to proper-spec tires with dual-ply sidewalls will improve handling dramatically and improve perceptions of safety as well. Others on this list will advise swapping thw 14" rims for something larger and running low-profile tires... the important thing is to get the wallow out of the sidewalls.
Vanagon.com has a page that shows the results of a Vanagon hitting a Volvo head-on... that might impress your wife: http://www.vanagon.com/info/safety/volvo-crash/ My kids have grown up in our Baywindow westy, and that's a lot less advanced than the Vanagon. We love it anyway. Happy trails, Greg Potts Toronto, Ontario, Canada 1973/74/79 Westfakia Conversion **Bob the Tomato** LY3H 1977 Sunroof Automatic L63H/L90D http://www.pottsfamily.ca/westfakia http://www.busesofthecorn.com
On 16-Dec-04, at 10:20 AM, Dave Chameides wrote: > Hey All, > So now that I’ve got the van all fixed up and have put time and money > into > it, my wife is telling me that she is concerned that the van is unsafe > for > our kids to ride in it. Now before I go on I should note that it’s > and 83 > diesel 1.6 and I have personally checked all seatbelts and seat > tracks, etc. > to assure her (and me) that it’s safe. She’s mainly worried about > tipping > over. Any thoughts on any studies on this so I can allay her fears? > > Dave > > |
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