Date:         Mon, 27 Jun 2005 14:14:23 -0700
Reply-To:     Joel VanderKwaak <joelvanderkwaak@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Joel VanderKwaak <joelvanderkwaak@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: General/Sorta dirt-road worthiness of 2WD Vanagons?
In-Reply-To:  <5.2.0.9.2.20050627163914.0302d230@mail-hub.optonline.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Well, I've taken my 2wd all over the place in BC and Baja, roads that
would challenge most vehicles. The Baja trip was largely on back
roads, following a buddy of mine in a brand new XTerra. This was in a
stock '91 Multivan (low clearance) w/ 14" rims and street tires. It
had difficulty with deepish sand and hills with loose surfaces.  The
XTerra could go faster, but I could get most places it could.

I've since upgraded to 15" rims, BFG AT/KO 215/75/15, syncro.org
springs, and have installed a syncro transmission, complete with
locker and granny gear. I have yet to seriously field test this
arrangement, but my gut says I'll still have issues with steep hills
and loose surfaces, but will go much further than I used to. My
intention is not to build a syncro, but a lighter 2wd van with _some_
of the syncro advantages.

On 6/27/05, Tim Demarest <tim.demarest@pobox.com> wrote:
> Generally speaking, the traction of my 2WD '85 Westfalia is not all that
> great... if you try to start off on any kind of uphill grade with loose
> footing (gravel or mud), you are likely to spin one wheel until it digs in
> while the other one sits there not turning. Sometimes you can get out of
> this by putting the e-brake on a notch or two (to convince both wheels to
> turn), but doing this too much will burn your brakes.
> 
> I wouldn't want to take a 2WD vanagon off-road without aggressive tires, a
> winch, and maybe a locking differential from a Syncro retrofitted in. If
> you want to do serious off-road camping on bad roads, you'll be better
> served by a syncro, or a bay-window camper (much better traction in those).
> 
> The scariest ride I *ever* took was down a muddy hillside in my westie...
> it was a music festival, a  rainy night, tents to each side, and a car
> ahead of my putting on it's brakes... the back end of the westie really
> felt like it was going to come around on me, fortunately, the car ahead
> kept moving, and I was able to reach level ground before I had to slow down.
> 
> Admittedly, the only other rear-wheel drive vehicles I've ever driven were
> a '73 super beetle (superior traction, never, ever got stuck, ever, even on
> ice, mud, gravel or any combination of the three), and a '76 AMC Gremlin
> (traction was not bad, surprisingly good ground clearance, but poor general
> reliability... I never got stuck, but frequently broke down).
> 
> 
> At 01:33 PM 6/27/2005 -0700, Michael Elliott wrote:
> >Compared with other 2wd vehicles, like full-size pickup trucks, and
> >mid-60's station wagons . . . how dirt road worthy is the 2wd Vanagon?
> >How good is the traction? I'm talking about rutted sand and gravel roads
> >out here, not mud or streams. Not dunes or beaches. No swamps. Regular
> >street tires, stock size.
> >
> >Generally-speaking. Anecdotal is good. The more colorful the better.
> >
> >As in, "Vanagons get stuck more easily than any other 2wd vehicle ever
> >made," or "I've taken my 2wd Vanagon places that my brother's 1963
> >Plymouth Belvedere station wagon couldn't go."
> >
> >--
> >
> >Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
> >71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
> >84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
> >Carlsbad, CA
> >KG6RCR
>