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Date:         Sun, 2 Oct 2005 19:36:39 -0700
Reply-To:     Jake de Villiers <crescentbeachguitar@TELUS.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jake de Villiers <crescentbeachguitar@TELUS.NET>
Subject:      Re: On weight
Comments: To: Kim Brennan <kimbrennan@MAC.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Geez Kim, I asked that question three months ago and nobody responded. I also asked if anyone had actually weighed their vans F & R axles separately,and got 1 reply. I have weighed an 84 GL, an 86 Westy Weekender and a 91 Full Westy Automatic and found a significant forward bias in all three, especially the campers with driver and navigator only. I have been running only a 4 psi difference F/R (36/40 in 195/75-14 Bridgestone Turanza T on stock steel rims) in the GL for about 6 years and found that it has diminished the terminal understeer that made it less fun in the twisty bits. The Weekender also runs 36/40 (205/65-15 Yokohama Avid H4s on 6.5 x 15 Mercedes 560SEC Alloys) in town, but 44/48psi for full-on highway Weekending, and the 91 ditto (185R14 Michelin Agilis on stock steel). Further, the 84 has manual steering, the 86 has a manual rack, a big steering wheel and a pump-ectomy, and the 91 has power steering. The 86 is the most responsive to steering input, has the best wet grip and the smoothest ride, no surprise with the most modern tires. The 84 rides very nicely ( the lightest van) but the tires have only fair wet grip and pathetic snow traction. The Agilis tires ride like truck tires, which I suppose they are. They are stiff and noisy and only fair in the rain. They are good on dirt and will wear like iron, but I wouldn't buy them again unless I lived 50 miles up a dirt road. Try running equal pressures F & R for a week and see how it drives; you might like it. Seeya, Jake

----- Original Message ----- From: "Kim Brennan" <kimbrennan@MAC.COM> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> Sent: Sunday, October 02, 2005 7:00 PM Subject: On weight

> So, as I've been trying out these Bridgestone tires on my Westy, > something occurred to me as a subject to ponder in the dark of the > night. > > Everyone will admit that the Vanagon has a near perfect 50/50 weight > distribution. I've, of course, several Syncros, which might bias the > weight barely forward (but perhaps not). > > When only a driver is in the vehicle, the driver is right above the > front wheels. Even with a full passenger load, the folks are either on > top of the front wheel, or between the front and rear wheels. > > So why, invariably do the tire inflation specs have higher pressure to > the REAR on Vanagons? > > > > Kim Brennan > 86 Syncro. 91 Westy Syncro. 90 Tristar > Vienna VA. Sugar Grove WV. >


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