Date:         Tue, 4 Sep 2007 15:03:41 +0000
Reply-To:     Dave Vickery <davevickery@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Dave Vickery <davevickery@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Traction
In-Reply-To:  <128001c7eeab$08ae56d0$6401a8c0@TOSHIBALAP>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

Wet grass is maybe the worst situation.  Almost embarrassing to be on a flat
grassy area and be stuck!  Better tires help the most though.  Blizzak snow
tires made an amazing difference in the snow for me.  All terrain tires were
good for dirt.  But once the weight shift to lighten one side, you are in 1
wheel drive on the least tractioned wheel.  For me that was unworkable.  I
got stuck 9 times the last summer I owned my 2WD Automatic westy.  4 times
required towing.  At Glen Canyon Rec Area in the mud down by the water, I
needed to be pulled 10 feet and it was $150.00 (Minimum charge).  Now I have
AAA a syncro and a winch.  If I get stuck now, it is in more interesting
predicaments.  Last time, wedged up against a tree on a steep hill, in a
huge hole rocking with two wheels off the ground.

Dave in Denver
2.5 Syncru

>-----Original Message-----
>From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
>Don Hanson
>Sent: Monday, September 03, 2007 8:23 PM
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Some ride height and suspension observations..
>
>   Today I began working on the traction issue with my 84..Unlike
>me..because
>I usually wait till there is snow on the ground before I try to address
>issues like poor traction, etc..but I recalled last fall, trying to back up
>on slick grass to get into my shop with the van, and also chaining up to
>make a silly little hill.. I lived in the Rockies for over 20 years and I
>NEVER had to chain up..but with the van, I can't even make my driveway when
>it gets slick...
>   A few observations:  First, the rear suspension travel is pretty
>pathetic,
>at least on my 84 it seems to be.  Didn't measure it for 'droop', but it
>seems like the rear wheels only have a few inches of travel.  So I'm
>guessing it takes very little to lift a wheel  or at least greatly diminish
>the weight on a rear corner...
>    I had a feeling my van was not very well balanced, corner to corner.
>I've noticed that the right rear wheel always seems to spin with ridiculous
>ease in low traction situations.  I could see, with my carpenters eye, that
>the left front seemed a bit low and the right rear seemed high..So, I took
>my tape and did a 'quick and dirty' check.  Indeed, the left front was low,
>the right rear was high..by about an inch..Now, I know measuring body
>panels
>is not accurate, but I think this van is so wacky that it gave me a place
>to
>start..
>   Now all the previous ride height adjustments I've made have been on true
>coil over suspensions, and what I wanted  was to lower either the right
>front or the left rear, in order to even up the load on all four
>wheels...Like cutting off the legs of a rocking table, right?  Looking at
>the front suspension..no deal there..Too complex and not any provisions for
>adjusting the ride height (or the load on wheel)..So, to the back I went,
>thinking to extend the spring, at least for now, on the right rear, the one
>that has  almost no load on the wheel...Actually lowering the left rear is
>what I wanted, but that was not looking easy at all.
>   So, I jacked it up under the bottom of the a-arm, compressing the spring
>at the right rear.  Clamped the coils and released the shock, then dropped
>the A-arm, making some room at the top of the spring to add two 1/8"
>aluminum plate donuts as spacers..
>   We shall see if that improves the traction any, by putting a more even
>load onto the rear wheels...actually kinda like sticking a matchbook under
>the kitchen table to stop it from rocking...
>   Not quite as precise as putting my Porsche racecar onto four digital
>scales and adjusting the coil overs to within a lbs or two, corner to
>corner...but maybe now I will be able to back up on grass, at least as a
>start...
>   Don Hanson

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