Date:         Tue, 4 Sep 2007 15:29:22 +0000
Reply-To:     Jeff Stewart <fonman4277@COMCAST.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jeff Stewart <fonman4277@COMCAST.NET>
Subject:      Re: Sway bar bushings-Poor shape..

 <Actually it is the one thing
I dislike about driving my van..dealing with it's tendency to be pushed
"off-line" very quickly in the gusts.  When it is windy from the side, it is
'white-knuckle time' in my van..You don't dare take a hand off the wheel or
glance away from your intended path for even a few seconds>


When I read posts like this, I always wonder what the author's point of reference is. How many vans have you owned? Ever driven a Splitty or a Bay? I've owned so many vans I can't remember them all, ranging from a '67 Deluxe all the way to full size Chevy conversion vans. They all get knocked around on windy days. But not all impart a "white knuckle feel" to the driver. I've never gotten this feeling from any full size van or Vanagon. I've come close to wetting myself in Bays. On any Bay I've ever owned, I've always gone through the entire front end and replaced anything that needed it. I always used the correct reinforced sidewall tires. And yet the damn things still scared the hell out of me on windy days or when passed by 18 wheelers. The worst feeling of all is when the the front end lifts up. Oddly, I don't remember any really scary episodes in the '67 Splitty, though failing memory seems to common among long ago Splitty owners. I'd go as far to say that a Vanagon with a worn
out front end is still better than a Bay in perfect condition. When we left for Everybus this year, my daughter was ticked because I elected to take my '84 Westy and not the (since been sold) '75 Westy. It was VERY windy that day, and the route we took (I-81 in Virginia) is packed with 18 wheelers. If I had taken the '75 I would have turned around and headed for home in the first 25 miles. Bay window buses may be "cuter" than Vanagons, but I'll never own another!    Jeff