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Date:         Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:35:22 -0800
Reply-To:     Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject:      Re: vanagon in snow/ice
Comments: To: Brendan Slevin <brendan@BELLATAZZA.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <200801141915.m0EJFDGa009050@ss72.shared.server-system.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Hey Brendan, Nice to hear from you and you're digging your 84 GL, with piston and barrel I sold you right ? ....glad to hear that's working out. I am running Hakepallida studded winter tires, but I took the studs out of front two. It's tedious to remove them by hand. About 160 studs per tire too.........but I took them out of the front tires so far. I wish they could be retractable, so you could just deploy them when needed.

The CRV is really a front wheel drive until tires slip I believe. it's a different kind of traction/handling dynamic that a pure rear wheel drive rig like the vanagon. Less driver involvement really with the interface between the slippery surface and the car. They sort of 'follow' the road, where with 2WD rear wheel drive you get to massage the car through the slippery turns. Add a couple hundred lbs on the rear floor is my advice. Not over the engine. You might fiddle with tire pressure on that getting going on ice thing. And they are very predictable in their handling, very much so, I love that about them. Very 'honest' that way. I'm even liking the handling feel of 84's and earlier now, they feel more nimble and predictable than 85's and later, to me. They often weight a few hundred lbs less than later vanagons, depending of equipment of course. Like PS,. AC, auto trans .

Weight does have some advantages. I always liked that if the car sat and got 4 inches of fresh snow on it and then you drove in fresh snow ..........the weight of the snow helps, the fresh snow you're driving through soaks up sound beautifully, and usually fresh dryish snow has great traction. I don't try to accelerate fast with a heavy rig, but weight does add stability in way, overall. It's helps in some ways, and is a disadvantage in other ways of course. But I'd add weight down low, in the middle mostly. Scott Medford/Ashland, OR. I love it over their in Bend actually. Been through there in the winter many times, even towing vanagons through on the ground, on ice. That's dicey !

-----Original Message----- From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Brendan Slevin Sent: Monday, January 14, 2008 11:15 AM To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: vanagon in snow/ice

I just have to say, I prefer driving Totoro, our 84 GL, over our 99 CRV in the snow and ice. The van is SOOOO predictable. I know exactly what it will and will not do on the iciest, nastiest roads in Bend, Oregon. In the last couple days it's been way better, but the last couple weeks have been pretty bad. The Vanagon is a tank through it all. I did get a free set of 4 studded Hankooks with only a season on them just before thanksgiving. These help, though I could do without the studs most of the time, the snow tread and compound of the tire is wonderful. Getting going, with the rear wheel drive and all, can be a bit hard sometimes but handling and stopping are great. How much would I disrupt the balance of things if I loaded up a couple hundred pounds over the drive wheels for better off the line traction? Besides the obvious slowing effect.

Brendan I have measured out my life with coffee spoons. -T.S. Eliot


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