At 12:27 PM 8/26/2009, Marc Perdue wrote... >Is there any kind of automatic transmission alternative that could >take advantage of the torquey (technical term again) Vanagon engine Acceleration and holding speed up a hill are all about horsepower. An engine's torque numbers are only useful as a rough indication of how wide it's (horse)powerband is, and even then, only when considered in relation to it's HP numbers. A transmission can be made to give as much output torque as you want, it's just a matter of gear ratios - but more torque = lower speed. HP remains constant through a transmission (neglecting frictional loss). More gears in a transmission allows one to keep the engine running closer to it's maximum HP output, for better performance. The comment you responded to was in relation to the scarcity of transmissions to handle more powerful engines which have been adapted to the Vanagon. For the stock engines, VW engineers designed the gear ratios (and shift points) for the best all-around performance and reliability, given the available engine power. The stock 90 HP simply won't push a Vanagon through mountains at 65 MPH, no matter what you might change in a transmission. When going uphill, I just get behind a semi going 45, and enjoy the journey. If you're in a hurry, a Vanagon with a stock engine isn't a good choice. |
Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of
Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection
will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!
Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com
The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.
Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.