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Date:         Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:27:12 -0400
Reply-To:     Marc Perdue <mcperdue@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Marc Perdue <mcperdue@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Engine to auto-tranny match and the Indy 500
In-Reply-To:  <4A95601A.2010407@charter.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

This is kind of what I was getting at. Is there any kind of automatic transmission alternative that could take advantage of the torquey (technical term again) Vanagon engine and make it work well in the urban environment, give us the power we need to safely go over the mountains, and, as long as I'm dreaming, possibly give us better gas mileage? Presumably, if there were such a thing, we'd already know about it, but . . .

Marc

On Wed, Aug 26, 2009 at 12:17 PM, John Rodgers<inua@charter.net> wrote: > Marc Purdues recent issues over auto-tranny shifting in the mountains > got me to thinking about alternative engine/tranny combo's for the > Vanagons. I know we can do engine swaps, but it seems we are stuck > pretty much with the original trannies for our vans. As I recall Sudhir > did some work with bigger engines and found that more powerful and > torquey engines soon wiped out the trannies. So, with that in mind, it > appears to me there are limits in our engine/tranny combo's and the > tranny is the limiting factor. Granted, certain Porsche trannies will > fit, but they are extremely hard to come by. Something more readily > available would sure be nice. In my research I stumbled on the link > below which I found fascinating. Many of you already know about this I > expect but I did not. > > Some specifics on the Indy 500 cars > 1) All cars have the _same engine_ and the _same semi-automatic > transmission_. No exceptions. > 2) All cars have the same engine - a 650-hp, 3-l Honda V8 engine that > costs about $2.9 million per car. > 3) Imposed max engine RPM is 10,300 > 4) Life limit on each engine before overhaul is 1200 miles > 5) Tranny is a clutchless, six-speed, all-forward-gears, semi-automatic > transmission. > 6) Shifter paddle/lever is mounted on the steering wheel. > > Visit here for the complete scoop. > > http://electronicdesign.com/Articles/Index.cfm?AD=1&ArticleID=21089 > > Interesting stuff. And I wonder if and how such info could be applied to > our vans. Not likely to ever have that big engine, or go so fast - but > having some better options for better power train coupling would be nice. > > John Rodgers > 88 GL Driver >


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