Date: Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:56:10 -0600
Reply-To: Max Wellhouse <dimwittedmoose@CFU.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Max Wellhouse <dimwittedmoose@CFU.NET>
Subject: Re: Traction? Not very much; with help from the Tappet Bros.
In-Reply-To: <6bc66ccf0912300902v6607b74dk5b2bbe9f22c49ab7@mail.gmail.co m>
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I bent over 3 winters ago and bought the Vredestein comtrac Snow
tires from BD and they made a huge difference in the Vanagon's
traction in the snow and ice. I went to a local pharmacy the other
day and got in one of those awkward parking positions that lets you
spin your tires and not go anywhere and then I remembered the Click
and Clack Tappet brothers trivia question about how the guy with the
VW bus couldn't get up his driveway one winter night, opened up his
engine hatch, did one thing, and then proceeded to get up the
driveway effortlessly. The answer to the question is that he
disconnected the coil wire and rolled the van up the driveway with
the bus in first gear and the starter engaged. I used that bit of
wisdom without disconnecting the coil wire(too lazy) and it worked
like a charm at the pharmacy.
I was likely at my limit with the Vanagon's snow tolerance when we
had 14" before Christmas and trying to get to work at 5:30AM, but we
don't get large snows often in NE Iowa. It all evens out in the wash
as my Vanagon still doesn't start when it's below 10 degrees F
outside, so I don't consider it a true winter vehicle. All in all, I
agree it's a disappointing vehicle in the snow and ice, having grown
up with the older Transporters and Beetles. It's the price you pay
for having heat I guess.
DM&FS
At 11:02 AM 12/30/2009, Don Hanson wrote:
> One of the few areas where I fault my 84 Vanagon manual tranny low-top
>'westie' is it's lack of ability to go. I am now committed to 'saving up'
>for a limited slip diff.
>
> I am a very good snow driver. I lived over 20 years in Jackson Hole,
>Wyoming and drove to work at the ski area every day. My Ski Patrol job had
>me arriving there at an ungodly hour to shoot the avalanche control guns on
>stormy mornings, so my commute was often before any snow plows, through
>drifts white-out storms, etc. I had a variety of vehicles during those
>years, not one a 4wd and yet I rarely got stuck or couldn't make it where I
>needed to go.
>
> But this Vanagon really frustrates me. It's simply not good at all...in
>fact it is 'amazingly' poor. I keep trying, thinking "Hey, it can't be THAT
>bad, maybe if I_______ this time" and like that. It feels like it should do
>OK. I've been over all the suspension looking for reasons why it sucks..I
>have decent tires. The "open differential" must be waay more open than any
>other vehicle I have ever owned..Even my old long bed 2wd six cylinder ford
>pickup had better wintertime traction without any weight at all in the
>back...."Amazing"..
> Just yesterday I tried again to 'leave our Hill' in the Vanagon with a
>little snow (about 3-5") on our gravel driveway. Couldn't make it back
>up...missed by about 20' and had to go get the pickup to tow it up the rest
>of the way.
> Even with Nokian Hakka M+S with decent tread and a rear decklid loaded
>with ballast (480lbs of stove pellet bags) the van just would not make the
>grade...The van is virtually useless with any snow whatsoever. I had to
>'un-mothball' my diesel Ford truck! I must be beyond the "Denial" stage
>finally.
>
> Don Hanson
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