Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:36:25 -0800
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: 5 speed
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you can think that if you like....
but even Syncronauts do endless upgrades to their Syncro Vanagons to make
them go places they couldn't stock.
there is no substitue for all four wheels driving ..
and with locked differentials too , front and rear.
With a stock AWD Syncro and a locking rear diff, you can get into a
situation where it won't 'go.'
the ultimate in that regard would
be locking front and rear diffs ..
and solid shaft instead of a Viscouse Coupling ..so you have 'no doubt about
it' transfer of power to both ends.
And a lot more to it than that, read on.
so if those guys need to do all that to go 'anywhere' ..
even a raised 5 speed 2WD vanagon with low gearing in first gear and LSD can
easily run right up against a 'can't go' situation..
And even those will not do what a very dedicaed, solid-axles-at-both ends
serious off road machine can.
And then the requirements are different whether it's huge rocks ,
or very steep up and downhill things ( modern capable AWD SUV's have
electronically controlled Hill Descent Control, for example...Range Rover,
Porsche Cayaene ) ..
then you have sand ..
and mud - a unique problem,
and fording streams ..
so there is a lot to it let's say.
Heck.....even stock-based Jeeps have disconnectable anti-sway bars ...for
servere off road.
One modern Jeep ..think I read this ..has electronically disconnectible
anti-sway bars, in flight.
There's a LOT that can go into it .
not just low gearing and limited slip, and maybe some extra ground
clearance.
but you could go more places than a stock open -differential 2WD 4 speed
vanagon ..yes.
That's not saying that much in the 'rea;' four wheel drive world though.
Been to Syncro De Mayo ? You should if you havn't. Probably love it.
How about say ..
a 45 degree very steep slope ..
with huge pot holes in it ...like 3 feet across and a foot deep..
and the approach to it is no more than 10 feet long , so you can't get a run
at it.
Think you can do something like that with 2WD and LSD and a little lower
gearing ?
I have ridden in a dedicated off-raod Syncro Van , with 4 people in it ..
that went up such a hill..........we did it twice even.
that's the kind of thing you can see at Syncro de Mayo.
And that would not be possible with 2WD ever. There's just be too much
wheel spin.
And if the surface is very, very uneven ..you need all wheels driving
solidly ..as half the time half of them will be half in the air from
bounching around.
scott
----- Original Message -----
From: "Karl Wolz" <wolzphoto@Q.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 3:55 PM
Subject: Re: 5 speed
You had a granny gear, or a 4+1. Give me a granny and an LSD and I'll go
anywhere a 4wd will go.
Karl Wolz
Sent from my electronic umbilicus
On Jan 12, 2012, at 3:39 PM, Stacy Schneider <vwcrewman@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> I would imagine that it is ad reliable as any vw box .
> The extra gears comes in before 1st and is down low and left ,like
> going in to reverse on a beetle .
> I had a 2WD Tristar with that combo and hated it . Normally you think
> that a 5th would make it a better driving rig , all it is , is a major
> annoyance .
> You could get one your self or just take my word for it .
>
> -Stacy
