Dr Peich’s (not sure if i ave the name quite right) paper describing the VC does have some data supporting the assertion that a VC equipped car has shorter stopping distance on ice/snow compared to a non-VC equipped car. alistair h On Jan 29, 2014, at 7:26 PM, Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote: > What you say is about stopping and steering is true. However, with the > Syncro the viscous coupling set up does seem to allow the van to stop and > steer somewhat better than many direct coupled 4 wheel drive vehicles, > probably due the limited "fighting" of the tires while steering. Audi > Quattro's also seem to benefit this way. Add winter capable tires and > things get much better still. > > Dennis > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of > Rocket J Squirrel > Sent: Wednesday, January 29, 2014 10:19 PM > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM > Subject: Re: Syncros. Positractions, Peloquins, and One Wheel Drives > > "A Syncro would handle it just fine as long as you remember that just > because they can get going does not mean they will stop any better than > other vehicles." > > As my son, a professional tow truck driver who has pulled plenty of cars out > of snow and ice puts it, "With four wheel drive you can get rolling more > easily than a two-wheel-drive car, but all cars steer with two wheels and > have four-wheel braking." > > -- > Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott > 1984 Westfalia, auto trans, > Bend, Ore. > > On 01/29/2014 05:36 PM, Mark Tuovinen wrote: >> A Syncro would handle it just fine as long as you remember that just >> because they can get going does not mean they will stop any better >> than other vehicles. I used to have a Sunroof Syncro that was my year >> round daily driver until the wife gave me a 2010 Element EX AWD for >> Christmas 2009. I did have Nokian studded tires on it but never had >> to engage the rear diff lock. Could I have gotten it stuck, sure, all >> you have to do is try or screw up while not trying. The nut behind >> the steering wheel has as much or more to do with it than whether or >> not is is a Syncro, has studded tires, diff lock, etc, but John you >> know this already having yourself lived for decades in this frozen.....err > thawing out paradise we call Alaska. >> >> Mark in AK still melting away in Margaritaville >> >> >> On Wed, Jan 29, 2014 at 11:57 AM, JRodgers <jrodgers113@gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> Wishing I had one of the first three, but unfortunately, mine are the >>> latter - the one-wheel drive Vanagons. >>> >>> Alabama really got clobbered yesterday with a snowstorm. By nothern >>> standards it wasn't much - two inches - maybe three in places. But >>> strom was expected to hit the southern part of the state - but it >>> didn't do much there - but did do much further north - and it caught >>> the weather-men in the back room with their britches down. As the day >>> progressed - the highways and by-ways became clogged with cars >>> colliding, sliding off the road, getting stuck on bridges, huge >>> multicar pile-ups, tractor trailer rigs jack-knifed across the roads, >>> a total mess. Schools closed, but the buses couldn't take kids home - >>> they spent the night in the school buildings - teachers with them of >>> course - they couldn't go home either. Parents couldn't get their >>> little kids out of day care - or nursery - nobody could go anywhere. >>> People out on the highways were walking to shelter any where they >>> could find it. Temps were 15 degrees. Many wound up spending the >>> night in their vehicles. The roads are still pretty much closed as I >>> write this and people are still being told by the DOT to stay home >>> and off the r5oads. A thaw is expected to begin Wednesday night and >>> be well under way by Thursday - with temps moving from mid to upper >>> twenties into the 40's. IN the meantime - it's a mix of water, ice >>> and snow out there, and the City of Birmingham where I am is shut >>> down. Fortunately I'm well provisioned and have heat - so long as power > stays on. >>> >>> This brings me to the point about the vans. I wonder how good a >>> Syncro, or a positrac or a peloquin would have performed in this. In >>> Alaska we always joked about people from the states bringing their >>> four wheel drives up to Alaska just to run off the road and get them >>> stuck in the snowbank. I laugh about this because in all my years in >>> Alaska, the first 15 I never had a 4WD vehicle - and in the last 15 >>> years I only had one for about 4 years. Most of that 30 years I drove >>> a VW bus - s '68 loaf and later an '85 GL Vanagon. Never needed the >>> 4WD. Would have been nice - but not necessary.. Here - yesterday - >>> many, many 4 WD vehicle drivers found themselves off the road or in >>> the ditch or in a collision, or sliding across the highway or >>> backward down a hill in spite of their 4-wheelie-ness. >>> >>> All that being said - I don't ever expect to own a syncro - but at >>> rebuild for my tranny, I fully expect to have the positraction rear >>> end installed. >>> >>> Has anyone actually experienced driving the peloquin or the prositrac >>> under adverse conditions? Can you comment please. >>> >>> Thanks, >>> >>> John in Snowy Icy Birmingham. AL >>> |
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