Date: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 13:19:52 -0800
Reply-To: Kevin White <kbbob@GCI.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Kevin White <kbbob@GCI.NET>
Subject: Re: Syncros. Positractions, Peloquins, and One Wheel Drives
In-Reply-To: <52E96B2F.1060208@gmail.com>
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Just had a Peloquin installed this fall with a GoWesty rebuilt tranny, and used it over Christmas in South Idaho. I was able to drive some steep greasy ice on back roads that I wouldn't have even attempted with the old differential.
That said, I had also sprung for Nokian WRG2's, and those helped with overall snow/ice drive ability.
I have driven all my life in snow/ice, and am happy with the Van for what we will use it for, general winter travel in the Western US, Canada, and AK.
However, having spent time in the Deep South and having seen the frenetic pace of the cities down there (I laws in North GA), I would be parked until it thaws out, even with Studded Hakkepelittas and a Syncro. It's really the other guy in this sort of a situation, IMHO.
Cheers
Kevin
> On Jan 29, 2014, at 12:57 PM, 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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