Date:         Fri, 13 Feb 2015 12:55:11 -0800
Reply-To:     Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Diesel van..long
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

Sorry for the new post lost the thread.

Jim and others who are OK with stock diesels in Vanagons...I did not intend
my post as disrespectful of your ride....If they work for you, that's what
matters.
  My post was for those who may be contemplating getting one, like Neil,
but may have never had the experience of one in motion.
   I was stunned, even frightened,
when I rode in one, so I'm suggesting that, to avoid being surprised, find
someone to show you before you just assume something like " Well, ya, I
know they'll be slow, but they can't be THAT slow, I can deal with
slow...." or something like that..

My one trip up a grade of ~10mi of 6%....being passed  by a middle aged
cyclist (my SO) and just barely beating my own personal peddling time up
that same grade, that was a real Eye-opener!  During that hour-long+ climb,
with 3 people aboard we had multiple irate and impatient drivers doing
extremely dangerous passing attempts, despite our using every available
turnout.  Not a safe trip. ~12mph was what we could do.... I suppose a 5sp
manual might have helped, we couldn't hold speed in 2nd with the 4sp.
Once we reached the plateau at the summit we were able to just make about
50 mph on the flat, but that was again causing repeated sketchy and
dangerous passing, and we were having rude gestures despite always pulling
aside whenever we  could.

Now my inline Jetta Vanagon is no speed demon but the very same trip with 3
up takes well under half the time and I don't piss everyone off or get rude
gestures and dangerous passing (or both of those at the same time)

Consider the diesel was meant to push a vw rabbit or the tiny, light rabbit
pickup... and those were considered very slow, at perhaps 1/3 the weight
and half the aero drag of a vanagon..

Again no disrespect to those who's diesel vans work for them..I thought one
might work for me, till I tried one..