Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2015 14:13:26 -0800
Reply-To: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Diesel van..long
In-Reply-To: <02BAE039-5C79-4FBB-8C3D-B0C33E331C8F@johndillon.com>
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In a rural setting with few long hills and little wind the diesel might be
just fine..for we Vanagon peeps aren't normally in a hurry, usually.
However most of the US is not like that all year long and every day.
I'm currently traveling the SW where even the big trucks go ~ 70-80 on
the interstates or the Megalopolis freeways. In a few weeks the spring
winds will show up...
I consider myself a decent city driver but it'd be tough merging with
freeway traffic in a diesel, and sometimes there is simply no route around
the population centers, where drivers are not often very nice, nor
especially attentive and the Cops seem to be afraid to stop speeders on
freeways....I see 90-100mph, all the time, with the new favorite trick is
to wing from the fast lane to the truck lane(some 4 or 5 lanes across)
without letting up on speed. Too much "Fast and Furious" on Netflix, I
guess...Everyone around LA thinks they are Vin Diesel.....
On Feb 13, 2015 1:42 PM, "John Dillon" <johndillon@johndillon.com> wrote:
> that’s pretty funny … i have a 60, 78, 82, and just bought an 82 diesel …
> my mechanic is a 70 german mechanic … he’s like a diesel superstar ;) ..
> but more on MB than VW’s … he has built all the engines in my buses except
> for the 82 … he wants to rebuild the 82 as stock if its good and eventually
> replace it with a 1.9 … he says the best would be a 1.9 with 5 speed
> tranny, he says I could also go with a 1.9 with 16” rims … he knows of a
> guy who had a 1.9 with the stock tranny rebuilt and modified but there was
> a problem of some sort.
>
> There was an 82 Diesel Gypsy camper around with a 1.6 … funny … i’ve never
> driven it it but it must have been god awful slow …
>
> OTOH … my 60 had a stock transaxle and 1200 for years .. i can’t imagine
> it was any faster than the 1.6 diesel ;)
>
> jdd
>
> > On Feb 13, 2015, at 3:55 PM, Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> >
> > 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..
>
>
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