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Date:         Fri, 24 May 1996 10:53:00 -0700 (PDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Maher, Steve (SD-MS)" <SMAHER@gi.com>
Subject:      Re: losing traction

>>The problem with front drive, and one reason I haven't owned another front >>driver, is that when you lose traction you lose steering as well. The >>steering whell was all loose while this was happening. I was only 16 at >>the time, so my experience in driving in emergenct situations was zero. >>It scared the hell out of me and I was overly careful for about a month >>afterward. > >A different GF of mine had the same hydroplaning experience in a >rear-wheel drive car, and I don't think she had much better steering >than you did while her car was doing lazy 360s at 55mph. Somehow she >missed all the other cars on that 4-lane non-divided highway, >including the car she was trying to pass, missed the cement barriers >on the shoulder, and came out unscathed. As I remember, she was >careful for longer than a month. ;-) > >ObVW: Has anyone ever done any hydroplaning in a bus? Somehow I'm >glad I've never had that experience. A bit of purposeful fishtailing >on wet pavement certainly, but no hydroplaning. Knock on wood.

When my '69 bus engine split in half years ago, I replaced it with an engine from a '74 bug (alternator, DP, 34PICT-3, funny EGR valve) that had hit a long stretch of standing water in the depression left by millions of car and truck tires in the travel lane of a freeway (I-70 thirty miles west of Denver). He finally came to a halt after rolling over five times.

On the same stretch of freeway, I used to play tach and speedo games in an '82 Nissan Stanza, putting the left front tire in that water and jazzing the pedal, watching the gauges go up and down, up and down, while the car plowed along on its merry way. I was younger, stupider (hard to imagine), and obviously a lot luckier then. Put Goodyear Arrivas on it, and the problem lessened *somewhat*.

Keep in mind, Volks, that VW front ends are a lot lighter than those FWD cars... 'nuff said.

_______ /\ o o o\ Steve Maher smaher@gi.com 75461,1717 /o \ o o o\_______ San Diego, California < >------> o /| \ o/ o /_____/o| '80 VW V6anagon \/______/ |oo| '66 Mustang Coupevertible | o |o/ '89 Son Sherwin |_______|/ http://www.wp.com/IrishMafia ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The economy's not failing-- there are plenty of jobs available! I have three of them! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


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