Date:         Thu, 19 Dec 1996 23:37:02 -0500
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "lbart" <lbart@preferred.com>
Subject:      Westy in the snow & ice

Hey all,
This evening I had the "opportunity" to drive the '81 Westy in the snow and
ice for the first time.  Last night they were calling for 2-4 inches of the
white stuff.  It never materialized but instead it showed up late this
morning and afternoon.  In late afternoon it started snowing very heavily
and stuck to the roads.  At this point the temperature dropped so that all
the water on the roads (from where the snow was not sticking before) froze
so we had a nice layered effect of sheet ice topped with snow.  Anyway, my
job over Christmas break is delivery driving for Pizza Hut.  I know, it's
sacrilege to use a Westy for this job, but I don't have two cars.  I should
have "borrowed" my little brother's Toyota 4Runner, that thing is NICE in
the snow.  Anyway, I was somewhat disappointed by the '81's performance as
compared to the old '78 I had.  The Westy is heavy and has good tires
(Michelin XZX) but even so anything more than the slightest touch on the
throttle would set the back wheels spinning uselessly.  Thank God I have a
stickshift or I would have really been screwed! :)  I was able to fine-tune
the throttle/clutch combination so that I pretty much eliminated any
wheelspin except on steep hills or especially icy spots.  

Traffic was moving very slowly, all the roads were bumper-to-bumper (there
wasn't much snow but the roads were pure ice) and it took an hour and a
half to deliver a pizza that normally would have been a 10-15 minute
delivery.  Luckily I only had to deliver that one before the manager
decreed that we were not delivering anymore.  I did get a $10 tip on that
one though :) .  At any rate, moving at 10 mph or below constantly when
it's freezing outside doesn't do much for heating in an air-cooled Vanagon.
 I do wish I had a gas heater.  

I didn't have much trouble driving the Westy once I got used to the limits
imposed by the icy streets.  The only time I really had a low traction
problem was when I was climbing a very short but steep hill at the top of
which was a traffic light.  There were two cars in front of me, first was a
Ford Windstar and behind him a Chevrolet Blazer 4WD.  Well, I'm at the
bottom of the hill and these two are on the hill.  The light turns green
and I'm able to get traction and start moving very slowly up the hill in
first gear expecting these jokers to move along.  Well, apparently the Ford
can't get traction and he causes the line to stop.  He then is able to
continue on so he does and so does the guy in front of me because he's got
4WD but I just couldn't get a grip on the road.  The rear wheels were on an
icy spot and were just spinning.  I was trying to keep from getting
sideways.  Luckily the smart fellow behind me stayed well back when I began
climbing the hill and I was able to back down and make another run for it
when the light changed the next time.  I made it over that time.  Tricky! 
Don't you hate it when they stop???  The secret to driving up hills on ice
and snow is momentum.  If you stop, you lose it and then you have no
traction to start.  I hate people who don't know how to drive!!!  Sorry,
rant mode off.

There were no more deliveries and we wound up closing the store at around
7:00.  As I was leaving the parking lot, I, without thinking, decided to go
out the uphill parking lot exit.  After I got the Westy sideways attempting
this maneuver, I backed down and wisely chose a flat exit out of the
parking lot :) .

On the way home, I had to choose between a road that had a short, very
steep hill with a sharp curve to the right with nothing but the ditch on
the right side and a good 25-foot drop off the left side or a long
relatively steep straight road with curbs on both sides.  I think I made a
wise choice when I chose the straight road.  I knew both roads were
guaranteed to be pure ice, but I figured sliding around on the long
straight road wouldn't be as treacherous.  So I got my momentum up at the
bottom of the hill and climbed it in second, sometimes experiencing
wheelsping but bringing it under control by lifting slightly off the
throttle.  It's tricky to get the balance between wheelspin and lugging the
engine but I had had a lot of practice that night so I did well.  Didn't
slide much at all and only had to try it once.  

The steering and braking action of the Westy was good -- the non-power
steering gives you a good feel for how slick the road is.  You can tell if
it's slick by the degree of reduction of steering effort.  I didn't every
lock up the wheels in braking.  As long as I gave myself plenty of room and
let the van slow by coasting and then by very gently applying the brakes
until I came to a gentle stop.  I guess the whole trick to driving in the
slow is gentle smooth movements, not abrupt jerky movements.  Kinda like
flying a plane, I suppose.  

Rick Koller tells me that the Vanagons don't do as well in the snow because
the weight is more evenly distributed front to rear and after today's
driving I believe him.  The '78 seemed more sure-footed in the snow,
especially on acceleration.  Still, with a bit of care, the Vanagon can be
driven well and safely in the snow and ice.

Sean