Date: Mon, 23 Mar 1998 20:14:20 -0500
Reply-To: "John H. Rodgers" <inua@QUICKLINK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: "John H. Rodgers" <inua@QUICKLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: 87 West is unstable in wind
-- [ From: John H. Rodgers * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] --
Budd, you are probably going to have to live with the crosswind instability.
When I first bought my '85 GL I drove it to Anchorage fro a little R&R for a
few days. Weather got nasty and a weather system moved in over the Gulf of
Alaska. That always produces a tremendous pressure gradient across the
mountains from Prince William sound through Portage Pass into Turnagain Arm
and on into the Cook Inlet Basin where Anchorage is located. The road back
home is a big hairpin that winds along the face of a a mountain cliff. On
one side it's straight up, on the other it's straight down...in places but
always there are cliffs and water. Whe the wind blows there it is really
squirrley. I drove at night on that occassion, not expecting anything
unusual......my previaous machine had been a Jeep Wagoneer LTD full time
four wheel drive....wide track. As I made it around a turn and into the full
force of the wind blowing down through Turnagain Arm, that van nearly took
off flying. It was all over the highway. Scared the bejeebers out of me.
From that point on all the way arount the arm until I was past Portage and
turned and put the wind to my back, I fought to keep the vehicle on the road
. One I left Turnagain Arm and started the climb up to Turnagain Pass the
wind dropped off and it was smooth sailing.
That drive really taught me a lesson about the Van. And I am now very
cautious about weather, trucks, and etc. They can screw you up if you are
not careful.
John Rodgers
'85 Gl Driver
-------- REPLY, Original message follows --------
Date: Monday, 23-Mar-98 07:41 PM
From: Budd Premack \ Internet: (bpremack@wavetech.net)
To: Vanagon@VANAGON.COM \ Internet: (vanagon@vanagon.com)
Subject: Re: 87 West is unstable in wind
I just finished a 4500 mile trip MN-CA in my 86 Syncro and agree that
crosswinds and truck turbulence are a real bear!
The trip was taken with new 185 R14 Bridgestone light truck rated tires, 6
ply, at 52 psi. They are high and narrow, but my tire guru indicated that
they are the factory original size for Vanagons. They seemed to be more
sensitive to crosswinds than my old (undersized) 185/70 R 14 Michelin XZX
treads (although I had not taken the Syncro across the windswept prairie
previousy). The front end, shocks and other suspension components of my
Syncro are all in fine shape.
Am I just expecting too much lateral stability in a high sided vehicle, or
would other tires likely have done better in crosswinds of 20-40 mph.
Maybe my arms and shoulders just got tired fighting the winds after 100-200
miles of severe crosswinds.
(If you only drive out East, you likely do not face these winds for such
extended periods.) Replies from Listees in the Great Plains or Alaska are
particularly solicited.
It should be noted that I had no stability problems with headwinds or with
sustained cruising at 75+ mph in those areas where crosswinds weren't an
issue.
Budd Premack
87 Wolfsburg, 84 Vanagon (son's), 86 Syncro (for sale?) 73 Super, 64 Bug
Minneapolis, MN
-------- REPLY, End of original message --------
