========================================================================= Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2001 22:37:53 -0500 Reply-To: "Karl M." Sender: Vanagon Mailing List From: "Karl M." Subject: Re: [Syncro] Conclusion on 235/75-15s--Thumbs Down on 4th Comments: To: Syncro@yahoogroups.com, Derek Drew MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit My Westfalia's present setup is as follows: Winter tires, 215/75-15 BS Blizzaks on Passat steel wheels, 45mm offset Three-season tires, 235/75-15 BS Dueler A/Ts on SA 'Wolfsburg' alloy wheels, 30mm offset The transmission has only one modification, the .77 fourth ratio The engine is a slightly modified 1.9 litre intercooled turbodiesel My driving experience with this setup: Depends a lot on the air quality! The TD on 'good air' days, i.e. dense air, pulls a LOT harder! (That variable will soon change, with the addition of an air-to-water intercooler) Using the 215s OR the 235s, the van is able to pull any hill better than it ever did with the combination of waterboxer, stock gearing, and 27x8.5-14s. I can easily cruise up most interstate grades at 70 to 75 mph, surprising the truckers that see a VW van at the start of a grade and immediately pull left to pass! Only a long extended highway climb gets it down, even then it only drops to 55 mph. The approximate gearing is now 3100 rpm at 70 mph, although I have yet to measure that precisely. It will cruise quite easily at 75-80 mph if I choose, even 4000 rpm comes up easily in top gear with the 235s! The handling with the 235s is great, good response, work extremely well off-road, decent ride. The 215 snows ride well also, but give up a lot in the response department on dry roads; when in their element, they are truly wonderful tires! Karl Mullendore Westy Ventures 1987 Syncro Westfalia 1.9TD ----- Original Message ----- > There are owners of 235/75-15 tires (with stock North American gearing) > that actually say they like that size notwithstanding the effect it has on > gearing and acceleration. Comments to this effect came came to me by email > after I cast doubt on the suitability of this size for *any* vanagon > owners, even syncro owners who go off road. It is, after all, somewhere in > the region of 3" taller or more than the stock tire that came on the vehicle. > > The issue is important in deciding what tires and gears go together well > and which do not, a subject upon which I am still working. You will see an > appeal for additional commentary from owners of 235/75-15 tires and > 215/75-15 tires below. > > Since getting endorsements of the 235/75-15 tire sizes from some list > members, I have also subsequently received additional comments from list > members saying that while this tire is OK in gears 1, 2, and 3 it is not > very suitable in 4th. Says the owner below, "I would not recommend this > tire to anyone who lives near any hills." Added an earlier post about this > tire, possibly inexact quote: "It was fine around town but on the highway I > had a hard time even getting it to 70." This information is vitally > important, because it affects the way owners should gear their vans in the > future. Because the information about the undesirability of the 4th gear > seems well stated and genuine, I am inclined to assign a fairly high degree > of credibility in these statements. See an owners report at the end of this > email that lends support to this conclusion. > > Accordingly, I am slowly deriving a principal that says that any gearing > setup which would cause the vehicle to travel at an actual speed in 4th > gear at 4,000 rpm of 78.8mph is a inadvisable setup unless some other > variable is attached to it, such as a larger engine than 2.1 MV. But it > seems to be slightly more acceptable that the vehicle may travel in 1st, > 2nd, and 3rd gears 17.7, 32.5, 54.5 mph at 4000rpm, respectively, high > though those numbers may be. > > For reference purposes, stock mph speeds for north american syncros with > 4.86 final drive gears in gears 1 through 4 at 4000rpm are: > > 15.95, 29.28, 49.23, 70.95 > > So what we are saying is a jump from 70.95mph 4000rpm 4th to 78.8mph is > simply too great. > > If you have any information that contradicts the conclusion above, or have > any impressions or observations to add, now is the time to do so as they > will affect a body of work that will serve as a reference point going > forward. In other words, it is important for you to post your feedback on > this issue if you have any to give. This also applies to how well you like > 215/75 BFGs if you are running that size. Ideally, I need comments on each > gear rather than just "I liked the tire fine," but any comments are welcome. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2001 19:41:43 -0800 Reply-To: patty and danny Sender: Vanagon Mailing List From: patty and danny Subject: alternator - '81 Westy MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0029_01C0A73E.A35A7800" This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0029_01C0A73E.A35A7800 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I seem to have a charging problem in my Westy. I have two batteries = without an isolator installed and I think that may be putting = unnecessary wear on them, but I don't think that's my main problem. My = batteries are always dead. Well, not always, but say I drive with my = lights on and maybe my portable CD player on, you can bet the next time = I try to start my van it will not have enough power to start. Also, if = I leave my van for a few days and try to start it, good luck. I think = the lights for the battery and water level take a little bit of power = over the course of a few days, but if the batteries were being charged = right the little insignificant lights shouldn't matter, right? Also, = last year I replaced both batteries so they're only a year old. Well, = my first guess is my alternator isn't putting out enough juice (and it's = really a guess because I don't know the first thing about any of this). = Can anyone tell me if there's a simple way to test the output of the = alternator without having to take it out and take it to a mechanic. = Can't I just test some wires while the van's running? Any advice would = be appreciated as I really am starting from scratch on this. Thanks in advace. Danny '81 Westy ------=_NextPart_000_0029_01C0A73E.A35A7800 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

I seem to have a charging problem in my = Westy. I have two batteries without an isolator installed and I = think that=20 may be putting unnecessary wear on them, but I don't think that's my = main=20 problem. My batteries are always dead. Well, not always, but = say I=20 drive with my lights on and maybe my portable CD player on, you can bet = the next=20 time I try to start my van it will not have enough power to start. = Also,=20 if I leave my van for a few days and try to start it, good luck. I = think=20 the lights for the battery and water level take a little bit of power = over the=20 course of a few days, but if the batteries were being charged right the = little=20 insignificant lights shouldn't matter, right? Also, last year I = replaced=20 both batteries so they're only a year old. Well, my first guess is = my=20 alternator isn't putting out enough juice (and it's really a guess = because=20 I don't know the first thing about any of this). Can anyone tell = me if=20 there's a simple way to test the output of the alternator without having = to take=20 it out and take it to a mechanic. Can't I just test some wires = while the=20 van's running? Any advice would be appreciated as I really am = starting=20 from scratch on this.

Thanks in advace.

Danny

'81 = Westy