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Tue Dec 08, 2009 5:26 am

rfoubi wrote:

Nice tires, what are they? I like the look of just a plain old boring 18 hole steel rim. Like the spare tires from the mercedes.

the caveman wrote:

I love the look of your van man. I think these vans look the best when they are simple looking. Nice clean lines, one uniform color. Sexy.

Tue Dec 08, 2009 6:12 am

Love My Westy wrote: It still has the stock springs, but something that really makes it great is the manual steering. I has a much tighter turn radius than PS which has really come in handy turning around in tight places.

That must turn absurdly sharp. My '90 with PS still shocks even me sometimes with its turning radius.

-Rob

Tue Dec 08, 2009 6:27 am

blakeck2 wrote: Junkyardog I love those eyes, howd you do that?

Thanks :)
I honestly don't remember where I got them, but I believe they are for a beetle 7 inch headlight. They simply slip on and are held in place by the grill and the headlight itself.

Tue Dec 08, 2009 6:48 am

A perennial fave:

Wish I had more action pics of its offroad antics on our old 20 acre spread. The open diff was the only limiting factor.

Tue Dec 08, 2009 8:54 am

jacob. wrote: rfoubi wrote:

Nice tires, what are they? I like the look of just a plain old boring 18 hole steel rim. Like the spare tires from the mercedes.

215/75 R15 BFG Mud Terrains. Awesome tires off road, a bit of road noise on highway but worth it for the offroad traction. I was a bit concerned about tire rub but they only rub if im under full lock and compress the suspension really hard. So not really an issue. Yeah and for my van i really like the look of those rims too.

Tue Dec 08, 2009 9:51 am

Still in the newbie stages of gon ownership but what is the difference/benifits of locker or limited slip. How do they work differently? How does the stock set-up work?
I got to play in some mud the other day and it kinda surprised me that both rears were spinning. bald street tires on it but it threw some serious mud!

Thu Dec 10, 2009 9:34 am

meinvw wrote: Still in the newbie stages of gon ownership but what is the difference/benifits of locker or limited slip. How do they work differently? How does the stock set-up work?
I got to play in some mud the other day and it kinda surprised me that both rears were spinning. bald street tires on it but it threw some serious mud!
Yoou might check the GW site for thier discussion page on LSD and lockers. Opinions vary, but I beleive that LSDs are more popular due in part to the simplicity/functionality.

I am most likely going with an LSD (nearly ordered one the other day but turned out ot be a used set).
If I were going full-blown optimal offroad capability 2WD vanagon, I might consider the locker.
But for my van, which will see mostly dry pavement for 160 miles capped off with a few miles of rugged trails.. Well. A locker is just overkill and perhaps a bit more mechanical complexity than I'd really want.. say.. on a remote Baja trail out to the Pacific coast mid-peninsula.

Here's another question for you guys... (asked in another thread but without answer)
I'm on 16" wheels, 225/75r16s.. modest lift VC springs (riding at 18" all around) Bilstiens front, Monroes rear. So far I am very pleased with improved handling... not to mention the added ground clearance provided by the wheels/tires alone!

Just installed an Addco 25mm front sway bar.. The improvement in handling is impressive enough for me to consider a rear sway bar. The crappy Addco hardware issues aside for the moment..
Do any of you 2WD guys run a swaybar on the rear and drive any trails?..
Have you noticed any loss of articulation in the rear CV/axles, (i.e. a wheel lifting in the air due to swaybar tortion, resutling in spinning/slipping)?

Thu Dec 10, 2009 11:17 am

j_dirge wrote: meinvw wrote: Still in the newbie stages of gon ownership but what is the difference/benifits of locker or limited slip. How do they work differently? How does the stock set-up work?
I got to play in some mud the other day and it kinda surprised me that both rears were spinning. bald street tires on it but it threw some serious mud!
Yoou might check the GW site for thier discussion page on LSD and lockers. Opinions vary, but I beleive that LSDs are more popular due in part to the simplicity/functionality.

I am most likely going with an LSD (nearly ordered one the other day but turned out ot be a used set).
If I were going full-blown optimal offroad capability 2WD vanagon, I might consider the locker.
But for my van, which will see mostly dry pavement for 160 miles capped off with a few miles of rugged trails.. Well. A locker is just overkill and perhaps a bit more mechanical complexity than I'd really want.. say.. on a remote Baja trail out to the Pacific coast mid-peninsula.

Here's another question for you guys... (asked in another thread but without answer)
I'm on 16" wheels, 225/75r16s.. modest lift VC springs (riding at 18" all around) Bilstiens front, Monroes rear. So far I am very pleased with improved handling... not to mention the added ground clearance provided by the wheels/tires alone!

Just installed an Addco 25mm front sway bar.. The improvement in handling is impressive enough for me to consider a rear sway bar. The crappy Addco hardware issues aside for the moment..
Do any of you 2WD guys run a swaybar on the rear and drive any trails?..
Have you noticed any loss of articulation in the rear CV/axles, (i.e. a wheel lifting in the air due to swaybar tortion, resutling in spinning/slipping)?

I have a Peloquin LSD and Addco f/r sway bars. In regards to dirt roads, I can't remember what traction was like before I put on the rear sway bar. But I can say the Peloquin can make a huge difference once you start spinning tires on a dirt road for instance. Sometimes I do think about taking off the rear sway bar, but I haven't to date.

Another point I'd like to address first is weight distribution -- I'm pretty sure the vanagon s balanced with a bias towards the front. That issue, I think would need to be resolved in conjunction with the sway bars to perfect the 2WD dirt road warrior.

In the West there are very long stretches of unpaved, but maintained dirt roads. Lots of washboard and of course the temptation to get there as quick as possible. If I'm going to SE Oregon, I spend 7-8 hours on the highway -- so the sway bar is nice. Once you get there, all the roads are dirt, with miles of washboard. The rear sway bar doesn't help much here, but a little rear bias balance would be nice. Finally, you get off the "maintined" dirt roads to the two-track roads. The Peloquin helps sometimes, but generally, I'm not driving fast enough for balance to help out. But once again, the rear sway bar is probably limiting the movement of the trailing arm.

This is an interesting topic and area for refinement. How can we have it both ways: good handling on the street and on the dirt. Maybe next time I head to the desert, I'l take the rear sway bar off and loosen the front a little (I have them both reefed down pretty tight for the majority of my driving which is on the street. ).

Marc

Thu Dec 10, 2009 12:24 pm

Thanks for your comments Marc.

I may be trying to refine a bit too much and am, no doubt a bit ahead of myself... since I don't eve have the rear swaybar to discuss its merits knowledgeably.

Just seems that the "independent" suspension and articulation of the Vanagons transaxle setup is big "plus" for offroad applications.. As I recall this one of the reasons that VWs made such a splash on the dune buggy scene way back when. Argubaly, VWs transaxles WERE the dune buggy scene.

I wonder if its possible to make the rear sway bar a "quick release" set up.
Get to the trial head, pop off a couple levers and have full articulation.

hmm...

Thu Dec 10, 2009 12:28 pm

j_dirge wrote:
Do any of you 2WD guys run a swaybar on the rear and drive any trails?..
Have you noticed any loss of articulation in the rear CV/axles, (i.e. a wheel lifting in the air due to swaybar tortion, resutling in spinning/slipping)?

Yes, I've got a larger Whiteline front bar and Addco rear. Very nice for on road stability, though will certainly limit some of the rear articulation. Not certain what type of roads you're driving, but I generally stick to trails and very rarely two-tracks. Where the road begins to wash out, I find a good spot to camp and I'm happy.

If you spend most of your driving time on the road and forest trails, the rear bar may be of interest to you. Not a huge improvement like new shocks, but certainly helps stabilize the ride in certain situations. If you're concerned with hanging a rear wheel offroad, then skip the bar altogether - or better yet, find a Syncro.

Thu Dec 10, 2009 12:34 pm

j_dirge wrote:
I wonder if its possible to make the rear sway bar a "quick release" set up.
Get to the trial head, pop off a couple levers and have full articulation.

hmm...

Shouldn't be too difficult for someone to fab up a set of sway bar disconnects. I have them on my Jeep and it's a very simple design. I'm not an engineer, but I think if you were to look at a few different disconnect set-ups and modify their designs, you could make your own.

Thu Dec 10, 2009 12:39 pm

1621 wrote: j_dirge wrote:
I wonder if its possible to make the rear sway bar a "quick release" set up.
Get to the trial head, pop off a couple levers and have full articulation.

hmm...

Shouldn't be too difficult for someone to fab up a set of sway bar disconnects. I have them on my Jeep and it's a very simple design. I'm not an engineer, but I think if you were to look at a few different disconnect set-ups and modify their designs, you could make your own.

Simple? Can you take a photo?

Marc

Thu Dec 10, 2009 12:43 pm

Just googled them.
JC Whitney carries a set for the Jeep.

Here:
http://www.jcwhitney.com/SWAY_BAR_QUICK_DISCONNECT...010444;0;0

From the looks of it it would be relatively straightforward to modify a set or fab something up.

No idea how robust..
..and I, by no means, am promoting JC Whitney :lol:

Thu Dec 10, 2009 2:35 pm

215/70/16 BFG AT, does what I need it to do in the dirt :D Rear springs are from a syncro. Front is still stock but Id like to get some stiffer springs one day.

Thu Dec 10, 2009 3:26 pm

Gorge Runner wrote: 1621 wrote: j_dirge wrote:
I wonder if its possible to make the rear sway bar a "quick release" set up.
Get to the trial head, pop off a couple levers and have full articulation.

hmm...

Shouldn't be too difficult for someone to fab up a set of sway bar disconnects. I have them on my Jeep and it's a very simple design. I'm not an engineer, but I think if you were to look at a few different disconnect set-ups and modify their designs, you could make your own.

Simple? Can you take a photo?

Marc

I can try this weekend. Hopefully my fingers will thaw enough to be able to work the camera by then. :lol:

Thu Dec 10, 2009 3:56 pm

To the people running 215/75/15 BFGs and similar tires. Have you re-gear your transmissions? Anyone running a Zetec in a 2wd van with stock 4spd trans and this size tire? How's the combo?

Thu Dec 10, 2009 8:03 pm

Aaron wrote: To the people running 215/75/15 BFGs and similar tires. Have you re-gear your transmissions? Anyone running a Zetec in a 2wd van with stock 4spd trans and this size tire? How's the combo?

I have the 215/75 15 BFGs. No regear in tranny. I'm at about 3200 rpm at 65 mph. I'm happy. I lost a little power but nothing to serious. Well worth it for the improved ride and offroad capability.

Thu Dec 10, 2009 8:19 pm

Customer Bob. PreRunner Auto. Hi Bob.

GW springs, 16" BFG all terrains, Big brakes front, rear disks, and yes and AUTO and I love it. So does he.

Fri Dec 11, 2009 11:02 am

1621 wrote: Gorge Runner wrote: 1621 wrote: j_dirge wrote:
I wonder if its possible to make the rear sway bar a "quick release" set up.
Get to the trial head, pop off a couple levers and have full articulation.

hmm...

Shouldn't be too difficult for someone to fab up a set of sway bar disconnects. I have them on my Jeep and it's a very simple design. I'm not an engineer, but I think if you were to look at a few different disconnect set-ups and modify their designs, you could make your own.

Simple? Can you take a photo?

Marc

I can try this weekend. Hopefully my fingers will thaw enough to be able to work the camera by then. :lol:

I looked at few online to see what others are doing. In regards to the Addco setup, the problem as I see it is to deal with the totem pole of bushings once disconnected and then to secure the bar so it doesn't thrash itself to death. And as I mentioned earlier, I know mine is reefed pretty tight. I like the idea of a clevis pin method, but I'm having trouble envisioning a system thats is quick to disconnect as a trailer hitch -- i.e., no wrenches, no jacks. Maybe a trip to Parkrose hardware is in order?

Fri Dec 11, 2009 3:17 pm

Quote: Customer Bob. PreRunner Auto. Hi Bob.

GW springs, 16" BFG all terrains, Big brakes front, rear disks, and yes and AUTO and I love it. So does he.

Mellow Cat,
Is he running a WBX? I really like the setup and the wheels. :)