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bus drive in snow
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69rulz
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 10:08 am    Post subject: bus drive in snow Reply with quote

i bought my bus in summer and in chesterva today its snowing about 2-3 inches, i have to drive to work about 2.5 miles, do bays do as good in the snow as bugs? i drove one of those no prob
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hazetguy
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 10:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

no. you should consider public transportation, or a good pair of boots.
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69rulz
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 10:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

got the boots Very Happy haha but i still might have to, no busses near here and our 66 has no brakes, u think puttin cinderblocks or something up front woud help increase traction
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chabanais
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 10:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've driven my Bus in blizzards no problem. Biggest danger is always the other drivers.
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cjjunkie
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 10:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

69rulz wrote:
got the boots Very Happy haha but i still might have to, no busses near here and our 66 has no brakes, u think puttin cinderblocks or something up front woud help increase traction


i would recomend against blocks in the interior of a vehicle in the event of a traffic collision. i was in a rollover and a 60# toolbox was in the floor of the van, it broke the drivers window next to my head. inches from some serious trauma.

In michigan, hasnt gotten above the 30 degree mark in a few days. i drive my 76 westy daily even in the winter and it does well(till i line up a 7 passenger bay or a bug) take it easy and get used to it. you have an engine cantilevered off your driven wheels for traction.

good tires and a good alignment are a must

and i usually wear pac boots and insulated bibs....
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Davala
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 11:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've had my bus go through lots of snow and it still trudges on. Its better than most modern cars(without all wheel drive) I always end up passing people because there driving too slow. The bus is predicatble and dependable on snow and ice. Quite safe.

I didn't mention I had chains on my rears though!

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69rulz
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 11:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

thanks guys Very Happy i got a 70 westy so i got some more weight bakc their, shoud b fine, and thaks for the info on the blocks Shocked Shocked damn
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78Kombi
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 8:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

All the weight is over the drive wheels so traction is great,
But be careful when braking on hills, they have a tendency
To veer one way or the other. I drove thru lots of snow and
Off road in snow in my 78 and never had any troubles,but for
Braking.
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Subaquaticbombshelter
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 10:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

78Kombi wrote:
All the weight is over the drive wheels so traction is great,
But be careful when braking on hills, they have a tendency
To veer one way or the other. I drove thru lots of snow and
Off road in snow in my 78 and never had any troubles,but for
Braking.


I start slowing down really early on to avoid sliding around too much when I have to break (not that I ever go very fast. Laughing ) I drove my my room-mate's Jeep the other day and was surprised at how much better my bus does in snow. Overall though, my 77 does alot better than I expected.
I'm about to see just how well when I take off on a road trip in January. Shocked
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SGKent Premium Member
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 10:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

wet snow and dry unpacked snow isn't bad. Ice and hard packed snow is nasty and a bus makes just as good a hockey puck as does any car on ice. Put on the chains, stay off hills if you can and away from other traffic. It only takes one idiot on a cell phone on ice to total 15 cars.
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chabanais
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 11:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Few people know how to drive in the snow. Idiots who stop on hills are the worst. On many trips to Lake Tahoe I pass AWD trucks that went into snow banks because they don't know what they're doing. Oversteer is a big problem on the slippery stuff if you don't use engine braking...
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Esher127
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 12:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Given how well my bus would survive sliding its nose into something, it will remain in the garage until the weather is better.

Bu that's easy for me to say, since I have a Jeep that I drive in the slick stuff.
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nodrenim
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 6:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Too bad our busses didnot come with ABS. I drove my 2004 Montana van down an icy hill yesterday and just gently pumped the brake to keep me at a slow speed. The brakes don't lock up, just slow you down. My bay window would have been a tad hairy. Best tires for winter, if you can find them, are studded snows on all fours. Who needs a Jeep?



























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mtb7001
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 11:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

bays are great in snow, my first vw was a bay in highschool in ALASKA and you can't believe where I drove that thing, 4wd trails in the middle of nowhere, only got stuck once, 2 blocks from home. Laughing It's all about being an intelligent driver, gain experience, proper tires of course.
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Tom Powell
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 1:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

78Kombi wrote:
... But be careful when braking on hills, they have a tendency ...


They have a tendency to swap ends when going downhill on snow and/or ice. You don't even have to use the brakes. Without chains, just taking your foot off the gas pedal can break the traction on the rear wheels and start the rear end around. It is possible to recover by steering in the direction of the slide and getting back on the gas slightly. Then pull over and put the chains on.

Aloha
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