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69rulz Samba Member
Joined: June 07, 2009 Posts: 867 Location: On a trip on my couch
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 10:08 am Post subject: bus drive in snow |
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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 Samba Member
Joined: April 06, 2001 Posts: 10773 Location: iT StiNgeD iTseLf tO dEAd
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 10:13 am Post subject: |
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no. you should consider public transportation, or a good pair of boots. _________________ thebucket: I invested in hoodride, now DBD won't return my call?
hazetguy: invested?
thebucket: Yeah Haze, its where people put money into a company in hopes of a return on their money |
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69rulz Samba Member
Joined: June 07, 2009 Posts: 867 Location: On a trip on my couch
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 10:15 am Post subject: |
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got the boots 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 Samba Member
Joined: July 27, 2002 Posts: 4866
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 10:25 am Post subject: |
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I've driven my Bus in blizzards no problem. Biggest danger is always the other drivers. _________________ "I spud therefore I yam." |
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cjjunkie Samba Member
Joined: February 05, 2009 Posts: 89 Location: michigan
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 10:48 am Post subject: |
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69rulz wrote: |
got the boots 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.... _________________ [IMG]http://www.vw-mplate.com/mcode_draw_mplate.php?mod=1&id=5410[/IMG] |
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Davala Samba Member
Joined: June 15, 2008 Posts: 93 Location: Banks, OR
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 11:39 am Post subject: |
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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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MD |
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69rulz Samba Member
Joined: June 07, 2009 Posts: 867 Location: On a trip on my couch
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 11:49 am Post subject: |
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thanks guys i got a 70 westy so i got some more weight bakc their, shoud b fine, and thaks for the info on the blocks damn |
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78Kombi Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2006 Posts: 1043 Location: Western Mass
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 8:06 pm Post subject: |
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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. _________________ 78 hightop 2.0 FI
Wildthings wrote: |
no engine that I know of will run off of hype.
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Subaquaticbombshelter Samba Member
Joined: June 06, 2010 Posts: 38 Location: Portland, OR
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Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 10:45 am Post subject: |
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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. ) 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. |
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SGKent Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2007 Posts: 41031 Location: Citrus Heights CA (Near Sacramento)
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Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 10:50 am Post subject: |
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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. _________________ “Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin |
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chabanais Samba Member
Joined: July 27, 2002 Posts: 4866
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Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 11:57 am Post subject: |
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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... _________________ "I spud therefore I yam." |
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Esher127 Samba Member
Joined: August 26, 2010 Posts: 607 Location: Staunton, VA
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Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 12:30 pm Post subject: |
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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. _________________ 1970 Westfalia Pop-Top |
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nodrenim Samba Member
Joined: October 06, 2006 Posts: 843 Location: Dobson, North Carolina
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 6:25 am Post subject: |
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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 Samba Member
Joined: February 11, 2009 Posts: 899 Location: Meridian Idaho
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 11:53 am Post subject: |
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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. It's all about being an intelligent driver, gain experience, proper tires of course. _________________ 63 15 window deluxe Turkis walk through 1500
"comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable" |
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Tom Powell Samba Member
Joined: December 01, 2005 Posts: 4855 Location: Kaneohe
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 1:01 pm Post subject: |
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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
tp |
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