Keep in mind that with enough horsepower you can make a barn door fly
flatways. ( old aviation-ism, applicable here)

125 mph in a Vanagon??? .....Sheeesh!!! You really like living out there
where the "Winds of Limbo Roar", right??

I wish you a long lfe, please don't let me down!! :-)

John Rodgers
88 GL Driver

Bruce Nadig wrote:

> Howdy All,
>
> As some of you may know, I recently relocated from Austin, Texas to
> Seattle,
> Washington. Unfortunately, this was largely due to divorce.
>
> However, I had a wonderful opportunity for reflection, introspection, and
> even some fun on my cross-country drive in my Vanagon from Austin to
> Seattle
> (trip report to come shortly).
>
> Now for the irresponsible part. I know that this is a very politically
> incorrect topic, but what the heck? Out of curiosity, what is the top
> speed
> you have been able to achieve in your Vanagons?
>
> Please respond with speed and type of engine configuration you
> achieved that
> speed with. Also indicate if you were driving a passenger van, camper
> version, or Syncro. I'm interested in everything from the early
> air-cooled
> motors, all the way up to the crazy engine conversions. While I'm mostly
> interested in speed achieved on flat roads it might be interesting to see
> what a Vanagon can do on a seriously steep downhill stretch.
>
> For me, I have an '87 hard-top passenger GL. My engine is a 3.2 liter
> Porsche 911 Carrera motor and Porsche G50 5-speed. The Vanagon is
> equipped
> with Bilstein shocks and H&R lowering springs. I have no spare tire or
> tire
> carrier up front, so that probably hurt aerodynamics a bit. I had the van
> loaded (but by no means overloaded) as I moved cross-country. I was
> using my
> new Garmin c340 GPS (highly recommended) unit as an honest measure
> because
> the speedo just isn't accurate over 100 (I've even had my speedo
> calibrated
> to the Porsche wheel/tire combination I am running).
>
> In Arizona on a cool, sunny morning I was able to achieve an honest GPS
> verified 125 mph. This was done on flat, straight pavement with excellent
> visibility. That speed was done in 4th gear. I discovered that 5th
> gear is
> strictly for economy. The van would always go faster in 4th than it
> would in
> 5th.
>
> Later in Washington I tired another couple high speed runs, but I had
> some
> aerodynamic issues (see upcoming trip report). During the Washington runs
> the best I got was 115 mph. I can easily believe that my aerodynamic
> issues
> cost me at least 5 mph. Who knows where the last 5 mph when?
>
> Anyhow, let's hear from ya'll. How fast? What configuration? Bring it on.
>
> Cheers,
> Bruce
> motorbruce@hotmail.com
>
>