Oh, no question about that. A few years ago I was travelling on the Dulles Toll Road in one of my other Syncro Vanagons. The Miata I was behind spun out. I slewed around it, clipped the jersey barrier on my driver rear corner, which broke the plastic bumper end, but otherwise I was able to completely avoid incident.

On Dec 19, 2009, at 3:13 PM, Don Hanson wrote:

>   Yeah but what about the other people out and about?  It's them you have to worry about.  The ones in their Lexus SUVs or the Escalade, or the Suburban or Humvee....Those guys are thinking (if they are even thinking at all)..."Hey, I got a four wheeler...I'm ok to go fast as I want...." except few of them realize they don't stop any better than a 2wd on ice and snow...   So if you are out playing around, keep you eye on the mirrors and watch out at intersections or hill bottoms....
>   Don Hanson
>
> On Sat, Dec 19, 2009 at 11:56 AM, Kim Brennan <kimbrennan@mac.com> wrote:
> Oh, what fun it is in a Syncro Vanagon!
>
> Okay, warning, most folk really shouldn't drive in these conditions (18-20+ inches of snow). My van of choice for this is my 91 non-GL syncro Vanagon, which has an SVX engine (extra weight helps for traction), equipped with 215/75R16 Nokian Hakka tires (snow and ice rated). Hence I have tons of ground clearance and lots of traction.
>
> I came to a complete stop, cranked the steering wheel all the way over, and practically turned around in place.
>
> This rocks!
>
> PS. Last time I did this the van was shod with 225/70R15 Vredestein Winter Comtracs, which also worked great in the snow. The Hakka's give the van a little more ground clearance.
>