Dr Peich�s (not sure if i ave the name quite right) paper describing the VC does have some data supporting the assertion that a VC equipped car has shorter stopping distance on ice/snow compared to a non-VC equipped car.

alistair

h
On Jan 29, 2014, at 7:26 PM, Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:

> What you say is about stopping and steering is true. However, with the
> Syncro the viscous coupling set up does seem to allow the van to stop and
> steer somewhat better than many direct coupled 4 wheel drive vehicles,
> probably due the limited "fighting" of the tires while steering. Audi
> Quattro's  also seem to benefit this way.  Add winter capable tires and
> things get much better still.
> 
> Dennis
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> Rocket J Squirrel
> Sent: Wednesday, January 29, 2014 10:19 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Syncros. Positractions, Peloquins, and One Wheel Drives
> 
> "A Syncro would handle it just fine as long as you remember that just
> because they can get going does not mean they will stop any better than
> other vehicles."
> 
> As my son, a professional tow truck driver who has pulled plenty of cars out
> of snow and ice puts it, "With four wheel drive you can get rolling more
> easily than a two-wheel-drive car, but all cars steer with two wheels and
> have four-wheel braking."
> 
> --
> Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott
> 1984 Westfalia, auto trans,
> Bend, Ore.
> 
> On 01/29/2014 05:36 PM, Mark Tuovinen wrote:
>> A Syncro would handle it just fine as long as you remember that just
>> because they can get going does not mean they will stop any better
>> than other vehicles.  I used to have a Sunroof Syncro that was my year
>> round daily driver until the wife gave me a 2010 Element EX AWD for
>> Christmas 2009.  I did have Nokian studded tires on it but never had
>> to engage the rear diff lock.  Could I have gotten it stuck, sure, all
>> you have to do is try or screw up while not trying.  The nut behind
>> the steering wheel has as much or more to do with it than whether or
>> not is is a Syncro, has studded tires, diff lock, etc, but John you
>> know this already having yourself lived for decades in this frozen.....err
> thawing out paradise we call Alaska.
>> 
>> Mark in AK  still melting away in Margaritaville
>> 
>> 
>> On Wed, Jan 29, 2014 at 11:57 AM, JRodgers <jrodgers113@gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> Wishing I had one of the first three, but unfortunately, mine are the
>>> latter - the one-wheel drive Vanagons.
>>> 
>>> Alabama really got clobbered yesterday with a snowstorm. By nothern
>>> standards it wasn't much - two inches - maybe three in places. But
>>> strom was expected to hit the southern part of the state - but it
>>> didn't do much there - but did do much further north - and it caught
>>> the weather-men in the back room with their britches down. As the day
>>> progressed - the highways and by-ways became clogged with cars
>>> colliding, sliding off the road, getting stuck on bridges, huge
>>> multicar pile-ups, tractor trailer rigs jack-knifed across the roads,
>>> a total mess. Schools closed, but the buses couldn't take kids home -
>>> they spent the night in the school buildings - teachers with them of
>>> course - they couldn't go home either. Parents couldn't get their
>>> little kids out of day care - or nursery - nobody could go anywhere.
>>> People out on the highways were walking to shelter any where they
>>> could find it. Temps were 15 degrees. Many wound up spending the
>>> night in their vehicles. The roads are still pretty much closed as I
>>> write this and people are still being told by the DOT to stay home
>>> and off the r5oads. A thaw is expected to begin Wednesday night and
>>> be well under way by Thursday - with temps moving from mid to upper
>>> twenties into the 40's. IN the meantime - it's a mix of water, ice
>>> and snow out there, and the City of Birmingham where I am is shut
>>> down. Fortunately I'm well provisioned and have heat - so long as power
> stays on.
>>> 
>>> This brings me to the point about the vans. I wonder how good a
>>> Syncro, or a positrac or a peloquin would have performed in this. In
>>> Alaska we always joked about people from the states bringing their
>>> four wheel drives up to Alaska just to run off the road and get them
>>> stuck in the snowbank. I laugh about this because in all my years in
>>> Alaska, the first 15 I never had a 4WD vehicle - and in the last 15
>>> years I only had one for about 4 years. Most of that 30 years I drove
>>> a VW bus - s '68 loaf and later an '85 GL Vanagon. Never needed the
>>> 4WD. Would have been nice - but not necessary.. Here - yesterday -
>>> many, many 4 WD vehicle drivers found themselves off the road or in
>>> the ditch or in a collision, or sliding across the highway or
>>> backward down a hill  in spite of their 4-wheelie-ness.
>>> 
>>> All that being said - I don't ever expect to own a syncro - but at
>>> rebuild for my tranny, I fully expect to have the positraction rear
>>> end installed.
>>> 
>>> Has anyone actually experienced driving the peloquin or the prositrac
>>> under adverse conditions? Can you comment please.
>>> 
>>> Thanks,
>>> 
>>> John in Snowy Icy Birmingham. AL
>>>