VW Bus Highway Performance Index
                       
 
 The idea for this index originated at the Wailaki campout, where Bradley 
 asserted that Martha's 2 liter Vanagon Westy was less responsive on the
 highway than his '66 with a 1600. Al Hubbard pointed out that the Vanagon
 had much "longer" gears and was capable of top speeds in excess of 80 mph.
 This aroused my curiosity as to what "ought" to be true, and with help
 from the ever-generous Joel Walker and his outstanding library, this
 index was concocted.                      
                                        
                       
 The index is an arithmetic model of highway driving. It is the sum of:
 Peak torque at the rear wheels in 4th gear <simulating cruising on flat 
 ground> plus peak horsepower at the rear wheels in third gear <simulating
 climbing a hill>. This sum is divided by vehicle weight. As this yields
 a number below one in all cases considered, each result is multiplied by
 100 to give numbers that appear more tangible. There are no units associated
 with the index, the values are useful for comparison purposes only. 
 
 Just so you don't all rush out to buy 1500cc microbuses based on the index,
 I've also included the engine rpm at 60 mph to give you an idea of the upper
 end of the performance envelope. I had entertained the thought of factoring
 the top speed of the vehicle into the index but decided against it after
 realizing that many listmembers don't give a second thought to cruising
 down the road at 4000 rpm plus - which will allow any of the buses in the
 index to, at least, approach the national speed limit. I think we can all 
 agree that it is a given <with the exception of the Vanagon Diesel> that 
 the newer a bus is, the more relaxed "gait" it will have at highway speeds.

 Dave Kautz
 
 
 
 Bus Type                              RPM @ 60 mph          Performance Index
 
 
 1200 Micro                                3719                   64.5
 
 1500 Micro <gearing for 1 ton GCW>        3575                   67.0
 
 1500 Micro Westfalia  <extra 130 kg>      3575                   59.7
 
 1600 Breadloaf                            3484                   62.7
 
 1600 'loaf Westfalia  <extra 140 kg>      3484                   56.4  
 
 1700 'loaf                                3484                   70.9
 
 1700 'loaf Westfalia  <extra 140 kg>      3484                   64.1
 
 1800 'loaf                                3416                   72.9
 
 1800 'loaf Westfalia  <extra 160 kg>      3416                   65.0
 
 2000 'loaf                                3181                   72.2
 
 2000 'loaf Westfalia  <extra 160 kg>      3181                   64.4
 
 2000 Vanagon                              3072                   66.9
 
 2000 Vanagon Westy <extra 175 kg>         3072                   59.4
 
 1.9 Vanagon Wasserboxer                   3267                   79.1
 
 1.9 Vanagon Westy <extra 175 kg>          3267                   70.3
 
 1.6 Vanagon Diesel                        3650                   52.3
 
 1.6 Vanagon Diesel Westy <extra 175 kg>   3650                   46.7
 
 2.1 Vanagon                               3072                   81.4
 
 2.1 Vanagon Westy <extra 175 kg>          3072                   72.3   
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 '