On Sat, 27 Jun 1998 08:57:58 -0400 Lawrence Johnson said:
>I checked with an old copy (Mar 1992) of Road and Track. They quote stopping
>distances from 80 mph. I used the (70^2/80^2) ratio to calculate 70 mph
>distances for a few vehicles:
>1992 Road and Track   80 to 0 mph   70 to 0 mph
>Infiniti Q45           253 ft        194 ft
>Mercedes 500SL         256 ft        196 ft
>Toyota MR2 Turbo       254 ft        194 ft
>VW Corrado G60         266 ft        204 ft
>Volvo 940 Turbo        256 ft        196 ft
>I find it hard to believe that the Vanagon is in this league.

Hot Damn!! A Fact Fight!! :) ok, i think my buses have pretty good brakes.
for a big shoebox, that is. here's some stuff from Popular Mechanics,
November 1987:
                               weight   0-60 mph   60-0 mph
  manufacturer/model           (lbs)    (sec)      (feet)
Chevy Astro GL                   3500    13.91      134
Dodge Grand Caravan SE          3200      14.37    127
Ford Aerostar XLT                 3600  13.73       132
Mitsubishi Wagon LS             3252     13.89       138
Nissan Van GXE                   3375      15.03   128
Toyota Van LE                  3050        15.90      145
Volkswagen Vanagon GL Syncro      3600      20.95    139

so the Vanagon SYNCRO, heavier than non-syncros (and i don't believe that
3600 lb crap!! :)  stops as quick as the Mitsubishi, almost as quick as the
Chevy, and close to as quick as the Ford ... both in the same weight range
as the vanagon. so if the Mercedes 5000 lb car can stop from 70 mph in
196 feet, yeah, i can believe that a Vanagon could also get very close to
that. maybe 200 or maybe 208 feet.

<rummage, rummage, leafing through more crap ...>
aha. ANOTHER test. by the same people. slightly different vans ...
Popular Mechanics, September 1990. test of 4WD vans!!
                             weight     0-60mph      60-0mph
                             (pounds)   (sec)        (feet)
Chevy Asro All-Wheel Drive    3700        12.4        135
Ford Aerostar 4wd            3600       10.6             162
GMC Safari SLT                3700        12.3         140
Mazda MPV 4WD                  4050      11.0         131
Toyota Previa LE All-Trac     3780       11.0        128
VW Vanagon Sycnro              3950         17.3     127

hmmm. in three years, these people get more confused. :) i just don't believe
a Ford Aerostar would get to 60mph in onlyu 10.6 seconds! but if their braking
figure are to be believed (amazing how much better the brakes on the Syncro
got), the Vanagon Syncro ain't too bad. now, that's NOT a Camper. add that
much additional weight, and you stretch out your stopping a good bit. add
people to a non-camper non-sycnro and you'll feel the same effect: it takes
a LOT longer to stop a heavier vehicle. period. don't believe it? get in
front of one of those 18-wheelers when he HAS to stop. :(

ok, moving right along to Road & Track (whose figures i'll be much more
inclined to believe). ;) from somewhere in 1984 (i think), a test of the
first water-cooled Vanagon:
0-60mph .... 18.3 seconds        60-0mph .... 178 ft.
0-70mph .... 31.5 seconds. :)    80-0mph .... 297 ft. almost a football field!
                                    (but that is 80 mph!!)
control in panic stop ......... very good
pedal efford or 0.5g stop ..... 25 lb
fade: percent increase in pedal efford to maintain 0.5g deceleration in
      6 stops from 60mph ...... 36
overall brake rating .......... very good

from another magazine (don't know which one. but pictures are of an 85
vanagon):
Vanagon GL $11,700 (what year was THAT!!)
0-60 mph ................ 17.99 seconds
60-0 mph ................ 154 feet

from Popular Science, 1983 (don't know which month. says "Car Test #182"
picture caption: "The VW Vanagon posted a sterling 154-foot cold stop.
It then slid to an even-shorter 153-foot hot stop."
Performance comparison with selected models
                               weight     0-60mph      60-0mph
                               (lbs)      (sec)        (feet, hot)
1979 Ford Chateau Club V8      .....      12.0            145
1979 Chevy Nomad Sport V8      .....        13.5           150
1979 Dode Royal Sportsman V8   .....      12.3         137
Plymouth Voyager                 3105       17.4            164
Dodge Vista                    2553          15.3         145
Toyota Van LE                   2945          19.5             180
VW Vanagon                        3296       20.6          153
<why they include the top three, i don't know>

so anyway, that's all i've got. i picked on the water-cools cause they are
heavier. what does this prove? nothing really. your brakes are only as good
as you maintain them. the best brakes in the world on the best car in the
world are no damned good if you don't keep the rotors and pads and calipers
in good shape. AND REPLACE THE DAMNED BRAKE FLUID!!! :)

but i'm happy with my brakes on my bus. i can feel the extra weight in my
camper (versus my non-camper), and it does make a difference. but i still
they are pretty good. not great. but good. want some REALLY good brakes??
go test drive a Mercedes C230 or a Toyota Celica GT. man, those are some
GOOOOOOOOOOOD brakes. and almost affordable. ;)

joel