I have this report on Go Claws saved and hope to someday have them get me
where I need to go along with a LSD and Subie 2.5 power. Sorry for the
bandwidth  having trouble accessing via archives.-David Clarkson

 From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On  Behalf Of
Todd Olson
Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2008 7:00 PM
To:  vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: GoClaws are awesome! Playing in the snow  report.

Hello Fellow Vanagon Pilots!

Let me start by saying I do  not work for GoClaws and they are not paying me
for these comments. I am just  so impressed with the engineering of this
product that I had to give everyone  a report. GoClaws is an alternative to
conventional tire chains. I like  things that are unique and well
engineered.
This is why I like Vanagon  Westfalia Campers. GoClaws is without a doubt a
unique and well engineered  product.

There was some discussion on the list a while back about  tire chains. This
started me on my quest to find the perfect tire chain for  my Vanagon. One
day I stumbled upon GoClaws and I posted them to the Vanagon  list for
everyone to see. They seemed very intriguing so I ordered a set. I  figured
if they sucked I would try to send them back.

I just  got my set of GoClaws today and could not wait to try them out. We
have been  receiving lots of snow this week. Our ground in Western Michigan
is covered  by 10-14 inches of fresh, wet, heavy snow. Under the snow is a
thick layer of  ice because we started out the week with an ice storm. I
have
a 2WD Vanagon  Westy that is absolutely terrible in the snow with its
Michelin Agilis tires  and standard 2WD transmission. But when I put the
GoClaws on the rear tires  today I blazed through fresh snow that was 10-14
inches deep. I even busted  through a snow drift that was close to 2 feet
deep. I took off down a two  track trail that had not been driven on yet
making new tracks and the van  just ripped through it like an animal. For a
fleeting moment I thought I was  driving a Syncro. I was in the height of my
glory when I got stuck going up a  small grade. The snow was around 14-16
inches deep and had drifted in a low  spot at the base of the small hill. My
first thought was my wife was going to  kill me. She was already laughing at
me because she knew I was about to go do  something stupid. But I was able
to
rock the van back and forth about 4 or 5  times, each time going farther up
the hill until I made it  out.

My drive way is another good test because it is a steep  sheet of ice. I
could drive up the driveway and stop half way, and start out  again without
loosing traction. I was also able to back up the driveway  slowly without
loosing traction.

My Vanagon has factory alloys  on it so one thing that was important to me
when I was researching tire  chains was to find a solution that would not
scratch the alloys. And these  being rubber don't tear up the wheels.

I love these things and  can't wait to try them out on mud and sand. When I
get a chance this summer  to use them off road, I will give another report
to
let everyone know how  they worked.

I can't wait to go four wheeling again! (ok. two  wheeling with style)

To watch videos and find out more about  GoClaws you can find there info
at:

http://www.flextrax.com/

Wishing you many miles of  smiles!

Todd Olson

Buses By the Beach

In a message dated 12/30/2009 12:37:57 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
dhanson928@GMAIL.COM writes:

One of  the few areas where I fault my 84 Vanagon manual tranny low-top
'westie' is  it's lack of ability to go.  I am now committed to 'saving up'
for a  limited slip diff.

I am a very good snow driver.  I lived over 20  years in Jackson Hole,
Wyoming and drove to work at the ski area every  day.  My Ski Patrol job had
me arriving there at  an ungodly hour  to shoot the avalanche control guns
on
stormy mornings, so my commute was  often before any snow plows, through
drifts white-out storms, etc.  I  had a variety of vehicles during those
years, not one a 4wd and yet I  rarely got stuck or couldn't make it where I
needed to go.

But this Vanagon really frustrates me.  It's simply not good at  all...in
fact it is 'amazingly' poor.  I keep trying, thinking "Hey,  it can't be
THAT
bad, maybe if I_______ this time" and like that.  It  feels like it should
do
OK.  I've been over all the suspension looking  for reasons why it sucks..I
have decent tires.  The "open  differential" must be waay more open than any
other vehicle I have ever  owned..Even my old long bed 2wd six cylinder ford
pickup had better  wintertime traction without any weight at all in  the
back...."Amazing"..
Just yesterday I tried again to 'leave  our Hill' in the Vanagon with a
little snow (about 3-5") on our gravel  driveway.  Couldn't make it back
up...missed by about 20' and had to  go get the pickup to tow it up the rest
of the way.
Even with  Nokian Hakka M+S with decent tread and a  rear decklid loaded
with  ballast (480lbs of stove pellet bags) the van just would not make  the
grade...The van is virtually useless with any snow whatsoever.  I  had to
'un-mothball' my diesel Ford truck!  I must be beyond the  "Denial" stage
finally.

Don  Hanson