So how does everyone else drive their kombi? Where abouts in the rev range do you shift?
I shift around 2000rpm in my 2l type 4. I have been told that driving around town in 4th gear is a no no. Can cause carbon build up and piston/valve damage. Is this true?
cheers
1st 2nd and 3rd are flat out to 140kmh (6000/6500 rpm per gear change) Fourth is for overdrive😂 With yours,3rd should be good for around town and 4th over 60kmh.
tssnq.com.au
In our stock 1800 bus, gearshift was at 3000rpm. Now with the Suby motor, that can be stretched to 6000rpm. 🙂
well... in useless a$$ 1st gear... it runs out for a few secs turning cinto traffic from a stop... alot of the time im almost at the end of the 2nd gear ratio turning out... LOL :P
on a highway or in town... dunno the exact revs... cos I aint got a tacho, but Iusually try to get the most oomph by using as much of each ratio as i canwithout the motor screaming... although 1st screams anyway LOL. up to about 60k's... I like to stay in 3rd... or up even to 80k's in areas where there are many roundabouts or intersections. above 80k's i go to 4th. up hills I shift down to 3rd if need be... but it tackles most hills fine in 4th anyway... 3rd just gives it a bit of a feel-good kick in the backside. 😀... I take roundabouts and most corners in 3rd... cos in it 2nd screams it its guts out... :P
1976 Kombi Trakka camper, "Buttercup"... driver.
1976 Beluxe Microbus, "Saphir"... resto.
1974 Kombi panelvan, "George"... shed.
1974 Superbug, "Schmeetle"... resto.
[img]http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b366/cMy has an inbuild rattle at the perfect gear change point. :o
I don't know what rattles is but it is mysteriously at the right gear change point for each gear. (no tacho)
But generally its 2nd around 90 degree corners and 3rd around built up areas, 4th when its a good clear open road.
And 5th when..............well I have tried for a 5th a couple of time just in case I have been some how blessed by the Kombi Gods, I am still waiting!! :jesus
Jeremy
Yeah that 5th gear is bloody hard to find.
Rob...
Boxer Power
Member of DMLRK.....Die Mittler Lebuns Resto Komeradschaft
My gear-change light comes on at 4200 rpom, but by then the 2 litre is *way* out of breath. I change at about 3200, 3900 when trying to keep up with faster traffic. My tacho goes to 11000, which leaves some headroom for engine development.
In practical terms, this is similar to what Schmo has posted about 2 posts up ^^^.
Peter Hill
1975 Type 2 Double Cab
modulus.com.au4000 + RPM all the time.
alwyas have a bruise on my arm from the lil lady!!! :kiss
[ Edited on 19/3/2006 by twoguns ]
Simply Cruzin'...
nothing like an 11000rpm monster tach in vw specially a tame one. lol
my 1600 Lbug can get going fine again from 1400rpm in top gear which is about 40km/h
a heavy kombi though would need higher revs to keep on the boil
Joel
DUB74L wrote:a heavy kombi though would need higher revs to keep on the boil
Joel
That's why I've got this; for the higher revs...
Peter Hill
1975 Type 2 Double Cab
modulus.com.auin my 2ltr air-cooled caravelle,about 4000rpm all the time,as only revs to about 4500 anyway,but i love to wind it out between buildings etc , cause the straight through muffler sounds so good😀 heads turn then they see its just a VW bus 😂
meetings 1st sunday of the month
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All Welcome
http://www.flatfour.org/
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https://www.facebook.com/FlatFourpod wrote:heads turn then they see its just a VW bus 😂
They see it is a real bus
🙂
Like the WRX that wanted to drag our bus at the lights and he stalled it, while we took off and changed into second at 6000rpm. Would have sounded awesome from the back.
76camper wrote:So how does everyone else drive their kombi?
sideways!
THe MC Bat Commander's motto: "Never do now, what you could do for 24 hours straight, all night, the night before."
cool seeming how every1 else drive. I usually shift pretty early, i guess im more conservative... but i get plenty of the low end torque and find that anywhere past 3k gets pretty crappy power wise but i do occasionally wind it up to 70 or 80 in 3rd. But generally i shift at about 2-2.5k unless im in a hurry or trying to show off to the good looking blonde checking out my rear :-)
hehe, volksies do sound so good revved, although i think i will have to stop doing that now that i have a tripmeter so i can tell for certain how bad my fuel consumption is when i let her run. as far as changes, on flat roads i am most always in top at 60+ although as has been stated, they are very happy to drive all day at 70 in third and have a nice sweet spot right there
Reimagined/Recycled/Upcycled Cool
sits on 110 klms at 3,800 rpm all day. Mitchl
23 windows ...8 too many!
G'day,
Wow!!! compared to most of the posts above I drive very sedately in the Desert Splitty, but then again I'm usually 100s of ks from home out in the outback, just me and the wife, on our own, usually no passing traffic, so can't afford for anything to go wrong. That being said, when I'm closer to home it's nice to give it a bit of a squirt to listen to the exhaust note, people say they can hear all over town (small town).
Cheers, Ian.
Excentric (wife says) VW nut, having owned 250+ VWs in 40 years.
hehe... I love the high revving 3rd gear sound... but nothing is more blood curdling and awful sounding than a kombi screaming at the top of 1st pulling out onto a main road :duh 🙁
hdeheh.. sounds as though the heads are gonn blow right out from under her 😂
1976 Kombi Trakka camper, "Buttercup"... driver.
1976 Beluxe Microbus, "Saphir"... resto.
1974 Kombi panelvan, "George"... shed.
1974 Superbug, "Schmeetle"... resto.
[img]http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b366/cYea, first gear is waaaaaaay to small. I only ever give it a little blip to get the car moving....
no tacho, so i shift around 20kph, 40kph, 60kph.
calculated approx rpm:
2900
3000
2800
3500 to 4000 for all changes. Helps me keep away from those mummies in their dorky 4WD's.
im with bus 914 thats the ruff KMS/HR i change at on a flat road 👍
Founding member of the C'town Rat-Pack
Good one Craig - haven't got a techo so go by the noise factor
Let me out, When I call my name
IGOR is ALIVE !!!! 😎
hehe...when you see your cylinder heads wedged in some ricers chrome rims, you know it's time too shift soon! 😂
1976 Kombi Trakka camper, "Buttercup"... driver.
1976 Beluxe Microbus, "Saphir"... resto.
1974 Kombi panelvan, "George"... shed.
1974 Superbug, "Schmeetle"... resto.
[img]http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b366/clol
I found with the 1800 gearbox it was shift at 20, 40, 60kph - top final speed 110kph
with the 2 litre box it became 25, 50, 75 kph - top final speed 120kph
wow, 120kph!! wat sorta revs was that pulling? Will a kombi motor sit at 100-110 comfortably?
110 was 3300 with the 1800 box and pretty comfortable 3100 rpm with the 2 litre box
Now we have been able to get 160 kph with the Suby motor. at 4500rpm. Not on a public road though.
Please remember our bus is not a camper.
My 2 litre will sit at 110km/h all day, with oil temp running around 95-100º.
In the Qld summer you have to learn to backoff and rest at around 90km/h every so often, but the temp gauge usually gives you a rough idea when to cool it.
I need to use the freeway every day so these speeds are the only safe ones - otherwise you become a mobile chicane.
