We Take a VW Bug Off-Road In The Colorado Rockies | Beetle Diaries Ep. 3

[@TFLnow]

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[@Slingsomelead]

TFLnow when are you guys going to start posting this type of content over there?

[@brcarlos]

Please, update the channel icons (logo). They all look the same on my Iphone and I need to click on multiple channels to figure out which one is the one I'm looking for.

[@karlsmith2570]

TFLnow gotta admit, the super beetle is a pretty stout little car I honestly wouldn't have thought that it would have even been able to get 1/3 of the way up that trail

[@betitos007]

Its the drivers fault the beetle is struggling up that hill and might need a carb adjustment

[@bandit911]

Alberto Garcia well said 👍 carb definitely needs adjustment as that trail should be no problem for that bug if it was running correctly

[@SladesVWBeetle]

Jay Tee Exactly!!

[@ericrinehart6643]

Yup, it was running rough before they even started. A tune-up would have helped a lot. AND DON'T LUG AN AIR-COOLED ENGINE!! Maybe if the other guy was wearing appropriate off-roading shoes.

[@4wdsome444]

“The engine just died” no you stalled it

[@philtripe]

if you are moving 3 mph and are floored the carbs are bogging down and putting in way to much fuel. you actually have to let off the gas a little in that situation or get the rpm's up

[@williamribeiro7991]

dude, i've seen beetles doing a lot of crazy stuff! don't ever doubt on a beetle. LOL

[@dustbuggy]

William Ribeiro right!! My super baja proves me wrong all the time 😁

[@luccerio]

Class 16 baja 1000 run 1600 cc and race 1000 miles thru HELL...

[@Offshore1977]

These Beetles back in the day were converted to Dune buggies and due to their light weight were able to go places Jeeps and other 4x4’s would get stuck in

[@Shakerhood69]

The Standard Beetle is a much better choice for off road than the Super Beetle they are using do to the front suspension.

[@ryand1683]

What’s funny is that the two cars probably have the same power to weight ratio.

[@GenerationAI2024]

the beetle is made to go offroad, in fact its made to drive everywhere ;)

[@Desertfox92308]

No Beetles were actually harmed during the filming of this segment! Lol

[@SladesVWBeetle]

Norm K. 😂

[@davidcataldo1222]

I was told a story about a big custom 4X4 going up a really steep hill and when they got to the top there was a stock VW bug

[@russlehman2070]

When I was a kid, my parents owned a Scout. We went up a lot of back roads in Colorado that we thought were suitable only for a 4 wheel drive, only to find a VW bug made it before we did.

[@arnenystrom4283]

Me and my family have owned VW Beetles for over 20 years and have never had issues with them offroad. Unfortunately, yours sounds really sick, like it needs a complete tune up. First, get rid of all the 70's smog crap on the engine, it doesn't work and makes the engine run like crap. if you have a clean, properly tuned Solex 30 PICT 1 or 34 PICT 3 (depending on engine configuration), you should be able to go anywhere without issues. Also, make sure your timing is set correctly. On Beetles, timing is everything. The great thing about the Beetle is all you need is a flat head screw driver, a 10MM socket, a feeler gauge and a timing light and you have every tool you'll ever need to tune a Beetle. As far as offroad, the 68 is about the best for offroad. Swing axle rear suspension (which really digs into stuff) with 4 wheel torsion bars and you can almost go anywhere. But even the Beetle you have has one big advantage over any modern car including the Jeep, hardly anything under the vehicle to get damaged. You can drive it almost as rough as you want and as long as you don't break off the sump oil screen, you're good. As a kid, I remember driving through a rough offroad trail at 40MPH with a friend and the only damage I had was I broken shock and the muffler. I drove to the parts store, in the same car, spent $30 for parts, an a hour in the stores parking lot and the Beetle was good as new.

[@josegallardo7467]

@ Arne Nystrom please can you be more specific when you mention: 70's smog crap on the engine,it doesn't work and makes the engine run like crap,if you have a clean,properly tuned solex 30 PICT or 34 PICT 3? Thanks

[@ferryengr]

Youngins. Unlike many of your VW driving forebears, you would have never made to the many backwoods keggers in the 1970's.

[@jeffiwanski407]

Having driven a 73 basic beatle, it sounds like your valves need adjusted. A VW thing had more ground clearance

[@Stuka87]

Next time don't floor it at low rpm, you will actually lose power.

[@akishot6735]

@@scdevon every day man

[@patrickirish8110]

Completely ridiculous, but genuinely funny. The Beetle Misadventures continue.

[@RaCology]

Hi. Nice channel! I'm the happy owner of a white 99’ Beetle made in Mexico. I'm the only owner since it leaves the factory. I'm in love with that car. Ok, now... You guys exaggerated a little bit. A Beetle in good condition can go up in that trail with reasonable caution, is not so hard. I think you are too affraid to damage your borrowed collector Beetle

[@Bugdriver49]

A little tough on the clutch but not hard to replace....just did my 70' two days ago.

[@bunning63]

Yep, went up worse than that in my 59, very exaggerated.

[@thepast6182]

Yeah. I was thinking the same thing. I’ve been up much worse in my 74 Beetle at altitudes like that. Either they don’t know how to drive it or it has a mechanical problem. That thing should have been ripping up the rocks and throwing them if it were really floored.

[@RaCology]

Joseph Stansel I think they stupidly drive it. It is true that you can damage the oil compartment, whatever. The least you want is to pass over a large rock. Otherwise you can lead it on such a path. I insist: drive it reasonably.

[@Impactjunky]

There was definitely something wrong with the carb, even with 60 HP it should have been spitting gravel at WOT

[@bernardhossmoto]

Cool video. Remember Big Green did not make it up there with the carburetor. Carb's need to be re-jetted for that height. You should also open the engine lid if you are stressing the Beetle at low speeds, helps cooling the engine with more air.

[@nlpnt]

I think it would've made it up a similarly rugged hill if the base was at sea level.

[@sugarnads]

nlpnt yeah it was the altitude that killed it not the slope per se.

[@67cuda38]

The carb needed adjusting, and with the beetle you kinda have to blast through things. Their tough, but need momentum, and a good driver. I've had many, and still have a 69. Although I have scouts too, the beetle is one of the toughest cars ever made ! Scouts are the epitome of tough suv's.

[@7erDave]

You need to tune that carburetor better, especially considering the altitude, need to rejet it. Then you won't be bogging as you go up that hill. Come on guys, don't give the beetle a bad name, its obvious that the carb was flooding out.

[@jengel451]

Please look at SCORE Class 11 and see what the mighty bug is capable of.......

[@CreatedMind]

@Allen Tompkins Why are you yelling?

[@GrahamCStrouse]

The Type 1 had a 65 year production run. Gotta respect that...

[@patriley9449]

I had a Meyers Manx dune buggy with the bus transaxle and it would go an amazing amount of places. I am guessing it would tackle this hill easily. The bus transaxle gave it lower gearing and more ground clearance. In the early 70s when my brother had a 1943 Ford Jeep and another friend had a then new Toyota 4 wheel drive pickup, I would run circles around them in sand or snow. Light weight, low gearing, engine over the driving wheels, a flat pan underside, a larger more powerful engine, turning brakes to stop one wheel from spinning, high ground clearance and bigger mud and snow tires really made this thing go many places. I wish I had kept it. It was crude, but so much fun.

[@prestonj5371]

Super beetles are very very rarely used in off-road because of the McPherson strut front end standard beetles are used in the Baja races but are still modified but they still have the beam front end

[@shellcracker18]

Preston J and that’s why super beetles rock. They haven’t been bastardized into bajas

[@joannaatkins822]

I'd love to see you put EFI on that little bug, then tackle this again OR perhaps even try your truck towing test (sans trailer obviously) to showcase the impressive abilities of that charming little bug

[@quillmaurer6563]

I've converted a '73 Super Beetle fairly similar to this to EFI - Megasquirt ECU and Mexibeetle manifolds. As well as not being quite as influenced by tilting or bumps as the carburetor, it also has a ton more low-speed torque, something I hadn't anticipated. Would make a massive improvement for trying something like this.

[@BlackCatRedScarf]

The MegaSquirt is an excellent option. If I got a Beetle (or any car with this engine), I would probably use that ECU, because the fuel delivery will be much better while tilting, the mixture can be fine tune with wideband oxygen sensor and the spark advance can be optimized along ALL the RPM range of the engine (which will seriously improve the lower end torque and a bit on the high end). I may not use a MS ECU on a Beetle, but I use it on some Ford Zetec Rocam (Duratec 8v in EU) engines... It's a nice upgrade even for such well optimized engines.

[@kwoods3379]

Ti M lol megasquirt

[@venzetti1]

I love these super beetle diaries. I hope they never end! One of my favorite classic cars.

[@cclapew]

Super Beatles were notorious weak in the front end with McPherson strut suspension, where you could off road the previous versions of the beatle off road and do surprisingly well the super beatle would most likely pound the struts out of service in a very short time

[@anthonydeshong5730]

Love the Beetle Diaries....keep'em coming....😆😉👌✌👊

[@tannicapple]

My papa use to use a beetle for deer hunting lol he said him and his brother (both big guys) would hit the creek just a little faster and it would basically skip across. I love these things and want one myself

[@nathanmyers638]

Should have just sent it! Best hill climbing off road worthy car ever built.

[@finerbiner]

First car was a 64 bug. That 48Hp would do a lot of 4 wheeling. It got stuck a lot though. Four guys can pick it up over almost anything. You would be shocked where we got that thing. Sometimes with a pony keg in it.

[@s643]

hey mate, good videos thanks for the effort! You need to press the clutch and give some gas before start to go up hill so that the engine "wakes up"... it's a characteristic hack. flooring the gas only doesn't work %90 of the time.

[@brcc8208]

Great video guys! Install some all-terrain tires and attempt it again. It will improve the situation greatly. Thanks for the enteratinment!

[@razzorbladz]

i drove my stock 69 VW strait past a bunch of 4WD's who were stopped locking in their hubs because of extreme soft sand and ate that soft sand for breakfast you should have seen the looks on their faces so i turned around and started doing sideways action through that soft sand shooting rooster tails out the back hahaha

[@petervollers]

Loving this series.

[@shambles3458]

We did this with my friends beetle yesterday here in Colorado and it fared much better

[@chldof1truekng434]

OK a couple things Make sure valves are adjusted Good quality synthetic oil Run a lead additive With super unleaded. Volkswagen beetles are amazing Keep the RPM's up With a little speed And just go for it You will be amazed at what they can do. And if you break anything It's cheap and easy to fix.

[@hertzair1186]

60 HP on a Beetle was alot! My ‘74 SB had 48...

[@salsalero1277]

I had a '71 super beetle and I went deer hunting in it in the Sierra Nevada 7500 elevation,way more difficult road than what you drove on, with no problems. You can't drive a stick shift.

[@jeandremarais336]

I have a 70 vw bug and yes thats nothin for my bug. Ive taken it places no one whould dare. Vw bug is the best in the world.

[@drummerspenc]

Always use your hand break when starting on an incline! No need to over rev or roll back which saves your clutch.

[@willseeadventures]

Great video guys! My very first off road experience was in a stock 73' type A in the San Bernardino Mountains, this video brings back fond memories!

[@coryernewein]

My father took myself and my mother up an old trail like gold mine hill (but in BC) in an 89 ford tempo with a stick. It handled it well enough and at the top were some guys in a land Rover and they were killing themselves. Awesome job guys, sweet reminder of fun times.

[@shawnkowalewski7695]

And the traction added by the red Vans. 👍

[@stevetong9899]

DO YOU THINK ORIGINAL VW BEETLE CAN'T CLIMBING THE HILLS ? ABSOLUTELY CAN CLIMBING THE HILLS ! EVENT NO TURBO ! STILL CAN ! JUST NEED USED RIGHT TIRES, CHOSEN RIGHT GEARS ! CLASSIC BEETLE GO ANYWAY !

[@ingodehaene5159]

sympatike gasten , tof thema , doet mij denken aan mijnjonge jaren in de steengroeve in duitsland , grevenbroisch

[@regsparkes6507]

I was wondering when somebody would say something about Mike's bright red sneakers,..but I didn't expect it to come from one of ' your own', Mike! Great fun time video guys,...Well done. ( Although I did 'cry' a bit when I saw you going up The Hill with it.)

[@Queensizemusic]

Jesus! Be nice to that low mileage, beautiful machine!!

[@HeidiandFranny]

That was fun! We took the 356 up that road a ways looking for a restraint ;) go Felix!

[@Van-Hammer]

That was fun and hilarious! It was also very unhealthy -You must try to avoid eating so much dust and fumes. Next time, let Tommy do the pushing for a change.😂😂

[@Ohminen]

In finland we drive those hills at winter when its snowy. They used to advert beetle in Finland:"How does snowplower get to work? With beetle" You just can't drive. Nothing wrong with the car.

[@tomm7096]

Not sure what the point of this video was but it was painful to watch a stock beetle subjected to this pointless drill. Two things of serious note: 1. Pushing a car going up a dirt hill/road is about as dangerous as it gets and 2. If the point of the video was hill climbing ability then you should have done this in reverse. The car has significantly greater hill climbing ability in reverse. If you are going to continue to abuse that nice car let me offer to buy it before it is lost for good. BTW, a 1958 beetle with a 36hp engine has a 37% slope climbing ability in 1st gear. You were not even close to that. I’d say you were at no more than 12-15%.

[@alabama2uz]

I had rear air shocks put on my '73 back in the day. Put the valves under the corners of the trunk. Shot of air would raise it 4". Damn thing would going almost anywhere, even if you had to float for a few seconds before the tires hit ground again.

[@dantheman9395]

Dayum Michael! Rockin those red Vans! 🤪🤪🤪🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@terryravey2248]

my 74 superbeetle runs great at 9000ft in central Colorado, you might want to adjust the carborator for the right altitude

[@philguzman6932]

Vans are great for EVERYTHING!

[@heybulldog137]

Oh please. She'll go right up there...

[@trevorsteele341]

My Baja has a gearbox from an early 70s VW Bus, the gearing is so low I can go up anything with a stock 1600 single barrel Solex 30 and with 31 inch all terrain tires. I have driven on black diamond rated Jeep trails (see video in profile). It was most likely running extremely lean in the mountains and lost power. I will soon be running an old school 2180cc with Porsche rods, go fast parts, and dual carbs for well over 120 horsepower.

[@naeemhussain1295]

Trevor Steele please me the link to the vedio

[@travismaddox2393]

Beetles are the best

[@cheesepaper3031]

Sounds like it has a 30PICT carb. A 2 barrel Weber would give good fuel. For offroad. The bug can be a very capable off road machine. Used to go in deep sugar sand in Florida an not get stuck once. Same type of tires too. They had adverts of the bug jumping around off road in the early 70s.

[@mtnman3MTA3]

So,you took the car off pavement but not off road... My 1st car was a ‘59 VW, 36 hp, I think I could have driven up that road.

[@jbl500]

About 35 yr ago. I loaded a 67 beatle with 7 bags of cement each 30kg Strong small car and we used to get 6 guys inside these car and 6 more inside the Fiat 600. Aka fitito

[@maxpenrose9480]

Beatles are surprisingly good at off road stuff

[@atom31b]

Fyi super beetles are not used for off road because they have a terrible front suspension compared to the older ones

[@olilambert4416]

You should try to fit the whole crew in the beetle ;) Have fun !

[@russlehman2070]

As you discovered, the biggest deficiency for a stock beetle for offroading was gearing. They had good ground clearance and pretty good traction, but on steep, rough uphills, the gearing just wasn't low enough to climb at a slow enough speed not to tear them up. Most baja bugs and dune buggies had lower (higher numeric) ring and pinion gears installed.

[@shipwrecked2006]

i beg to differ the beetle was built to go anywhere

[@loft4me]

Salomons! Now this guy has some trail running shoes!

[@ChuddleBuggy]

The Beetle is actually known to be a good offroad car in Brazil. Being that your Super is a US market Beetle, it will be equipped with taller gearing and is therefore not ideal for going off road. Someone already commented about not flooring the gas pedal and they were right about you losing power that way instead. Not only that but you also risk hurting the engine by lugging it (high load, low rpm) and I find it quite surprising you didn't make it "knock" bad driving it that way.

[@wesleyslapass6519]

Definitely make the Super Beetle into a Baja Beetle, it would be dope AF because Baja is Awesome..

[@quillmaurer6563]

Baja Beetles are made from standard beetles with the torsion bar front suspension, which to my understanding is more durable than the MacPherson on Super Beetles. Easier to lift as well. From what I've seen standard is better for off-roading, while the super has much better handling. So if going off road get a standard, if doing tracks or autocross, or just wanting a great daily driver, get the super.

[@ejf0255]

LoL. This is hysterical !!! Awesome. 60 hp that's all a Beetle has. Wow. I did not realize this. Still want one.

[@jedironin380]

Next up... The Ike Gauntlet! Max towing trailer weight of...oohh... about 50 lbs. Just tie a lawn mower to the rear bumper. ;)

[@frederickevans4113]

It is a little bit more than 50 lbs. kzbin.info/www/bejne/a2e7fWOKrth8pJI

[@twoeightythreez]

jedironin380 people used to tow pop up campers with these things

[@jedironin380]

Totally joking around guys, relax. A friend of mine had one of these, and we stuffed LOTS of stuff in it regularly. They failed to mention the shelf behind the rear seat, too!

[@calbob750]

I don’t think Ferdinand Porsche had this type of road in mind when he designed the Volkswagen to meet the specifications Der Fuehrer created to meet Germany’s need for a People’s Car. The next stunt would be to drive into a pond to prove how long it will float before sinking. This was a popular stunt in the sixties and requires no additional modification. Just have a tow truck and scuba diver available for when the VW loses its buoyancy. Happy Motoring!

[@jamesc.5734]

It take 2 people pushing , that's why it's called the "People's Car" :o) My first car was a 71 bug. I put a 2 barrel carb a an extractor pipe, must have had at least 100 HP then.

[@sonofabear2270]

You guys should've called this episode "Broke back mountain."

[@glennslendrian4031]

I have a 71 VW 1300, if I didn’t hesitate I’d make it up the trail, I’m seriously doubting you floored it

[@dave8599]

my stock 61 Bug made plenty of trailheads where only jeeps had made it to.

[@GIGABACHI]

Has that poor little German P.O.S been tuned for that altitude ? Maybe that would help enough if not done already. Maybe a general tune up like many have already suggested ? Valve clearances, carb tuning for altitude, clean filters, synthetic fluids ?

[@coreygrace258]

Alot better driver as well

[@jonhubbard5787]

The fact that you choose shoes over boots, tells me all I need to know.

[@halidehelux5221]

Ohhhhh....we got a tough guy here.

[@MrRedtaco11]

I was waiting for the video to change to black & white and Charlie Chaplin come out and making a slient movie.

[@elijahbrooks8589]

Love it!!! These are great off road cars in Florida sand nice to see it can climb as well!

[@brandonott7258]

Must be the high altitude like they are saying. My 74 beetle climbs way better but I’m in Oklahoma. It’s not fast but first gear is unstoppable, also have a new 31 pic-4 on it too and more open exhaust. Enjoyed video, good work!

[@keithw372]

the engine is not over the rear tires... it is behind it

[@k.r.v.4219]

I can write with total confidence, the Bug, or in this case a Beetle, is a better off road and on road vehicle that any other four seat, 60 hp, 4 speed street legal vehicle in existence! Especially two wheel drive! The only vehicle with that power spec that comes close is a Suzuki Samurai . However I have to add a torsion bar front suspension Bug has an advantage off road, over the strut Beetle! One more item, a Super Beetle has a curved windshield and more front leg room than a regular Beetle, that has the struts, but a flat windshield. On another note, a late model Corvair, with just some mild mods could get a lot further.

[@LlyleHunter]

You're so right about the sneakers Tom. I've always worn running shoes but found a pair of denim walking shoes like Mike's red shoes just the other day. On the way home my feet slipped off of my bicycle peddles twice and later that day my foot slipped off of the brake pedal on my Durango when making a stop. They look great with Kakis though.

[@rhettdopwell9367]

I grew up on cars like that and live up a steeper hill (you would not even try to push on my hill, it's life and death) so I am pretty sure it needs a tune up at least. It also sounds like it is being starved for fuel or the exhaust is blocked. Sort that thing out and it will surprise you.

[@MrJohn1966elliott]

My Former Old 1970 VW Beetle was modified gears box ( Low Ratio ) with Holden VB Commodore Clutch. make for lots of muscle pull of boat trailer.

[@MistahFox]

Oh boy, wait tell they learn about the Kübelwagen!

[@Shadow_Wolf_190]

Anyone gonna miss the Beetle?

[@AladdinSaneNYC]

Wolfghost729 I will and do!

[@harles5000]

I miss them already so I bought a 2019 Wolfsburg Edition, but I should never have sold my 1969 Super Beetle.

[@VWLiftKits]

Fantastic video! VW Vochos Rule!

[@6.5x55]

Lordy its a beetle...folks in the rest of the world have run these over roads in that shape for 60 years.

[@davidgowdy3177]

That little car with a 1600 cc engine dual port has more power than what you have now I have a 73 bone stock with a 1600 CC and I go all kinds of places off road

[@steveavery4453]

A Volkswagen Beetle requires frequent maintenance.The valves should be adjusted every 3000 miles. These should be checked before driving a car just purchased. I suggest the manual by John Muir How to Keep A Volkswagen Alive For The Complete Mechanical Idiot

[@curvearounddog3377]

I own that.

[@zelenizub2036]

Why not after every fuel stop, or eaven better every night.

[@sumofl]

@@zelenizub2036 lmao okay if you want to but its only necessary after every 3-6 or when they start sounding loose, i do it at every oil change.

[@arthurramalho778]

Good video. Make some modifications on the beetle and try again...

[@casanovavw72]

FYI: The low gear in an auto stick beetle is perfect for off roading with lots of torque to climb hills. I know because I've climbed many of hills in a stock beetle with auto stick. There's also history where people used the auto stick in Baja beetles because of this fact. I would have loved to drive my auto stick super beetle in this video to see how she would have done. ✌️👍👍

[@AttainingExcellence1]

I told, I'm not going to like this episode, but I love it😂

[@TheViny633]

Tune the damn thing up I have outdone many Yota’s in a 72 super beetle. I’m sure the older guys could have set it up for the kids driving

[@jean-paulvanewijk1810]

5:32 this is the only type of car that people will apologize to and mean it.

[@LlyleHunter]

I've said many times that your relationship with VW isn't like a relationship with a car. It's like a relationship with On of your pets. It's the same with a Golf. They're happy little cars made at VW.

[@masbeetleboy]

60hp? More like 50hp in stock form. did you re jet the carb on the way to the mountains?