Hijet traction and slippery slopes

Gordon

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Jan 24, 2011
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I love my little 2 wheel drive hijet. A 1998 gem that seems to keep going despite the best efforts of local mechanics tackling it and seemingly out to stop it. she keeps ticking merrily like the little engine that could. i think i can i think i can.

This year coming out of rainy season I have found she sometimes spends a lot more effort going up my steep concrete driveway. The driveway is covered with a slick algae like coating that is pretty slippery when a bit of moisture is added and that is almost daily now.

Question #1 - what is the treatment to reinstate the driveway to optimal surface for tire traction. I have heard one can put an acid wash, bleach off the algae, powerwash it away and various other suggestions. Does anyone have some experience in what actually works best and easiest?

Question #2 (and more) - do oversize tires, maybe with a snow grip style tread, work to increase the hijet traction? i see some trucks around with ATV looking tires but it would be putting an 8" tire on a 7" rim. where would be the best place to buy better treaded suitable tires. other thoughts appreciated such as adding weight over the rear wheels without making the truck useless for regular activity.
Thanks
 

gandolf50

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Apr 17, 2011
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Power washing with a bleach solution works good, but you need to do it seversal times a year. We used to do it on our boat ramp around every three months. Only problem is the "bleach" part puts the "greenies" up in arms!
 

Gordon

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Jan 24, 2011
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thanks gandolf50. I saw a fascinating documentary on chloro and it described it as the most powerful yet instantly innocuous chemical. it is an amazing product even for chemists and quite safe apparently. eats everything bad and nothing good except clothing dyes
 

wuarhat

I am a out of touch hippie.
Nov 13, 2006
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I love my little 2 wheel drive hijet. A 1998 gem that seems to keep going despite the best efforts of local mechanics tackling it and seemingly out to stop it. she keeps ticking merrily like the little engine that could. i think i can i think i can.

This year coming out of rainy season I have found she sometimes spends a lot more effort going up my steep concrete driveway. The driveway is covered with a slick algae like coating that is pretty slippery when a bit of moisture is added and that is almost daily now.

Question #1 - what is the treatment to reinstate the driveway to optimal surface for tire traction. I have heard one can put an acid wash, bleach off the algae, powerwash it away and various other suggestions. Does anyone have some experience in what actually works best and easiest?

Question #2 (and more) - do oversize tires, maybe with a snow grip style tread, work to increase the hijet traction? i see some trucks around with ATV looking tires but it would be putting an 8" tire on a 7" rim. where would be the best place to buy better treaded suitable tires. other thoughts appreciated such as adding weight over the rear wheels without making the truck useless for regular activity.
Thanks
First thing to try: strapping in (securely) a few hundred pounds over the rear axle. Don't mess with the wrong size tires.
 

Gordon

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Jan 24, 2011
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two large frame labourers with seat belts perhaps?

Do you think that hijet springs might suffer over time with constant weight on board? the leafs look pretty tiny. 4 or 5 - 5 gal jugs of water might do the trick and could be filled and emptied as needed
 

frank12

Gold
Sep 6, 2011
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I'm very familiar with this problem. I'm a certified mechanic--educated and trained in the appalachian mountains where traction control is paramount. First, there are several solutions to this problem. Allow me to list them in order of importance and rate of proven success.

1.) Strap two farm laborers directly over the rear axel of the vehicle. Feed them a non-stop steady diet of rice, beans, yucca, and milkshakes every four hours, or until sufficient weight gain is attained and traction control is restored. Repeat diet every four hours if neccessary.

2.) Walk into any gym and either purchase or shoplift four 45lbs weight plates. strap these over the rear axel using either duck tape or super-glue. Keep applying more weight (45lbs weight plates) until desired traction is achieved, but be careful not to exceed the neccessary amount of weight requiered as an Economy of Time and Fuel Efficiency will be needlessly sacrificed. Remember these two important principles of traction control: "Economy of Time" and "Coefficient Friction and Drag:" both are critical in achieving the correct weight to traction ratio, as well as achieving traction control without the sacrifice of fuel economy.

3.) The right girlfriend is paramount to good traction control. Never under estimate the right girl with a healthy appetite. Place a "Personal ad" in the paper seeking well-fed, overweight women. Their are plenty out there--particualry in the Cibao region of the island. Specifically look for women whom have a healthy appetite and do not have an aversion to sitting directly over the rear axel. This method is a tried and tested method and works great in small Japenese or Chinese vehicles.

I have many more constructive suggestions for you, but first get back to me and let me know how these work out for you?

Sincerely, Frank the Mechanic
 

Gordon

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Jan 24, 2011
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but how do you get the fat girl to push using the critical economy of time and coefficient of drag?
 

donP

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Dec 14, 2008
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Critical Frequency and Masses

but how do you get the fat girl to push using the critical economy of time and coefficient of drag?

I warn against the use of fat girls.
Do not take lightly the mass their bouncing boobs bring to the system. :bunny: :bunny:
Once resonance occurs you and your dwarfy Hijet are done...

donP
 

Gordon

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Jan 24, 2011
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I did find two fat girlfriends before donPs kind recommendation and did not notice the extra bounce effect but have yet to place them directly over the axles. I am saving that for the non toll road day outing. When pushing I find they start to yell at each other and function more like a slipping differential instead of a posi trac. They seem to take alternate short breaks and cause difficulty steering. Some neighbours have witnessed this and already assume I have gotten into too much NY rum as I snake up the drive now. Any way to stop the arguing and even out the push? Going shoeless and not clipping toenails seems to lessen the other traction problem with the algae. With all the arguing I find it hard to believe there could be a resonance problem in the future.
 

beeza

Silver
Nov 2, 2006
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But you don't need traction when you have momentum.

Just get a good run-up and gun that little engine up the hill.

I've heard that sleeping with fat girls is rather like driving Hijets. Both good fun to ride, but you don't want your mates to see you!
 

Gordon

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Jan 24, 2011
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tinted windshields are good for both. automatic tranny would make combining the two efforts easier. el presidente beer cap studs give it all away as they hear you cumming
 
May 5, 2007
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In all seriousness, larger or "snow" tires won't do a thing. Snow tires are designed for grip in deep snow, not "ice" like conditions

Power wash or bleach to remove algae giving a rubber to concrete match should be fine
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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yahoomail.com
Where I lived before in SD,we had very steep driveways.My dominican next door neighbor gave his driveway two coarts of high gloss paint.It was hilarious to watch him try to climb his driveway in the rain.He would just "Gun" his engine,and keep gunning until the tires began to smoke,then melt.
If you get some epoxy paint,they sell some "sandy" looking particles to mix with the paint.It gives you enough grip to climb the drivewaay.
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