> "The ride difference between the sheet metal lower control arm suspensions, > and this one, is comparable to the *difference between a truck and a > Cadalliac*. No difference there... a Caddy is a pig-understeering undersprung underdamped truck. A wallowing landwhale. If you have been wondering why your Vanagon just dosent ride as > nicely as that other Vanagon you once rode in, this is probably the reason. > The cast iron lower control arm *acts as a flywheel*. It absorbs the energy > caused by bumps in the road.* Stores it and keeps it from being transmitted > to you.* Arrive at the camp ground fresher with this suspension. " > > Could someone explain to how suspension can "act as a flywheel" and what > laws of physics it invents or overcomes by "storing energy" indefinitely? > Curious minds want to know! They're spouting total ballswool. The cast arms may well be stiffer than the superceded fabricated plate ones, but are probably no heavier and should have similar, if not identical, inner/outer mass balance, so that they don't slow or speed response (the arms are springloaded pendulums). It would be an interesting idea... any listees out there with accurate scales? Mass a fabricated arm, mass a cast arm; then mass each END of each arm separately and let the list know the results. I say mass, because despite "common knowledge", scales don't measure weight, they measure mass (kilograms & pounds are a measure of mass; newton-meters & foot-pounds are a measure of weight). They hopefully give better handling, steering response and feel, which is why I imagine VW changed over to cast steel, and is why I'm retrofitting my 84. -- Andrew Grebneff Dunedin, New Zealand Fossil preparator Mollusc, Toyota & VW van nut Temporarily in Calgary, AB, Canada <goose1047@gmail.com> |
Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of
Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection
will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!
Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com
The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.
Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.