Date:         Wed, 8 Oct 2008 11:12:15 -0600
Reply-To:     Andrew Grebneff <goose1047@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Andrew Grebneff <goose1047@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Magical cast iron suspension?
Comments: To: Chris S <szpejankowski@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To:  <5ebe10a0810080556v39ff4ec6xc9e4a121926903aa@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

> "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than the superceded fabricated plate ones, but are probably no heavier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>