Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2008 14:31:39 -0500
Reply-To: Larry Alofs <lalofs@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Larry Alofs <lalofs@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Magical cast iron suspension?
In-Reply-To: <f700b5ac0810081012l361e3723idca7f211e99c990c@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
On Wed, Oct 8, 2008 at 12:12 PM, Andrew Grebneff <goose1047@gmail.com>wrote:
> > "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 than the superceded fabricated plate ones, but are probably no heavier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>
>
Newton-meters and foot-pounds are measures of torque (or work, strangely
enough).
Kilograms and grams and slugs are measures of mass.
Pounds and newtons are measures of weight.
Any scale that uses a spring is measuring weight, no matter what unit it is
calibrated in.
A scale that works by balancing is measuring mass.
sorry, couldn't help myself,
Larry A.
ex-physics teacher
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