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Date:         3 Jul 95 13:54:00 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         GOLDBERG_DAVID@tandem.com
Subject:      Return of the crew cabs

I saw in one of the VW rags (can't remember if it was VWT of HVW's) but in a section of the mag they showed VW's not available in the US. One was a Jetta stationwagen, and the other was a Eurovan based crew cab pickup. The one shown had a flatbed on the back. Didn't give any specs tho'.

David 74 Thing Wana-bus

------------ ORIGINAL ATTACHMENT -------- SENT 07-01-95 FROM SMTPGATE (fklein@silicon.csci.csusb.edu)

> Umm, I spent parts of three months putting an IRS suspension in my 57 bug > (cuz Hot VWs directions weren't right and I had to think of asking Chenowth, > and lots of other things too). I had lots of time to stare at and fiddle > with all the parts under there while trying to align everything. At least on > my bug (and as I remember it, also on my 68 and 73 TIIs) negative camber > happens when the rear end of the car is RAISED, sort of the opposite of what > happens with the swing axle setup. The bentley manual shows the angle that > the unloaded "spring plate" should be at for normal height. If for some > reason the rear end of your car is too high, you can adjust the torsion bar > settings and put things normal. There is no other standard way of adjusting > camber on the IRS that I know of. Of course, if you're putting IRS brackets > on a swing axle setup, you can weld them in so as to give you any camber you > like, at a given ride height.

If the suspension were somehow designed for negative camber upon suspension downtravel, then it would follow that the camber would be more positive upon compression. This would lead to unstable and unsafe handling! In fact, this would be no better than the swingaxle, which ends up with positive camber in hard corners (on the outside rear wheel). THis is called 'jacking,' where the outer wheel tucks under the car and lifts the car up.

If you look at the IRS design, you will see that the inner pivot point on the diagonal arm is a few inches closer to the rear of the car than the outer pivot point (which is the spring plate/ torsion bar joint). If the diagonal arm and spring plate (which are attached) are horizontal to the ground, you will have the most positive camber possible. If the suspension goes up or down from that point, you will have a camber change. If the wheel travels upward, you'll have negative camber. If it travels downward, camber will be more positive.

If you don't believe it, go jack the rear of any IRS bug up and watch the camber go positive.

BTW: Positive camber: \ / Negative camber: / \

> Also, a bad toe setting could chew up one side or the other of your tires. > Seems to me that if your car had serious toe out, that could eat up the > inside edges. The toe (in or out) settings can be adjusted rather easily, > pretty much the same as on swing axle setups.

Toe problems cause feathering of the tires, not really wear on the inside or outside of the tires. Note that front-to-reat feathering on radials is normal... side-to-side is a sign of a bad toe setting.

Frank

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frank Klein a.k.a. fklein@orion.csci.csusb.edu Cal State Univ San Bernardino et508@cleveland.freenet.edu +------------------ "Best car ever made: VW Beetle" -- Automobile Magazine | '72 Super Beetle Any opinions expressed are the correct ones. | '90 cat -------------------------------------------------------------+------------------ Re: Tires & Alignment R


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