Date: Fri, 19 Jun 1998 18:44:38 -0700
Reply-To: David Marshall <vanagon@VOLKSWAGEN.ORG>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: David Marshall <vanagon@VOLKSWAGEN.ORG>
Subject: Re: Pre-loading Rear Springs re Syncro Suspension (long)
In-Reply-To: <358AF1C7.4081@eyring.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
The bathroom scale model here is in the right direction, but lets use TWO
bathroom scales. One for each foot and let's assume that you have
excellent posture. If you weigh 200lbs standing on one scale, then by
putting one foot on each scale, they will both read 100lbs. Nothing has
changed so far. But, lets put a telephone book (i.e. a spacer) on ONE of
the bathroom scales (i.e. the rear of a Vanagon). The scales will now read
something like 80lbs on the scale with no phone book and 120lbs on the
scale with the phone book.
So, yes the springs are compressed a little more if you lift ONE end of
your Vanagon.
At 17:18 6/19/98 -0600, you wrote:
>> Riddle me this: if the spacer were 12" thick would it compress the
>> spring? I think it would. Therefore, it stands to reason that a 1"
>> thick spacer would, in fact, compress the spring by some amount, IN
>> SPITE OF THE WEIGHT BEING THE SAME!
>
>well Riddler, of course a 12" spacer would compress the spring cause you
>would have topped out the shock at about 3-4" (or whatever the sag is)
>and the suspension would have become rigid and any additional spacer
>length would compress the spring. A 1" spacer will just raise the the
>van body/frame combination. If you stand on a bathroom scale and your
>weight reads at 170 (which, by the way reflects the amount a calibrated
>spring has been compressed) and then you put a phone book under the
>scale you are standing on, will the reading of your weight
>change???????? I hope not. In that analogy your body is the van
>body/frame and the scale is the spring and the phone book is the spacer.
>>
>> This riddle is not intended to offend or contradict anyone in anyway.
>> Rather, I think there is a lot of annectdotal evidence/reasoning being
>> thrown around by everyone. The wholey ignorant "I" tends to believe
>> there is some validity in what Steve says. And clearly, Derek has more
>> experience than anyone else on the list -- but even he could be
>> mistaken in some of his beliefs.
>>
>nor is this tended to offend, but if you can prove why inserting a short
>spacer (like the ones Steve and Derek are using), all else being equal,
>should compress the spring then show me the money!
>
>
-- David Marshall, Quesnel BC, mailto:david@volkswagen.org --
-- 78 1.8L VW Rabbit, 80 2.0L VW Caddy, 87 Audi 5KQ --
-- 85 1.8L VW Cabrio, 88 1.6L VW Syncro Double Cab --
-- Volkswagen Homepage http://www.volkswagen.org --
-- USE DAVID@VOLKSWAGEN.ORG WHEN SENDING EMAIL --
| 
