Date:         Mon, 22 Jun 1998 10:08:17 -0700
Reply-To:     "Steven X. Schwenk" <sxs@SCHWENK-LAW.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Steven X. Schwenk" <sxs@SCHWENK-LAW.COM>
Subject:      Re: Pre-loading Rear Springs re Syncro Suspension
Comments: To: Ron Putt <vanagon82@HOTMAIL.COM>
Comments: cc: Vanagon@VANAGON.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Yes....you can use too many donuts....for two reasons.  (1) if you insert
too many, the spring rate will be too stiff....this will affect suspension
performance, traction and handling.  (2) You can also insert too many and
make the springs too stiff and cause the suspension to top out, or, worse,
cause the springs to fully bind on compression.  To get to this point, you
have to go well beyond the use I am proposing, which is to fine tune the
stiffness of the springs, which will raise the vehicle a little by reducing
sag, but the real objective is to stiffen the suspension a little in the
initial travel and to balance everything at all 4 wheels.  To do this, based
on what I've seen with one donut in the rear, I will not use much more than
one donut on any one wheel, except perhaps the left rear.  Hence, I will not
run into top out problems or spring binding.  And since my goal is not to
lift the van, but to balance the suspension and fine tune the spring rate,
my overall suspension performance will improve, and my traction will not
suffer as I will never use enough spacers to increase stiffness sufficiently
to affect traction.
steve

Ron Putt wrote:

> As if I really understand this correctly. . .
>
> If you decrease the space used by the spring by using the doughnuts then
> you will increase the pressure exerted by the spring because it will be
> in a more dense state because of compression.  This would cause lift in
> the vehicle up to a point, that point being determined by the number of
> doughnuts being inserted.  In an extreme state (state of insanity) with
> multiples of doughnuts installed, you would max out the travel of the
> shock without having installed the spacer or extension on the shock.
>
> Wouldn't you damage the shock and/or its mounts by using spacers or
> extensions on it without increasing the lift of the springs?  What would
> happen to them when you bottom out without stiffer springs or at least
> springs using doughnuts?
>
> Ron P.
> 82 Vanagon
> 88 Fox GL
>
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