Date:         Fri, 2 Jul 1999 21:52:19 -0700
Reply-To:     "Steven X. Schwenk" <Steve@SCHWENK-LAW.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "Steven X. Schwenk" <Steve@SCHWENK-LAW.COM>
Subject:      Test Results re Syncro Bilsteins
Comments: To: drillock@earthlink.net
Comments: cc: Michael Sullivan <sullivan@openmarket.com>,
          Carl Hansen <carl_hansen@ieee.org>,
          "Syncro Shocks - Ratjen, Björn, Ph.D."
          <bratjen@direct.ca>, "Syncro@onelist.com" <Syncro@onelist.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

The Bilsteins are mounted on my syncro westy and they
passed the initial test ride with high marks.  My test
course was the skateboard louge route from last week's
CNN Xtreme games...down Ocean beach along the great
hgighway and back...up past the legion of honor..past
robin willam's house up along the bluffs overlooking
the bay and golden gate bridge ...into the rough dirt
parkinglots on top of the bluffs overlooking the bay
and then to some really steep hills SF is famous for.

The results:  The shocks are superb on the rougth dirt
poarkijng lot with huge potholes...the shocks absorb
the huge holes like nothing...i can take the super
steep hills at high speed that would bottom the stock
suspension twice using the stock shocks....upon hitting
the bottom of the hill....that is.  the bilsteins
absorb the shock and just bottom out with great
rebound.  On a street where they cut 3 foot wide
trenches every 20 feet and then filled the holes with
concrete but did not yet repave...and thus there's a
1.5 inch lip  at each trench...i flew over them and the
shocks responded great.  the suspension corners
great...progressive give as you make the turn, but
firm.

the only complaint is that they are a little stiff on
some types of high spped road...where there's mild
waves in the road....but generally they're very good on
the road and excellent on the rough stuff.  Some
increase in ride height...about 1/2 inch.  They seem
like they will be perfect off road with a camping load
and a passenger or two.
steve