On Feb 3, 2009, at 9:50 PM, Tom Hargrave wrote:

> Actually, driving at a speed that minimized washboarding also gave the
> shocks a huge workout. This is because the tires were moving up &
> down while
> the body stayed stationary and all of the travel & dampening
> converted to
> heat, melting the tops of the shocks.
>
> If you had driven slower or faster, letting the van washboard, you
> would not
> have lost the shocks. This is because more energy would have
> traveled into
> the van body instead of being absorbed by he shocks.

I would prefer to trash some shocks than have my westy body absorb all
that energy instead- I can & did replace the shocks-the body, etc is
much harder, more expensive to replace? Same thing w/ brakes, easier
to replace than an engine?

YMMV,

Tom

>