Syncro dampers - state of play.

[Simon Baxter]

Okay.
14" Sachs/Boge are looking okay at the moment, sensible money and still available for decent money on the aftermarket.
16" Genuine VW front dampers are still available to us, despite what we have been told in the past and we have some on order.
16" rear dampers have gone, there are no more and when asked if they would make anymore they said no so unless a box of them turns up somewhere then there will be no more.
We are a Trialmaster dealer if needs be and we're trying to sort the prices out now but there is a confusing array of parts, comfort, street, sport and HD that's very confusing!
Has anyone tried their springs? +40mm I think they are.

Now, here's my idea.
We have tried in the past to get Spax to make dampers for us and failed however, we now have a T3 owning tame Spax employee who has bent over backwards to help us out. We have sent them samples of every T3 damper we could lay our hands on and they have run them on a dyno and recorded the results.
This included 16" rear dampers.
He has then come up with some 2WD dampers to suit our Eibach lowering springs which can be set at a certain level with the adjuster to achieve similar damping rates to popular dampers, so at say one setting they can be compared to a Bilstein B4 for example.
My suggestion is, that if anyone is interested to make an adjustable rear damper for the T3 syncro and have it valved as such that at one setting it will be similar to a 14" damper, and a few more clicks up it can be set to a damping rate similar to that of a 16" and then leave plenty of scope for firming up thereafter to suit heavier vans and large wheel/tyre combinations.
I am happy to do this [for you] but I don't want to steam in and get something made for people to then turn around and say "Baxter should have don them like this or like that" so, here's your opportunity to help out and have your say as to what you want from a damper.

[jebiga41]

Sounds good Simon would be interested in a set for a new project and if I was too buy new shocks would be looking at trying to go for a 16 set up for a project I have in mind however the 16's seem to be v expensive. Personally speaking my preferences are something that is comparable to the Boge 14's regards price and longevity, don't mind paying a bit more for the valving option of course although can't see it being adjusted that much on a syncro although might be interesting option for differnt spring/wheel combinations and or would just having them just valved to 16 shock specs be a cheaper option and less to go wrong? Can they make sure the bushes are comparable to the Boge ones as from what i heard there was an issue on the avo rear dampers regards this?

Regards trailmaster springs heard they were only for light vans hence Lidl developing his springs for heavier vans and haven't heard much regards their use although I'm sure someone will give a review now I've said that I know that syncro services were doing Trailmaster packages of matched dampers and springs which sounded interesting. Personally speaking I've always thought that longer springs were preferable to putting spacers in however I may decide to go the spacer route as have a set of your springs sitting on the shelf doing nothing at the moment.

apologies if I'm not making sense just come off a nightshift and sleep depraved might need to E D I T this later

[lloydy]

Sent you an email for the 16" fronts... Want want want a set
wouldn't mind a set of the spax, but would need to be longer to cope with the lift of the Andreas springs

[Simon Baxter]

I don't think I'll be offering the AVO option, too high maintained, people wanted them, I made them, sold a few but the bushes just don't last.
Spax are durable and gas filled as well as adjustable.
I think the AVO rears we did were 50mm longer, saves messing about with brackets and that.

[jes*b]

Need to be regulation 16" green . I'll go another set of fronts when they hit the shelf anyway . Good work.

[v-lux]

Ideally i would like a set of front shocks that are -

Long enough to not top out with the amount of lift my van has (520mm wheel center to arch lip last time i checked.... i think...) with out the use of any 'extensions' to lengthen the shock. I just want a damper that fits.

A damping range or rate that will cope with larger/heavier wheels set ups. I like the idea of adjust-ability and i expect this would be the only way to achieve exactly the damping rate i'm after, would imagine it would be too cost prohibitive to produce a line of shocks specifically for a small number of people running oversize/heavy wheels?

That said i would settle for a shock with more firm damping than a standard 14" boge and no adjust-ability if it meant that they would stay more affordable.

[max and caddy]

Never been keen on AVO stuff...always leaked and rusted like mad...spax are a good product...but still a bit rust prone...could the adjuster be stainless and the body done with some quality paint that lasts Is my recommendation.

Could a front shock be made with adjustable platform with say 3 positions set with a circlip, like the mk1 golf Koni rears have? Would open up more spring options...and allow a degree of tuning to requirements.

[Simon Baxter]

We are going to come to the fronts later, at the moment fronts are available and there's a fair bit of choice, but there us nothing for the gap left by the 16" rears.
If we can make a damper that will suit a 16" but will also give a bit of flexibility then for me this goes first.
But yes, Spax have a spring platform to work from but again we were thinking of starting with a coil over.
Granted the AVO don't last, but have you seen any recent Spax offerings?
Nice things.
There was an email at work before I left for college that I didn't get time to read other than there were a few options like if the unit is screwed together that it can be rebuilt in the future or if we have a welded construction it makes it cheaper... Decisions!

[footstuck]

If Spax have the data, I'm sure they will be able to build-in a level of tuning adjustment to go from a base 16" valving, to a level of adjustment suitable for a heavy loaded camper.
Telescopic Silicon gaiters, and something silicon to protect the adjusting screw from the jet washer would prolong their life and with screw cap.
Nothing but good to say about Spax, the adjustable up rated self leveling set on my old escort transformed it.
I’m interested.

[Simon Baxter]

Just to be clear from the outset, these will be brickwerks only, these will not be off the shelf Spax dampers as sold elsewhere, these will be brickwerks only part numbers before any smart Alec tries to circumvent buying from us!
Don't laugh, it happens all the time!
Spax have suggested a standard length item as well as a + 50mm or so too.

[taigagreen]

I'm interested!

[lhd]

I may be interested in +50 price depending.

[poshbuggers]

Mines a moderately loaded 14" hightop but I will be running a lift kit so anything that offers a balance of comfort and won't top out would be great.

I won't be using it for extreme wheeling, just good fun and road use. I've held off buying shocks because there is so much conflicting data and the offering seems to be a bit 'all or nothing' elsewhere.

[jebiga41]

Talking of rear 16" rear dampers look what arrived in the post yesterday