Them dam speed bumps

[leon]

Took a wrong turn down a private road on my holidays and hit an unmarked speed bump. This was the result!

Popped ball joint.
Fortunately wasn't travelling too fast, or it might've been far worse.
Big thanks to Megabug who got the parts to fix it within 24 hours.

 

[gninnam]

Very lucky and glad you sorted it out

 

[Rigamortiz]

Holy fuck! Thats crazy! Never once imagined anything like that could happen from going over a speed bump.

 

[Trikky2]

Holy fuck! Thats crazy! Never once imagined anything like that could happen from going over a speed bump.

It cant. - on a stock suspension or one retaining stock bump stops, you just experience a big bang and you might hit your head on the roof. (unless the suspension balljoints are horribly worn out - but that would have been picked up on MOT and servicing). Bump stops are there for a reason.

If the suspension is lowered too far then theres not enough travel left to give any suspension movement. The only way for the suspension bodger to get some travel is to change or remove the bump stops.

The bump stops are designed to stop the suspension from compressing too far. If it is allowed to move too far then the ball joints run out of travel. This results in, at best, short ball joint life and at worst complete failure under road bump impacts (which can be minor when laden)

I have lost count of the number of times I have been flamed for saying things like "you can go too low" etc.

Doubtless there will be those who read this and once again scoff at the old gits comments but I am convinced there are far too many people out there willing to sacrifice their own safety and that of others in the vain pursuit of a "look" that they hope will impress other people whom they dont even know.

There is nothing unsafe with lowering your suspension a bit if you want to. It only becomes unsafe if the suspension is changed to the point that its components are being forced beyond their tolerances and limits of movement. eg if you mess with the bumpstops for example.

Next, assuming the suspension has been lowered in such a way as to avoid these errors the next obstacle to the ultra low look is scrub. At max suspension compression and / or when you have a flat tyre it must still be the wheel rim that is the only part of the car in contact with the ground. Anything touching the road that is not a wheel is something the driver has no control over and is by definition dangerous since it can and does cause the vehicle to steer or slew unpredictably to one side or the other.

Here endeth the repeat of the lesson :|

 

[ant]

Good to see you today, and also glad you are all ok.

Thanks for the wing mirror to he passed his mot

 

[windsurfer]

Not good Leon, at least you can still smile
We'll have a cool time at Vanfest :mrgreen:

 

[Rigamortiz]

Holy fuck! Thats crazy! Never once imagined anything like that could happen from going over a speed bump.

It cant. - on a stock suspension or one retaining stock bump stops, you just experience a big bang and you might hit your head on the roof. (unless the suspension balljoints are horribly worn out - but that would have been picked up on MOT and servicing). Bump stops are there for a reason.

If the suspension is lowered too far then theres not enough travel left to give any suspension movement. The only way for the suspension bodger to get some travel is to change or remove the bump stops.

The bump stops are designed to stop the suspension from compressing too far. If it is allowed to move too far then the ball joints run out of travel. This results in, at best, short ball joint life and at worst complete failure under road bump impacts (which can be minor when laden)

I have lost count of the number of times I have been flamed for saying things like "you can go too low" etc.

Doubtless there will be those who read this and once again scoff at the old gits comments but I am convinced there are far too many people out there willing to sacrifice their own safety and that of others in the vain pursuit of a "look" that they hope will impress other people whom they dont even know.

There is nothing unsafe with lowering your suspension a bit if you want to. It only becomes unsafe if the suspension is changed to the point that its components are being forced beyond their tolerances and limits of movement. eg if you mess with the bumpstops for example.

Next, assuming the suspension has been lowered in such a way as to avoid these errors the next obstacle to the ultra low look is scrub. At max suspension compression and / or when you have a flat tyre it must still be the wheel rim that is the only part of the car in contact with the ground. Anything touching the road that is not a wheel is something the driver has no control over and is by definition dangerous since it can and does cause the vehicle to steer or slew unpredictably to one side or the other.

Here endeth the repeat of the lesson :|

You're going to hate my new ride. Is King & Link Pin a bit different to Ball Joint though in this respect? Like, you say hitting a bump could cause ball joints to pop out - but, being K&L, do I have to worry about similar things happening?

 

[72nu-funk]

:shock: That must of been some bang when it let go! Good to read it was slow and no other damage to bus or yourselves!

I've been speed hump watching ever since the Basque part of Spain. They certainly know how to build ones to make a bang scrape and head hit. The Greeks and Turks just forget to build the roads in the first place :lol:

 

[Trikky2]

You're going to hate my new ride. Is King & Link Pin a bit different to Ball Joint though in this respect? Like, you say hitting a bump could cause ball joints to pop out - but, being K&L, do I have to worry about similar things happening?

I think the reason people go to the trouble and expense of changing later suspension to earlier is so that they can run low without forcing the suspension joints to work beyond their intended range of movement, so you should be ok in that it wont pop out.

You do still need to ensure that, in the event of a flat tyre the van doesent hit the ground.
Also, that in the event of max suspension deflection or a broken torsion bar, the suspension drops onto the bump stops before any part of the vehicle hits the road. These are basic safety rules and come under construction and use.

As 72nu-funk posted - when abroad you have to be very watchful. I took my stock height bay all over Spain and Portugal and there were quite a few places we went where a lowered van simply wouldnt be possible. As for speed bumps - yes they make some ridiculously high and steep ones there and one time I was lost, looking for roadsigns and didnt spot one in time. I hit it at around 30 mph. The impact was huge, crashing down on the bumpstops so hard I though I had broken the van. The cupboards all flew open spraying a mix of cutlery, saucepans, plates etc all over the van. The noise was amazing. Had I been in my friends lowered van I dread to think what damage i might have done.

Funnily enough, as soon as I stopped the first thing i did was look round to see if anybody had witnessed my error - just like when i was a school kid after falling off my bike :lol: :lol:

 

[Rigamortiz]

You're going to hate my new ride. Is King & Link Pin a bit different to Ball Joint though in this respect? Like, you say hitting a bump could cause ball joints to pop out - but, being K&L, do I have to worry about similar things happening?

I think the reason people go to the trouble and expense of changing later suspension to earlier is so that they can run low without forcing the suspension joints to work beyond their intended range of movement, so you should be ok in that it wont pop out.

You do still need to ensure that, in the event of a flat tyre the van doesent hit the ground.
Also, that in the event of max suspension deflection or a broken torsion bar, the suspension drops onto the bump stops before any part of the vehicle hits the road. These are basic safety rules and come under construction and use.

As 72nu-funk posted - when abroad you have to be very watchful. I took my stock height bay all over Spain and Portugal and there were quite a few places we went where a lowered van simply wouldnt be possible. As for speed bumps - yes they make some ridiculously high and steep ones there and one time I was lost, looking for roadsigns and didnt spot one in time. I hit it at around 30 mph. The impact was huge, crashing down on the bumpstops so hard I though I had broken the van. The cupboards all flew open spraying a mix of cutlery, saucepans, plates etc all over the van. The noise was amazing. Had I been in my friends lowered van I dread to think what damage i might have done.

Funnily enough, as soon as I stopped the first thing i did was look round to see if anybody had witnessed my error - just like when i was a school kid after falling off my bike :lol: :lol:

Ah cool - Good to hear that K&L is better for slammed dubs. I really appreciate your detailed responses man, its quite an eye opener. But, I really don't think you're going to appreciate my new dub when I get pics up, after VW Action, lol.

 

[Bookwus]

Hiya Trikky,

..........I have lost count of the number of times I have been flamed for saying things like "you can go too low" etc.
Doubtless there will be those who read this and once again scoff at the old gits comments but I am convinced there are far too many people out there willing to sacrifice their own safety and that of others in the vain pursuit of a "look" that they hope will impress other people whom they dont even know.........

Most interesting for this Yank.

One aspect of Bussing on your side of the pond that is a little difficult to understand over here is the penchant for lowering. I don't believe I've ever seen a lowered Bus on the road here in the States. I know there's a few around. Just doesn't seem to be a very popular option for daily drivers over here. I'm guessing that has a good deal to do with how Busses are used here. Quite a few of them find their way off road (camping, etc.) on a regular basis. A VW Bus at stock height is a pretty much go anywhere kinda vehicle.

Then again, maybe Brits have stronger kidneys than Americans.

 

[Trikky2]

Hiya Trikky,

Most interesting for this Yank.

One aspect of Bussing on your side of the pond that is a little difficult to understand over here is the penchant for lowering. I don't believe I've ever seen a lowered Bus on the road here in the States. I know there's a few around. Just doesn't seem to be a very popular option for daily drivers over here. I'm guessing that has a good deal to do with how Busses are used here. Quite a few of them find their way off road (camping, etc.) on a regular basis. A VW Bus at stock height is a pretty much go anywhere kinda vehicle.

Then again, maybe Brits have stronger kidneys than Americans.

Hi Bookwus,

Yes I agree. I havnt been out to the US in a good few years but looking on the forums where people post up photos of meets, it looks like theres not many lowered busses out there. As you say it must be down to the way owners percieve and use their busses.

In the US theres certainly a lot more oppertunity to use the off road / go anywhere abilities of of a bus. Its the thing I love about the US - theres still the wild open places and you have the freedom to go there with your camper. There are a lot of wonderful places to visit where, with a lowered bus, you just cant go.

In the uk the possibilities of exploring the wild or going off road are very limited by comparison.
So I guess it must simply be down to if you want to use your bus to to the full it makes sense to keep it in a condition that does not limit your options too much but that in turn will be tempered by what those options are where you live.

Note to self - must go camping round the US again soon one of these years.
ps. Oregon is beautiful

 

[DadWagens]

Leon,

How did the ball joint fail? Did the balljoint come out of the arm or did the ball pull out of the socket?

 

[creationblue]

Snap, least your sorted fella.

Well the outcome simular, mine was a trailing arm popped out :lol:

Just