New Fox 2.0 Shocks

[lintbrush]

I see GW now has Fox 2.0 shocks for Bay Windows. They’re pricey ($600), but wonder how they’ll compare to Koni’s that are hard to come by. Any thoughts?

https://www.gowesty.com/product/shock-absorbers-bushings/25056/fox-shock-kit-for-bus-70-79
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1970 Westfalia Campmobile - SF Bay Area
https://www.instagram.com/campishome/

[ivwshane]

I have the konis myself for both front and rear and one thing I like about them is that they are adjustable. I don't see that capability for these but I could be wrong.

I use my bus for normal street and freeway driving so I don't know how or if the fox shocks would be a benefit for me.
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77 westy 2.0 FI
69 ghia coup 1600dp
70 single cab

[Wildthings]

I have the heavy duty Sacks that I got from Bus Depot, they seem to work very well.

[lintbrush]

[yellowCOwesty]

I have adjustable Fox shocks on my F350 and they work well.

Overkill for a bus I think.

+1 on the heavy duty shocks from BD.
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'78 Westy
Currently yellow and white "Sunny"
A few other air cooled VW and Porsches over the years

[Manfreds78bay]

I saw this ad as well. 600 bucks for front and rear seems a bit steep. But Go Westy's market is geared for guys with deep pockets.

However, I think it great that they are still figure things out for the bus crowd. Good on them.
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1978 2.0L FI Campmobile

1982 AMC Eagle SX4 4.2L FI

[BIGSERG]

so im riding the shocks right now. great shocks, a bit noisey and the metal insert where the bushings go is warping . any thoughts?

[Wildthings]

Seems odd that the distortion in most of the bushings is at ~30° to the axis of the shocks, while for one shock it is a whopping 75°.

[raygreenwood]

It means two things combined....possibly one more than the other:

1. As Wildthings pointed out....the axis of the distortion is NOT in the direction of shock action....which means they are either installed twisted or under torsion.....and it has literally been 2 decades since I last installed rear shocks on a bus.....so I do not know if having some angular twist on them is "normal".

But.....this twisting can also happen if the bolt is not clamping the bushing tightly and its shifting.
You note they are noisey. In what way?
If you hear rattling......or metallic noises on compression or extension.....its because one or both of the mounting points is loose....and it WILL cause this problem on all but the thickest/hardest shock eye bushings.

2. If the shocks are meant to be under twist or angular torsion....and the mounting points are not loose.....then its possible they used a non-hardened bushing tube. That csn be replaced.

Ray

[BIGSERG]

i torqued them to spec 36ft lbs . what is interesting about the shocks is that there is a space a tiny little amount of overhang coming out of that mounting mount. by over hang the metal bushing tube goes passed the bushing a tad bit. now the washers Gowesty provided were quite thick and not the correct diameter so they didnt sit flush. do you guys think that could had been part of the problem.

the guys at go westy have been really cool about everything and are trying to figure it out , they also provided new washers but they are not handling the torque spec when tightening them down.


the noise is almost like constant squeaking noises when going over any large bump. like when you have old springs on a car.

my entire suspension is fairly new so the noise is definitely coming from the shocks.

[SGKent]

could be the leaf springs squeaking too. They do that when they get a little rust in them.

As for the shocks. $600 for a set of shocks where they are already failing? Wow. Koni, Spax etc are a better deal than that IMHO.

As a side comment, those rotors look a little glazed and slagged.
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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[BIGSERG]

i agree on the price to quality comment.

rotors are old but not warped or noisey. i do agree ill get some brembo ones.

[metahacker]

They look deformed from torque on the fastener being applied to a shaft that's larger than the bushing and distorting it until it all compresses down. You can "see" the marks from the washer. Maybe they are distorting after installation, but I'm not so sure.

Did you tighten them at ride height (e.g. on the ground) or with the wheels in the air? Was that 36lbft measured with a torque wrench? IIRC, I've read lower (25lbft)... but I'm not looking at a factory printed spec at the moment, and 36lbft doesn't seem egregious... if 25 was the spec. Honestly, 25lbft seems too low. Are you sure that .... the torque required to turn the fastener was .... hmm, constant and the torque required to turn it ramped up smoothly? Like, could you feel the resistance changing (getting looser at any point) as you tightened it? As in, go up, then down, then finally up and finished.... I am curious if you used a needle style torque wrench or a click one.

You spoke to GW about it huh? Have you spoken with Fox?
Are they willing to send you new spacers?
Is Fox or GW willing to replace the shocks under warranty?

And squeaks aside...how do they handle/ride?

[metahacker]

@bigserg any updates here on the fox "2.0" bus shocks?

[TDCTDI]

Way old post, but from the direction of the deformation, I’m willing to bet that the “metallic noise” & the damage on the collar, that the shock was beating against the bump stop bracket/beam.
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Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[metahacker]

i also wouldnt be surprised if those huge tires were heaving the whole suspension in unexpected ways against the sway bar / frame / body etc

and yeah i hear u, on resurrecting dead threads,

still-- curious what FOX 2.0 bus shock owners think about their shocks, though

[TDCTDI]

It’s not so much the big tires as it is the fact that they have the suspension topped out & are effectively using the shocks at suspension limiters. If the shock body is making contact with the beam, then it is trying to bend the shock & the shock body is stiffer than the eyelets.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[BIGSERG]

[SGKent]

just keep in mind that shocks have only one purpose, to absorb excess energy and let the springs do the work. When people in the late 1970's and 1980's started getting into the baja 500 - 1000 etc., and all those trucks and buggies started using heavy duty shocks - or you saw 3 shocks on each wheel, the reason that path was taken was to shed heat. Shocks working absorb energy and that heats them up until the oil overheats or foams. Gas Pressure shocks were invented to stop foaming in heavy use. 3 big shocks have lots of surface area to cool. A bus going down the highway doesn't generate that type heat. I run Koni's but frankly they are no better riding than the high quality Monroe or Gabriel shocks were in the 1970's. But the Koni's are better than the lower priced ones out there now. I ran Nakatas before the Koni's and the improvement came mostly because I could tune them to my driving, and the bus weight.
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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[VOLTWAGEN]