My new dampers arrived :)

[Baxter]

I think the damper set up on the Iltis is a strange design, with the foam rubber "assister". My assisters were in very poor condition so i removed them, it made the iltis much more comfortable although it did highlight a lan to one side.
The old foam assisters must have trapped water against the piston rod as when they were removed it highlighted lots of corrosion on the piston rod, lots of holes!
In no time at all the dampers were leaving puddles of oil on the floor!
I looked around at what was available and for what they are I though they were very expensive, so I asked my friends at AVO in the UK to make me some.

here is the result.


Brand new damper, polyurethane bushes top and bottom and adjustable damping by means of a small knob at the bottom of the damper tube.
They are oil filled twin tube design, they are NOT gas charged.
The best part is that they are £80 each.
They came in black, but I painted them in RAL6014.
I would have prefered rubber bushes but I did not have a supply for them, I have a supply of the poly bushes anyway as they are the same as what we use on the T3 so when they wear i can replace them.
I have the Golf rear spring assisters as listed in the IltisWiKi, but I can't decide if i should fit them or not? yes it may cure my lean, but it will make the ride harder and I'm not sure if I want that!

[www.iltisteile.com]

why you dont simply get the approved iltisarsenal-gas shocks?

adjustability in praxis rarely needed, 2 different settings are available in gas..

[Baxter]

Why? because they are not easily available here, and they are quite expensive.
The dampers I bought retail at £80 + 20% tax, I deal with AVO alot through work, I recieve a healthy discount, the dampers did not cost me £80.
It was more cost effective for me to do this, and I have the added bonus of adjustability.
Incidentaly, I have adjusted them to get them to where I like the damping to be, i can alter each damper individually, i can make them firmer for on road so i can go fast around corners, i can make them soft for off road use, personally I prefer to be able to set the dampers how i like them.
I also have them on my T3, i can have them hard for driving like an idiot, or i can have them comfortable for the children.

I'm not offering them for sale, they are one off items, I'm not trying to sell them I just thought forum users may be interested.
I did consider the Trailmaster items but I read mixed reviews about them, an expensive risk to take if I did not enjoy the ride.
At least with the AVO items it is not a big risk, they are not too expensive for it to matter.
At the moment I am really pleased with them.