|
| Setting up
suspension, especially on a "low-budget" car is mostly common sense. One of
the most common mistakes is to make the suspension so stiff it never bottoms
out. The suspension, any suspension, has to move to be effective, and it
SHOULD bottom out, on big, serious bumps.
When setting up suspension a good rule to keep in mind is: "The springs should hold up the car, the shocks should control the movement". Most smaller, VW-based buggies are very light in the front end, and most newer off-road shocks are too stiff for this set-up. Normally, standard, stock VW shocks work just fine on these front ends.
Once you have everything put together you should be able to stand on the front beam, jump up and down, and everything should function smoothly.
Rear suspension is a little more complicated, depending on type of suspension, engine position, etc. If using the standard VW rear torsion housing the torsion bars should be set to hold the car up at rest, and no more. In other words, the spring plate should be just off the lower stop. Shocks in the rear are a lot more complicated too. With the engine and trans all back over the rear axle most of the car’s overall weight is controlled by the rear shocks. You want good, smooth function, but enough dampening to keep the rear end from "springing" up after hitting a bump. A good single shock such as Bilstein, Fox, etc. should work for most applications, but for faster, rougher rides adding another shock would help.
Keep in mind the more shocks you add the stiffer the ride is going to be. Eliminating the torsion bars and going to coil-over shocks can give you some more options. The same rules apply though, don’t go too stiff on the springs.
Good luck and happy riding! M. Bacon Lake Elsinore
Keep in mind not EVERYTHING on suspension was covered here. If there is anything you want to add, or have a question about please click here.
|
