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Safe to drive wheels, axle stand - random question.

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dannyarmstrong Slammed & Awesome Dubber

96 posts · joined Aug 2009 ·

#882137
Hey peeps,

Well I work as an audio designer for computer games, and i'm currently working on a car game. I want to add the sound of my beetle into the game, the way I do it is record the car's engine and exhaust at several steady RPM's, both with the clutch engaged and disengaged. I then blend them together.

Question: If I was to jack up the beetle, and pop the rear of the car on axle stands, and block the front wheels. Do you reckon I could safely drive the cars wheels? I could stay out of the car and just use my hands, I guess it would be bad to sit, causing strain on the chassis. Would the car be okay on that sort of angle?

Any other ideas, or warnings?

😎
...1971 - 1302 - My main lady in life!

Sides Veteran Volks Folk

2,220 posts · joined May 2007 ·

#882138
Heh heh... reminds me of Ferris Bueller's Day Off !!!

CLASSIC movie, and has this great scene where they put a Ferrari up on blocks, chuck it in reverse and fang it to try and "unwind" the odometer reading. Long story short... the car ends up going backwards through a plate glass window down a 30+ foot drop, ending up a steaming heap in the trees below !!!

😂

The way I'd do it, mount the mic of your recording gear and go for a drive... that way you'll get the noise of the tyres on the road as well.

👍

Else, book some dyno time and go nuts.
VWDCQ vice pres & web dude - vwdcqinc.org.au
Join a car club - get car peeps

My toys
'70 Hillclimb Bug 'Jezebel' w/- Haltech EFI - http://bit.ly/VwTNtQ
'60 KG Coupe - resto kinda started
01 New Beetle - gf's car, but I turn the spanners

dannyarmstrong Slammed & Awesome Dubber

96 posts · joined Aug 2009 ·

#882139
Haha, I remember that!! I don't want road noise becuase I need to keep this seperate so I can record the tyres on several material types. Plus keeping a steady RPM will be a nightmare!! I'll give it a go then, going to look strange with duct tape all over her hehe!!

Dyno's are too noisy!!! 🙁
...1971 - 1302 - My main lady in life!

donn Wolfsburg Elder

3,515 posts · joined Nov 2005 ·

#882140
I've often "driven" my car (several over the years) while on axle stands, if the drive wheels are off the ground the car can't move regardless of how hard you rev it, but be very carefull about other people around the car especialy children as the wheels will be turning, also make sure the wheels are a good measure off the floor, at least 25mm I'd say, just to be sure. As you say, block the front wheels just to make sure.
I dream of a day when a chicken can cross a road without being asked for it's motive!

ian.mezz I never said, I could write or spell

3,913 posts · joined Sep 2004 ·

#882141
just get a gopro camera.
they stick them anywhere and go for a drive

http://gopro.com/videos/auto/
😂🤪😂🤪😂
car forums. where a lot of peoples good intentions end up taking a good old car off the road forever never ever to see the road again. 🥲

dannyarmstrong Slammed & Awesome Dubber

96 posts · joined Aug 2009 ·

#882143
Hey, the go pro's are cool but the audio quality is a bit low for what i'll be doing, I've got a nice audio recorder and some good mics which I'll be mounting if driving, or just using mic stands if I go down the axle stand route. Going to go for a drive now and see what I can do with my portable recorder as a test.
...1971 - 1302 - My main lady in life!

ian.mezz I never said, I could write or spell

3,913 posts · joined Sep 2004 ·

#882144
they sound heaps better before you change it so you can load on youtube.🥲
you can buy a plug in mic and then place the mic anywhere.
😂🤪😂🤪😂
car forums. where a lot of peoples good intentions end up taking a good old car off the road forever never ever to see the road again. 🥲

68AutoBug Beetle Restorer - Experience over 138\% - YIKES --

11,654 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#882147
dannyarmstrong wrote:Hey peeps,

Well I work as an audio designer for computer games, and i'm currently working on a car game. I want to add the sound of my beetle into the game, the way I do it is record the car's engine and exhaust at several steady RPM's, both with the clutch engaged and disengaged. I then blend them together.

Question: If I was to jack up the beetle, and pop the rear of the car on axle stands, and block the front wheels. Do you reckon I could safely drive the cars wheels? I could stay out of the car and just use my hands, I guess it would be bad to sit, causing strain on the chassis. Would the car be okay on that sort of angle?

Any other ideas, or warnings?

😎
If You chock the front wheels so they cannot move
You can sit in the car and do it...
doesn't hurt the chassis...

You will notice the car will move about slightly when You rev the engine in gear... hence the wheel chocks...

cheers

LEE
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---

ian.mezz I never said, I could write or spell

3,913 posts · joined Sep 2004 ·

#882148
dannyarmstrong wrote:Hey, the go pro's are cool but the audio quality is a bit low for what i'll be doing, I've got a nice audio recorder and some good mics which I'll be mounting if driving, or just using mic stands if I go down the axle stand route. Going to go for a drive now and see what I can do with my portable recorder as a test.
yeah that should work.😊
😂🤪😂🤪😂
car forums. where a lot of peoples good intentions end up taking a good old car off the road forever never ever to see the road again. 🥲

shaihulud Custom Title Time!

1,448 posts · joined Nov 2005 ·

#882183
Be careful that when the rear wheels turn that the car does not bounce.

If a wheel is badly out of balance, you may not notice it when driving, but if it is too bad, then the car could set up a bounce and if you then get sympathetic vibration the ultimate nightmare of the car bouncing off the stands might occur.

Just be extra careful, with you in the car and your foot poised over the barke pedal as you test for bounce.

Bounce. Get the wheels balanced.

No bounce. Go for it.

Yogie Moderator Custom Title Time!

1,608 posts · joined Jun 2003 ·

#882201
And, just in case things go pear shaped, make sure the car is facing out of the garage in case it does fall off the stands.

Yogie

helbus Administrator Mad fabricator, paint and body

7,386 posts · joined Sep 2002 ·

#882205
On stands, wheels 50mm off the ground, chock front wheels in front and behind, forward gears, facing towards a safe place, sit in car, squeeze throttle to obtain rev required, dont stab the pedal. They have been servicing thousands of cars at our work that way, and never had an incident. Being in the car is important, as it will be the assurance that you can be in control if it goes wrong.
EJ22 into Bay Microbus - Finished project build thread- click on this spot here for info

dannyarmstrong Slammed & Awesome Dubber

96 posts · joined Aug 2009 ·

#882316
Many thanks guys, I did a test run and it worked out fine, and I will be recording these in the next week or so, need to get a few other types of cars together first, god my A3 sounds boring hehe, I will post my recordings soon!! 🙂
...1971 - 1302 - My main lady in life!

narumi I'll do it tomorrow

138 posts · joined Aug 2011 ·

#882429
shaihulud wrote:Be careful that when the rear wheels turn that the car does not bounce.

If a wheel is badly out of balance, you may not notice it when driving, but if it is too bad, then the car could set up a bounce and if you then get sympathetic vibration the ultimate nightmare of the car bouncing off the stands might occur.

Just be extra careful, with you in the car and your foot poised over the barke pedal as you test for bounce.

Bounce. Get the wheels balanced.

No bounce. Go for it.
just take the wheels off?

jamiesc Wolfsburg Wizard

559 posts · joined Dec 2010 ·

#882446
what if you went on youtube and find a video with a vw on the dyno and extract the noise of that ??

or even put on a car hoist if your friends with a machanic