I have had an issue with my ride height since I have had the car.
I have hit the sump a few times while driving and scrape it out my drive if I dont use wooden blocks in the gutter.
I have a picture of how it was before
and now
Let me know what you think?
barls ·
hmmm 403 forbidden. maybe try the pics agian
vvwbeetle ·
I tried image shack uploader and re sized the pics but it seemed to make them massive
1916baja ·
Do you have a pic of the whole car now for a comparison?? its abit hard to tell from the closeups.... although i'm leaning towards drop it back down a little??
Craig Torrens ·
WTF that looks like a BAJA now !
Bizarre ·
mmmm...............nope
Doesnt look good to me 👎
vvwbeetle ·
Just mucking around,
Those pics are taken while the rear is up on axle stands while I cleaned under the car.
here is a better pic of the real ride height now, I have not had a chance to take the car out so sorry the pic is taken in the garage.
vvwbeetle ·
basically I can fit 3 fingers with room between the top of the tyre and the bottom edge of the guard now.
At least I wont hit the sump now but it doesn't look as tuff anymore 🙁
RISKY4LIFE ·
do you have a deep sump??
maybe make a removable guard for the sump?
Sides ·
Personally I like having the gap between tyre and guard look equal all the way around, and you look pretty close to that now... yeah ???
Curious tho - what size tyres you have on the back ??? Look to be maybe 50 series 15"... going up to 60 series could give you more ground clearance, and actually look lower cos it'd close the gap up slightly.
😵
vvwbeetle ·
On the rear they are 15/60 and the front is 15/50
The gap is nearly the same all around
Yes I have a deep sump,Considered a guard but not sure who could make one up for me
So I decided to get it raised while it was in getting some work done on it.
The sump now sits about 125mm off the road,bit hard to tell while it's parked on the carpet.
Craig Torrens ·
nice height for some circuit work...........in my back paddock😀
vvwbeetle ·
Yeah I like the sound of jumping the car!
scot70wagon ·
put a set of 16 inch rims in the same style with a 205/60 on , should fix it.
matberry ·
Get the height where you want it.......I'd like it closer to where you had itm maybe 10-15mm higher so you don't scrape your drive.......or move house. 😂
OR...narrow the beam and lower the front more and put the rear back to where it was. Makes the sump effectively higher.........
surfpig ·
matberry wrote:narrow the beam and lower the front more and put the rear back to where it was. Makes the sump effectively higher.........
thats what you need, you can drive a beetle daily at around 50mm off the deck.
68AutoBug ·
Car parked looked good although the rear is a bit too low..
will also give You that low front up rear look...
no good looking good if its not practical..
some of these guys must have solid rubber suspension or they don't have driveways or pot holes etc
LEE
vvwbeetle ·
this what I have ended up with, have to live with it for a while and see how it goes.
I wasn't clear in my instructions I guess and now can not justify paying again to get it a bit lower.
AUSSIE_MICK ·
Had the same problem with mine, lifted it up about 50mm front and rear and now its so nice to drive. Although now it does not have the LOOK we all like.
sander288 ·
Why are you paying someone to lower and raise the car? It's an easy job to do and fiddle around with until your happy.
It did look better previously but you might find the car now will handle a bit better as swing axles can toe-in at the back when they are too low which is why the slammed dubs often make up new spring plates.
Here's an old article from Jack Bono c/- Greg Mackie I believe. It's an easy job given a little patience.
Ask Craig for some help! He's not doing much 😁
Cheers
Shaun
Joel ·
A professional car restorer told me a long time ago the perfect ride height is with a gap that is half the width of the tyre sidewall.
Those tyres are very low profile, it would be screwing with your gearing, poor thing would be screaming it nuts off on the highway.
Craig Torrens ·
sander288 wrote:Ask Craig for some help! He's not doing much 😁
Cheers
Shaun
I was going to do it, but my time has been taken up rebuilding a failed pobjoy motor😂
Camo ·
Not that this will help you directly with ride height, but my home has a bloody steep driveway and I can not drive up it at all without scraping a couple of times. But if I reverse up it, I have no problem at all. Just something for you to consider at your home.
Kev
AUSSIE_MICK ·
Try sliding in side ways kev😁
1303Steve ·
Hi
The perfect ride is the one that your happy with, maybe you need to 16s or 17s. I reckon a set of 16 inch polished Fuchs would look great on your car.
What tyre size are you running? I'm running 215/45x17s on my sons bug, they are 625 mm high.
It gets up our very steep drive no worries and will sometimes touch the deep sump shopping centre speed humps if your not careful.
Steve
68AutoBug ·
Camo wrote:Not that this will help you directly with ride height, but my home has a bloody steep driveway and I can not drive up it at all without scraping a couple of times. But if I reverse up it, I have no problem at all. Just something for you to consider at your home.
Kev
I hope You have good rear view mirrors Kev.. lol
I have found that the standard rear and front ride height..
are good...
but naturally with the front tyres having about a 3 inch or 75mmm of clearance from the mudguard lips..
looks rather terrible...
so, hydraulic or air lowering and raising the front would be good... lol
big long arms attached to the height adjusters [for leverage] could lift it as You near the driveway.. lol
Me? .. I just put My car up so the tyres wouldn't rub on the guard lips when turning..
LEE
with front lowered [not a good pic of that]
vvwbeetle ·
In Craig's defence he was going to help but didn't have the time,
I wouldn't think 60 is classed as a low profile. 50 yes.
Car sits on about 3400 in 4th at 100 on the freeway.
Thanks kev for the tip of reversing,unfortunately i park on the left side of my garage so doesn't allow for opening the door to get out,also if you saw the drive it's steep but it's just the gutter I was having issues with the rest is ok.
I have thought about changing the wheels but not sure what it would look like.i like fuchs but would like something different to main stream.so I guess I have to keep an eye out for something that fits the offset and Porsche stud pattern.
Maybe I'll find something at the nationals.(not entering so the car will be in the car park)
Joel ·
That's revving a bit higher than it should.
To a VW 60 series is low profile, stock tyres are 80 series and at 100km/h is doing almost bang on 3000rpm so you will find your highway fuel consumption will be alot better if you can get those revs back closer to stock.
ian.mezz ·
205/60/16s rear 25inch tall
195/55/16 front 24 tall
15 low ptyres
all round
195/55/15 22inch tall
ian.mezz ·
a 215/65/15 gives you lower revs. 26inch tall
matberry ·
Yep, I'm running 225/60x15 with a 3.88 diff. Great on the highway.👍👍
vvwbeetle ·
Hi Ian the ride height with both sets looks good
Maybe I should measure my tyre circumference.
I didn't think that it was reving to high but now you guys have me thinking.
The car has an engineers report for all the mods including the wheels,if I was to change the wheels do I need to get the engineers certificate done again? If so where could I go to get it done? Do they have to check everything again or just the wheels and tyres?
hellbugged ·
Those rpm's are fine, could be lower but you can travel with what's it's doing fine
You haven't said what width your 60 series are?
Looks silly in that first pic, too low
Have deep sump, have standard height I think, don't go nose down, it'll be a pig to drive
You need some adjustable rear spring plates!!!! They wouldn't take long to install and then you could make height changes in minutes
vvwbeetle ·
Tyres are 205/60/15 on the rear and 195/50/15 fronts.
Just replaced the rears it was hard to find a decent tyre in that size, only travelled maybe 60kms on them so far.
Now I need to look into adjustable plates. Are they different for Swing axles and IRS as I have IRS?
68AutoBug ·
ian.mezz wrote:a 215/65/15 gives you lower revs.
WOW
16 inch is the way to go...
What do You do with the speedo or do You use a GPS?
Looks great...
LEE
68AutoBug ·
if You look up the tyre size on some sites they will tell You the circumference
LEE
vvwbeetle wrote:Hi Ian the ride height with both sets looks good
Maybe I should measure my tyre circumference.
I didn't think that it was reving to high but now you guys have me thinking.
The car has an engineers report for all the mods including the wheels,if I was to change the wheels do I need to get the engineers certificate done again? If so where could I go to get it done? Do they have to check everything again or just the wheels and tyres?
SebastienPeek ·
And to think I'll be running 165/40/16's on 16x7 rims...
😉
SebastienPeek ·
For people to understand, I'm a big fan of stretch. Never seen it done awesomely on a beetle, so I will do it.
For example, this is what it'll be like on the new wheels I am getting.
NOMNOMNOM!
Ollie ·
Mmmmmm 👍
SebastienPeek ·
Was just a matter of time before you commented!!
A minute! Must be a record Ollie 😉
Ollie ·
Haha, I was asleep and suddenly I heard "stretch" being typed in the distance and woke
SebastienPeek ·
Ahahaha I just died, that is gold!
Guess great minds think alike 😉
Ollie ·
I've got a bit on stance (and Stretch) on mine and it handles Beautifully...
into gutters 🙂
SebastienPeek ·
LOL!
Joel ·
vvwbeetle wrote:I didn't think that it was reving to high but now you guys have me thinking.
The car has an engineers report for all the mods including the wheels,if I was to change the wheels do I need to get the engineers certificate done again? If so where could I go to get it done? Do they have to check everything again or just the wheels and tyres?
Nothing to panic about, these engines were designed to run flat bicky down ze autobahns at 4000rpm all day long.
You can just change tyres, as long as they are -/+ 15% in rolling diameter you are fine.
vvwbeetle ·
Thanks for the info Joel,
Seb that will be an interesting look to pull off on the beetle - I know it looks good on Euro Tuners it will be interesting to see once done.
Not sure that look would be good for me as I like to drive hard and would be concerned about the tyre flex and rubbing the rim.
Bizarre ·
I just dont get stretch 🤖
Best way to destroy the lip of your rims.
As for the asthetics🙅
ian.mezz ·
205/65/15 are good on the back to.25inch tall
vlad01 ·
vvwbeetle wrote:basically I can fit 3 fingers with room between the top of the tyre and the bottom edge of the guard now.
At least I wont hit the sump now but it doesn't look as tuff anymore 🙁
it looks fine.
1303Steve ·
Hi
I like the look of stretch but its not great for rim health.
Steve
A 1303 with stretch
Joel ·
Bizarre wrote:I just dont get stretch 🤖
Best way to destroy the lip of your rims.
As for the asthetics🙅
Mmmm I don't really get the whole its hektik JDM hellaflush fitment brrrrro either
The guy above that Steve posted has tried it as has the other guy from SBO with the black Lbug
I dunno, leave it for the Honduhs I say.
SebastienPeek ·
Steve, very nice, very nice indeed!
Will see what happens, we shall see.
Form over function?
SebastienPeek ·
Joel,
Not enough stretch!
:P
Joel ·
I do have to confess I was tempted by a set of staggered ESM 008 that are forsale at the moment, rears are 9" with 205s but I much prefer symmetrical tyre sizes all round, stretch tyres are cop bait.
vlad01 ·
Bizarre wrote:I just dont get stretch 🤖
Best way to destroy the lip of your rims.
As for the asthetics🙅
Finally! someone has my same point of view.
I love the look of real wide rubber put on a smaller rim. eg. 215 on 6" rim
stretching tyres on looks crapy as all f*** not to mention dangerous as the tyre has more potential to fail and/or come off the lip and good possibility to roll the car.
I had a bad blowout in Feb and coz my tyres were wide for the rims that saved my rims for any damage and allowed me to drive 300m on a flat to make it to safety as the rims just ran on top of the tire.
Also your handling is crapper with stretched tyres too.
Joel ·
Stop scaring everyone Vlad 😉
They are perfectly safe....
SebastienPeek ·
Ahaha I won't be doing ridiculous stretch guyz,
was just being a troll.
But will have some stretch, don't like this bulge crap. Not my look...
Ollie ·
Am I doing it right...
vvwbeetle ·
Stretch is not for me!
I did see a set of 17" Cayenne wheels on eBay not sure if they would fit and how they would look
Anyone any good with photo shop to show me!
vvwbeetle ·
Ollie, I think the problem that guys has is he spent all his money on the rims and couldn't afford to pay for the right size tyre for them.
vlad01 ·
Ollie wrote:Am I doing it right...
lol that made my day. 😂
thats sooo ricer the rims actually look like woks 😂
vvwbeetle ·
thats sooo ricer the rims actually look like woks 😂 [/quote]
😂
SebastienPeek ·
Ahaha this thread has gone from serious to absolutely hilarious!
But that Celica, it is just, giving everyone a bad name.
If you want real stance, perfect tuck, perfect poke, perfect stretch, just read some articles over on http://stanceworks.com/
🙂
Ollie ·
Puh-lease that celica is the best thing to happen to stance since bbs'.
The dude drove it all the way to the show in Tokyo- he had to keep pulling over to top up the air pressure.
Commitment, I say! Seb I expect nothing else but more on yours
Ollie ·
Heheh...
Obligatory beetle
SebastienPeek ·
Oh my eyes, that beetle is terrible...
Too much dish.
Have to say though, dude had balls to drive that thing to the show and back...
Just have to wait and see what happens with the BBS RS253's I have heading my way.
I think they are still a month away...
