Narrowed beam handling and turning circle question


Hey

I know a lot of you have done the front beam narrowing and I am looking to dothe same on the BJ beam under my '66 beetle (have a semi-auto pan converted to manual).
How does it impact handling as I am hoping to build the beetle into something I can motorkhana and hill climb? Also is there an impact on turning circle?
Cheers for your advice
Posted this in Tech talk and realised it should probably go here.

vassy

If anyone can give their experience on the narrow beam I'd appreciate it to.

I have a 59, but I'm looking at changing the height and also the stud pattern as part of the upgrade to disks. I'll also put on a set of the new black 8 spokes that are being brought into the country for the formula V guys.

I can get a narrowed and adjustable beam for under $500, but then the ride will be a bit dodgy when it's low, so then drop spindles for $560. Then the time for me to fit it all in.

The other option is by the AVIS(I think that is the name) adjusters and pull out the beam and give it to my fitter and turner to fit them. Not narrow, but as long as the wheels fit, I don't mind. Then add the drop spindles and I save a little money all up.

I am also wanting to do some circuit work, motorkhana and hill climb stuff. Along with driving like a nut on the road (only joking... I obey all road rules some of the time).

Anyone want to share their thoughts on the beam or my lowering ideas?

ps. If any of the above seems a bit nieve then cut me some slack 'cause I'm new to this beetle thing. It's taken me 10 years, but I finally have one. I had to give up my Dolomite Sprint to get it though.

[ Edited on 11-9-2007 by 1SlowBeetle ]

first up, drop spindles wont be $560, well shouldnt be anyway!!
usually between $350-$400 au.

If you are runnnig discs and wider wheels, you may just want to compensate for the widened track by narrowing the beam the same amount. In my opinion I would narrow it a few inches, but really depends on your choice of wheels (width and offset), and brake kit (whether or not it increases track).
If doing circuit and motorkhana work, you wont want it too low, but stiffness would be desirable I would think. You may be better putting one adjuster only, as I think this way makes the ride stiffer. Using sway-away after market leaves wiill improve the handling for track work too.
I would always suggest drop spindles for lowering more than a few inches, but depending on your main purpose for the car, they may not be needed.

Thanks for the info xronge. Perhaps I had the price of he beam and the stubs around the wrong way. I guess the stiffer leaves and a good set of shocks is going to make a huge difference anyway.

I understand what your saying about narrowing the beam to compensate for the width of the wheels, but what effect does that have on the handling and turning circle? I'm quite a fan of having both.

Cheers...

if you are narrowing the beam to compensate for brakes and wheels, you can se the front track back to where it was factory. Depending on the wheels you choose, you may want to go an extra inch or so, otherwise you may have clearance issues with the fender lip when turning, which will be more of an issue than a narrow beam as far as turning goes.

On a car we did a while ago, it had empi 5 spokes (5.5x15 american eagle), cb wide 5 disc brake kit with 2.5 drop spindles, and a 75mm narrowed k&l beam. This car was fairly low, not slammed, and had NO rubbing anywhere, and turned very well. It did hav 175/65/15 tyres from memory, but 145 or 155's would have been fine too.

With shorter leaves, the ride will be stiffer, due to the change in spring rate of the leaves once they are narrowed. This is one of the reasons people think you can get away without shocks, because the front is a lot stiffer than stock. I would not recommend running without shocks, but its up to the individual. I have driven a car with a 4" beam with no shocks and it was terrible.

Bsically with the setup above, the car handled and steered very well, it did have koni shocks all round too. It was set up for street use, and I think if you want to do motorkhana etc seriously, you would need to change the setup a little.

Thanks for extra info. Very helpful to me as a new VW'er. I would be after more street than circuit and motorkhana so I'd definentely bias the setup more that way.

I've basically decided to go the drops and a set of new shocks to start with. Then I'll get a good wheel alignment and go from there.

I know this is off topic, but what is the story with swaybars in a bug? Bigger better? Brands to use? Where to get?

I'm assuming that they work pretty much the same as a normal rear wheel drive car?

depends on your preferance of handling etc,
but try these guys
http://www.whiteline.com.au/swaybars.htm 

otherwise post in the circuit racing section and see what those guys are using.

we have a 74 with narrowed and lowered beam and haven't really noticed any difference in the turning circle side of it. the ride is definitely stiffer and would depend how low we went i guess. but i have always preferred a stiffer ride on my cars anyway...
we initially lowered the beam but had problems with the tyres scrubbing when we hit big bumps.. so we ended up narrowing it to stop this from happening.