how low can you legaly go? i just changed my mind from offroad bug to street. also are fiberglass fenders recomanded?

in nsw its 50mm at the absolute lowest point

100mm, not including brake components, like backing plates

in S.A. it's taken as a measurement from the centre of your wheel to the top of your wheel arch and is different for every vehicle.
I think it works out to roughly 30% of your suspension travel.
Your headlights also have to be a certain height off the ground too.

as long as a can of coke can fit under it, your all good.

ok and whats the best way to lower it without compromising the suspention too much? if it's too much of a hassel i might just place a front spoiler etc.

depends on your budget!

Best way, dropped spindles. Still uses standard suspension points, they just push out your wheel track a fraction 1/4" per side from memory.

Cheers

Victoria: Lowest point of the car can be no lower than 100mm while still retaining 2/3rds of factory suspension.

Even when parked your car can not be below 100mm.

I know this because my car has air suspension, and even though my engineers report states that when parked, ignition switch turned off and handbrake applied my car can go below 100mm, it conflicts with the victorian safety infrastructure standards (or something) that states that when a car is in use it cannot be below 100mm and defines in use as your car being any where other than private property.

So my car can be defected if i lay it out in the main street, but not in my driveway.

Just dump it, if you get pulled up and defected, raise it pass and dump it again. It's the price you pay for having a cool rig.

1st post woohoo.

Hi

There is a minimum headlight centre height to ground as well, from memory 30 cm

Steve

all to do with who pulled you up too, a mate of mine got done for a slightly lowered......ah camry, lol.
the cop was a prick saw it parked over a conrete parking block (the fact that it fit over was enough for me) and said it looked a bit close, but to get it passed we had to have it fully loaded, 5 people, what a joke, and even then we got 99mm out of the 100, but they let it slide, lol.
i think the cop was having a bad day, or just really didnt like camry's

So if you have a Citroen SM, and it sits on the tar when parked due to the hydro-pneumatic suspension, where would you stand?

Quote:

Originally posted by BRENO Victoria: Lowest point of the car can be no lower than 100mm while still retaining 2/3rds of factory suspension. Even when parked your car can not be below 100mm. I know this because my car has air suspension, and even though my engineers report states that when parked, ignition switch turned off and handbrake applied my car can go below 100mm, it conflicts with the victorian safety infrastructure standards (or something) that states that when a car is in use it cannot be below 100mm and defines in use as your car being any where other than private property. So my car can be defected if i lay it out in the main street, but not in my driveway. Just dump it, if you get pulled up and defected, raise it pass and dump it again. It's the price you pay for having a cool rig. 1st post woohoo.

Yes, I was just thinking of the DS19 and the Goddess

which do the same with the engine turned off....

Lee

Now your just stirring guys.... Citreons come with factory fitted, adjustable suspension (as do other makes).... These laws are created for the majority of road vehicles.... And we all know, the majority of OEM suspension is not ride height adjustable. That said... I do know a guy with a DS that got pinged by a cop because he had adjustable suspension.... Needless to say the inspectors thought it was a joke.... The car is a well known concourse winner here in WA! And for the record....

Here in WA they measure back from the front axle 1000mm and take the height from that point. The lowest point must be no less than 100mm... They also check headlight height here too, but since early Beetles OEM headlight placement is below the legal spec, that measurement does not stand.

I know this, cause I have just been through our local defect system....

Quote:

Originally posted by helbus So if you have a Citroen SM, and it sits on the tar when parked due to the hydro-pneumatic suspension, where would you stand? Quote: Originally posted by BRENO Victoria: Lowest point of the car can be no lower than 100mm while still retaining 2/3rds of factory suspension. Even when parked your car can not be below 100mm. I know this because my car has air suspension, and even though my engineers report states that when parked, ignition switch turned off and handbrake applied my car can go below 100mm, it conflicts with the victorian safety infrastructure standards (or something) that states that when a car is in use it cannot be below 100mm and defines in use as your car being any where other than private property. So my car can be defected if i lay it out in the main street, but not in my driveway. Just dump it, if you get pulled up and defected, raise it pass and dump it again. It's the price you pay for having a cool rig. 1st post woohoo.

Ok, so if i want my beetle sitting as low as i can go, whilst still being reasonable.

What's the best way to do this.

Something whereby I could adjust the suspension (i.e. raise it to 100mm for rego etc)

Then drop it back down for the other 364 days, lol

What's the best way to do this.

I was thinkin dropped spindles

maybe a narrowed beam - not sure how much by though??

oh and i'd love to have wide wheels, like wide wide.

so maybe fiberglass guards aswell, front and back.

Thanx guys,

Any help greatly appreciated.

Get hydraulics yo. haha.

Adjustable suspension is the way to go if you want to be ridiculosly low.

I dunno much about Vdubs as im just learning at the moment, but you dont wanna go too low with too wide a wheel up front or your going to run into trouble steering.

Drop spindles and the beam on the highest possible setting, and stock wheels with 165's will only just give you the 100mm clearance you need....
Hydraulics and airbags rigs for dubs are ridiculously expensive for VW's and as far as I know, your only option there is to import a kit your fabricate your own. Then of course is the next problem of explaining to the inspector why you have all this shit under your car when you go to get your defect off.... They are not fools, don't treat them as such, otherwise you will not get your car back on the road.... If you managed to get a system like that engineer approved with all the right paperwork, then you wont have a problem, but nobody has done that yet here in Oz, so good luck to you on that!

I have recently had a defect removed on my POS and that was done with a 2" narrowed beam and drop spindles.... I did have a 4" beam in the car, but the lower adjuster was damaged, so I pulled it.....

Keep it simple and you are sure to have less problems.... I know my car is one of the lowest Dubs in Oz (40mm without my lardy arse onboard), and I have been pinged, but if the car is spotless underneath and tidy on top, then you will have fewer problems at inspection time.

Rides on air get engineered all the time. MY Rodeo is engineered and it pretty much has a custom chassis under it from front to back.

My bug will also be engineered with air.

Kits arent that expensive, 3g for a full front back side to side (FBSS) kit (can get cheaper kits but you know what they say), more if you want the digital height sensors and gauges.

There is a bug in NSW that lays running board and is fully engineered.

There is one in a shop in Victoria getting done with a cantilever front set up that will be engineered and two more on the waiting list.

Speak to the guys at DW customs ( http://www.dwcustoms.com ). They are located in Dandenong in Victoria. They guys to speak to in SA would be Mr Customs but i dont have any contact details for them but could track them downif need be.

Also one of the owners of DW has a sweet ass static dropped bug, i dunno what height its at but it throws sparks when its driving so its pretty low!

You are new to the VW world huh?... Most VW peeps can't afford 3K for a stock engine rebuild, let alone spending that sort of coin on suspension!!!... But if you have the bux to do it, then by all means.... I'd really like to hear more about these 'engineer approved' legal airbagged dubs.... I'm familiar with DW and Tuckshop, both of which have built bagged bugs, but are these cars actually legally done? I'd really like to get a copy of the paperwork, as I have been attempting to do this here in WA for sometime.... If the precedent has been set and the conversion adheres to the national ADR's and Mod regs, I'd love to use it as a model for my own registration...

But then again.... My local vehicle inspection official told me that, in WA, there has not been a legal airbag conversion to an OEM 'torsion bar' equipped vehicle.... Coil sprung cars area different story of course...

In WA Chassis modifications are hard to pass I'm led to believe.

Im not sure if the tuckshop one is engineered but i presume it is. The DW bug will be engineered.

Im from the trucking scene and got the bug as my daily, no one has money in the truck scene. Thats why we drive done up comercial work utes haha.

The suspension and chassis work in my rodeo cost more than the car itself. But in saying that, the accsessories i wanna get for my bug are probably going to cost twice as much as my bug cost me!

It was torsion front end, leaf spring rear, now bags on all corners and triangulated 4 link in the rear, all engineered. Chassis C notched to allow the frame to touch the ground on big wheels, front and rear tubs, engine & gear box lift, custom cross members paralell with the frame to allow it to lay flat front to back.

If you cant get it engineered with out the torsions, bag it with them in thier, get it engineered with them, then take it out. theres a rodeo in my town bagged in the front still with torsions and leafs.

i got done over here in sa...

Had a 2 inch narrowed beam with the car sitting on cut bumpstops all around(was done before i bought the car) but i lowered it more lol
i have had to but a stock beam in all new steerinc sompenents bumpstops shocks ect over here we have no inspections unless you get defected!!

here`s how low mine was when i got done.

matt