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Tue Nov 18, 2008 2:07 pm

i'm narrowing a beam 5" or 5.5" and i've heard people say being that low makes no difference if you have shocks or not... can someone give me some pro's and con's of shock towers vs. no towers... i more question with a beam that narrowed with drop spindles will i need to fab my headlight buckets? thank, dustin

Tue Nov 18, 2008 2:39 pm

Why so narrow? I'm at 4" on 4.5" chromies with 155/60's, and I can get the car undrivably low.

You want shocks. The guys that say you don't need shocks are just rationalizing their choice.

Headlight clearance depends on tire choice and ride height. I'm at less than 2" framehead to ground, and no issues with headlight buckets.

Good luck with your project!

Tue Nov 18, 2008 2:48 pm

Here's a thread where the issue has been beat to death. I say keep the shock towers....it's safer.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=281646&highlight=narrowed+beam+shock+towers

Tue Nov 18, 2008 3:29 pm

thanks for the info.

Tue Nov 18, 2008 3:36 pm

i'm going so narrow because everyone says go narrow. i'm going to be running the fake porsche rims and the low pro 165's do you think that will be ok? and also how do you know what angle to place the adjusters? (i'm doing the beam myself)

Tue Nov 18, 2008 4:13 pm

here's a pic of my beam, not the best pic, sorry:
http://www.volksrods.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=14720&d=1214181186

You can see my shock towers and ride height in my volksrods project thread:
http://www.volksrods.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20129

The adjusters are NOT perpendicular to the beam, I'd say more like 15* or thereabouts.

I set the orientation by marking the location of the stock retainer screw and making the topmost position of the adjuster in the same spot.

"Low pro" doesn't mean anything - you need an actual tire size, and I doubt there's anything in a 165 section width that's short enough to run.

You have to factor in the added width of the wheels and brake package you're using, then figure out how far in you want to move things, and add those numbers together. Go too far and you'll screw up your steering geometry and turning radius.

But hey, if you like the super narrow look, don't let me talk you out of it, it's your car! 8)

Tue Nov 18, 2008 5:30 pm

v DuB kRaZy wrote: i'm going so narrow because everyone says go narrow. i'm going to be running the fake porsche rims and the low pro 165's do you think that will be ok? and also how do you know what angle to place the adjusters? (i'm doing the beam myself)

ditch the shocks you wont need them.go narrow.. and i think you might mean 145/65?
I went 6 with mine and its good.. I run empi 5s and i can put it on the ground. 4in and fuch and disk? your shit will look stock. if your runin disk i would go min 5.. 6 is perfect

Tue Nov 18, 2008 6:44 pm

green66 wrote: v DuB kRaZy wrote: i'm going so narrow because everyone says go narrow. i'm going to be running the fake porsche rims and the low pro 165's do you think that will be ok? and also how do you know what angle to place the adjusters? (i'm doing the beam myself)

ditch the shocks you wont need them.go narrow.. and i think you might mean 145/65?
I went 6 with mine and its good.. I run empi 5s and i can put it on the ground. 4in and fuch and disk? your shit will look stock. if your runin disk i would go min 5.. 6 is perfect

i'm building this bug quick so i'm just doing stock drums. they sell some 165 45 r15's they are expensive though. the rims are wide and i don't know if 135's or 145's will fit. i'm hoping i won't rub very much.

Tue Nov 18, 2008 7:05 pm

what size rims?? 5.5"? ive got 5.5" 5 spokes on 195 /50s, 5in beam, only rubs on the very end of turning radius on the rear of the fender well. although ive got steering geometry issues, but thats different thread

Tue Nov 18, 2008 7:07 pm

VIN wrote: what size rims?? 5.5"? ive got 5.5" 5 spokes on 195 /50s, 5in beam, only rubs on the very end of turning radius on the rear of the fender well. although ive got steering geometry issues, but thats different thread

i don't know i would have to measure

Wed Nov 19, 2008 2:59 pm

v DuB kRaZy wrote: green66 wrote: v DuB kRaZy wrote: i'm going so narrow because everyone says go narrow. i'm going to be running the fake porsche rims and the low pro 165's do you think that will be ok? and also how do you know what angle to place the adjusters? (i'm doing the beam myself)

ditch the shocks you wont need them.go narrow.. and i think you might mean 145/65?
I went 6 with mine and its good.. I run empi 5s and i can put it on the ground. 4in and fuch and disk? your shit will look stock. if your runin disk i would go min 5.. 6 is perfect

i'm building this bug quick so i'm just doing stock drums. they sell some 165 45 r15's they are expensive though. the rims are wide and i don't know if 135's or 145's will fit. i'm hoping i won't rub very much.

145/65's someone else mentioned are the way to go. i had 135's and it was rubbing the buckets, then switched to 145/65's and now it rubs only on inclines with the wheel turned.

Thu Nov 20, 2008 9:46 am

you wont need shocks.... Most of the GFK cars dont run shocks... by cutting the torsions that much, you have now changed the rate of the spring. The shock is only there to dampen the spring movement. As you narrow the length of the springs, it becomes stiffer. when you lower the car, adjust one set of torsion all the way down, and the other (bottom) about 2/3 all the way.. By doing this, the lower spring set will actually dampen the ride, thus not needing springs... Ask any of the GFK guys... the cars drive really well. Here is mine with no shocks or towers....

Thu Nov 20, 2008 10:55 am

After reading through this, I'm thinking maybe you are rushing through it. I see a lot of "everyone says go narrow" and "they sell these", but suspension changes aren't something you want to just jump into. When I set up my suspension, a lot of people told me a lot of things. I chose to do my own research on what I was told, and ultimately made a decision I was satisfied with (and ended up being very different form the majority of what i was told.)

If you choose poorly, you're going to be kicking yourself about it until you can save up enough to fix your poor choice. Just because everyone tells you to go narrow doesn't mean you can't do your own research to make sure it's the correct choice.

Figure out what wheel and tire combination you're going to run FIRST. Then make your suspension changes based on how much room you need for them to work correctly. Don't just whack 5 or 6 inches out of your beam because someone said it's the way to go. Rushing here will end up biting you in the ass.

I know a lot of people are running the 165/45x15 smart car tires. Also a lot of people running the 145/65's though these seem to be more difficult to source. If you like 'em wide, 195/50's might be worth looking into. They work nicely too. The point is, don't rush into this. Make the best decision for YOUR car and YOUR style. In the long run you'll be much happier.

Thu Nov 20, 2008 11:57 am

Daily driven, no shocks, 5" beam....(You do not want shocks if you go 5"+)
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=303312&highlight=

Thu Nov 20, 2008 1:21 pm

Also a lot of people running the 145/65's though these seem to be more difficult to source.

TIRERACK.COM has them for $57.00 a piece......a steal! :wink:

Thu Nov 20, 2008 4:27 pm

do you guys use steering stops with a 5" or more narrowed beam??

Thu Nov 20, 2008 4:29 pm

No, the steering stops when you rub...
But, you will not rub unless making an ultra sharp U-turn

Fri Nov 21, 2008 11:42 am

I'm running no shocks front/rear and it rides great. No problems, if anything it is smoother, like a cadillac.