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Fri Nov 12, 2004 8:24 am

What is the lowest i can sit my beetle, with 135's on stock wheels?

**I Do not care about ride quality*

Fri Nov 12, 2004 11:36 am

I figure you can go pretty damn low if you want to.

I have my adjustable struts all the way down with stock wheels/tires, and it rubs like a bitch. As soon as I get my 125 temps mounted, I'm gonna cut a full coil from each side to get the nose down and we'll see how it goes from there... Of course, mine's a 1302, which I've heard that you can go lower than 1303's... I'm sure the difference is hardly noticeable.

Sat Nov 13, 2004 12:34 pm

shipman wrote:

....As soon as I get my 125 temps mounted, I'm gonna cut a full coil from each side to get the nose down and we'll see how it goes from there....

Have you ever rode temps before? I did for a while and everyone warned me about it.. I figured they were wusses or something. Im all about trying stuff and Im not trying to stop you but I just wanted to lend advice on how spooky they are. ESPECIALLY IN THE RAIN!!! In the rain steering isnt an option! I slid through some stoplights in the bone dry weather... I have 5.5 empi 8 spokes and they were totally stretched on there. A fellow club member has temps on 4 inch wheels and they fit great and still have a sidewall.

If your using 4 inch wheels go for it... But 5.5's or even a 5 it is a stretch to get them on and they are scary man! But if you need them because your car is low go for it. Thats why I put them on... My stock 165's rubbed like hell!
Good luck man! :D

Sat Nov 13, 2004 3:09 pm

I was thinkin about sitting my 73 sb down too. Ride quality isnt a big deal to me either. let me know what you're gonna use to slam yours, I'd like to do the same. :D

Sat Nov 13, 2004 11:40 pm

Mine should be on the ground this week. I'll post some pics when it all goes down. Oh, and I think you should be able to get it as low as you want it though.

Sun Nov 14, 2004 7:33 pm

i got the topline parts super low kit on my 71. set for a 3" drop and am running 145 tires. iv got about 6 inches from the street to the front apron and i can load the car with people without it the tires rubbing and the ride quality is awesome.
when i first put that kit on there i had it set for a 3 1/2" drop and it was scraping the tires (the 145's) going in a straight line with just me in the car. i measured 3" from the street to the sway bar.

Mon Nov 15, 2004 8:15 am

Sweet, Post some pics guys!!!

Mon Nov 15, 2004 10:00 am

4" drop in the front and 3" in the rear on Fuch rims. I used to rub with Empi 8's but the Porche rims gave me an extra inch of backspace. The front tires are 145 Kleeber's and the rear are 215/65/15 BF Goodrich Comp TA's.

Mon Nov 15, 2004 11:18 am

Quote: Have you ever rode temps before? I did for a while and everyone warned me about it.. I figured they were wusses or something. Im all about trying stuff and Im not trying to stop you but I just wanted to lend advice on how spooky they are. ESPECIALLY IN THE RAIN!!! In the rain steering isnt an option! I slid through some stoplights in the bone dry weather... I have 5.5 empi 8 spokes and they were totally stretched on there. A fellow club member has temps on 4 inch wheels and they fit great and still have a sidewall.

If your using 4 inch wheels go for it... But 5.5's or even a 5 it is a stretch to get them on and they are scary man! But if you need them because your car is low go for it. Thats why I put them on... My stock 165's rubbed like hell!
Good luck man!

A buddy of mine runs temps and even Firestone 125's (not temp) on his daily driver '67 and has no problems. He runs stock 4.5" wheel, as I will be doing as well. I think the key is knowing what to expect, and what your limits are. I definitely will be driving very carefully and giving myself plenty of room to stop. If it ends up being ridiculous, I will get myself some 175/55's as soon as they are available and chalk it up to a learning experience... 8)

Mon Nov 15, 2004 4:28 pm

shipman wrote:
A buddy of mine runs temps and even Firestone 125's (not temp) on his daily driver '67 and has no problems. He runs stock 4.5" wheel, as I will be doing as well. I think the key is knowing what to expect, and what your limits are. I definitely will be driving very carefully and giving myself plenty of room to stop. If it ends up being ridiculous, I will get myself some 175/55's as soon as they are available and chalk it up to a learning experience... 8)

Sounds good man. I think with a skinny wheel that they wouldnt be a problem. My problem was the 5.5 inch wheels were just too wide to stretch the tire on there. Thanks for actually reading my post and realizing that I was just trying to help... I didnt want you to think I was trying to be a jerk!

Tue Nov 16, 2004 9:53 pm

Envious.......I've been waitin' to see those Fuchs on your ride for a while. 'Bout time! Looks damn good too!

The correct wheel is the factor on how low you can go. I've got my struts on the lowest setting, plus a coil chopped off the spring, and only rub on "full lock" to the left or right. Never rubs or bottoms-out during normal driving. I've said it many times before. Fuchs have THE best off-set for "tucking" wheels and tires on a Super. I currently run 135's, but I'm going to 195/45's shortly, and have plenty of room. 205/60's out back if you were wondering.

Here's a shot from the Findlay Cruise Night during the Vegas Bug-In:

Wed Nov 17, 2004 7:52 am

Damn mulk, your Super is looking a lot lower lately... Did you recently chop the extra coil off? I saw pics after you got the 2.0 liters and it didn't look that low. Sweet looking ride, man... 8)

Someone also posted a pic of your car in the lowlifevw.com gallery, that one was my desktop for about a week. Now it's this one's turn...

Wed Nov 17, 2004 6:06 pm

Shipman..... It's been a while sinse I chopped the coils down. But they were new coils so they're prolly taking a set (or I had a full tank of gas).

It's pretty low at the swaybar. I'll take some photos with a ruler to see just how low.

Surprised as hell to see my ride on LowLifes site. Kind of an honor (specially for a Fatty)

Thu Nov 18, 2004 9:40 am

Damn Envious and Mulk!

Ive never been a huge super beetle fan but you guys ( IMO ) Have the sharpest supers that I have ever seen!! I kinda like German look supers but these are about the only attempts at sort of a "Cal-look super"
that Ive ever seen and they are both awesome!

I just thought Id complement your two slick looking rides! :wink:

Thu Nov 18, 2004 3:30 pm

Has anyone done 2" or 3" wider fenders to allow more room for bulky wheel/tire packages on a lowered SB? I would love to put them on my 74 but know little about them.

Thu Nov 18, 2004 4:40 pm

If you go to topline.com and get the MAXX struts you can fit 17x7's under stock fenders. Not sure what size you're trying to run.........

Thu Nov 18, 2004 10:17 pm

You asked....... Here you go:

It's about 2 3/4 inches from the ground to the swaybar mount. Guess I could have cleaned-up the bottom before I took the shot. But who really cares, it's a Daily Driver, it's supposed to be dirty.

Tue Nov 23, 2004 9:41 pm

Mulk,

Dude, your ride is killer!!! How many coils did you cut??? I'm ready to get my front as low as yours...please let me know. By the way, you've been most helpful throughout this restoraton I've been doing. Pictures are on the way. Thanks.

Matt F.

Tue Nov 23, 2004 9:45 pm

Ok, I did a search and see that you (Mulk) cut one coil off of some performance springs. I'm running stock springs. Would I have to cut more than this? Or is it even wise to guess? Thanks again.

Wed Nov 24, 2004 8:12 am

You could cut a coil, then if that's not low enough cut another half coil. I wouldn't cut more than a coil and a half... That's pretty standard.