2 1/2 drop

[BAWRIGHT]

I have a standard 73 beetle. Front beam is rotted. I have a new front end from CB Performance, narrowed 2" and adjustable for 2 1/2" drop. Now for the question. Any benefit to using drop spindles vs using the adjuster. I Wil be going to disc brakes and also dropping the rear 2 1/2".

[FullFender]

[andk5591]

The dropped spindles will kick the wheels out usually 1/2". depending on what you are doing for the disc brakes, some of those also kick out the wheels. So, really gonna depend on how low you want to go and what offset/width wheels and tire size you are going with....And don't be lazy with the rear - I believe 2.5" is one outer click. Make sure you want to drop that much.

And watch what you are doing for shocks depending on which way you go. Using the beam only will usually require a shorter shock
_________________
D-Dubya Manx clone - 63 Short pan,1914.
Rosie 65 bug - My mostly stock daily driver.
Woodie 69 VW woodie (Hot VWs 7/12).
"John's car" 64 VW woodie - The first ever
Maxine 61 Cal-look bug - Cindy's daily driver.
Max - 73 standard Beetle hearse project - For sale
66 bug project - Real patina & Suby conversion
There's more, but not keeping them...

[BAWRIGHT]

Ty for the heads up on the shocks. Is there a ride or handling difference between drop spindles and using the adjusters to lower?

[andk5591]

I have a ball joint car with dropped spindles and sock beam....ride is similar to stock since you use stock shocks. HOWEVER, we run a 2" narrowed adjustable beam only on my wifes 61. We do use the correct length KYB GR2 (Excel) shock and it rides as nice.

There is something to considerwith narrowed beams - When you shorten a stock spring, it will be a little stiffer. On a 2" I don't know if its very noticable.

adjustable beam may require shorter shocks depending on how low you go. Many "lowered" shocks that are sold are stiffer than they should be. I know a certain one is the same shock as a Chevy Blazer...A bug is a little lighter than a Blazer, so the damping is too stiff....Just stuff to look into when you make a change.
_________________
D-Dubya Manx clone - 63 Short pan,1914.
Rosie 65 bug - My mostly stock daily driver.
Woodie 69 VW woodie (Hot VWs 7/12).
"John's car" 64 VW woodie - The first ever
Maxine 61 Cal-look bug - Cindy's daily driver.
Max - 73 standard Beetle hearse project - For sale
66 bug project - Real patina & Suby conversion
There's more, but not keeping them...

[ashman40]

Look at early '70s Opel shocks as they have the same mounting as the front Beetle shocks, but are shorter. The Opel was also a small light car like the Beetle.

One other thing to consider... dropped spindles basically move the wheel spindles higher up. This causes the body to drop lower but the suspension remains unchanged. The same range of motion, the same spring rate.

When you use an adjustable front beam, you rotate the point where the torsion springs mount. The springs don't "think" the car is lowered (they are not compressed), but the rest of the suspension does. The shocks and ball joints "see" that the front torsion arms are compressed. For example, if before lowering the font, the shocks had 6" of travel before they bottomed out. After lowering the front 2" you now only have 4" before they bottom out. The same applies to the ball joints. Often the ball joints will hit their limit BEFORE the shocks. You may need to look for "lowered ball joints" to allow a greater range of motion.

The biggest difference between the dropped spindles and adjustable front end is "adjustability". The dropped spindles will lower the front 2.5", no more no less. The adjustable beam allows you nearly infinite incremental choices.
_________________
AshMan40
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'67 Beetle #1 {project car that never made it to the road }
'75 Beetle 1200LS (RHD Japan model) {junked due to frame rot}
'67 Beetle #2 {2019 project car - Wish me luck!}

[BAWRIGHT]

Will a 2 1/2 drop cause any real clearance issues?

[ashman40]

[BAWRIGHT]

Ty for the link. The front beam is 2" narrower than stock.