TheSamba.com :: View topic - Is it worth lowering a classic VW Beetle?

Sat Oct 10, 2009 4:40 pm

read my sig. line Vespa

Sat Oct 10, 2009 4:45 pm

so basically the previous owner treated the car like shit. this does not mean that lowering a car results in all these things being wrong.

face facts, it's not the lowering, it was the idiot that did the lowering.

my car was lowered and driven every day. i had no problems, bent parts, chewed up pieces, nothing. actually i've had 12 bugs, all lowered, and have never ran into bent beams or any of the problems you seem to have.

my car now is on air in the front. i did this mostly to get into some property i have leased. i will say it rides better than any stock bug i've ever been in.

to make a blanket statement that lowering a vw will cause suspension problems, bent parts, and dangerous situations is truely false. i would venture a bet that there are more stock height bugs running around with wore out suspension parts than lowered cars.

Sat Oct 10, 2009 4:51 pm

Lowering a vw THE PROPER WAY will not inflict destruction on the front end. It is when people do stupid things like take out leaves or make their own drop spindles or even put bags of cement in the front end that damage occurs. If you have a narrowed adjustable beam, and you want it low, just don't go too low. When you go super low, your car pretty much just rides stiff cause your shocks are all the way contracted. I lowered my rear end only so far just to get the right look cause the po adjusted them up one notch. It rides so much smoother. If I could find someone out here willing to trade a narrowed adjustable beam that was built right, I would do it in a heart beat. Ubtil then, I'm gonna run a stock beam with drop spindles.

Sat Oct 10, 2009 5:00 pm

Come on guys. This dude is just baiting.

Sat Oct 10, 2009 5:03 pm

he's really good at it. he's a master baiter.

Sat Oct 10, 2009 5:39 pm

mynameistory wrote: he's really good at it. he's a master baiter.

Lol.................. :lol:

Sat Oct 10, 2009 8:13 pm

vespaboy200 wrote: You may be correct about the preload...plus the shocks are old and probably shot because it was so low... The steering rod's bent in two places the dampener is busted the ball joints are leaking grease the ball joint at the end of the steering tie rod was almost popped all the way out...
I do not mind sacrificing comfort for performance ...But its not ...what I got was a polgo bug shaking bumpy crap ride...iIt is not designed to be lowered ,for it to be correct you would need to redesign the whole entire front suspension ,the beetle set up to be able to do both on and off road its like a jeep...
were not lowering jeepds to the ground saying its got better handling ,its maddness people... :D

the po didnt do it right. some people like to do things as cheap as possible then they sell that car advertised as a lowered car. then someone buys it thinking it was done right but really wasnt then gets a bad first impresion. nothing against you but dont make judements until you ride in and or see a car that is done properly

Sat Oct 10, 2009 8:34 pm

Lowered properly = better corning, and a stiffer then stock ride. If you don't like it then leave it stock height. Bottom line is run it how you want it. Also you can get lower without screwing with the ride by running dropped spindles. An ajustable beam allows some "tuning" of the stiffness of the suspension.

Sat Oct 10, 2009 8:50 pm

RA 70 wrote: Lowered properly = better corning, and a stiffer then stock ride. If you don't like it then leave it stock height. Bottom line is run it how you want it. Also you can get lower without screwing with the ride by running dropped spindles. An ajustable beam allows some "tuning" of the stiffness of the suspension.

Do they have lowered spindles that do not change the offset?

Sat Oct 10, 2009 9:27 pm

I have found that the lowest offset they have is 1/4 inch. It's not too drastic. Not like the old ones that push it out an extra 3/4 inch.

Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:23 pm

i got the ones from cip. they claim they dont have an offset so i bought them. no offset at all. very satasfied with them

Mon Oct 12, 2009 9:08 am

Got 4 new shocks and the steering damper today,hopefully I get the new beam with disc brakes today.......... :wink:

Tue Oct 13, 2009 6:08 am

There is no turning back now!

This 1970 Beetle will be restored to original ride...

Just the way Porsche intended...

No more half assed performance suspension hacks....

So in my conclusion it is not worth lowering your VW Beetle with lowered beams ,its not safe!it doesn't add performance!And adds excessive wear on the suspension...

If its a daily driver,trust me do not use the adjustable beam method....no good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!DANGER>>>>DANGER>>>>DANGER>>>>

Tue Oct 13, 2009 6:13 am

vespaboy200 wrote: There is no turning back now!

This 1970 Beetle will be restored to original ride...

Just the way Porsche intended...

No more half assed performance suspension hacks....

So in my conclusion it is not worth lowering your VW Beetle with lowered beams ,its not safe!it doesn't add performance!And adds excessive wear on the suspension...

If its a daily driver,trust me do not use the adjustable beam method....no good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!DANGER>>>>DANGER>>>>DANGER>>>>

:roll:

Tue Oct 13, 2009 6:19 am

vespaboy200 wrote: ... So in my conclusion ...
No worries, it's just his opinion, your results may be different.

Tue Oct 13, 2009 9:32 am

Narrowed adjustable beams should come with a warning.
"Individually results will vary."

Tue Oct 13, 2009 1:42 pm

Just my two cents...

Mostly looks. If you have a late SB, it really makes a dramatic visual impact to lose that ridiculous nose-up stance. On mine, I dropped the front about 2 1/2 inches (lowering struts with matching springs and inserts) and left the rear alone. Looks much, much better, and it's not so low as to scrape the front apron everywhere! Ride quality is unchanged.

One unforeseen benefit - it's not as twitchy at highway speeds now and the mileage improved somewhat (more than I'd normally attribute to getting the motor broken in). Guess getting the nose lower affected its aerodynamics a bit!

Only... it's kind of a pain to get my floor jack under it, now. Only drawback I've encountered so far.

Tue Oct 13, 2009 4:09 pm

Everything is in......................I now have disc instead of drum......

tried to bleed and I got nothing not even a drizzle....

You guys think I need to bench bleed the master cylinder ???????The brakes are off a ghia,they are the ones with the two bleeding nipples...I also replaced the two brake lines coming off the master cylinder to the calipers..
:?:

Tue Oct 13, 2009 4:27 pm

bongon247 wrote: and it'll out handle your new beetle...

Really? :lol:

Tue Oct 13, 2009 4:28 pm

vespaboy200 wrote: So in my conclusion it is not worth lowering your VW Beetle with lowered beams ,its not safe!it doesn't add performance!And adds excessive wear on the suspension...

If its a daily driver,trust me do not use the adjustable beam method....no good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!DANGER>>>>DANGER>>>>DANGER>>>>
I've had different results, i've put over 100,000 miles on this setup and feel it handles better, brakes better and rides like stock.

Avis adjusters lowered 3"
19mm front anti-roll bar
KYB GR2 shocks (72 Opel GT) 2" shorter
Rear dropped 1"
25mm rear anti-roll bar
KYB GR2 shocks (VW)
5.5x15 ET42 Porsche/Pedrini aluminum wheels
195/60-15 tires

It handles like a go kart.