wind 1, squareback 0

ddare · Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2005 11:35 pm Post subject: wind 1, squareback 0

Granted my little shark-nosed beauty isn't the most aerodynamic thing on the road, and given that I live in one of the windier parts of the world (hence all the dang windmills outside of palm springs!), what can I do to improve the handling in the wind? Obviously tire pressure, alignment, perhaps a very large passenger, but is there a sway bar or something that can be added to improve control? My car hasn't been lowered to my knowledge, though I may if that'll keep some of the wind resistance down. BTW, approximately what height would a '72 be at, stock?

Kenaneu · Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 2:01 am Post subject:

Nothing super-scientific or expensive here, but you could try tossing some snow chains or anything 25-75 lbs in the front trunk on windy days.

The extra weight in the front makes all the difference in helping my square not get tossed in the wind. It also helps to move the center of gravity forward a bit, which improves handling. I used to do this in the SF area until I finally built a decent sized subwoofer that sits in my front trunk. Smile

josh · Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 4:18 am Post subject:

When I bought my square it was lowered with worn out shocks.

I raised it back to stock height, rebuilt the front end and installed KYB gas adjust shocks and it handles much better in the wind. The shocks are very stiff but it still rides better than it did when it was lowered.

There are some who say the stiffer shocks will cause the other front end components more stress. I don't know if it's true but it makes sense. I feel the improvement in handling is worth the risk. I keep good fresh grease in the beam. It is certainly easier on the suspension than lowering. Lowering the front end is extremely hard on it with a possible exeption for the use of drop spindles.

Air_Cooled_Nut · Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 10:40 am Post subject:

Lowering the car is not "extremely" hard on the suspension Rolling Eyes

It depends on how much it's lowered as to the amount of additional wear it will see. From what I've seen it's the ball joints (a replaceable item) that get most of the abuse.

Anyway, stock tires help more than wider tires because the footprint is long instead of wide. This helps make the car want to go straight.

Weight in the car helps. Heck, I think the cars ride better with a load in them!
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EverettB · Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 10:45 am Post subject:

Make sure your ball joints/tie rods/steering damper are all in good shape.
Make sure you have good tires (sidewalls not cracked)
Inflate the tires to the proper pressure. The front tires are low compared to a modern car, only 17-20 psi depending on what year your car is.
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73notch · Samba Member Joined: September 21, 2003 Posts: 667

cool, an aerodynamics thread

lower it

how about a front lip? i remember reading somewhere that a older golf or gti one could fit on with a lil massaging. can anyone confirm this or supply us with more info?

-Ryan
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ddare · Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 1:52 pm Post subject:

yeah, the sad part is I had my baby loaded up to the gills with stuff as we're moving back to the OC. Granted, not much in the trunk, but I checked my tire psi at 18 psi in the front and 28 in the back. Tires are in *fair* shape, and I need an alignment and I could probably stand to tighten the steering (there's an inch or two of slack, and it pulls to the right, though my tire wear is normal). I suppose what I was looking for was some kind of vendor for a sway bar.

Or I'll just do what I did in my old '69 el camino and load it up with sand bags Smile

blankmange · Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 2:26 pm Post subject:

EverettB · Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 3:20 pm Post subject:

I've driven through the windmill area a bunch of times and never had much trouble with the wind so I suspect there is something wrong with your car.

Sounds like maybe the steering needs adjustment
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jaransonT3 · Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 4:51 pm Post subject:

Air_Cooled_Nut · Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 5:05 pm Post subject:

John sent me the aerodynamic text and it's available on my web site:
http://www.icbm.org/erkson/gallery/Aerodynamics
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Did I mention that I'm an original Darksider?
'72 VW Squareback, 2007cc, GB 5-speed, rag top; '76 VW Riviera Penthouse Sundowner 2.0L; 2015 Audi S5 Cabby w/Stage II APR; '06 Ducati Sport Classic 1000; '14 Ducati Diavel Strada
The First Invasion

Russ Wolfe · Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 7:29 pm Post subject:

ddare · Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 8:36 pm Post subject:

yeah, IIRC, Iowa can be pretty windy. I lived in Cedar Rapids for a while and I thought it was colder than when I lived in Montana, mostly because of the wind Sad

My Bentley is packed up, but I'm going to check my play in the wheels and steering. Once again, thanks for all the tips Smile

-doug

Russ Wolfe · Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 8:42 pm Post subject:

Looks like John J. had another boring engineering meeting and "doodled" another T-3 avatar. Laughing

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jaransonT3 · Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 9:46 pm Post subject:

Anniehum · Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 10:40 pm Post subject:

One of my first road trips in Savanna, I hit a known cross wind spot. I was ready to be hit with wind but I was knocked over 2 lanes. Thank goodness there wasn't any traffic. I got the car home only to discover it wasn't just the wind, I had the front end rebuilt and the steering box tightened an lo and behold life on a windy road was much better. I carry my chains in the spare tire well and a case of oil for all my friends. Oh yeah , floor jack, jack stands and a few spare parts. I guess I have a bit of weight in the frunk.
Cheers
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kokomo808 · Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 1:27 am Post subject:

every onces in awhile on the freeway there are strong gust of wind that swoop down from the mountains & mother nature decides its time to change lanes Wink

but with a 90lb bag of cement in the front trunk that rarely happens now Shocked

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blankmange · Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 3:04 am Post subject:

Air_Cooled_Nut · Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 8:58 am Post subject: OT: Avitars by John

Russ Wolfe · Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 11:35 am Post subject: Re: OT: Avitars by John


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