GoWesty HD 930 Axle kit

[beardfoot]

Hi there has anyone installed the GoWesty heavy duty 930 axle kit?
I've got a broken cv/axle and considering upgrading to the HD, but like many GoWesty products, it's hard to find any reviews.

I do a fair amount of off road type driving and camping, not sure if it's worth upgrading for 1300 dollars...

Also, would I need to replace the wheel bearings at the same time? Are the stubs any different in size than the original VW?

Thanks!
Andrew

[vanis13]

[ALIKA T3]

I made my own. Stub axles use the same wheel bearings.

It depends on your ride height, otherwise you can stay stock size with Löbro-GKN cv joints, your old German axles. Check the play in your original hub bearing carrier, you can upgrade for a better carrier too.
_________________
Silicone Steering Boots and 930 Cv boots for sale in the classifieds.
Syncro transmission upgrade parts in the Classifieds.
Subaru EJ22+UN1 5 speed transmission
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=416343
Syncro http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4...num+gadget

[beardfoot]

Okay I see, so I would need to transfer the bearings to the new stubs? Seems like I would want to just get new bearings, ya?

My van is a 85 camper with GW 1.5"lift springs, Subaru EJ22 Kennedy type setup. I've got 16" GW wheels and general grabber tires. It's sitting up a little but not as much as a synchro or the ppl that replace their trailing arms.

GW is pretty hard to get a hold of, when I talked to someone over there they told me "You will need 2 cans of redline grease, everything else you need is in the kit."

[thatbaldwinlife]

From what you said I do not think the 930 CV's are needed, especially at the price. We have a similar ride height and take ours off on some pretty rough terrain with no issues. We might look at moving to 944 joints if one of ours breaks though, just for the increased articulation.

nate
_________________
1987 Westy
Insta: @Thatbaldwinlife
Vanagon Adventure and DIY videos:
That Baldwin Life YouTube Channel

[beardfoot]

thatbaldwinlife

Thank you! That is what I am looking for

It's hard to make these major life decisions without the samba community chiming in.

[dobryan]

Measure the distance from the rear wheel axle centerline to the bottom lip of the fender/wheel opening. If it is 18" or less you should be fine with stock CVs.

(And I always carry spares just in case. They are not hard to replace on the road. btdt.)
_________________
Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2010 Subaru EJ25 (Vanaru) and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

MD>Canada>AK>WA>OR>CA>AZ>UT>WY>SD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620646

Building a bus for travel in Europe (euroBus)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=695371

The Western Syncro build
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=746794

[beardfoot]

dobryan

Thanks! Yea I took our 4 year old camping up in Big Sur last week and heard a clicking on the way back, luckily it didn't break until I was 5 min from our house...But got me thinking about keeping a spare in the van! haha

[riceye]

Always my $0.02 with CV's and articulation. A simple step on assembly, YMMV.
CV clocking
_________________
'87 Westy Weekender - daily driver on salt-free roads

There's gonna be some changes made.

“I find that things usually go well right up until the moment they don't.” - Ahwahnee

"Quality isn't method. It's the goal toward which the method is aimed." - Socrates, later quoted by R.M. Pirsig

[GreggK]

I always thought 944's were stock. What are the OEM joints called?
_________________
'86 2wd Poptop transplant
FAS TDi engine swap. Peloquin LSD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=692188&highlight=slow+but+steady

[GreggK]

[dobryan]

[ALIKA T3]

[GreggK]

Ah Ha...
I thought they were all 944 and the 930 was a heavier duty upgrade. good to know.
_________________
'86 2wd Poptop transplant
FAS TDi engine swap. Peloquin LSD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=692188&highlight=slow+but+steady

[thatbaldwinlife]

I do not think the 944 joints are considered HD by any means. They can offer more articulation based on the smaller balls in the races which can result in less binding for lifted vans. Then you just need to find boots that can take the constant extreme angles....
nate
_________________
1987 Westy
Insta: @Thatbaldwinlife
Vanagon Adventure and DIY videos:
That Baldwin Life YouTube Channel

[dobryan]

[Irishcalifornian]

I purchased these about a year ago for preventive maintenance.
Finding out later that I should have gone German.
Now I need to install the right side with the GW kit because I can't afford another purchase.
So my question is, Is the HD 930 Axle kit Chinese crap parts or not?
_________________
One Life, Live It

[markswagen]

l see 930 cv joints as a bad idea, especially on a syncro.
l think it's best to have something cheap and easy to fix, that's the weakest point, rather than risking transmission internals again especially on a syncro.
l've had a 930 cv set in a box for years, l thought it a good idea at one time, talking with the guy who builds transmissions for me, he commented that he felt it's best to have something cheap and easy to fix, like a fuse, rather than to risk an expensive repair bill.
that made perfect sense to me.
_________________
markswagen {mobile mechanic} san diego area all early VW's cared for.

619 201 0310

[Sodo]

I too am worries by the difficulty of obtaining 930 axles, and haven't had much problem breaking the smaller CVs.

I think of CVs as a consumable.
They last pretty long and don't fail catastrophically and replacements are readily available. (except Syncro front CVs could go NLA)
CVs tend to fail due to:

not enough grease
boot failure
miles
over-inspection

I do wonder if "CV clocking" results in the axle staying "centered" and thus concentrating the wear in one location.

I think keeping the axle centered would be great for a race-buggy
....that cycles long-travel suspension from full compression to full droop repeatedly
while the engine is screaming at the top of its torque output,
and the buggy gets new CVs every year whether it needs it or not.

But I don't see these race-buggy conditions as directly applicable to our RVs,
droning down the highway or puttering down a gravel road,
while hoping for 100,000 miles service from a new CV.
On our RVs (I think) it's probably better if the axle floats in/out in the various driving conditions,
spreading, circulating the grease & the wear across a larger area of the star and grooves.

My curiosities:
Those who have been clocking CV axles.... could you post pics of the ball-wear pattern on the inner and outer tracks?
And do your axles "plunge" in & out easily in the boots? Some boots are harder, some are softer.
Thanks!
_________________


'90 Westy EJ25, NEW oil rings (!) 2Peloquins, 3knobs, SyncroShop pressure-oiled pinion-bearing & GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox.
'87 Tintop, EJ25, cooled filtered (original) gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

All Vanagons should do this:
Add direct starter-to-chassis cable THEN delete ground strap at front transaxle mount.
The best time to do this mod was in 2010. The second best time is TODAY.
If your starter is slow, this is MORE important.

[gbrandt]

I was constantly break CV's on my 1.5" lifted van and peloquin. Went with the 930 from GW and have not broken once since.

I do remove and degrease every year or so and I polished before install.
_________________
'Lucky' our 1987 Red Westy, ALH 1.9 TDI
We've driven in 49 countries and 5 continents to date
Canada to Argentina and back, 2015 to 2017.
Canada to Europe and back (including Turkey, Morocco and Iceland), 2017 to 2019
Mexico 2022-2023
https://www.instagram.com/live.travel.play/
http://livetravelplay.ca