Re: [T3] Vehicle height

[Mark Seaton <Markse@mo-sys.com>]

<x-flowed>Thanks for looking Russ- you're right of course there are too many 
variables, but a ballpark figure would be handy. I guess thats why VW 
only gave out figures for the spring plate angle for height setting. 
Should the door sill be horizontal or which way should it slope? Mine 
slopes down towards the back. I carry a box of tools weighing probably 
20Kg all the time in the boot, but rarely anything more than that. I 
have been subjecting the car to a route to my work for the past 3 years 
that has a huge number of speed bumps that would kill all suspensions 
eventually. I replaced the outer rubber bushes last year which I think 
improved the camber a bit, but it seems to have come back again. I 
didn't replace the inner bushes though. Perhaps I'll try some of the 
harder PU bushings before I go to the trouble of trying replacement 
arms. Or I might try to get some Squareback torsion bars as has been 
suggested in the past.
Thanks again,

Mark
Russ Wolfe wrote:
> On Sun, 2005-04-10 at 12:11, Mark Seaton wrote:
>
> > Sorry- symantics I guess- I meant diagonal arms, which do swing ;-)
> > Actually, the camber does change with IRS- if I jack up the car the 
> > wheels take on positive camber. Its probably not as much as with swing 
> > axle cars though. But it does go positive, hence my question. If I jack 
> > it up and then let it down, the wheels maintain positive camber until I 
> > drive it, so I don't think it takes much height diference to change the 
> > camber. Does anyone know the height the torsion bar tube should be from 
> > the deck on an unmolested IRS car?
>
> In looking through my VW manuals, I can find no reference to that
> dimension. It would be subjective, as there are to many variables
> involved. Tire profile, tire pressure, wheels, etc.
> I would suspect that what you are seeing is normal age settling. You
> could check the rubber bushing at the outer end of the torsion bar. If
> these are compressing with age, they could cause it.
> Also, how are the rubber bushings on the inner end of the diagonal arm.
> If these go bad, or get soft, you will get excessive camber. 
> How much weight do you mornally carry in the back of the car? Or the PO?
> If the camber is about equal on both sides, then I would think that it
> is normal aging.

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