Re: lowering...in response to mgkepner's serman

[Sqr69 <Sqr69@aol.com>]

Jim,
    The intention of my letter was not to trash you or anyone else for keeping
your car stock.  I think a car that is restored and stock, looking like it
just drove off the lot is very impressive and i respect that.  I respect it
like I respect a Michaelangelo painting, but I personally prefer Van Gouh or
Piccasso.  Everyone has different visions for what his/her car will look like
when it's done, to me that is the beauty of volkswagenism.  Benny is my vision
of the perfect car, both mechanically and aesthetically.  I understand that
lowereing a car does change all components of the suspension and how they
relate to one another, however I have not personally experienced the effects
you have refered to.  This is probably because of the very small amount his
suspension was actually adjusted.  I realize that any adjustment is a change
of angle that therefor affects the entire geometry of the system, that's
simple logic.  But I have yet to experience (in my car) bump steer, toe-in, or
any significant change from the tire's original angle that would cause
problems (that I have seen occur in more drastically lowered cars) over the
last three years that he has been driven lowered.  I do have to drive over
rough intersections and railroad tracks slower than most other vehicles (which
puts me right at the speed limit usually), my exuast sometimes scrapes on
speed bumps, I can't find shelter under my car when it's raining, and I can no
longer drive my two brothers and Dad down a bumpy road (they're not small
guys).  Those are the disadvantages I have experienced from lowering my car so
far.  I have experienced better cornering (partially due to 195/50's in
front), I can clean my roof when I wash my car, I no longer fear the boogie
man hiding out under my car and waiting to grab my ankles, and I have an
excuse not to drive my two brothers and Dad down a bumpy road
(remember...they're not small guys).  Those are the advantages I have
experienced.  I think this is a pretty fair assessment of the pros and cons
for me, of coarse, everyone is different.  My original point was that we're
all in this with a common goal, to make the cars we love live on as the cars
we love.  I really don't care if your car is bone-stock or barely recognizable
as a type-3.  Some people thought that I had something against stock cars
(which i found particularly funny because I have always been the one to argue
with custom vw friends in defense of keeping my sqrback "mostly" stock).  I
only have something against the idea that modifying your car makes it
impractical or that an individual who chooses this path does it out of
mechanical ignorance or disrespect for the design of the car.  For these
reasons I was offended and wrote my original letter.  My words were twisted in
all kinds of directions and misinturpreted half a dozen different ways.  Sorry
that I didn't make myself more clear the first time.  I do not believe in the
censorship of comments, I just believe that words such as "hackneyed" and
"destruction" in reference to customization are not meant to educate or
inform, to me they seemed only meant to degrade.  Am I wrong?

Sorry for the length of this response, but the wave of replies from my
original message made me feel obligated to clear this up.

Forever type-3,
Amanda