Re: [T3] Purest Type 3 group? (lowering)

["Keith Park" <topnotch@nycap.rr.com>]

Ya know... I think Ive figured out some of what is being said.  Its 12 deg
per spline all right but it depends on where in relation to horizontal the
bar comes to rest as to how much leverage it has against the resistance of
rotation of the torsion bar.

Put one way, one notch makes more difference than subsequent notches.

or one notch gives you more vertical deflection than per pound of weight
than subsequent notches do.

This still doesnt change the fact that you rotate that unloaded lower arm 2
notches and your against the lower bump stop, and when you start loading the
ball joints at angles they werent designed to work at, especially when they
have a wear pattern in them, you run into long term problems.  Our ball
joints are quite oversized, but the bearings and bushings in the beam arent
and when you ask them to absorb bump X with suspension travel Y and you
decrease Y by making the loaded  arm less horizontal than it was, your bump
X transmits more shock load to the bearings and bushings, stiffer shocks
just exasperate this.


Keith

Keith Park

Top Notch Restorations
topnotch@nycap.rr.com
71 Squareback
65 Notchback
65 Squareback
75 Opel
87 Golf
88 Rx7 10th Anniversary

----- Original Message -----
From: "Patrick" <tuff240@prodigy.net>
To: <type3@vwtype3.org>
Sent: Saturday, March 13, 2004 10:34 PM
Subject: Re: [T3] Purest Type 3 group? (lowering)


> > Well... 32 Splines on the outer, so 360 degrees divided by 32 is 11.25
> > degrees per notch.
>
> I don't think this works when applied to the arm. Sound in theory, but
> lacking in application somehow.
> The degrees at the torsion bar do not equal the degrees at the ball joint
I
> don't think. I'm not an engineer, so I can't really explain why. I just
know
> what I've done and that it does work.
>
> >  so 3 Notches is 33 3/4 degrees, I cant see how changing the angle of
the
> > loaded bar THAT much could still allow you to get things back togeather
> with
> > any travel... picture it, with only an inch or so of travel under the
> lower
> > bump stop with stock height, there is too little even with the stop
> removed
> > to rotate the bar that much.
> > What am I missing here?
>
> At 3 notches you do need to remove the bump stop arm to get full travel.
You
> CAN leave it on and knock of the pieces that hold the rubber stop and get
> away with an almost acceptable ride (you don't really think a severley
> lowered car is going to ride 100% stock do you?). This would use the metal
> arm itself as a bump stop. This is what I would call a hack job. :-)
>
> > OK.. I will, I wish you could make it to Hershey but there will be
enough
> > witnesses there I will try this
> > during the front end session.  Ill try the one notch, 2 3... and see
where
> > the arm falls.  Fair enough?
> > If im missing something here boy I cant put my finger on it!
>
> Sounds good.
>
> > You can lower, I just dont see how to get it to the extent you mention.
6
> > Notches is over 66 degrees of rotation of the lower arm, you rotate it
up
> 66
> > degrees and it will be sitting above the bump stop ear...
>
> At 6 notches don't even think of still having a bump stop ear/horn/arm.
Mine
> was shaved completely smooth. You couldn't even tell it ever had an arm
> there...LOL.
> Like I said, that was for show only. It took a lot of grunting and cussing
> just to get it back together at that level. Yes, it had no bump stop at
all.
> It was a hack job, but a nicely done hack job. :-P
>
> Also for front tires I ran 165's for 1 notch, 145's for 2 notches and
135's
> or 195/50's for 3+ notches.
>
> -Patrick D.
>
>
>
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