too low?

[wee-one]

I was just wondering if i could get some opinions from you guys...my car is super-dee-dooper-dee LOW (i didnt do it, the guy who owned it before me did) AND...i think the shocks (or springs?) are shot/faulty because not only does it not ride very nicely, there seems to be some hitting of the rear bumper on the back tires when i have folk sitting in the back. Now, i went to the dealer and they told me to raise it cuz otherwise i would have tons o' problems. Should i do that, or should i just look into fixing the shocks (?)

[Kor]

Re: too low?

I was just wondering if i could get some opinions from you guys...my car is super-dee-dooper-dee LOW (i didnt do it, the guy who owned it before me did) AND...i think the shocks (or springs?) are shot/faulty because not only does it not ride very nicely, there seems to be some hitting of the rear bumper on the back tires when i have folk sitting in the back. Now, i went to the dealer and they told me to raise it cuz otherwise i would have tons o' problems. Should i do that, or should i just look into fixing the shocks (?)

Here's my opinion...

Shocks keep the car from bouncing, but its the springs that keep the car from bottoming out.

If you are bottoming out too much, you should get either higher (longer) springs, or stiffer springs. With stiffer springs your car can stay at the same ride height, it will just not dip as much on bumps in the road.

Whenever you get new springs its usually easiest to just get matching shocks anyhow. Or you can get coilovers that allow you to adjust the height yourself. However all of these cost money.

I drove the VR6 and it was rubbing very often (with 3 people in the car) even on the very slightest road imperfections, so learning to live with it is probably going to be extremely tough, unless you limit the car to a 1-person vehicle.

--
Kris

[Canadian Turbo]

Re: too low?

Well I am a little biased because I think dubs should be very low (especially Mk3s, hence my purchase of coils ) However the ride can be harsh and you may need to make a sacrifice. In your situation I think it would be best first if you can determine what kind of setup you actually have on the car, as perhaps it was just lowering springs and you shocks are now suffering or an old or mismatched setup. This will help you to evaluate your options of what kind of suspension you would like to run and the cost involved. A very low Mk3 generally should also have the fenders rolled and this could help eliminate some of your rubbing issues.

A favorite phrase of mine fitting this situation; You ain't dubbing if you ain't rubbing!

[twineusa]

Re: too low?

To answer your question, yes, it's too low. As far as aesthetics go, everyone's entitled to their opinion. I think if your car was lowered an inch or so for sport suspension reasons, that's one thing, but dude, don't make your VW a low-ridier. These are too nice of cars to make them ghetto. I'd say if you wanted a low-rider, you should have bought a truck, a '64 something or another, or even an old Caddy. Just my opinion. Good luck!

[Mr. Burns]

Re: too low?

I think coils are the way to go. My car was a little too low, and was rubbing with 3 people in the car, so I merely raised it up just enough to not rub while at the same time retaining the lowness that I desire. Plus they ride pretty nice!

[R_Ethug]

Re: too low?

haha me and derick did the test in my car last weekend.. with me @ 215 and derick @ 190ish in the front we were scraping on speedbumps in crowfoot :( but with my bro @170ish I never scrape...
with myself, 3 people and 4 sets of golf clubs its bottom out city lol!
myself with 3-4 bags of water softener salt (50lbs/bag) my car is g'd up tuckin lol

[wee-one]

Re: too low?

How do coilovers work as opposed to shocks and springs?

[R_Ethug]

Re: too low?

tmk coilovers have threaded shock bodies where regular springs/shock are solid..

[wee-one]

Re: too low?

tmk coilovers have threaded shock bodies where regular springs/shock are solid..

uummm..ya..you're gonna have to break that down into layman's terms for me, I'm just a young grasshopper

[1.8Trip]

Re: too low?

Springs and shock/struts:


Coilovers:


Note the threaded body on the coilover.

Hope this helps.

[Billip]

Re: too low?

The most important difference to you to know is that coilovers are adjustable (ie: you can adjust how high the car is, within a certain threshold) and a spring/shock combination is not adjustable. To change the ride hight of a spring/shock combo you need to physically change the springs (and you may want to change the shocks at the same time while you're in there).

This is why it's important to find out what kind of suspension setup is in your car. If you have coilovers, than adjusting the ride hight should be rather simple.

[wee-one]

Re: too low?

Thanks! I'll see what i can do....