So why do lowered spindles increase the track?

[giraffeinbath]

Stupid question I'm sure, but why do lowered spindles increase the track?

I would have thought that logically they would be exactly the same and the spindle stub axle would simply be mounted further up the flat bit [<< technical term ] of the spindle body therefore being no more or less wide then a standard spindle.

 

[Guest]

good question.

The dropped spindles on my bug are 4 times heavier than the og ones i guess the cast is alot heavier for safety?

 

[-tipi-]

On bays they are welded from two pairs of spindles, or then there is piece of steel welded in between, and this is why the track gets wider.

Spindles are cast steel, not iron. There's lot more material on dropped ones.

 

[giraffeinbath]

So if you want to keep your front end as standard as possible to maintain ride and handling etc the combination of dropped spindles and a slightly narrowed beam to offset the increase in track would accomplish this right?

Or is that just stupidly expensive [yes] and pointless?

Only wanted to drop the van 2.5-3" as I still want to be able to get into the camp sites!

 

[Joval]

Have you considered the Red9 kit? I've been trying to find any genuine complaints for the last couple of weeks and can't...

http://www.red9design.com/busezrider.htm

 

[-tipi-]

Have you considered the Red9 kit? I've been trying to find any genuine complaints for the last couple of weeks and can't...

http://www.red9design.com/busezrider.htm

Complete weight of your front will lie on the lower shock mount. I'm not expert, but sounds a bit funky.

 

[giraffeinbath]

Have you considered the Red9 kit? I've been trying to find any genuine complaints for the last couple of weeks and can't...

http://www.red9design.com/busezrider.htm

Totally unsure about these, seems like an easy and economic solution but they always attract negative vibes along the lines of -tipi-'s comment which I can totally understand.

That said though, I haven't found any real negative feedback from anyone who has actually used them and you've obviously been trying too. I guess everybody is waiting to hear of some poor sods front suspension breaking to prove the point that they're not safe.

Thing is, how long do you wait before you assume that no news is good news and everything is peachy, meanwhile with all the negative vibes the Red9 kit attracts do you want to risk being the poor sod in question?

 

[kempy]

http://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?t=4002&highlight=lowered

 

[Joval]

http://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?t=4002&highlight=lowered

Spot on Kempy, I thought I had read every lowering thread on here, don't know how I missed that one.

I'm decided now - CSP adjusters it is

 

[giraffeinbath]

http://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?t=4002&highlight=lowered

That looks like exactly the kind of drop I'm looking for.....if I can copy cat that then job done I think. Bus Station pop's up again, think I may well be giving them a call sometime soon.

 

[Guest]

Have you considered the Red9 kit? I've been trying to find any genuine complaints for the last couple of weeks and can't...

http://www.red9design.com/busezrider.htm

Totally unsure about these, seems like an easy and economic solution but they always attract negative vibes along the lines of -tipi-'s comment which I can totally understand.

That said though, I haven't found any real negative feedback from anyone who has actually used them and you've obviously been trying too. I guess everybody is waiting to hear of some poor sods front suspension breaking to prove the point that they're not safe.

Thing is, how long do you wait before you assume that no news is good news and everything is peachy, meanwhile with all the negative vibes the Red9 kit attracts do you want to risk being the poor sod in question?

Beams have been known to break, but i havent heard of one going with a red9 kit on, if the bump stop was replaced with their modded one and the beam was strong maybe new end plates or a narrowed beam and shock bolts you could fit the red9 kit safely enough? it seems alot easier and cheaper than welding adjusters in as you can do it yourself without major hassle, and you have more adjustablity to play with with none of the ride degradation.

Most modern steel in automotive uses like bolts etc is made to withstand 10 times the actual forces that are applied to them to allow for alot of redundency and a big safety margin anyway. did you know that the engine on a boeing 737 is held on by one main bolt! thats about 20,000 lbs of thrust.

I must admit kempys ride is spot on.

 

[giraffeinbath]

did you know that the engine on a boeing 737 is held on by one main bolt! thats about 20,000 lbs of thrust.

Fair enough, that probably is about the same as my 1641 with my foot to the floor :mrgreen:

 

[Guest]

i think you could buy shock bolts that are extra strength or bigger bolts and ream out the shock ends to accomodate on the red9 kit.

 

[richbaker78]

Johnny - what you say is correct about bolts - but i think the main reason people are sceptical is that there is no fail safe - stronger bolts might reduce the chances of failure but theres still guarantee and no fail safe if you are the unlucky one whose suspension gives out when you hit a pot hole etc!

With conventional lowering, even if things fail and youve cut off the bump stop you will still have the shock to land on while you stop!!

Its amazes me that the kit passes the MOT ( i presume it relies on the VW ignorant testers not knowing the VW system or assuming there are still torsion bars in there) - when I took my morris to the tester and a bump stop was missing - it failed. Why? becasue thats the fail safe in that system.

Personally im firmly in the conventional lowering camp because you can make the bolts as good as you like but its not going to overcome a poor design which is essentially an easy way out rather than a purpose built system (like the 737 you mention)

 

[Guest]

i agree rich, the thing that i wonder about is that red have been around for years and no one seems to have had a major failure? im not sure about putting this on a fully loaded bus as theres always this doubt.

red 9 can supply bumpstops that fit the system i think maybe they are that failsafe?