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Post by kensaw210 on Sept 18, 2011 8:42:09 GMT -5
Looking for a softer ride in my GT II rides like a log-wagon. Any ideas what I can do to the supension. Attachments:
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Post by Jeff Troy on Sept 18, 2011 11:21:35 GMT -5
Hi,
I'm not big on shock technology, but the first thing I'd do is make sure that stock VW shocks or shocks with essentially the same strength were installed on your car. A lot of owners/previous owners can be easily impressed by "heavy-duty racing" advertising bullets, and all a stiffer shock does is give you a stiffer ride, in some cases "stupid" stiff.
The GT is roughly 800, and the Twoie is probably 300-450 pounds lighter than a stock Beetle, so using a stiffer shock is not really a good idea if you want an even halfway comfortable street car.
Warmest...
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Post by jspbtown on Sept 18, 2011 13:09:45 GMT -5
An one of the easiest and cheapest ways is to play with your tire pressures. Knock them down to the high teens or low 20s. It will make a big difference.
After you do that there may be more involved things that can be done.
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Post by Charles Thomas on Sept 18, 2011 14:43:34 GMT -5
I use Monroe MaxAir shocks, they can be a pain in the arse if installed improperly, but they allow me to deflate them down to 30-40PSI to get a nice soft ride, and inflate them back up to, or even a bit past stock pressure when I wish to ... go faster.
-PCc
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Post by kensaw210 on Sept 18, 2011 16:21:22 GMT -5
I was wondering about the shocks. If I push down on the front of the car in will not move very much at all. The back will move up and down better but still stiff. I never though about the tire pressure I have 35lbs in the tire that could be what is wrong also. I sure thank you all for the info.
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Post by Jeff Lande on Sept 18, 2011 16:49:15 GMT -5
I added about 120lbs of weight to the front so the shocks aren't sitting at the top of their travel. Fixed the understeer problem and made it ride better.
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Post by jspbtown on Sept 18, 2011 18:01:08 GMT -5
Shocks control suspension rebound (so you don't go bouncy bouncy all the way down the street) but do nothing for ride height (air shocks and coil overs excluded). The suspension is so stiff because of the design and the lack of weight up front. Your back moves more because of the added weight back there.
You can add adjusters and make the suspension an almost progressive style. You can remove one set of torsion leaves and replace them with a through bar. Or you can remove a leaf or two in each torsion tube.
All are much more involved then lowering your tire pressure. 35lbs up front is way, way too much. Start at 18lbs. If your tire squeal around corners and it feels sluggish keep adding 2 lbs until you hit the sweet spot.
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Post by kensaw210 on Sept 18, 2011 18:08:50 GMT -5
jspbtown, Thanks I like all the help I can get. So far I have enjoyed this site for the valuable info I get.
Kensaw210
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Post by mj on Sept 18, 2011 20:05:38 GMT -5
Run bigger and heavier tires and wheels. Then add 35mm (3/4") stabilizers.
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Post by kitcarguy on Sept 18, 2011 20:12:54 GMT -5
On the recommendation of my local VW parts shop I got a set of KYB GR-2 Shocks . I have not installed them yet but the guy said they were good...haha
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Post by roughly on Sept 19, 2011 14:26:17 GMT -5
i have the same thing on our bradley GT - we found that switch the gas shocks to oil ( with no helper springs of course) helped some...but next year im pulling a leaf or two and see how that feels
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Post by kwdemo on Oct 5, 2011 14:03:38 GMT -5
went looking for KYB GR-2 shocks and found a bunch of different ones - can you give me a more descriptive model # or year #??
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Post by jspbtown on Oct 5, 2011 14:28:32 GMT -5
CoFab shocks available at NAPA. Nice oil shocks. No gas.
Just order by type of beam. Ball joint go...say 1974. Link pin go...say 1964.
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