Spindles ride height differences and turning radius

[ricko1966]

Okay I'm about done with my Rio spindles and front brakes.The car has Rio struts front brakes and knuckles with aspire front springs.There is too much loss in turning radius for me so I need different front spindles and brakes.If I put festy knuckles on Rio struts what does that do to ride height.What about Aspire knuckles on Rio struts? What will that do to ride height and turning radius.Capri will be to hard to find anyone got any other suggestions for front knuckles on Rio struts? Not concerned with wheel bolt pattern.

[firebush357]

I have this info on struts that I have gathered from RockAuto if that helps any. I doubt that it would change the ride height very much but I have never used the Rio Knuckles.

Front	Festiva	Aspire	Rio	1990 Golf
Extended Length	18.43	16.26	18.54	20.47
Compressed Length	11.14	11.06	13.38	13.54
Stroke Length	7.25	5.2	5.16	6.93
Upper Mount Type	12x1.50		12x1.25
Rear	Festiva	Aspire		1990 Golf
Extended Length	23.54	24.13		25
Compressed Length	15.24	16.22		16.5
Stroke Length	8.31	7.91		8.5
Upper Mount Type	S1
Lower Mount Type	10x47

[ricko1966]

I was thinking that all the spindles weren't the same height from mounting bolts to centerline of wheel, I Also don't know if all the spring perches are located at the same height and what spring lengths are.Also don't know if any other spindles won't adversely effect turning radius like the Rio ones do on my car.Trying to get my turning radius back without changing the ride height much and would like to keep the Rio strut aspire spring combo.Heck I guess I can throw all stock festy stuff back on, just looking for options.Do golf spindles work.I have so much VW stuff still from my VW days. worked on Vws as a profession from 1985-2005. most of the stuff. I comment about is relating VW repairs to festiva repairs, I need to stop that, what works on a VW doesn't necessarily work on a festiva.

[firebush357]

I am not sure if they work or not but my guess is no. I just pulled that info up for ideas on lifting one of my cars.

[ricko1966]

FWIW. I worked on little green today. Rio knuckles have longer arms on them I measured it, that is my loss of turning radius The festy rack doesn't have enough travel but the knuckles do.So I will expierament with different racks.My struts were Rio struts with cut aspire springs, both springs were broke, festy and Rio struts compared side by side spring perches are in identical locations from the lower mounting bolts.I threw complete stock festy struts and stock springs on it It sits at about stock height. This is the 3rd cut spring I've seen broken, but have yet to see a stock broken, that said I don't think cut springs are the answer to vary ride height. Jmho

[firebush357]

Yeah cutting or heating springs is not usually the greatest way to adjust ride height.

[skeeters_keeper]

Aspire/rio knuckles should be the same. There is some loss in turning radious due to the longer arm on the aspire knuckle, but unless you make u turns on narrow roads all the time i cant imagine it being much of an issue.
the wheel CL to strut bolts are about 12mm higher on aspire/festy.

The attached pictures are a festy knuckle (dark green) overlayed with an aspire knuckle (transparent).

[ricko1966]

Thanks for the centerline info.The difference in turning radius can be measured in feet,just for fun I took my stock festy and my Rio equipped festy and turned them each full lock and measured the turning radius of each,the difference was more than 3 feet it was probably closer to 4 feet it's enough to bother me. I can send you pics of the difference I wish I had written down the measurements.