Advanced Suspension Mods

[Advancedynamix]

My car isn't setup for smooth tracks. In fact I hammer washboard dirt roads quite regularly with both my Festy and my Capri which has the IRS you speak of. The festiva absorbs bumps much better. I spent a good portion of my teens and early 20s building rally cars and the MK2 VW was a FWD force to be reckoned with. Now the FWD rally weapon here in the states is the fiesta, which also has a trailing beam. A trailing beam is independent, like I explained before, and its natural arc is one that follows the ground better than a multilink. Look at the off-road world to see trailing link/trailing arm/ swing arm and swing axle designs that are congruent with a trailing beam. The festiva is nearly flawless in this aspect. It is like A lighter and more rigid MK2 VW, but it's also shorter and therefore much much faster around corners. The Chase car on my " the hills have roads" video was a 2.0 turbo swapped mk2 that was set up and driven by Chris Duplessis' (Ford sponsored rally America driver) mechanic Brandon, and he slid off the road several times trying to keep up. I wasn't pushing the festiva at all. That same video shows how well these cars handle on rough roads and dirt. I jump my cars regularly and haul loads that exceed what the factory intended. The little festiva is a miracle of automotive design just the way it is.

Again Tom, I think there are a lot of members with the same questions, so thank you for asking. I will go into more detail when I continue my " festiva advantage" write up.

[defprun]

I like the cut of your jib boy!

[TominMO]

OK, I'll shut up now........thanks for the further clarification.

[Safety Guy]

Charlie, when you get a chance, could you post a current source for the "small body shock sleeves" you recommended at the beginning of this thread? The ebay link has run out and I couldn't figure it out myself.

I'm ready to redo my work car's rear suspension so I can haul loads, pull trailers and raise and lower it accordingly when I'm not hauling stuff. So far I have:

KYB Festiva spec rear struts.
Black Magic 10" x 1 7/8" rear springs (150#, from SW Speedshop)

I figure I can (carefully!) cut and grind off the spring perch on the KYBs myself. I'm keeping them full length since "ultimate handling" is not the goal. Is this all I need to do to install the small body spring kit?

I'm dropping my 13 wheels for 14" Miata wheels and 185/60-14s for ease of replacement on long trips should a tire be destroyed. I'm thinking "long term" use since I may not always be able to get the 175/60-13s I'm running now. I also plan to go to later model Rio 10" disk brakes for heavy duty braking (ie, pulling trailers), which will require 14" wheels.

I may have further questions on running Rio front struts and converting them to coil overs in the near future, but my cut Aspire springs on Rio struts are fine for now.

Thanks,

Karl

[moz]

Hey karl.
I bought the same set up.
The link below is for the same sleeves, only they seem to have a different nut without the locking grub screw.
If not sure, i would buy the afco branded one.

But speedway are the people selling these items.

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Pro-Shocks-C375-Coil-over-Kit-for-SBA-Small-Body-Shock,846.html?b=r*Shop*Suspension!r*Category*Suspension%2c+Springs+and+Related+Components!r*Part*Coilover+Adjustable+Spring+Lowering+Kit

[Safety Guy]

Thanks Moz!

When I get my KYBs I'll measure their OD to make sure.

Karl

[moz]

They'll fit as long as you have gr2 or g series shocks.
You need to remove the dust cap and gently file the bead on the weld at the top of the shock body. Very snug fit.

[Advancedynamix]

Charlie, when you get a chance, could you post a current source for the "small body shock sleeves" you recommended at the beginning of this thread? The ebay link has run out and I couldn't figure it out myself.

I'm ready to redo my work car's rear suspension so I can haul loads, pull trailers and raise and lower it accordingly when I'm not hauling stuff. So far I have:

KYB Festiva spec rear struts.
Black Magic 10" x 1 7/8" rear springs (150#, from SW Speedshop)

I figure I can (carefully!) cut and grind off the spring perch on the KYBs myself. I'm keeping them full length since "ultimate handling" is not the goal. Is this all I need to do to install the small body spring kit?

I'm dropping my 13 wheels for 14" Miata wheels and 185/60-14s for ease of replacement on long trips should a tire be destroyed. I'm thinking "long term" use since I may not always be able to get the 175/60-13s I'm running now. I also plan to go to later model Rio 10" disk brakes for heavy duty braking (ie, pulling trailers), which will require 14" wheels.

I may have further questions on running Rio front struts and converting them to coil overs in the near future, but my cut Aspire springs on Rio struts are fine for now.

Thanks,

Karl

I get my sleeves from Southwest Speed now too. You can buy the parts individually from them.
Here is the page https://www.southwestspeed.com/?sec=...Sleeves%20Only

The part number for the sleeve is 180-000 and the nut is 180-036. as MOZ noted, these nuts also do not have the teh little locking set screw in them, so I have been drilling them and tapping them for 10-32 nylon tipped set screws on my setups.

I don't have a simple solution for the spring hat yet. The ones they sell for these kits are slotted and aren't optimum for the festivas rear upper mount bushing setup. I have been making my own hats. I can sell you a set for 35.00 plus shipping if you like. Look back in this thread for a picture of these hats. If you call Southwest Speed, ask for AJ. Tell him that Charlie from Advancedynamix suggested their products. I don't think he'll hook you up with a better deal, but if enough people say that then he'll give me better deals and I'll pass that on to members through group buys and such. If you want to have me make you some hats I'll sell you sleeves and nuts from my personal stock for the same price that they have listed on the site. You can save on shipping since I can flat rate box it all together. I can also drill the adjuster nuts for you for 10 bucks a piece including set screws (the set screws are 2 bucks a piece because of the nylon tip).

Also, I have been using 3M emblem adhesive to between the sleeves and shock body just to keep them from spinning when I'm making adjustments. As MOZ said, they are quite snug on the shock body, but they can still spin if your having one of those days where things don't want to cooperate.

[moz]

That's great news. I found the service and pricing at southwest to be much better than speedway.
Thanks charlie

[Advancedynamix]

your welcome. I agree, it's a pleasure to do business with SWS, they sell on Ebay too, and AJ is the same guy you'll deal with on their auctions.

[Safety Guy]

Thanks Charlie! I'll take your offer.

I'm working on a PM.

Karl

[moz]

Hey charlie.
Slightly off topic now.
How did you get that charade bumper to fit?

[Advancedynamix]

Some cutting, trimming and welding ( the re-bar is charade with festiva mounting plates). The charade bumper is very light and allows more airflow too my engine bay and radiator.

[moz]

Ian, I am usually in such a hurry when doing my setups that I forget to take pictures, but I'll do a quickie on aligning a festiva, stock there is not much to adjust really, just toe and camber with the strut mounts. I run -2.5 degrees camber in the front as well with 0 toe. This car is awesome because those settings work great with my R compound tires, my slicks and I ran those settings continuous for 6K miles across country and back on brand new tires and experienced no noticeable tire wear. Gotta love that!




Thanks for the kind words, I'm glad this thread is helpful to so many. I prefer the bumpstops sold for VWs like the Mk3 Mk4 or new beetle. I buy them by the dozen and cut them to all sorts of different shapes. It's okay to trim them for your application. I find the VW ones are the easiest to trim and are very long to start with. the front bump stops are not as critical as the rears.

Thanks
I've ordered 2 sets.
How much travel have you allowed before the bump stops come into action?

What length should I cut them to ?

I want it to be track ready yet remaining on the street friendly side.
I'll use it as A starting point and then make adjustments as I go.

[nitrofarm]

Thanks Charlie! I'll take your offer.

I'm working on a PM.

Karl

x2 I want to lower my Aspire properly. PMing you Charie.