Advanced Suspension Mods

[Advancedynamix]

The bottom bushing needs to be trimmed around .100". I took nearly .250 of the inside and used a spacer on the outside to space the shock inward for more clearance. There is a chance that the beam will contact the shock if this isn't done. I need wheel spacers before I can lower my car all the way, when I get them on, I'll post pictures. Right now it's about 1.75" lower than stock.

[Advancedynamix]

Originally Posted by Advancedynamix
Instead of switching to an aspire beam, I would find shorter shocks. Try KYB gas adjust shocks for a MK1 vw. I have a set but havn't tried them yet. They are shorter with stiffer compression dampening and will accept the 1 7/8 coilover sleeves with less modification than the aspire/festiva shocks. Again, I havn't bolted them up, these are just an example of trying to find a better solution than anti sway bars.

I remove 3" from stock fitment KYB shocks too reduce the amount of sag at lower ride heights. Suspension sag in the rear is the cause of unnecessary and detrimental body roll in a Festiva. This also positions the shock piston in the proper range for driving. Lowering a Festiva without shortening the shocks will actually add seconds to lap times, proving that improperly lowered cars handle worse than stick w ride height, regardless of how much sportier they feel.

The gas adjust shock for MK1 VW is already nearly 3" shorter, yet has more suspension travel ( allowing room for longer bump stops and they have significantly stiffer compression dampening.

What year/model do I look for or a pn would be cool, I would like to try this option first. Did you start taking the 3" off the top of the KYB because the piston was bottoming out on full compression? Does the VW shock have the same width @ the bottom bushing,or will that need to be trimmed for fitment into the mounting cage? And when you say the "Hats" are slotted & dont really fit all that well. That doesnt mean they dont work, correct? They just arent perfect,correct? Thanks![/QUOTE]

[nitrofarm]

Is this the KYB "Gas Adjust" he is referring to ? KYB EUROPE Part # 551014 Rock Auto has them for $58

[nitrofarm]

Originally Posted by Advancedynamix
Instead of switching to an aspire beam, I would find shorter shocks. Try KYB gas adjust shocks for a MK1 vw. I have a set but havn't tried them yet. They are shorter with stiffer compression dampening and will accept the 1 7/8 coilover sleeves with less modification than the aspire/festiva shocks. Again, I havn't bolted them up, these are just an example of trying to find a better solution than anti sway bars.
[/QUOTE]

What year/model do I look for or a pn would be cool, I would like to try this option first. Did you start taking the 3" off the top of the KYB because the piston was bottoming out on full compression? Does the VW shock have the same width @ the bottom bushing,or will that need to be trimmed for fitment into the mounting cage? And when you say the "Hats" are slotted & dont really fit all that well. That doesnt mean they dont work, correct? They just arent perfect,correct? Thanks!

[TominMO]

I got a set of front GR-2s from Rock Auto a while back. One came with the wrong size top nut (the box had been opened at some point in the past, and the nut swapped out. It was in its own little bag.) By sheer good luck the thread pattern on the shaft was 12x1.5! So I used a lug nut I had laying around to do the job. It's still on there.

[nitrofarm]

New Tip: For those of you who are using VW mk2 struts and Kia rio strut mounts, and don't have access to a lathe to turn the shaft down to fit snugly in the bearing or make a sleeve I have a new trick to center and secure the strut into the bearing. Use 14x1.5mm tapered lug nuts with the taper side toward the bearing, torque to 50ft/lbs and then install the other nut over the lug nut as a lock nut. Here's a part number for open ended 14x1.5mm lug nuts. Dorman 611-110.1 98949.1. They are usually in stock at pep boys. If you want to add a nice performance look to the package you can also but some 14mm "tuner" lug nuts in funky colors off ebay. I don't endorse Chinese aluminum lug nuts to hold your wheels on, but these fasteners aren't under much load so I don't see a problem here. Make sure they are 14x1.5mm though.

Thats cool,so it eliminates the need for the washer as well.Cool tip Charles!

[jawbraeka]

Okay, it's been awhile since I have updated this, but I have some exciting stuff to add. I have been developing an adjustable rear toe and camber system that is working well. I didn't take pictures of the latest prototypes before I installed them, but I will get some pictures soon. This car is responding very well to more and more negative camber.
Now that I have the cars balance pretty well nailed down, and I have optimized the setup with the stickiest DOT legal track tire I could get to fit under the car (185/60/13 Toyo Proxes R888 ) it's time for the next stage.

Team Dynamics U.K. has made me some custom 13x7" wheels with a 35mm offset. I had to use 10mm hubcentric spacers in the front to clear the knuckles (where the strut mounts) and I had to grind a little material off my strut mounting tabs (it wasn't supporting anything). The goal here was to run 20.5x7" racing slicks without rubbing, and It works pretty well. There is a little rub when the suspension is bottomed out (as seen in above picture) but it's not bad and may go away with less tire pressure. Since these Hoosiers are bias ply tire they stretch a little more than a radial with air pressure. I am starting out with 50psi.

Why go to all the trouble to mount these tires on my car? Well, these slicks grip about twice as well as my R compound DOT legal tires and they are much cheaper. They might wear faster than the DOT tires, but they may not because I was over working the DOT legal race tires pretty bad. Time and testing will tell. Another huge benefit to this setup is that it's extremely light. My wheel and tire together only weigh 20.5 lbs.
My initial impression of this setup after some street testing (I do not recommend that anyone drive their car on the street with non DOT approved tires, I'm an idiot, lol). This is unreal! I just did a quick n' dirty suspension setup and alignment for the tires and I can't believe how well this car handles even with cold slicks. Everything has improved dramatically (I did not try them in the rain, and will do my best to never try that), they are even pretty comfortable, though they do have some road noise.

Not sure if you have carpet in your ride, but try some rubber matting to "Kill off the noise" in the cabin

P.S. Nice ride.. was also wondering if you are still making kits to swap into our rides at all.. this sounds insane having the comfort of a car that is easily in another league as i'd be quite interested.

[Advancedynamix]

New Tip: For those of you who are using VW mk2 struts and Kia rio strut mounts, and don't have access to a lathe to turn the shaft down to fit snugly in the bearing or make a sleeve I have a new trick to center and secure the strut into the bearing. Use 14x1.5mm tapered lug nuts with the taper side toward the bearing, torque to 50ft/lbs and then install the other nut over the lug nut as a lock nut. Here's a part number for open ended 14x1.5mm lug nuts. Dorman 611-110.1 98949.1. They are usually in stock at pep boys. If you want to add a nice performance look to the package you can also but some 14mm "tuner" lug nuts in funky colors off ebay. I don't endorse Chinese aluminum lug nuts to hold your wheels on, but these fasteners aren't under much load so I don't see a problem here. Make sure they are 14x1.5mm though.

[Huli]

Zoom zoom,
I have rio springs on festiva struts. Had to cut 1.5 coils off or else the car sat with the struts topped out. You can cut more if you want it to sit lower. It is about 2 inches of clearance running 175/65R14.

[rbrown]

As great as all this information is, nothing is as epic as "This is from 100+ mph corners with..." in a Festiva.

[Advancedynamix]

When a rear trailing beam suspension articulates, the distance will change between the the top of the tire and the shock. Your tires are lightly contacting the shock most likely during body roll, but it will also happen when going over large, uneven bumps. If the tires aren't showing any damage, then I wouldn't worry about it. I have rubber marks all over the insides of my fenders in the back, and on the beam and the springs too. This is from 100+ mph corners with bias ply slicks. Just lets me know I'm taking advantage of any and all the space in those tiny fender wells.

[zoom zoom]

Assuming we're talking about rear susoension it may not be rubbing on the perches. There's a large tab of metal and plastic where the bumper attaches to the body work. I had tires rub at that spot with about the same clearance you have at the perch.

Sent from somewhere west of here via Tapatalk!

That might be where its comming from in the front, but all of my rear tires are getting into the perch lol, I can see rubber on it!! I'll check the fronts when I get out of work. It only rubs when I'm in a really hard corner, the kind where you think the next course of action is sliding off the road.

Hopefully this weekend pans out and I get some 195/45/14 t1r proxies, they'll allow me to lower more and have a wider tire. The only problem is the width but I'll figure that out when I get there.



The Rio struts are 18" tall from the lip on the upper spring perch to the bottom of the strut, Festiva struts are 17 1/2" tall measured from the same points. From the lip on the upper perch to the mating surface of the top mount on a Rio strut its 2 7/8", the Festiva struts are 2 1/2" on one side and 2 7/8" on the other, I guess that's the built in camber adjustment from stock top mounts. Anyway, the Rio springs feel great, I measured them and used an online calculator, the rate is somewhere between 160/175lbs.

What I don't understand is how high the car will sit with Rio springs on Festiva struts. Is that all just trial and error, the "unsprung" weight you refer to where the weight of the car makes the stock springs squat? I was thinking about knocking the lower strut mount loose, and sliding it up to "lower" the car without loosing high speed compression dampening in the strut...but it can't be done with Rio struts because the base is beveled in and skinnier where the lower mount is attached.

[fastivaca]

Alright Charlie I've got a question for you, why do my tires rub on the spring perches? There's a solid 1"+ gap between the tire and the spring perch, even though I'm in the negatives with my camber.

Assuming we're talking about rear susoension it may not be rubbing on the perches. There's a large tab of metal and plastic where the bumper attaches to the body work. I had tires rub at that spot with about the same clearance you have at the perch.

Sent from somewhere west of here via Tapatalk!

[Advancedynamix]

Matt, if you are referring to your back tires hitting the perches, that is from the rear suspension articulating. Could happen from body roll or even simply going over large uneven bumps like the entryway to driveways and such. If it's not causing any tire damage (just rubbing paint off the perches) then I wouldn't worry about it, but if it's damaging your tires then it may be time for smaller tires or a 1 7/8 coilover conversion.

If they are rubbing in the front then something is wrong, if you have an inch of clearance then that should stay consistent throughout the range of movement. Tires do roll over, as Arty mentioned, but it would take a lot of sidewall flex to move the top of the tire in 1". My slicks don't even do that and they are bias ply.

[FestYboy]

tire roll over... (aka sidewall deflection)