Advanced Suspension Mods

[shorestiva]

Yup it rides great! Its a little on the stiff side (I like that though) but its way better than my fms springs (front struts would bottom out) or my coilover setup (has 250lb springs).

[bhearts]

I thought about 150s in the back. But if it's stiff with 105. Glad I heard that.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[red90festyonair]

Haha. .... exactly why I asked the question here in the first place. I have read just about every suspension explanation on this site and the build for Tweak definitely was the one I wanted to pirate ideas from. I have had way too many issues with the suspension on this little car so this will be the last time I should have to address this issue. ...... hopefully.

[Advancedynamix]

The stiffness Joe is describing is mostly shock valving, not spring rates. It's primarily the fronts, because I have 36mm bilstein sport dampers that are riding within 2" of the bottom of their stroke on the front. My bilstein front shocks were built for a stock ride height, not a lowered stance, but I couldn't finish my lowering struts in time for our last track test weekend, so that's what's on the car for now. They are not ideal at this ride height. The 105lb springs are only slightly stiffer than stock, but the mk1 VW rear shocks are much stiffer. This gives a firmer, more controlled ride, but doesn't transfer many bumps to the car. With the shorter shocks, and firmer compression dampening, the car will have drastically less body roll and will also concentrate more of the cars weight to the driving wheels under acceleration. This allows soft spring rates while still feeling firm and sporty.
Another thing to take note of is that this car has 175/50-13" tires mounted on 13x6" wheels with 15mm offset. This wheel package is very stiff. With narrower, taller tires the car would ride smoother than stock in the rear. I'm working on the front still. I want to lower the car another 2" on these wheels.

[greywolf200]

Great looking car. Am looking forward to seeing it in person at Madness.

[vanhick]

After reading through this thread, I decided to pick up some bump stops. I finally got around to installing them this weekend and I have to say that they're the single most significant upgrade I've noticed, as far as handling goes. The car no longer feels like it's about to tip and the tires even squeal less while taking corners fast. The stops I purchased in the link below are about 6 inches, so I decided to just install the whole length in the front which covers in the entire rod. This might not be optimal because there's no longer any free travel space for the strut (the bump stops are always touching). But considering the softness of the stops, ride quality seems to have improved and not necessarily stiffened. The linked stops below also had to be sanded out to fit on the front struts.

Anyway, thanks Advanced for the tips. Dollar for dollar, bump stops are one of the best and most important upgrades.

I also should note that my festiva is aspire swapped with 175# 10in springs up front and 150# 8in in the rear. B6t swapped also so a little heavier upfront than stock.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/audi-volkswagen-vw-shock-bump-stop-beetle-golf-jetta-tt-1j0512131c?gclid=CLWGh7XrqMYCFQUGaQodIrwDlQ

[Advancedynamix]

I just got back from a thorough road test of the rear MK1 VW Golf shocks on a Festiva with 105lb10" springs. The test was conducted with Pedro, over a wide range of road conditions. The tires used were 175/50-13 Nankang NS2 street tires with 26lbs of air in them.

Highway: Wonderfully stable. Very comfortable and the rear absorbs on ramp transitions and irregularities with much more refinement and stability than a stock Festiva suspension without being harsh at all.

Fast Road: With more twisty turns and bumps this setup really shines. The car feels planted and stable. The car rides smoother than stock over most road imperfections.

Technical asphalt: Very nimble and confidence inspiring is my best description. The rear absorbs most of the bumps with comfort with the exception of nasty speed bumps or big pot holes. Lets face it, the stock setup soaks up horrible road conditions better than most ATV's do, so some compromise must be made here for road stability. This would be better with a higher profile/ narrower tire, but that would be a compromise on the faster end of the drive.

Gravel roads/light trails: At slow speeds this setup is comfortable and solid, but watch out at high speed. These rear shocks are valved too slow for fast gravel use unless your a master at FWD drifting. At around 55-60mph things get dicey and the rear end skeeters like a 5.0 foxbody in a snowstorm. This will bite you hard if you don't know it's going to happen because things escalate quickly. Basically, the valving is too stiff for these springs over high speed bumps, like washboards. This causes the suspension to sort of lock up instead of work because it "packs". It takes a minute of washboards and then it goes hard and hello icecapades! Don't run this setup if your daily trip includes washboarded gravel roads. Also, this setup will drop the ride height of the car a couple inches from stock. Still plenty of room for light ATV trails and most gravel roads, but watch out for high centering on obstacles that a stock Festiva could tromp over like a baws. Shock articulation is good, and the car still conforms to the trail well, but not as good as a stock Festiva. If you love to drive on ATV paths with your Festiva then you should just use stock replacement KYB shocks in the rear.

[Gomez]

Makes perfect sense when you describe things like that. But one begs to ask "You live in the middle of the desert! What do you know about a Fox Body Mustang in a snowstorm?"

LOL I know. you used to live in New England

[TominMO]

Charlie, two questions about the above pic:
1. You once mentioned that instead of your custom-made upper spring perch for the coil-over springs, someone could fab up the same thing with washers. Could you explain that process in more detail?
b. Since you presumably do not use spacers, why are you using such long studs? And are they screw-in or press-in?

[Advancedynamix]

Charlie, two questions about the above pic:
1. You once mentioned that instead of your custom-made upper spring perch for the coil-over springs, someone could fab up the same thing with washers. Could you explain that process in more detail?
b. Since you presumably do not use spacers, why are you using such long studs? And are they screw-in or press-in?

If you get fender washers with the right hole size for shaft, but small enough that they rest on the sleeve that the bump stop usually locates on the VW. Get 2 sizes, one that fits inside the spring and the other that sits on top of the spring and stack them thick enough to make the same thing I have made on the lathe. Or PM Cliferton, he might be able to make a run of the new style of spring hats.

I do run spacers depending on the wheels I'm running. These BBS wheels don't require them because they are ET15mm offset and are actually very thick where they bolt on so they require long studs or long BBS wheel bolts. I use ARP press in studs.

[TominMO]

If you get fender washers with the right hole size for shaft, but small enough that they rest on the sleeve that the bump stop usually locates on the VW. Get 2 sizes, one that fits inside the spring and the other that sits on top of the spring and stack them thick enough to make the same thing I have made on the lathe. Or PM Cliferton, he might be able to make a run of the new style of spring hats.

I do run spacers depending on the wheels I'm running. These BBS wheels don't require them because they are ET15mm offset and are actually very thick where they bolt on so they require long studs or long BBS wheel bolts. I use ARP press in studs.

Thanks, good info. Fender washers tend to be pretty thin, so I could drill them to the right hole size, if needed, to rest on that sleeve thing. How thick are the two sections, the one that fits inside the spring and the one that fits over it?

[Advancedynamix]

I would stack them 1/4" on both. Be sure to take this stack into account when you tighten the top mount. Don't squish the rubber mounts too much as this is an important pivot point.

[TominMO]

I would stack them 1/4" on both. Be sure to take this stack into account when you tighten the top mount. Don't squish the rubber mounts too much as this is an important pivot point.

Great info (again), thanx.

[Advancedynamix]

Makes perfect sense when you describe things like that. But one begs to ask "You live in the middle of the desert! What do you know about a Fox Body Mustang in a snowstorm?"

LOL I know. you used to live in New England

20 years in Western Maine. My first jobs included lots of shoveling snow, which is why I now live in Arizona. Shoveling sunshine is much easier on the back. Haha

[yogaslackers]

I'm using my Festiva as a heavy hauler... Looking to upgrade the front suspension. What is the best route? Can someone point me to an existing thread? My 13" tires are rubbing when I turn. Looking for the simplest solution. 1.6l with full aspire upgrade. Thanks