My 1992 Hoon-mobile

[lokirx706]

[shadetree]

Nice ! What's the spring rate and cost . Or item number . I've been looking at a set .

[lokirx706]

I don't remember the rates offhand, Ill look it up later if I think about it.

So, three corners are done...

Driver side rear shock the bolt is fused to the metal sleeve inside the bushing.... I didn't have a sawzall at the house, and my cut-off wheel wasn't going to fit in there without damaging surrounding metal.

Not to mention EVERY lower mount bolt broke without exception everywhere else on the car... Replaced it all with shiny new grade 8 hardware!

Also my rear tires (185/55-14) lightly rub my rear coilover on the drivers side with a 1/4 inch spacer.... (Wheels are 14x6 +35)

Hopefully she will be done tomorrow!!!!

[gergorian]

Three questions. What car are those off of? Where did you get them? How much were they? Cause I want some!

[lokirx706]

Three questions. What car are those off of? Where did you get them? How much were they? Cause I want some!

Well they do NOT bolt on firstly, and they are off of a Volkswagen.

They are really, really cheap. And I want to test them and see if they are even worthwhile before posting too much more info.

[gergorian]

Ok. I figured they were probably VW. I know Charlie (Advancedynamix) said that the rears could work with some mods. I have been looking at tons of options for suspension so I am wondering what you had to do to get them to fit.

[Damkid]

I have VW suspension on my festiva....

[turbokid]

me too...

[lokirx706]

I wasn't saying the fact that it was a VW suspension was special.

These are an eBay cheap brand, and could likely be absolute garbage. I don't want to talk up this brand and link you guys to them if they are junk. Without this forum, I would never have known to look at VW suspensions. You guys misunderstood what I meant!!

Either way Ill probably add a link, but I want to give them a test run and at least give you guys some feedback about them!

[Advancedynamix]

I never said rear MK2/3 shocks would work, unless you want a lift kit. Rear MK1 VW shocks work with some modifications, but they are drastically different shocks. Front mk1 VW shocks won't work because the width of the spindle bracket is different. Please don't judge those shocks by your initial impression. Chances are pretty good that your spring rates are way too high and those rear shocks aren't going to work well at all, unless those are drastically different than the 8 or so pair I have here. When you get the right combination on the car you'll be amazed at how well it handles.

[Advancedynamix]

Forgot to mention, your car is looking great! Keep up the good work and the updates. That blue is a bit much at first, but I think it'll grow on you and you'll eventually like it better than the blue green. That happens to a lot of people.

[lokirx706]

I never said rear MK2/3 shocks would work, unless you want a lift kit. Rear MK1 VW shocks work with some modifications, but they are drastically different shocks. Front mk1 VW shocks won't work because the width of the spindle bracket is different. Please don't judge those shocks by your initial impression. Chances are pretty good that your spring rates are way too high and those rear shocks aren't going to work well at all, unless those are drastically different than the 8 or so pair I have here. When you get the right combination on the car you'll be amazed at how well it handles.

I have the rears on the car already, well at least one side is finished. The car is sitting lower than stock on three corners With over an inch of adjustment left on the rear. Just bought a sawzall to help with removing the last OEM shock, and Ill be installing the final coilover. I am well aware of the spring rate differences between most VW's and the Festiva. Im also well aware from building coilover suspensions, and installing several sets on different cars that spring rates are a very subjective thing. Something that doesn't ride well, or work well for one person, is fine for a totally different person. And typically cars that drive on the track run ludicrously high spring rates compared to street cars. This doesn't mean the handling is compromised, it means that the car wont be as composed on bumps when driven on the street.

I am not the first to use Volkswagen fronts and rears, there are threads on this forum showing what needs done to make it work, and even suggest what brands to use. There are even folks using VW rate springs, and they are happy with it. I appreciate the feedback, but Ive done a ton of research, and so far I am pretty happy with the route I am going.

[lokirx706]

Forgot to mention, your car is looking great! Keep up the good work and the updates. That blue is a bit much at first, but I think it'll grow on you and you'll eventually like it better than the blue green. That happens to a lot of people.

Thanks! It means a lot. I am not trying to refute your points BTW, if it rides so terrible that I cannot stand it, Ill be the first to admit it lol

And the blue is starting to grow on me, after seeing it lowered with the mesh wheels on it, its really looking good. I need to snap some pics today!!

[sketchman]

Ooooooh. Pics. Yes.

[lokirx706]

Well the sawzall did the trick, after a lot of cutting, drilling, and cussing the rear shock finally came free. The rear coilover was installed, and I began playing with the ride height!



Here she is at the lowest setting on the rear. The one downside is that the springs are not captive at this height. About a half to three quarter inch higher and they are. I may add a spacer to the topside of the upper shock mount which should solve that problem. More testing and tweaking is required, but even at this height there is plenty of usable suspension travel!



And here it is raised up to a more acceptable height.



Also I ordered some 10 mm spacers for the rear, which is going to lead to some issues. The wheel will likely poke some, so if I cannot roll and pull the quarter out enough, I will be adding some flares of some sort. I will most likely add spacers to the front as well to balance the car visually. (Already have extended screw in wheel studs in the proper lengths.) The car is very, very stiff. However the shocks are underdamped, (Not surprising given the price...) so I may be able to get away with some softer springs. That said, it is a ride I can live with, it isn't overly harsh. And it certainly isn't as stiff as my Rx-7, but given the fact it is a daily, in the long run I might appreciate the softer springs.

Here is a pic after I raised the rear up, Ill likely lower it enough to match the front after I fit the 14's. If you did notice, yes the rear is not even side to side, the passenger side is higher lol Ill fine tune it after wheels are mounted. In the meantime it is parked in a carport, and isn't being driven at all other than to test suspension tweaks.



And some random shots...





I HATE WAITING ON PARTS!!!