Shocks and Coil Overs

mel hubbard · Post by **mel hubbard** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 9:22 pm

[QUOTE="Mvovr"]I still have drums all the way around but I do like the weight transfer. At times now it feels like I need two feet to stop.

I was actually thinking about staying with the coil overs in the rear simply because there is usually 4 in my buggy. Wife and 2 kids. and Unfortunatly I am no featherweight!!

Mel do the discs in the front soften the brake pedel?[/QUOTE] Ive tried swapping wheel cylinders around to get the break balance right,,, but when i did the suspension thing it all seemed to work well,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, before it would just lock up the fronts and skid ,,,,,,,,,, now under breaking it lifts the rear, throwing more weight up front , sort of digs in. If you need two feet to stop it could be the flexi break pipes collapsing,,or wheel cylinders problem,,cheap to fix and renew the lot,, drum brakes are fine if set up right, discs are just simple and fast to change pads, and dont need adjusting,,, as for rear coil overs why not try air shocks??

newmanx59 · Post by **newmanx59** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 9:47 pm

[QUOTE="lsjimbo"]I use them in the front of my car ,as to not let the tires rub on the fenders. I do not have a lift kit and less clearance. Most of my driving is seroius off-road. Here is a example on any Saturday.

:2cents: Jimbo[/QUOTE] You call that serious off roading? It doesn't look much worse then the streets of Chicago in the spring

:driving:

Mvovr · Post by **Mvovr** » Sat Dec 31, 2005 12:48 am

Thanks Mel. I may do the air shock deal. I like the idea of having adjustments.

shaihulud · Post by **shaihulud** » Sat Dec 31, 2005 1:00 am

Mvovr. One more thing to understand about coil overs on the rear is that the rear shock absorber towers are just that. They are made of cast iron, which breaks easily and they are not intended to be part of the load carrying system. On a Beetle the towers are securely bolted to the body and they can be safely used to support some of the weight of the vehicle. On a buggy they are usually free standing along their entire lengths so they are vulnerable to breakage under excessive stress. If you are going to keep your coil overs on the rear I suggest some steel reinforment or support of the towers. Otherwise I suggest readjusting the rear torsion bars to support 2 people and quickly adjustable coil overs to be adjusted for extra passengers. That should be O.K. using stock towers as you have reduced the stress on them.

Mvovr · Post by **Mvovr** » Sat Dec 31, 2005 2:35 am

I was planning on adjusting the bars for more ground clearance for sure. I feel this change along with the air shocks should cure my problem of a hard ride and allow for off road and on road load adjustments. As for the front I plan on just 0 wt. oil in a stock pair of shocks. Again thanks to everyone for a great deal of help and information. You guys :rock:

1tuffvw · Post by **1tuffvw** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 5:15 pm

[QUOTE="newmanx59;4112"]When you drill the shock be sure to pump all the oil out into a container so you can be sure to install the same amount back into the shock. As far as plugging the hole....I installed a stainless pop rivet then used autobody lead and soldered the rivet in. I didn't want it to leak.[/QUOTE] I have a question. When you say drill the shocks at what point on the shock do you drill to release the oil? Upper, lower? I need to soften my shocks up so I can use the advice. Thanks 1tuffvw

5150bossman · Post by **5150bossman** » Sat Jul 26, 2008 6:12 pm

If you are going to do any "serious off-roading," I would stay away from the air shocks. Yes they are adjustable and good for street use, but instead of a fluid flowing through the shock as it moves, air just compresses. The bigger the bump, the higher the compression. All that stored up energy has to go somewhere, so the air shock just end up acting like another spring, not a dampening device. As a result, the air shock just ends up launching you like a catepult and out of control! You can get drums all the way around to work just fine. The pedal stiffness may just be a function of adjustment. The tighter the shoes are adjusted, the harder the pedal may feel. One drum out of adjustment (too tight) may make for a hard pedal too (and long stopping distances). And as was said earlier, if you haven't changed out your flexable brake lines, it would probably be a very good idea to do so. They do break down inside and cause all sorts of problems that are hard to diagnose. They are easy enough to change, as long as you don't strip the connecting nut on the hard line. Just use a good flare-nut wrench of the right size, spray with a little Break-Free the day before, and it should go just fine.