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Suspension travel modification?



> Is there a
> suspension setup that 
> would effectively increase the suspension travel for
> off-road applications?  
> That would be worth doing, even if not to race, just
> to off-road.  It would 
> be nice to be able to use larger tires, too. (clear
> the wheelwells?) 
> Something tells me it might end up taking a decent
> amount of fabrication.  

Well, the A1 suspension travel really isn't all that
short. If you want to see an example of a short-travel
suspension, take a look at a Neon sometime.

However, it isn't very long either, and as we
discussed, there are much better choices than an A1
for rally or off-road use. The Subaru Impreza, for
example, has HUGE suspension travel compared to the
Scirocco (gee...maybe that has something to do with a
certain WRC design strategy!).

The Scirocco's droop suspension travel could be
lengthened with custom extra-long struts, but I would
guess that it would cause toe and camber problems if
you extend the control arm too much further down than
stock.

You could theoretically also increase the bump
suspension travel quite a ways without hitting the
fender with the tire as long as you don't run a huge
tire. Running a shorter body strut would give you some
extra travel. However, you'll find that the limiting
factor is when the driveshaft contacts the frame rail,
especially on the longer passenger side shaft. This is
a major headache for Street-Prepared autocross cars
who can't lower the car like they want. The
Prepared-class autocrossers are allowed to notch the
frame rail and reinforce it to allow for more bump
travel.

I'm personally considering mimicing the Golf Syncro
front driveshaft layout (without the differential)
someday in the future for my Street Modified Scirocco.
It actually utilizes equal-length CV joints by
relocating the passenger side CV ouboard closer to the
framerail (mirroring the driver's side). With the CV
joint moved to near the frame rail, you can get more
upward articulation before the driveshaft contacts the
frame.

In the end, it is difficult to modify a strut
suspension for longer travel than it was designed for.
The dynamic camber and toe changes make things
difficult unless you plan to relocate the strut and
control arm pickup points...

Neal

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