suspension question - raising ride height

[rocco16v at netzero.net (L F)]

Drew,
  First, you don't want to move to California.  Ashes are a slippery as snow.
Second, raise the front by any means and you are still looking at alignment changes.  Put the stock front suspension back on, re-align it and ski forth.
You are facing the quandry of the lowered suspension: the problems a lowered suspension bring never end.

Larry
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Drew MacPherson 
  To: scirocco-l@scirocco.org 
  Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 9:38 AM
  Subject: suspension question - raising ride height



  All this talk about suspensions and lowering reminded me of a question I 
  was going to put to the list.

  Currently I have Neuspeed soft-sports (or something like that) on my 
  Scirocco - the overall drop is nice - works on the crappy roads that I 
  drive on, but takes care of that ugly gap between the top of the tire and 
  the fender lip.

  There is a (slim) chance that I may be driving my Scirocco through the 
  winter, when lowered is bad, and raised is good.  If I end up having to go 
  this route, I need to get the car back up to stock ride height (or higher, 
  preferably) with as little effort (and no cost) as possible.

  Raising the rear is not an issue - I can either reinstall the stock
  springs, or shim the lower spring perch up (inner races from rear wheel
  bearings work well for this)  without too much effort.

  The front, however poses an issue - reinstalling the stock springs means
  the potential for messing up the alignment, plus having to muck with 
  spring compressors etc.

  The only thing I can thing of that doesn't involve mucking with replacing 
  of the front springs would be to install a shim between the strut bearing 
  and the body of the car.  In order to be effective, it would probably have 
  to be around an inch thick, which would mean longer strut bearing bolts 
  would be required (not an issue as long as knocking the old ones out isn't 
  that hard to do.)

  Does this sound doable?  I'd be concerned if it will have drastic effects 
  on the car's handling (to the point of being dangerous.)  The goal is to 
  significantly increase ground clearance (to get through the snow, eh?)  
  and I don't mind giving up some handling, afterall, it is winter, and dry 
  pavement is pretty hard to come by... :)

  Comments?  Suggestions (no, I will not consider buying a sport brUte, 
  nor, unfortunately, can I move to California.)

  Drew

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  | 84 Wolfsburg Edition TurboDiesel Scirocco   | 
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