raised spindels, what has been done before? Options

[metalmorphosis]

So I think I want to raise the spindle on the strut tube and I know I've seen some threads about doing this. I did a little searching and didn't find anything useful so I'm hoping you guys can give me some advice or share any links with me. The reason I think I would like to do this is to regain a little suspension travel in the front end. My car is pretty low and currently has no travel to speak of in the front. So I think if I lower the car more by raising the spindles I can lift the car back up using the torsion bars to gain some suspension travel back. Ultimately I want my cars ride height to be about the same as it is now. I'm thinking of raising the spindle 1 inch, is there another standard amount of raise that has been done before? Is there any reason not to do this modification? I assume the tie rods would be fine and all the geometry would be almost the same, right? So what do y'all know about this one?

[sixnotfour]

what diameter wheel and offset is the control on how much you can raise the spindle..

[Dave_Darling]

Raising the spindles is a relatively-common mod in the racing world. The limit is when the ball joint starts rubbing on the wheel. Or wheel weights, should those be put on the inside. I even know of people who have shaved part of the ball joint retaining nut and lock plate to fit their wheels.

Check how much room you have now. Leave a bit of extra room just in case of any errors. That's how far you can go.

The steering geometry is set by the position of the lever on the knuckle to the position of the steering rack. So if you raise the spindle by 1" and then lower the car by 1", the lever on the steering knuckle will be in the same place as it was before. (If you're that low, you probably have bump-steer effects that you need to deal with anyway.)

If you do the mod carefully and don't damage the strut tube, you should be fine. It's just some cutting and welding, after all...

If you want to raise the car up again, you will encounter more bump-steer issues. I think that's about the only downside.

--DD

[Elliot Cannon]

My car sits fairly low and I have plenty of suspension travel. With the 17 inch wheels, lower profile tires and low airdam in the front I think it looks lower than it actually is. Most of the raised spindles I thought were on race cars. I don't autocross or race so maybe you have different plans for your car. Post some pics please.

[metalmorphosis]

My car does have 17" wheels on it, don't know the offset though. I will be taking a look at the gap between the ball joint and wheel tomorrow. And again the only thing I hope to get out of this is some front suspension travel. So Dave why would this potentially cause worse bump steer?

And my car does look slightly better now than in this photo this was just after getting done with some major rust repair 1 1/2 yrs ago.

[Bills914-4]

Here's a link , hope this helps, Bill D.

http://www.tangerineracing.com/suspensionservices.htm

[dlee6204]

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...111846&st=0

Starts at post 17.

[jaxdream]

My car does have 17" wheels on it, don't know the offset though. I will be taking a look at the gap between the ball joint and wheel tomorrow. And again the only thing I hope to get out of this is some front suspension travel. So Dave why would this potentially cause worse bump steer?

And my car does look slightly better now than in this photo this was just after getting done with some major rust repair 1 1/2 yrs ago.

Just curious , what brand / size tire do you have on the wheels in the pic , BTW they look GR8 !!!

Jack

[metalmorphosis]

Thanks Jack the wheels are 17 x 7 and the tires are cheap o nexen 205-40-17's. And it looks like there is about 2" between the ball joint nut and wheel. On that thread where they cut some length out of the strut tube how does the strut fit back in the tube?

[ChrisFoley]

On that thread where they cut some length out of the strut tube how does the strut fit back in the tube?

After removing the piece of tube from above the knuckle, an equal length is welded on at the bottom before reattaching the ball joint mount, thus keeping the total strut length the same.
Keeping the tube very straight and not having any overpenetration of the welds is important or the insert won't fit. Cleanup inside can be a real PITA.

[Dave_Darling]

So Dave why would this potentially cause worse bump steer?

Bump steer is changed by changing the height of the steering knuckle relative to the height of the steering rack. It doesn't matter how you do it, if you raise the whole strut or just the spindle.

You are talking about raising up the spindle, and then raising the suspension to lift the car back up to where it was. In that case, the arm will be in the same position relative to the rack. The bump steer will be the same as it had been.

If you change the suspension height somewhere down the road (you want it taller, you want it even lower) you will change the relationship between the knuckle and the rack again. Which means the bump steer will change again.

Note that the changes could be harmful, or could be helpful, or could be not enough to notice. I don't know the specifics, and most people who start thinking about those effects will actually measure them on their own car.

--DD

[tscrihfield]

Goto my thread in my signature and look at the bottom of the first page/top of the second. It was my way of raising Boge struts. It worked out well and it was a good turn out. Bump steer will be an issue if you don't run different tie rods.

Thomas