Ride Height questions, Too high or too low? Options

[Steve]

According to the manual the ride height in the center of the rocker is supposed to be 140mm or 130mm car loaded. This is of course with stock 25" tires or 165 SR 15 on 5.5Jx15" rims.

[wonkipop]

Thanks all, Any rec. on where I might find original factory bumper heights for the US spec 914? I would like to have a target to aim at when I start fiddlin with the setup.

The factory spec for adjusting the front height is to measure from the center of the wheel to the ground, and measure from the center of the torsion bar adjuster to ground...

There's debate as to was this is where the factory wanted it or did they have to raise it slightly to be within USA/Canada DOT regulation height for the headlights.

My only comment is that if it was the height they wanted it, they must have been drunk at the time. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) def. a 12 can diagram (depth charges, not regular tins).


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three stories i heard back in late 80s.
1) headlight ht regs as above.
2) set up for understeer all the way to limit and beyond, due to fear of customers unable to control snap oversteer. bit of r. nader/corvair paranoia still around maybe at time? the 6s never looked in press photos to be nose up (might cast doubt on version 1). the 4s did look nose up in early photos. could have been at command of VW and their conservative engineers? vw would have had more control over the 4s coming out of the karmann works complete. the early 4s ran 155s standard, mighty skinny tyres?

and 3) was the bumper regs, esp so in relation to 73 models on with compression tits at front. but photos of earlier years of 4s also have the nose up attitude so....

i find the understeer one believable, you only got to look at how nose up 411/412s and superbeetles were. verging on ridiculous?


EDIT - just read through this thread.
interesting discussion on brake regulator (proportioning) valve in there.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=352999

could be that VW engineers also took a conservative view on panic stops and rear wheel lock up in poor road conditions with regard to mass market 914/4s.

[wonkipop]

According to the manual the ride height in the center of the rocker is supposed to be 140mm or 130mm car loaded. This is of course with stock 25" tires or 165 SR 15 on 5.5Jx15" rims.

well done finding that in the factory manual. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

interesting - mine sits considerably higher than that - unloaded admittedly. its a level 195mm to the bottom of the rocker panels (330mm to top of rocker panel) above ground with about half a tank of gas. running proper stock size 165s. the back is sitting at the ht it was before we took all suspension apart - took a reference measurement.

edit. - i see where you mean - in the glove box manual?
the 130mm seems to be the lowest level of floor clearance which might be lower than sills. i went out and measured the car. my overall ht. agrees with glovebox manual at 1230mm. i also measure a clearance of 130mm to the u/s of the little rubber flaps that hang down in front of the engine bay for lower pressure area air flow. lowest hanging things on the car.
perhaps that 130mm is a reference to ground clearance at the lowest point which is the flaps?

interesting to learn mark henry has his car set up with i inch from the rim to rear guard. 25mm in metric. i have approx 95mm clearance from the rear rim to the rear guard (close to 4 inches) and i think we did a good job of setting it up stock, which was my aim.
so anywhere in between is going to be good.
i noticed - it might have been my imagination. that when we cranked the front down, the rear seemed to come up a tiny bit.
most folks probably favour getting their cars lower.
the car is still running original springs - softest factory spring.
it drives great with a full load of two people, cases of wine, luggage, full tank of gas, on bumpy country roads. i run pretty skinny michelin XAS tyres so its more the vintage driving experience i am after, without the vw engineer induced plough understeer.

easy enough to play around with rear springs and go from there to get what you want. you don't want the nose up.

[wonkipop]

here is more info on ride ht.
knew i had it somewhere in files from last year.
design drawing 914/6.
gives dimension to what looks like top of front skirt, u/s of bumper.
drawing suggests - might also be dimension to bottom of driving light grilles.
whatever it is close.

technically, for the uber precise, the dimension giving the ht is at plan cut at level 0 or 349mm above ground which corresponds to the dimensions given on the plan view drawing.

dim = 349mm with car empty.
measuring mine it is 340mm to u/s bumper with half a tank of gas at centre of car.
another dimension we used setting up to check at the end we were in the vicinity of something like stock with the front set level. its not a dim written in stone for setting up suspension.