Disc Brakes

I recently had CB performance disc brakes installed on my VS. Seems that the spindle drops the body about 2". I have 165/15 tires in the front and now am experiencing rubbing on my front fender from the tire when fully turned.

Is this normal? What now? I doint want to install low profile tires in the front - would drop the front enven more. What are my options?

I think I solved my issue: The left shock remains compressed - I can pull the body up and it doesn't rub. I think I need new shocks :)

What is the recommendation out there for shocks?

Normal replacement Beetle shocks will get you by.
There's not all that much weight up there. Might want to check your tire pressure, too. Since you probably don't need much in the way of air pressure, you can go with oil or gas shocks and be just fine.
I have KYB gas shocks, but they're overkill.

KYB-GR2's improve the "ride" over most hydraulic shocks in a street application....

Running into the third year on mine with no complaints...

Leon C.

I don't think new shocks will solve your problem. Shocks don't really affect the ride height, they are just dampeners so your car won't bob up and down when you ride over a bump. When you had the disks installed, they probably used 2" drop spindles which is why your speedster is lower. One easy solution would be to adjust your steering stop so that the wheel doesn't turn so much that it rubs. The only other way would be to raise the front end by messing with the torsion bars.

Ross - I think the problem lies in the fact that the shock will not decompress after hitting say a speed bump or pothole - it stays compressed. So I assume my shocks (at tleast the left side) is shot. Am I wrong? I can pull up the body to decompress the shock.

I'm with Ross --- shock only dampen bumps. They don't change height unless they are full extended/bottomed out. Sounds like the torsion bars (torsion bar leaves) are frozen or broken as they are the "springs" on your suspension. Did you have an adjustable beam (2 center of beam adjusters?) -- if so see if it will adjust the front suspension up a bit.

You might be right and I guess a new pair of shocks is only about $60. But something still doesn't sound right. If you can pull up on the body and the shock decompresses, then why doesn't it decompress when you ride over a bump? Keep in mind that when shocks go bad, they lose their dampening strength, so it should compress and decompress easier. How much force do you use when you pull the body up? Do you have any pics of how low your front end is riding?

If I'm not mistaken, I could swear I have read somewhere that the CB Performance drop spindles add about 10 MM to each side. This increase in front end width, along with the 2-2 1/2 inch drop would probably explain why your tires are rubbing. The only fix would be to install adjusters in your beam so that you raise it back up a little, have the front beam narrowed, or install lower profile tires.
Jim

yes - the CB spindles change the offset (add) 1/4" on each side.

I can lift the body w/ some minor exertion.

I'll try to replicate the problem and take pictures.

With the body at its proper height, the wheels fully turned to the left, I can place about a finger's width between the rubber and the body. I only sensed the rubbing when the wheels was turned left with the shock compressed. Right turns seemed fine.

I could have sworn I read somewhere on this forum that the CB Perf. kit did not hinder the clearance for the tires - I am running 165/15s.

I spoke to my mechanic and he said the only other option aside from lower profile tires was replace the front end (?). It this true?

Jim - what do you mean by adjusters?

Front end adjusters are a piece that is installed by cutting the front beam in half and welding these into place. The VW front suspension consists of flat metal spring steel bars that are held in place in the middle of the beam. The adjusters change the location of the middle of the springs. Depending on what angle they are mounted, they can be used to either raise or lower the front suspension. Here is a link that explains the procedure better. http://sandlizrd.baja.org/frntlift.htm
Another breakdown of the installation procedure can be reached on the SOC mainpage on the left side under current news. Click on "Building a Speedster". Then click on "Front Beam" located at the top of the page. This gives a detailed description by Chris Sutton on how to install the adjusters.
Hope this helps.
Jim

Del ... you probably dont have adjusters on your stock VS. Did you just buy your speedster from Cannillo Motors in Deer Park? Looks like one I was looking at a few months ago. I like the two-tone seats.

Yep - from Canillo. Lucked out - was in excellent shape and paid less than asking.

Drove to NY - looked at it, showed interest but was willing to walk away if not negotiable.

So it seems that my VS - as all my other hobby cars, is becoming its own money pit. But oh how much fun it is to drive.

My guess is that it will be cheaper to change the tires to lo profiles than to augment my suspension...

Low profile tire might fix the fender rubbing BUT won't they put nose close to scraping speed bumps and going into driveways PLUS if your front suspension isn't articulating then handling is not as it should be. A NEW (made in Taiwan) front beam with the adjusters (2 are common - 1 upper/1 lower) is about $200 plus shipping. I'd pull the torsion leaves before I tried any other fixes . I'd guess some are broken/some already removed (bad way to lower a car - but no cost!/center clamp hex bolt loose/end link arms not installed right or bolt worn/leaves rusted or frozen and not moving. I probably have an extra set of leaves and arms if you get up DC area.

So here's an update.

I took some pics of the car - but the difference is not very visible in the pics.

I can sit on the fenser on both the left or right side and the body would compress (shocks, dropping about an inch or more) - I can also lift up the body (decompress the shock)

At first I assumed it was only the left side, but its acutally both.