My car is getting corner-weighted and setup next week and I need to do some research on the various setups. I've never taken it too seriously in a rabbit as they handle so well with just a basic setup, but this time, I've gone all out and want to make the most of it. First up: Tyre wear and comfort are secondary concerns. I want to know what everyone is running camber and toe wise up the front and also ride height My setup is as follows: -KW V2's -'Rocco k-bar -Stroeve rear strut brace -Autotech 28mm hollow rear swaybar -Whiteline 24mm front swaybar -Polybushed throughout -15x8, ET25 -Pirelli P7s 195/45/15 Pic of my front setup for views: If everyone pitches in, this can become a very helpful thread as most of the other suspension ones are concerned with what brands to buy and nothing else...
ideally wishbones should be horizontal or pointing down to the wheels. if the inner pickup is below the hub pickup then you just removed your roll resistance
true prof in theory, but to get my mk1 wishbones horizontal i had to raise the rideheight so high that it became detrimental to the handling. Higher centre of gravity creating more roll and less stability. i tested it on track set high (rally cross stylee) and low (about 15mm from wheel to arch) and low was both quicker and felt better. I'm running avo's with 350lb front and 400lb rear spring's, eibach arb's, (though sometimes run with the front disconnected), cheapo omp lower front and upper rear braces, (no upper front as cant find one to fit with the ABf, not that i noticed a difference taking it off!) bolt in cage and weighs approx 840kgs. can't measure the exact rideheight as its on ramps at the mo. i run approx 2deg neg camber, 0 deg toe, Bit more castor than standard, and 15mm spacers so approx et 23, but with hopefully a similar scrub radius angle to factory, as i run eccentric topmounts turned in a bit, (set to about 10o clock and 2o clock, L & R respectively when viewed from the front of the car).
Also off topic- but what manifold is that H8SV8S? Did it come pre bent for the standard antiroll bar? and lastly are you also running an ABF? If so how did you get it to fit without modifying the rear bugpack poly mount???
Car set up is for hillclimbs & sprints Ledas - 350lb front 600lb rear Camber 1.5` Caster 5` Toe 0 Eibach ARB`s F / R Lower front brace Wishbones pointing slightly `up` to the wheels Bugpack bushes all round Front top mounts - alloy concentric Rear top mounts - urethane Car weight 860kgs inc cage Cornerweighted ~ 60% front / 40% rear - equal across the front Have not driven it since suspension change / cornerweighting !
Well, I have 2.0L Abf with FD code 020 box BRMotorsport lower front brace Neuspeed 23mm front bar ABD 28mm solid rear bar H&R coilovers Polybushed everywhere 7x15 et 25 alloys with 195-45-15 Eagle F1 tyres (Goodyear) Quaiffe Torque biasing diff (Like Pelaquin). Negative 1.5 degrees front camber with standar toe Standard rear There is about 10-15mm gap between the tyre and metal arch all round so not decked but wishbones are like \ ___ / (Not that bad but you get the idea). Car doesnt handle too bad but still understeers a lot on lower speed bends. I found that the standard driveshafts fowl the flange seals on the gear box if I go any lower with current camber. So now I need Cabby driveshafts which are shorter to stop me blowing up inner CV joints. Gurds
MK 1 hillclimb & sprint car (road class) Front : Bilstein non adjustable race/rallye dampers with 400ib 2-1/4 springs (coil over), modified (extended) Bonrath top mounts, lower adjustable (home made) brace, adjustable tubular rose jointed bottom arms and tie rods, 2.5 neg camber, 4 degree's castor (giving 3 degree's neg on the turn), 20' toe out, standard (GTi) roll bar (Eibach to try), 185/55-14 AO48 softs set to 26psi cold. Rear : Spax (i know i know !) adjustables with 250ib standard diameter springs, standard (24 yr old !) top shock mounts, 2 degree neg camber (shimed hubs), Eibach roll bar, 185/55-14 AO32 super softs (not worn enough to change to 48's yet !) set to 26psi cold. Lower arms point up (no bump steer) but will be levelled out the same time the quick rack kit goes in, rear shocks never over 4 clicks but reduced for some events (softer on sprints, harder on hills), tyre pressures dont vary much. The rear needs uprating soon but it works well enough (according to the trophy cabinet !) Ride very firm (!) on the road, tyre wear not as bad on the inner edge as you'd expect and fairly even accross the tread though the Yoko's dont last very long in comp use and it does'nt see much road use.
Mine.... (should it ever run again!) -1.5 camber and 0 deg toe Koni adjustables at stock ride height and soft-ish H&R springs. GTI antiroll bars and all poly bushes. nice and compliant for road use and progressive at the limit, just what I need to save me from my own inneptitude and ultimatly, hedges....
It's made by Eurosport in the States and bolted right up to the ABF and still has a stack of clearance for the swaybar, steering knuckle and steering rack. Quality is very good... their exhaust system, though, is an utter POS, as is their after sale service The front of my inlet mani was touching bonnet with a spare 77 bonnet I had to trial fit on the car. I'd ordered a new VAG bonnet, which was from a cabby and had the bracing in different places - this went straight on with 20mm of clearance, which should be plenty with the Bugpack mounts
Interesting lot of specs fellas Good to have some helpful answers ---> I put the same thread on the Vortex and got a bunch of tw@ts telling me that the front swaybar makes the car handle worse, which I disagree with once it's paired to a big 28mm rear. I reckon the Mk1 is far more solid and stable with the swaybar up front - it will understeer anyway, even without it!!! I do need to buy a diff' but budget is running low at this stage I must check the rate of my front springs - I know the rears are 400lb, but haven't even looked at the fronts. Keep the ideas coming p.s. what does everything think about this no front swaybar thing
The no sway bar thing, mmmmmm. I did some local driving and found the the front dived very quickly and got the rear tyre in the air much easier. To be honest, I didnt want to find out what it would be like on the limit at high speed so fitted my front bar back on. I may up the rear spring poundage a little and Im thinkin about trying a rear SRS bar along with the 28mm bar I already have. I really want to make the car stiff as possible without an extremely harsh ride.
i'm so far undecided on the front ARB question, i've tried running with and without my eibach front bar. With - there is less roll, obviously. But it does understeer more on the power on the exit of corners. Without - There seems to be quite a bit less power understeer (more noticable before i had the diff), but possibly less grip on turn in? In the wet i often disconnect the front, which helps front end grip and feel substantially. I wanted to try a standard gti one as a compromise, but i could'nt find anybody who could bend a kink into for me so it could clear the exhaust. I'm doing a brands track evening in a couple of weeks hopefully if it's dry i'll try and do a few timed laps on slicks with it on and off.
I can't comment on the setup as I've never had a mk1 but my first port of call if I were you is some decent tyres. I have never found any Pirelli's that grip well in both the wet and dry. The P7000's I had on my car when I bought it were atrocious! What is the car being used for? Sean
