Old Library

On Sep 11, 10:16am, Andy Nguyen wrote:
> Subject: Re: Modification Update!
>   Hi Abe,
>
> >  I am glad I went with Spax 24-way Adjustable
> >  Suspension.  The suspension dropped the car about 2 3/4 inches for a nice low
> >  center of gravity.
>
>   Sounds like you got the right remedy for that 4x4 look!  |-)

	Yeah, it's pretty slammed to the ground.  I will have some pictures up
on the web page as soon I as get a chance to get some this weekend!

http://www.coa.uky.edu/~sysabe/

	Yeah yeah yeah, so it's a blatant advertisement for my homepage. :-)

>   Later on this year (before the next autox season) I will be looking to
>   do stuff my GTI's suspension.  I live in Austin, TX and the roads are
>   pretty good here so I am thinking of getting a radical lowering suspension
>   like yours.  I would be grateful if you can answer a couple of questions
>   for me:
>
>   1.  The Spax suspension is "24-way adjustable".  I assume that that means
>       that the dampers (struts + shocks) are adjustable, not the ride height
>       or anything like that also?  Do the dampers adjust for both compression
>       and rebound damping?

	The struts are adjustable for rebound ONLY.  You CANNOT adjust
compression.  If you get the Spax Springs with the shocks, they are plenty soft
enough for street use, so you won't have to worry about that.  They are also
plenty stiff for autox/road racing.  I would suggest looking into an H&R
NON-progressive rated spring before buying the Spax springs as they are not
that great quality wise.  Ride hight in the back is adjustable by the threaded
spring perch.  You can make it so the back is lower then the front, or so the
back is WAY higher then the front.  It is a nice feature, but kind of a pain to
do.  You need to take the wheel off and get a big wrench.  The back of my car
is a LITTLE higher the the front right now for that Euro look.  Oh yeah,
"24-Way Adjustable" means 10 points on the front and 14 on the back.  I freaked
out when I opened up the package and it said "10" on the front shocks! :-)

>   2.  How easy is it to adjust the suspension?  Is it as simple as popping
>       hood and turn a wrench a couple of turns, or is it a major pain
>       in the butt involving jacking the car up, etc. ?

	The front is as easy as opening the hood and plopping a special key
onto the top of the shock.  The back is a little harder.  There is a screw on
the bottom part of the shock that you turn to adjust the rebound.  The left
side is easy as there is nothing in the way, but the right side is blocked by
the gas tank.  You need a short stubby screw driver and a set of sensitive
hands.  It really isn't that bad, don't let that scare you away from getting
the suspension.  No jacking is envolved.  Is it me or did that not sound right?
8-O

>   (Come to think of it, this info may be useful to others as well, so if
>   you want to, you can mail to the list.)
>
>   Thanks for any info.
>
> --
&gt; Andy Nguyen \ &#97;qn&#64;tivoli<img src=/i/dc.gif border=0 width=35 height=15> \ Tivoli Systems, Austin, TX \ 512.436.8229
> 	I still miss Charles Wang, but my aim is getting better.

Other tidbits of info:

	I had to make a desicion between Koni's and Spax.  I liked the Koni's
because all four corners were top adjustable.  I found out though, that the
Koni's adjusted from "stiff" to "way too stiff".  They get so stiff, that when
driving the wheel will actually bounce off the road.  This is not good under
any circumstance!  Not even racing!  Spax goes from "comfortable" to "very
stiff".  Perfect balance!

	The Spax shocks and springs are a cool yellow color, so will look good
with your car! :-)

	The Spax shocks are a slightly dated Koni design.  The engineers from
Spax quit and went to Koni, then came back to Spax.  Koni actually filed a law
suit against Spax a few years back for designing shocks like thiers, but the
charges were dropped.

	Hope this helps!  Feel free to mail me if you have any more questions!
 I have cc:ed this to the list too see if anyone else has any opinions!

Abe


-- 
----------------------------------
Abe L. Getchell
Systems Programmer
Sanders-Brown Center on Aging
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Ky 40536
(606)323-6040
E-Mail: &#115;ysabe&#64;iguana.coa.uky<img src=/i/de.gif border=0 width=35 height=15>
	&#112;anther&#64;iglou<img src=/i/dc.gif border=0 width=35 height=15>
http://www.coa.uky.edu/~sysabe/
Fahren Auf Der Autobahn!
----------------------------------

> I already had Neuspeed lowering springs on my car and planned to keep them
> on, but my friend convinced me to try the Spax to see how they are.  Since I
> was taking the struts appart it was no big deal.  Until, I  went for a test
> drive, I could'nt even turn the wheel at low speeds without the front rubing,
> all four wheels (215-40-16, 7"&35mm offset) were tucked in the wells, looked
> cool but not driveable.

	Hmmmm...  I have no problems here, but I am running stock wheels.  I
have heard of people that had 225/35ZR17 tires on 17x7.5 wheels and have had no
problems with rubbing.  Are you sure else wasn't wrong?  Were the front wheels
tucked into the wheel wells?  They shouldn't be.  It should only lower the
front about 2 3/4".  Anymore and something IS wrong.

> So, I put my car back on the lift a put in the Neupseeds again, a much better
> combination in my opinion.  The rear height is set 1/2" from it's lowest and
> both ends are on their softest settings for now.
>
> The ride is much better now, my car does'nt "bounce" any more, especially
> coming into bumpy corners while hard on the brakes.  And I noticed it handles
> corners a little bit better.  I haven't had much time to drive much and
> experiment with different settings, but I like it already.

	Awsome!  Glad you like them!

> I know there are a few people on the list with Spax, what kind of settings do
> you run in the street and track?

	On the street and track I put the front on "3" and the rear on "14".
 This helps put a lot of oversteer in the car.  Nice for FWD cars like our
GTI's!

> I'm doing some time trials on a 1 mile track tomorrow, I'll really get to see
> what the Spax can do.  I hope I can find the perfect setting during practice.
>  I've hit about 100mph on the staights last time, it's really awsum!
>
> Well, go to go mess with my car, see ya!

	Have fun dude!  Keep the rubber side down!

> Petro
> '95 GTI VR6

Abe



-- 
============================================
Abe L. Getchell
Sysadmin/Programmer/Webmaster/Data Manager
University of Kentucky = Center on Aging
E-Mail: &#115;ysabe&#64;iguana.coa.uky<img src=/i/de.gif border=0 width=35 height=15> (work)
	&#112;anther&#64;iglou<img src=/i/dc.gif border=0 width=35 height=15> (home)
Webpage: http://www.coa.uky.edu/~sysabe/
NOTE: The above message has been spell
checked and is ensured that each sentence
has at least one misspelled word in it.
=============================================

Wally,  I think the 60mm is the one that Ron's will send you unless you
specify otherwise.  Your springs are yellow right?  I originally thought the
Spax springs were purple, and that they had sent me the 30mm drop (yellow).
They were in fact the 60mm. When I ordered them I told the guy at Ron's I
specifically wanted the 60mm  He stated that it's more like 2 inches.  
That's when I thought they might have switched springs for our cars, because
at the same time they renamed all the kits and supposedly addressed some
quality problems...the latter  I'm not so sure of:  My rear shock threads had
a coating of rust out of the box!  ( I sprayed some Wurth grease on them)
 The paint looks like it was applied by a 10 year old with a Testors marker
and scratches REALLY easily.  I also had to hammer into place the rear shock
hole washer thingy at the bottom where it connects to the beam into place.
 Regardless, I'm still really happy I went with this kit.  My car was lowered
MORE than two inches about 2.6~2.75 (don't worry yours will too).

Steve K. 
--
For info on: how to subscribe & unsubscribe, the list's mailing errors,
    list archive, etc.  see:   http://www.panix.com/~aqn/gti_vr6_list/

At 11:49 1/17/98 -0600, Jay Evans wrote:
>	I think I have decided to go with the Spax 60mm kit for my 1998 GTI VR6. 
>I just wanted to ask a few more questions about the kit before I get it.
>

Dude, you made the right choice. The kit is a thing of beauty. You will
cream your you-know-whats when the car comes down off the rack and is low
and BAD!!! Many of your fellow listmembers have the kit, and one of the
great things about it is that it's and adjustable set up. Both front and
rear are adjustable for "stiffness", and the rear is ride-height adjustable
during the install!

	
>	First, were can I order the kit?  I have read posts on this group that
>talk about one mail order place but I forgot the name.  Does anyone know
>were I can get the set?  If so, please email me with the name and phone
>number of the mail order company that sells Spax.   I live in Texas so if
>there is more than one, then the one closest to Texas.
>

Ron's Parts (Canada) or TH Motorsports (Kentucky). Ron's Parts' number is
604-944-0494, and TH Motorsports' number is 606-881-9009. Ron's wants $695
for the kit, and TH wants $605. Both companies advertise in European Car
magazine and are reputable.


>	Can I install the kit myself?  I am pretty good with tools and enjoy
>working on my car.  Do you think I can do it?  What all has to be done?  I
>know I would have to take it somewhere to get the alignment done, that is
>no big deal.  If anyone has installed this kit or one like it before,
>please tell me what all I would have to do and if there is anything I
>should look out for or be cautious of.
>

Have a pro do the install. Trust me. Unless you are VERY handy, this ain't
no home project!!



>	How much did the kit cost your guys?  When I order it, what exactly do I
>need to ask for and is there anything else I need to buy at the same time
>or does the kit include everything?
>

See above. Just make sure when you order it that you make it very clear
that you want the 60mm drop kit as opposed to the 30m drop kit. Some people
have gotten the wrong one on delivery. Good luck, and *great choice*!!
______________________
Wally G.
(&#119;ally&#64;li<img src=/i/dn.gif border=0 width=35 height=15>)
96 GTI VR6, black w/leather, 38,500 mi., Garrett Chip, SPAX 24-way
adjustable shocks/springs w/60mm drop, Autotech F&R sway bars, Autotech F&R
upper stress bars, Euro switch (no DRLs), Redline tranny oil, trunk light,
programmable wipers, mod stock exhaust (no suitcase), K&N filter in stock
box (no cone, no pre-screen),tinted windows, Niken pedal covers,painted
badges, tinted side-markers, fogs, reflectors, and turning signals, Kamei
headlight lids, Nitto 450 Extremes.
--
For info on: how to subscribe & unsubscribe, the list's mailing errors,
    list archive, etc.  see:   http://www.panix.com/~aqn/gti_vr6_list/

What's so good about Spax besides the looks?....well let's see:  
Several list members have switched to Spax springs (Mike Bigus).)from NS/H&R
etc.. because the supposedly control body roll better.  I have not experienced
this firsthand so i can't say.     

IMO,  it's a REALLY good all around setup,...the ride is very comfortable (at
least on soft) and the handling is awesome...or at least as awesome as a nose
heavy front driver can get. 

The rear Spax units are height adjustable...a definite plus if you own larger
aftermarket wheels and/or if you don't feel that it's low enough.  BTW...I
have never gotten my car to bottom and even on some of the worst roads (Newark
,NJ)outside of this year's Camel Trophy.  If my cars shocks don't blow for
another...let's say 40k  then no one can say that they blow easily.  There are
several list members who have had the Spax for a while w/ no problems.   
                                  
They're fairly inexpensive.

They're adjustable...ok,ok so are Koni's.

They are by no means "the best"....The best" is an opinion.  Fit and finish of
the shocks is shit.  Mine look like they spray painted by a 5 year old..runs
and all. My rears had surface rust on the threads out of the box!!  The shock
mount on one of my rear shocks was not all the way in...I had to hammer it
into place.  Other than these "minor" complaints I'm very happy I went with
this setup, and would recommend it to others on the list.  
 
Steve K.
--
For info on: how to subscribe & unsubscribe, the list's mailing errors,
    list archive, etc.  see:   http://www.panix.com/~aqn/gti_vr6_list/

Wally Green wrote:

> Just got off the phone with Dustin, from Ron's Parts. You all know I'm a big
> SPAX fan, but at this point I gotta say I love the product but despise the
> company's practices with it's retailers. To cut to the chase, SPAX owes
> Ron's Parts nearly $20,000 for "warrantied" struts and shocks. I'm getting
> my AMEX credited for a bad strut, essentially, out of the good graces of
> Dustin's heart.

$20k in WARRANTY reimbursements??!!  Hello!!!  So all these "rumors" of Spax
shox blowing out are obviously true!  How can you "only" say that you despise
their practice with their retailers?  How can you not despise them altogether
for selling such an obviously cheesy product with horrible QC??  Sue the
bastards!!
 
> He's getting no back-up from SPAX themselves. I just thought I'd pass this
> along, FWIW. I know that I'm going to purchase from Ron's whenever I can.
> I've spoken to this guy at length, and he's good people.

It's good to know that Ron's is taking care of you.. hopefully this will
prevent
anybody else of making the mistake of buying Spax.  Yeccch.


--
Kevin Collins
Huntington Beach, CA
'86.5 Scirocco 16V 2.0
'97 GTI VR6