# [EVDL] gotta deal with that rear-wheel alignment issue (VW Rabbit)



## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

Did you look into heavy duty coil springs for both the front and rear? They
have them you know. Sport tuned springs should help a bunch. Use urethane
bushings where you can too. They are stiff and don't sag like rubber
bushings in the suspension. Each bit helps. When you can ditch the lead and
get the lighter lithiums but keep your sport tuned suspension system
installed. 

Pete 

-----
If you don't understand, be patient, you will. Now I understand. 
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## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

> gottdi wrote:
> > Did you look into heavy duty coil springs for both the front and rear? They
> > have them you know. Sport tuned springs should help a bunch. Use urethane
> > bushings where you can too. They are stiff and don't sag like rubber
> ...


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## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

I would find "like" VW and take your tape measure. It is possible that the
body where the struts attach (at the top) are moving inward towards each
other because of the additional weight. There are aftermarket braces
available to maintain this distance, for racing, but might be what you need.

Sincerely,
Mark Grasser


-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf
Of Chuck Hursch
Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2010 3:30 PM
To: Electric Vehicle Discussion List
Subject: Re: [EVDL] gotta deal with that rear-wheel alignment issue (VW
Rabbit)



> gottdi wrote:
> > Did you look into heavy duty coil springs for both the front and rear?
> They
> > have them you know. Sport tuned springs should help a bunch. Use urethane
> ...


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## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

Urethane will transmit more noise and be stiffer to better handle the extra
weight while helping keep every thing in alignment. I agree with the other
poster about support cross braces for the body both front and rear. Any sort
of support will be of great help. The purpose of Heavy Duty struts will be
to keep the body from sagging under the weight causing the body to become
out of alignment with the steering components causing wear. If it sags even
with the Heavy duty struts either the struts are not heavy duty enough or
your just too damn heavy with LEAD batteries. How much weight in Batteries
are you carrying on board your little car? Remember these little cars are
not designed to carry much weight. Your car needs to sit level. Good struts
with strong springs will help. 

Have you looked at the underside of the car to be sure you don't have some
cracking of the unibody at the front suspension area and maybe the rear. I
had an old rabbit once that had a large crack that caused my front be out
alignment and would make my braking spongey. When I found the problem it had
been welded up once and had cracked again. The car was unsafe to drive. I
ditched it and took all the good stuff out and put it into an newer one and
nicer one that I had picked up for $200 bucks. It had a bad engine. So check
for that kind of stuff too. Cracks can be hard to see. Your car should be up
and level if all is good. Too much weight may just negate any of the work
you have done. 

Go Lithium. Lighter in weight and you get to go further per charge. 

Pete 

-----
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## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

> Mark Grasser wrote:
> > I would find "like" VW and take your tape measure. It is possible that the
> > body where the struts attach (at the top) are moving inward towards each
> > other because of the additional weight. There are aftermarket braces
> ...


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## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

> gottdi wrote:
> > Urethane will transmit more noise and be stiffer to better handle the extra
> > weight while helping keep every thing in alignment. I agree with the other
> > poster about support cross braces for the body both front and rear. Any sort
> ...


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## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

Yes an accident could cause troubles even later down the line. All VW's sit nose up. When they stop they become more neutral. Nose up on all the old air cooled and the early water cooled rabbits. 

Pete 


I understand about not having a good place to do battery box work for new batteries. Some day maybe. 








> Chuck Hursch wrote:
> 
> > gottdi wrote:
> >> Urethane will transmit more noise and be stiffer to better handle the extra
> ...


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## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

Many need a place to work, in my area are many "Public Storage" places that
rent out garage spaces but don't allow any working, but, there are also two
within 5 miles that do allow work and they call their units "Shop" space,
many guys have wood shops and hobby work shops and some work on their cars.
It is an inexpensive alternative for apartment residents.
Regards, Dennis Miles



> Chuck Hursch <[email protected]> wrote:
> 
> > gottdi wrote:
> > > Urethane will transmit more noise and be stiffer to better handle the
> ...


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## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

I believe I'm the third owner of this car. It was in the best shape of 
any of the Rabbits that I drove back in 1994, when looking for a donor 
car. It did have a little fender rot, which was taken care of a couple 
of years later during that body/paint work. Got 50mpg as a diesel on 
one drive of 400 miles (this was a shake-out test drive - the only thing 
that shook out was the wing vents :-( ). All in all, the car keeps 
humming along, minor problems here and there, but nothing really stops 
me. Have to be a little resourceful at times. I really hadn't intended 
to make a life out of the EV thing, but rather get back on track to RE 
(solar, etc), which the EV would plug into .

My neighbor's '92 Golf had that same (nose-up) attitude. I think it's 
the way VW made their cars back then.

Pete, do you have an evalbum (or other) entry for your car? Do you have 
any efficiency #s for that Rabbit you ran as an EV (ie. mi/kwh upstream 
of the charger or downstream of the battery pack (wh/mi))? I'm curious 
as to how much more efficient your current car is compared to the 
Rabbit, and how much of that you think is due to the lighter weight and 
lower internal resistance (if that's the case) of the lithiums vs lead. 
When lithium makes me , a goodly amount of that is thinking about 
not hauling around all that lead weight.

Thanks Dennis for the workshop thoughts.

Chuck

[email protected] wrote:
> Yes an accident could cause troubles even later down the line. All VW's sit nose up. When they stop they become more neutral. Nose up on all the old air cooled and the early water cooled rabbits. 
> 
> Pete 
> 
> 
> I understand about not having a good place to do battery box work for new batteries. Some day maybe. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>


> Chuck Hursch wrote:
> >
> >> gottdi wrote:
> >>> Urethane will transmit more noise and be stiffer to better handle the extra
> ...


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## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

> Chuck Hursch <[email protected]> wrote:
> [snip]
> > Pete, do you have an evalbum (or other) entry for your car? Do you have
> > any efficiency #s for that Rabbit you ran as an EV (ie. mi/kwh upstream
> ...


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## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

David Nelson wrote:
>


> Chuck Hursch <[email protected]> wrote:
> > [snip]
> >> Pete, do you have an evalbum (or other) entry for your car? Do you have
> >> any efficiency #s for that Rabbit you ran as an EV (ie. mi/kwh upstream
> ...


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