Sorry guys, hadn't been on the site in weeks.

Let's just say this...I set the Tokicos to full stiff when I first put them on - I didn't make it 5 miles down the road before I had to turn them down. They're absolutely teeth-rattlingly stiff at full stiff, and were absolutely WAY too stiff for the Road Magnet springs when set that high, especially in the rear.

Externally adjustable is KEY on the rears! I can't imagine having gone with Konis now that I have these....I've literally probably changed fronts and rears 10 times or more trying to find the right compromise, and within 5 minutes can adjust all 4 corners to exactly where I want them for the intended purpose of the drive.

Full soft is 7.5 turns from full stiff, and unfortunately, with the Road Magnet springs, I can't go past about 2.5 turns from full stiff (2/3 stiff) before the ride begins to get unrelentingly bouncy. I don't mean just harsh, I mean bouncy...the rear Road Magnets really need to be another 10% stiffer (or more). The fronts I can live with daily at 1 turn from full stiff, but my ideal setting for daily driving is really about 2 turns in the front, 3 turns in the rear - maybe even another half turn front and rear (2.5/3.5).

Honestly, these are a no-brainer for me over the Konis. The additional money spent over the Konis has paid for itself many times over already in time saved changing the rear shock stiffness over and over. Also, it seems to me (from other people's accounts) that the range of adjustment is MUCH more vast than the Konis....at full soft, these are really hilariously soft, all the way up to WAY too much damping for anything but a true race spring at the opposite end of the spectrum.

As far as ride height goes...basically, you need suspension travel or you're doing yourself a disservice. You go too low with stock suspension geometry and stock suspension pick-up points, and you run out of travel, making your car unable to maintain traction on bumps and road imperfections. Also, if you go low enough that your control arms go beyond parallel, you are actually increasing the roll couple, which will increase the vehicle's tendency to roll (definitely not what you expect when lowering your car). Center of gravity isn't everything, not even close....just the easiest thing for suspension companies to sell to the general public.

Simplistic explanation of roll couple and how too much lowering can be bad on a MacPherson strut suspension:

http://e30m3performance.com/myths/We..._transfer2.htm

And a basic suspension primer on VWVortex that ABSOLUTELY apply to our cars (strut front suspension, torsion beam rear axle, essentially identical in design to VW):

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothrea...82260#27482260

 

awesome info. you should copy this into the parts review section.

so, handling-wise, how do you feel about them? how did full stiff handle?

also do you have pics of them installed the car and the adjustment points. i would like to see these bad boys

 

I'll get those pics for you later. I've been concentrating so hard on trying to make some progress on my '84 Rabbit project that I literally just got the suspension done on the Scion (wasn't that exciting since 1. it was the second time around and 2. I was actually RAISING the car from where the H&R Cup Kit had it) and haven't paid that much attention to it since then.

Will definitely say that the adjusters are awesome, and easy, and way better IMO than the Koni adjuster. You can use an allen wrench if you lose the adjuster, but the adjuster is just a little metal **** that fits into the top of the strut or shock, and they include a solid metal tokico keychain that the adjuster actually threads into for safe keeping (kinda cool/gimmicky, I keep the whole adjuster + keychain in the car).

Adjuster looks like this, except it JUST has the red line, nothing else marked on it:

 

Oh, and full stiff is way too stiff for the Road Magnet springs, and from what I understand, they're one of the stiffer street springs available for our cars. In particular, the rears have way more to give than the spring rates allow for. At full stiff, the car is ungodly harsh and bouncy. Full stiff in the front IS livable, but only because the rears dictate ride quality a lot more than the fronts do...2-2.5 turns and stiffer on the rears is too much for these particular springs, and for daily driving in general (and I thought I liked it stiff).

 

Would you recommend the Road Magnets with these dmapers? Or would you choose something else? I have been eyeing the RMs but have not heard enough about them to be sure.

 

Do you know the spring rate on the Road Magnets? I was on their Web site, but didn't find any rates ...

 

I do not know the rates for the Road Magnets. I would recommend the Road Magnet springs, but honestly still do wish that the rates on the rears were about 10% stiffer. The only thing I have to compare the Road Magnets to is the H&R Cup Kit I had on briefly, and the stock springs - both were much softer than the RM's.

I do not have a rear sway bar yet, which is one of the reasons I still have a considerable amount of body roll. It's difficult to completely control body roll in the box w/ just dampers & springs.

I went w/ the Road Magnets based on captdownshift's recommendation - he owns and rallycrosses an STi and knows a thing or two about suspension setups. I don't regret the purchase, but I have somewhat temporarily lost interest in worrying about the Scion as anything more than a daily driver while I work on getting my Rabbit roadworthy.

 

good luck with that rabbit. i'm interested to know how that turns out.

 

Thanks for the info Phunk. I really appreciate it. Good luck with the rabbit. Please do post some pics as there are quite a few of us Wasserboxer lovers on the boards.

 

Well...the rabbit isn't a wasserboxer (you're thinking Vanagon), it's an inline 4 - but i'll let that go :-)

Some gratuitous pics of how the Rabbit sits right now:







So yeah...long way to go.

It's getting (for now, winter will probably hold some changes):
OBD1 ABA 2.0 from 1994 VW Golf
Megasquirt engine management w/ Ford EDIS ignition & LC-1 wideband o2 sensor
272 cam and upgraded valve springs
POSSIBLY GSXR1000 individual throttle bodies - not sure yet.
2.25" catless exhaust, TT mk1 ABA downpipe
020 16v close-ratio transmission with new clutch and 8.75lb flywheel
USRT spherical bearing shift linkage
22mm master cylinder
new rotors, pads, drums, shoes, wheel cylinders, wheel bearings, hubs, stainless braided brake lines
Bilstein Sport struts + H&R Sport springs
Autotech rear sway
New OEM taillights
clear front corner markers
H4 headlight conversion w/ city lights
Flat Camo green paint
Bronze Konig Helium 15" wheels
2 Corbeau Forza racing seats
Poly bushings and motor mounts everywhere but the rear beam (poly not good for a rear beam).
New BFI control arms
BFI front motor mount brace
BFI subframe reinforcement
strut tower bar
rear shock tower bar

bunch of other stuff i'm not remembering right now, but you get the gist of it - stripped, all brakes and suspension rebuilt, and a mild but fun motor (130-140hp and plenty of torque in an 1800lb car), with a military themed paint/wheel scheme. Everything on the car will be done to save weight.

 

i have bronze heliums too. cheap and light, but they mar easily. i thought that they were in perfect shape until i found a chip and a couple of knicks on sunday. never been curbed or anything.

what kind of tires? been looking at toyo ra1 and hoosiers for autocrossing and hpde.

 

unsure what tires I will put on the Rabbit at this point. I just got General Exclaim UHP's on the Scion (215/45/17) and can't recommend them enough.

I'm not worried about the finish holding up on the heliums - cosmetics will not be priority number 1 (or 2, or 3, etc...) on this car.

I just got a set of Toyo T1-s for autocrossing - 195/45R14 - bought them at an autocross for $50 for the set. They had only been through one auto-x school - i'll get a full season out of them.

 

Oops! Not the VW expert I thought I was. I was always an aircooled man myself, but fell in love with the Corrado. That would be my toy if I could afford it. I'll stop threadjacking now.

 

i dont think you have to worry about jacking, the threadstarter already jacked his own thread lol

 

We had a supercharged 1993 VR6 Corrado - 220whp - honestly, I hated that car. For the money, you can get MUCH better cars IMO. With the Corrado, you're always living in fear of something very expensive breaking...the car wasn't worth it. The driving experience wasn't anything to write home about, either, and the thing squeaked and rattled inside more than most mk1's and mk2's I've ever had.

Sure was pretty though....



And obviously, I don't mind the thread jacking :-)

 

Yeah, that's hot... (wipes drool off his face).

 

Always liked the looks of the Corrado. Seems like alot of Scion people are or have been VW people aswell. Picture of my 16v Scirocco

 

1800 pounds!
i think that will be my project car in a few years.

is that a gasoline or diesel engine?

 

Gasser, there are no affordable, reasonably powerful diesel engine swaps available for VW's. TDI is the only option, which is 90hp stock (easily upgradeable beyond that), and is a very expensive motor swap for a car that is just going to be a fun car.

The complete 1994 <100k mile ABA gas motor was $225, including engine harness (which will be handy to have to make a megasquirt engine harness out of), a cold air intake, mk4 intake manifold (flows better than stock), and the OBD1 ABA's have oil squirters in the pistons and a forged crankshaft. Only 115hp stock, but a great torque curve, and a very solid and reliable motor that is great fun in a light car.

 

gasser? hmmm...that's not a bad nick name, but the name's gregor. were you referring to someone else? :D

anyway, when i think rabbit, i think diesel. when i think diesel, i used to think stink, black smoke, and that distinctive sound. now, i think torque and high power yield at low rpm.
i guess that vw stopped the rabbit diesel by the eighties.

i love this guy's vegetable oil 1978 rabbit:
http://www.carsurvey.org/review_75906.html
he fills it at RESTAURANTS!!

i can't wait to get a junker, strip it, then rebuild it solely for performance.

cant wait to see yours!