# Quick Q?



## nap83 (Jun 24, 2007)

recently switched to bags and the one thing that's bothering the bajeezus out of me is the fact that i seem to be hitting the tierods and axle at a much _higher height_ compared to when i rode on coilovers.

granted the coils were much stiffer but in comparison my height on coils to my air ride height is 35psi (fronts) and i could barely turn left or right without cringing (or airing up) because of the violent knocking. notch is on the way and so is an alignment, but my main concern is --- is there something else that i'm missing? 

i could be wrong and just paranoid but it just doesn't feel normal. i end up with a finger gap on the fronts (45psi) just to do full turns without rubbing on anything when i could do almost anything on my coilovers without even a knock on the same exact height. 

apologies for the novel. 

it's a MK3.


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## vee_rub (May 18, 2006)

nap83 said:


> recently switched to bags and the one thing that's bothering the bajeezus out of me is the fact that i seem to be hitting the tierods and axle at a much _higher height_ compared to when i rode on coilovers.
> 
> granted the coils were much stiffer but in comparison my height on coils to my air ride height is 35psi (fronts) and i could barely turn left or right without cringing (or airing up) because of the violent knocking. notch is on the way and so is an alignment, but my main concern is --- is there something else that i'm missing?
> 
> ...


the notch and alignment makes a world of difference. you'll be surprised. i was too low on coils, smashing my pan daily. i got my alignment and i actually had to lower it down more afterwards. but then my axle was constantly on my frame. i notched my frame and no more problems whatso ever. im still on coils and my fenders at 21.25" daily in my mk3 glx


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## nap83 (Jun 24, 2007)

yeah, thats what i figured, it's just a huge difference so i'm paranoid that it's not normal at all.


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## MK4Jetta (Mar 16, 2003)

on top of your concerns, mine would be the daily drivability of air suspension as opposed to coils. that is the only thing that holds me back from which to go for.


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## nap83 (Jun 24, 2007)

ive been driving it daily and i have had no problems whatsoever. as long as all the lines are ran correctly and everything has been leak tested, it's nothing short of being a reliable suspension the same as running coils. my friend _meticulously_ installed the management system 4 days before h20 and i installed the struts 3 days before and it didn't fail me on it's first long haul trip. 

these was my concern back then as well, and as a lot of people mentioned... truck drivers do it on a daily basis in thousand plus mile trips. install it properly and you're set. 

except for my alignment and the urgent need to get a lot lower. i've been very satisfied with my choice to go air... especially since it's road construction season. ha ha. no more sweating when i see a "road work 1500 ft" sign. :laugh: 

*the day before h20 i did have a loose line on the front left strut and dumped it instantly while i was driving and i crimped a line on the rear passenger on my "test" dump, but these were all errors on my part because i was in a hurry to get it up and running at 1am in the morning when i installed the struts. :laugh:


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## MK4Jetta (Mar 16, 2003)

NAP- great info and reply:beer: Noticed in your signature it says bagyard so which set-up/management did you choose? thanks again man.:beer::beer:


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## _Dirty_ (Sep 30, 2009)

nap83 said:


> i could barely turn left or right without cringing (or airing up) because of the violent knocking.it's a MK3.


 You would be referring to the dreaded axle bind.. this happens on most cars due to the severe degree of angle change that inner axle/cup experience.. to fix this there are a few things we can do, A. raise car (not going to happen) B. grinding down some of the axle cup "walls" near the top before 








after


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## nap83 (Jun 24, 2007)

i see what you did there


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## nap83 (Jun 24, 2007)

MK4Jetta said:


> NAP- great info and reply:beer: Noticed in your signature it says bagyard so which set-up/management did you choose? thanks again man.:beer::beer:


 my front set up is BY Bombers, the rears are AL and my management was pieced together by [email protected] and some other parts i collected myself while i was doing research. it's pretty basic, a lot of airline used but for a beginner i could easily keep everything in check since it's not that complicated and confusing for novices like me. 

my only gripe is that i'm very anal with everything being _exactly_ the same and without preset ride heights that you would find in digital set-ups or analogs with pressuryte, i end up hitting switches and stepping out the car to get exact measurements :laugh: and due to that, i never raise the car to ruin the height  --- only at times when it's necessary like unknown roads and construction, etc. but i am pretty happy with it. 

pretty sure, when my notches and alignment and other "get-low-properly" knick knacks are done, i'll be more content than i'll ever be. :thumbup:


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## MK4Jetta (Mar 16, 2003)

Looking at this "axle bind" issue- I would need to grind off some also or is this a rare occurrence ? Im asking because im not sure if when it comes time to find an installer, they would know to do this if it seems to be needed.


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## _Dirty_ (Sep 30, 2009)

MK4Jetta said:


> Looking at this "axle bind" issue- I would need to grind off some also or is this a rare occurrence ? Im asking because im not sure if when it comes time to find an installer, they would know to do this if it seems to be needed.


 Standard on low cars  
But you have to pay to play


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## nap83 (Jun 24, 2007)

alright, got a frame notch on the ps side, and air chiseled an inch off the frame for each tierod --- all good,no more rubbing on the axle; i could drive lower with a tolerable knock on the tierods (but still there*). 

*got an alignment today and bam! the violent knocks are back at 35psi - 30psi * 

pretty sure tierods are bent and need to be replaced, anybody else have any info to put in 
should i notch more for the tierods and then replace them? i just don't want to get new sh&t to end up replacing again. any info appreciated. 

:beer: sigh.


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## rabriolet (May 27, 2005)

nap83 said:


>


 
How close is your subframe and stuff from sitting on the ground aired out? Right now aire'd out on the 15's Im soooooooooooooooooooooo close to laying the subframe on the ground, and the middle of the car is touching where the brackets hang under the exhaust as well as the ebrake cables dragging. 

Here, You aren't going any lower than this without some serious work and my CL lip is still about an inch off the ground :banghead: 

This is aired out front and rear, no raking it to get it to touch:


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## nap83 (Jun 24, 2007)

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5065734-Peril. 

putting it on the lift tonight or tomorrow to see whats up.


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## rabriolet (May 27, 2005)

nap83 said:


> http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5065734-Peril.
> 
> putting it on the lift tonight or tomorrow to see whats up.


 is that on level ground aired out front/rear? when mine is aired out i rest on the control arms/subframe and sit higher than that. is that lifting the rear to put the lip closer to the ground?


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## nap83 (Jun 24, 2007)

thats all level ground. keep in mind the wheels are 14x6 on 185/60/14. when you look really closely, the ds side is higher _now_ by a couple of mm. i think the notch made was too big. but thats level all around.


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## nap83 (Jun 24, 2007)

oh and et's a whopping 35! hahaha


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