MK1 cabby suspension

[garmanjay]

new to the forum guys. have a 1986 cabby. suspension feels softer and car rolls more than I expected. Is this due to the cabby being heavier than the tintop? is the suspension setup different from the tintop? or could it be down to wear in the suspension?
many thanks in advance for any help
Gary

[rubjonny]

The cabby & tintop suspension setup is physically the same, but the cabby should have slightly stiffer springs and shocks because of the extra weight.

Finding a set of lowering springs to suit a cabby can be tricky, most kits are rated for the tintop and so on a cabby will sit slightly lower than you would expect, coilovers are better for this but of course they cost more!

Does it have a front & rear anti roll bar, if not get some fitted, if not go for some uprated jobbers.  A lower strut brace really helps with the regidity too, the MK1 chassis is quyite bendy up front and with the roof chopped off it makes the problem worse!  A rear strut brace will also help, but this doesnt do anything for the bendyness in the middle due to the lack of a roof

[garmanjay]

thanks mate. doesnt have uprated anti roll bars but am I right in saying it would have standard ones? looking at strut braces. any recommendations on uprated braces and anti roll bars?
gary

[rubjonny]

it will probably have arbs as std, easy to spot em thouhg, get underneath and look at the front wishbones, if theres a big round bar connected to em both theres the front one, and round the back if you see a big round bar strapped to the rear beam theres the back one

Not really up on MK1 arb manufacturers, eibach do good MK2 ones so I'd assume the MK1 sets are just as good.  For strut braces any will do as long as they fit

For the lower one there are 2 main types, a straight bar and the 'K' shamed bar, go for the 'K' one if you can get it, it attaches at more points so in theory should be a bit better.  The 'K' type is based on the OEM one VW fitted to the scirocco 16v models, and is still available from VW:

155 407 211 - support for axle - £120+VAT
N   101 559 01 - bolt, M8x20 - £0.50+VAT
N   900 744 01 - nut, M8, self locking - 0.39+VAT

[garmanjay]

many thanks John. I will start getting what I need to make my cabby less bendy. couple more questions if you have the time. Anything else worth doing to sharpen up suspension. poly bush kits etc? also how low can I drop car to improve handling not for looks. It is on standard 14's.

[rubjonny]

poly bushes do help sharpen the handing, how far you go depends on how firm you want the ride, wishbone, rear beam, arb & rack bushes wont affct the harshness much, but top mount bushes will a bit.

40mm seems to be a good for both looks & handling, ideally the wishbones need to be as level as possible, pointing up a little is ok though.
On my MK2 GTI front poly wishbone & arb bushes along with a 40mm drop & std arbs improved the handling no end!

[raferackstraw]

hey good to see ya got a cabby 
what rub johnny has said is spot on but i'd add, go for eibach springs specifically rated for a cab and the shock of your choice [ konis, etc ]
front upper brace is a must and replace bushes when req with ploy

i bought a mk1 cab with this done but  because of the sh**y speed humps where i live it can be tiresome 

the 15" wheels and 45 tires dont help either 
but handling is much better than my old l/h/d standard tintop in the 80s 

from me own experience go for a 14" wheel with a 55 or 65 profile tyre and good springs n shocks

look up coilovers on forums they can be a pain
 hope this helps

[garmanjay]

thanks guys. don't need any adjustment so don't need coilovers. any recommendations of damper choice to go with eibach springs?

[rubjonny]

ive got sachs advantage gas ones on my MK2 and they're great, boge ones will be good too since they're basically the same anyway!