Ever heard of drop plates?

[Phataz1]

Please tell me how this is unsafe in your expert opinion

It's unsafe because you are removing the strength of a massive rear beam and transferring it onto 2 x 10mm thick plates and 4 x bolts with significant leverage forces they were never designed to see.

People brace the standard rear beam because it flexes...so if that flexes, what hope has a 10mm plate and 4 bolts got of keeping a fairly fundamental piece of the chassis design in a straight line?

Have a read of this then smart arse, they've been used in motorsport for decades.

http://clubgti.com/forum/showthread.php?t=223608

[Len]

Nice first post mate!

[Phataz1]

You're welcome

[Jack3559]

My mind has been changed so many times during this thread.

[Len]

Well take a step back and look at it logically.

Now IF these things are any good and the jury is still out in my view you have to ask yourself why do I need it?
Seems to me the only reason they are on some cars is to give a lot of camber on the rear and that is purely for show!
Now if its because you want to keep some of the suspension movement consider alternatives, like coilovers with adjustable damping.

[Wayne]

Well take a step back and look at it logically.

Now IF these things are any good and the jury is still out in my view you have to ask yourself why do I need it?
Seems to me the only reason they are on some cars is to give a lot of camber on the rear and that is purely for show!
Now if its because you want to keep some of the suspension movement consider alternatives, like coilovers with adjustable damping.

Very well said Len better options available.

[Ess_Three]

Have a read of this then smart arse, they've been used in motorsport for decades.

http://clubgti.com/forum/showthread.php?t=223608

And if you took your head out of your arse and read the thread properly, you'd see that the Motorsport plates are fully braced...nut just a 10mm plate bolted on.
The comment stands...that thread also discusses fully braced rear beams - for stiffness. I'm fully aware of the thread...I have a fully braced rear beam on the back of such a thread.

[Ess_Three]

Well take a step back and look at it logically.

Now IF these things are any good and the jury is still out in my view you have to ask yourself why do I need it?
Seems to me the only reason they are on some cars is to give a lot of camber on the rear and that is purely for show!
Now if its because you want to keep some of the suspension movement consider alternatives, like coilovers with adjustable damping.

The principle is sound...relocating the stub axle to keep the anti-dive type geometry where it should be, but to do it by simply bolting on some 10mm plate acting as a lever, is not so great.
Fully braced up and engineered to cope...is a different thing.



As the pic shows (shamelessly borrowed from Chris over on ClubGTI) there is more to making it strong than just bolting a plate on.

[Phataz1]

Have a read of this then smart arse, they've been used in motorsport for decades.

http://clubgti.com/forum/showthread.php?t=223608

And if you took your head out of your arse and read the thread properly, you'd see that the Motorsport plates are fully braced...nut just a 10mm plate bolted on.
The comment stands...that thread also discusses fully braced rear beams - for stiffness. I'm fully aware of the thread...I have a fully braced rear beam on the back of such a thread.

Oh, well then! You must know what you're talking about! Just because its all braced in motorsport application doesn't mean it's necessary for road use. It's obviously gonna be under much higher stresses in motorsport. Have you ever felt a 10mm thick plate? There is NO way that it will bend lol. As for the bolts, how do you think stub axles are held on in the first place? It's no different! As long as they're the right tensile there's no reason it would be unsafe.

Besides, the plates that James has on his mk3 are a tried and tested product from a reputable company in the US.

There isn't a better way of keeping lots of suspension travel and being low, unless you get hold of some custom length strut bodies. Damping adjustable coilovers don't make a blind bit of difference when you're sat on the bumpstops, don't you thick race teams would have thought of that if it was the case?

[justalex81]

i've got a fiver on ess three here