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So you probably just finished reading our article on "Identifying the condition of your Beetle/Ghia suspension" If not, check it out here. You have determined that you want to lower your Beetle/Ghia. Let's go over some products that we provide to get you lowered correctly. We will need to identify if you are building a cruiser or a performer.
Cruiser - Small engine application, not built for speed, low and slow baby.
Performer - Larger engine application, built for performance, nice and tight, power to the ground.
Front Suspension
- PRObuilt Adjusters - Drop you any where your shocks and tires will allow for. By themselves, no more than 4" of drop to obtain optimal ride. Welders are needed to install these
- Lowered Shocks - These shocks do not lower the vehicle, they give you the ride quality you are after. Bolt on.
- Ultimate Narrowed and Adjustable Axle Beam - Built in adjusters in the beam to give you 7.5" of adjustability. Available in various narrowed widths to allow for larger wheels, disc brakes or any track adders. Bolt on.
- Drop Spindles - Drop you 2.5" from where you are at currently. Link pin Beetle/Ghia owners will need some special tools to get these installed.
- PRObuilt Drop Spindles - Fully assembled spindles by the PRO's at Airkewld. All ready for you to bolt on and go.
- PRObuilt and Assembled Axle Beam - Fully assembled by the PRO's at Airkewld for a turn key solution tailored for your ride comfort and application. Bolt On
Rear Suspension
- Lowered Shocks - These shocks do not lower the vehicle, they give you the ride quality you are after. Bolt on.
Initial Understanding
If you want to drop your ride 3 inches and narrowed your track a little bit you go with a 2" narrowed/adjustable Ultimate Beam. You install it and it looks great exactly what you want right now. 6 months down the line you want to lower it more. You can adjust the adjuster lower or you can add drop spindles. Drop spindles would be ideal. You install them and find out that they add 3/8" to each side and now you are rubbing on you fenders when you turn. How do we fix that? Well you can;
- Buy a 4" narrowed beam to compensate for the added track of those drop spindles
- Buy smaller tires
- Buy wider fenders
- Or you could plan ahead and figure out what works best in the long run.
Here is another scenario. Now you have a 3" narrowed beam, drop spindles and smaller tires on your ride and you want to stop better. Disc brakes are great option but depending on the manufacture and the route you are taking with your ride, options could be detrimental into once again buying another beam, tires, or even fenders....again. Some disc brake applications add track width. That is not necessarily a problem but if you do your homework in the beginning, knowing that will help you make better decisions. So you buy disc brake from another manufacture install them and they add 1" of track width. What are your options? Well you can;
- Buy a 4" narrowed beam to compensate for the added track of those disc brakes
- Buy wider fenders
- Buy a different set of disc brakes that do not add track
The same can be said about wheel choice as well. If you know which wheel you want to end up with when the car is done, let us know the wheels and any specs you can get on it. We will help guide you to the best possible route.
You see where we are going with this right? So do your homework and plan ahead.
Soooooooo now you have to know, after all this reading, you are either building a cruiser or a performer.
Cruisers - If you are setting up for a bitchin' cruiser, you need a set of drop spindles, an Ultimate Shockless Beam and some lowered shocks. We even have a kit for you guys here. If you have welding skills and can fabricate, substitute the Shockless Beam for a set of PRObuilt adjusters and narrow up your own beam. Or if you are on a budget and need to purchase these parts individually, check them out here.
Performers - You want to transfer power to the ground and you want to be able to handle the power. We have the products to make that happen. A set of Drop Spindles, an 4" Ultimate Adjustable and Narrowed Beam and Adjustable Shocks. Airkewld gives you the ability to adjust your ride height and your ride quality all in one package and done the right way. Purchasing the parts al a carte, as a kit or PRObuilt assembled, we can set you up right!
Products listed in the article are designed to lower your vehicle the correct way and leave you with a smile after installation.
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