getting there...

[boygenius]

Do you have beetle torsion bars or the thicker 944 torsion bars???

[zen]

beetle torsion bars. never heard of them not working for people so didn't see any reason to change. have you heard of issues? i will do another search in a minute to check. i only had the plates indexed one click below the stop. hardly any pre-load.

pics never seem to do justice to angles. here are two shots of it. i already have the right side back off. just trying to decide how much i should move it. i forget what each click gives you (my second search to do). also in new light it looks like the left is defintely lower than the right. so probably an extra click there.

the camber is obviously way off.

[jhelgesen]

Gee, do I see a hint of yellow coming from inside those wheels?

I seem to remember a web site that had the degree change for which spline you move, I'll see if I can find it.

[zen]

Originally Posted by jhelgesen

Gee, do I see a hint of yellow coming from inside those wheels?

nice, ain't they?

[jhelgesen]

Here are a few hints I found:

<<<<Here comes the real leap of faith. Let’s image you are at the driver’s side rear facing the spring plate. If we fix the outer spring plate on the outer end of the torsion bar and then move the torsion bar inner by one spline (in the counter-clockwise direction - moves the spring plate up and lowers the car), we will have changed the position of the spring plate (relative to the ground) by 9 degrees. Now if we fix the inner splines and now relocate the spring plate (in the opposite direction, clockwise - moves the spring plate down raising the car) we will be essentialy removing 8 degrees 10 minutes from the 9 degrees we advanced on the inner splines, thus resulting in a net 50 minute change in the spring plate position. Think about it, and reread this paragraph until you get it. Due to the 4-spline difference between the inner and outer splines of the torsion bar, adding then subracting these relative angles allow us to adjust the ride height to within fractions of an inch.

If you understand the meaning of the preceeding paragraph you are ready to index your own torsion bars. If you’re lost or confused at this point, get help. Your next question will probably be "But how much do I raise or lower the spring plate in order to get the ride height I’m looking for?" If you are not changing the torsion bars and you are starting from the factory torsion bar position (you did take notes when you took it apart didn’t you?), you can ‘estimate’ the ride height change (approx 6.5mm for a 50 minute change) by using basic priciples of geometry a the rules of the great queen SOH-CAH-TOA. If you are replacing the torsion bars with ones of different rates or did not note the location of the spring plate (dumb-dumb) before removing the torsion bar, the answer to this question, I’m sad to say is: "Trial and error my friend, trial and error." When I bought my new torsion bars, and dared ask this ‘stupid’ question, the customer service rep at Automotion gave me that answer. I thought he was nuts! He also told me it would probably take three tries to get right. I whimpered then cried. My better half Kristine smacked on the head and snapped me back to reality. "Thanks Kris, I needed that."

[boygenius]

Nothing wrong with the beetle torsion bars its just that the 944 ones are thicker and stiffer. I was just wondering.

[zen]

if i am calculating that right, that means that each degree is 7.8mm. best guess is i need 1" on the right and 1.5" on the left (get the strange feeling i will be doing this a few times). SO, following the method above:

i need 25.4mm or 3.25 degrees on the right. that means four clicks CW on the inside and four on the outside CCW.

i need 38.1mm or 4.88 degrees on the left. that means six clicks inside and out.

does that sound right? am i even close? or am i over thinking this and i should just do a click or two on the outside?

[boygenius]

Zen please take measurments when you adjust your rear suspension. Measure the angle of spring plates so the rest of us have it a little easier.
Remember to measure the angle of your frame tunnel so you will know the spring plate angle in relation to the cars chassis.