H2Sport Spindle
*H2Sport makes a sport spindle for Volkswagens that corrects all the problems associated with lowering a MacPherson strut-equipped vehicle. VW owners can reap the benefits of a lower center of gravity without suffering from misaligned geometry. The axle is relocated with respect to the lower control arm pivot as well as the camber angle and the steering arm. Geometry is corrected to a better-than-factory set-up. The wheel is placed back in the proper camber curve, so negative camber occurs during body roll. Static camber with the new spindles is minus 0.5 degrees and increases from there with body roll. H2Sport also offers spherical replacements for strut mounts, adding up to an additional minus one degree of static camber.
The lower control arm mount on the spindle has also been lowered, raising the roll center closer to factory settings. On a stock Golf lowered by two inches, the roll center is dropped below ground level by over six inches. The H2Sport spindles correct that by a little over five inches, bringing it back into balance with the rear of the car.
Audi used this method on the MkIV-based TT. Knowing the ride height would be lower than that of the Golf, the spindle used was of a different design. You could go the factory route and use Audi parts on your VW, but the parts list is rather expensive. After checking prices at a local dealership, it was determined that the H2Sport pieces are a considerable bargain.
H2Sport is one of the first companies to create a real solution to geometry changes on MacPherson strut-equipped cars. At the time of writing, only MkIV pieces were available, but MkV pieces will soon be on sale.
Ron Wood at VW Specialties installed the spindles along with H2Sport's spherical bearings for both the A-arm pivots and strut bearings. The spherical bearings eliminate deflection found in the factory rubber pieces, ensuring proper geometry is maintained under the most stressful conditions. To make sure the subframe was as stiff as possible, a Eurosport lower tie bar was also installed. It cannot be stressed enough how important a stiff chassis is for proper suspension action.
Complete coverage of the install and driving impressions is available on european car's website: www.europeancarweb.com
Glossary of Terms
Bumpsteer: Describes the amount of steering angle a wheel travels through during suspension movement.
Camber: Inclination of tire and wheel from vertical as seen from the front of the car. Positive refers to the top of the tire leaning away from the centerline of the vehicle. Camber is adjusted in an effort to keep the tire's contact patch flat on the ground during body roll and account for tire sidewall deflection.
Caster: Angle of the front suspension's steering axis as seen from the side of the car. Positive camber means the steering axis is leaning towards the rear. This places the tire's contact patch behind the imaginary intersection of the steering axis and the ground, causing a self-centering effect when the vehicle is rolling forward.
Center of gravity: Imaginary point where the entire mass of the vehicle is considered to be balanced. It is possible to use this one point in most calculations instead of having to account for each component and its position relative to the reaction in question.
Corner balancing: Adjusting each corner of the car's suspension individually to balance weight equally between the four tires.
Dampers: Mechanical devices that absorb the energy in spring oscillations in suspension systems. Without proper damping, a vehicle would continue to bounce after an impact. Too great a damping force does not allow the suspension sufficiently rapid movement to absorb impacts.
Roll center: Imaginary axis about which the body of the car rolls in cornering. This axis can usually be found through basic geometry after plotting the pivot points of the vehicle's suspension.