Author Topic: Leaning Polos  (Read 13247 times)

Offline Alex

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Leaning Polos
« Reply #15 on: June 03, 2008, 07:56:04 pm »
My mechanic back in Cardiff builds his own rally cars - I reckon he'd be able to do it. Might be worth taking it back there on the weekend and leaving it with him for a week.

Offline jez1272gt

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This is very intersting, i have just taken my rear axel off. I had a good look over it for fatigue points and stress signs but couldn't find any. I also placed the axel on my perfectly flat workbench and found it to be sitting true to the bench. Only thing i have yet to check is that the angles of the 'arms' are true to each other and the cross member section of the beam. I'll put them up once i have checked them..

As mentioned above, i think the best way of getting to the bottom of the lean issue it to get a standard car (that has never been in an accident) fit some new fully adjustable coils on it, set them to the exact same setting both front and rear and side to side then corner weight it with some digi pans? Using the results from the pans you would then be able to change components etc to see if any of them had an influencing factor...

I would love to know what it really was causing this, maybe its purely a RHD weight distribution problem!?

Offline GSBellew

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Leaning Polos
« Reply #17 on: September 23, 2008, 11:19:37 pm »
Mine has always done this too, one of my suspects is the rubber top mount for the spring.

Mine is fully stripped down for a rebuild at the minute and I've two new rubber mounts to go in, will be interesting to see if it makes any difference. Actually all the suspension will be new bar the back axle.

Offline Alex

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Re: Leaning Polos
« Reply #18 on: October 02, 2008, 01:55:47 am »
I'm due new suspension for mine, I'll probably replace these too. Every little helps I guess.

Offline breadman

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Re: Leaning Polos
« Reply #19 on: October 04, 2008, 12:34:56 am »
Rear suspension alignment on all mk2-3 Polos seems to be a common problem.
My mk2 doesn't particularly suffer from the leaning that Alex is talking about but the rear beam is way out laterally.  ???
Mine being a breadvan has the ususal rear tyre/arch limitations but when lowered 60mm and with 5 1/2"x13" ET38 GT steels and 165/65 tyres fitted, the offside tyre is only about 10mm at its nearest point from the (unmodified) arch return lip. The nearside has more like 20mm+!
I'm gonna remove the axle mounting brackets and slot the mounting holes so I can centralise the axle.
So, back to the leaning issue. The fuel tank sits very low and virtually central across the car (only the filler neck is on one side) so I can't see this being a problem - and this is more than counteracted by the weight of the exhaust back box anyway. Years ago, many cars had the fuel tank mounted high up against the rear wing in the boot area, and they didn't all lean over!
Yeah the engine is offset in the bay (though its not as if it were terribly so), as is the battery/pedal box/servo/steering column. This is all quite heavy stuff, but the gearbox, expansion and washer bottles, rad/fan motor and majority of the wiring loom etc. do at least go some way in balancing things up!
Remember, all the above weight is in the part of the car least effected - the heaviest part - the front. I don't see how this would/could effect the back suspension to the degree it does, particularly when people are still having problems after they have replaced the suspension?
I'm sticking with poor body alignment as the most likely problem. The afformentioned beam mounting brackets can make the car appear lop sided too, check your tyre to arch clearance each side. 
« Last Edit: October 04, 2008, 12:36:53 am by breadman »

Offline PeteG40

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Re: Leaning Polos
« Reply #20 on: October 04, 2008, 07:41:52 am »
you;ll find the axle mounts already have some movement if you unbolt them actually....


Offline breadman

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Re: Leaning Polos
« Reply #21 on: October 04, 2008, 10:02:01 am »
you;ll find the axle mounts already have some movement if you unbolt them actually....



Ah right, thanks Pete I wasn't aware of that. 8)