FAQ 95

Question: I've read about Baja suspensions, but I'm still confused about what options to choose, and the costs of things like longer trailing arms for the rear. Why don't you recommend SAW (Sway-A-Way) spring plates?

Answer: Complex questions. Look at the photos of the SAW adjustable spring plates.

http://laudeman.com/bug_spring_plates.html

The adjustment isn't worth it, and because of the way the plates are built, I still had to redo them 3 times. Max rear height with stock trailing arms is about the 12 degrees that the stock CV joints are capable of. Any higher than a few inches and the camber starts going negative.

Adjustable front tubes is an easy choice. I do not know, but I suspect that both front and rear could be more easily adjusted using coil-over booster shocks. Especially if the coil-over spring is adjustable.

New trailing arms allow more rear travel. Look at the long travel sand rail suspensions for really radical height. You can make a long travel Baja Bug, and it'll cost an arm a a leg. Still, you can spend less than building a sand rail, and you get the advantages of having a sedan.

Last year I saw a long travel front end for the Bug. I think it was a bolt in option, and may have been priced at about $2500.

I wish I had more info. Compared to the racers and sand rail builders, I'm a rank amateur. Buy a few issues of "Sand Sports" magazine. You'll see tons of ads for long travel suspension parts.

If you build a long travel Baja, I'd love to know how it turns out.

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