How Strong is the Cab

When out wiv my mates, they coment on my cab and that it wont handle like a tintop and that chasis twist will be a bugbear. After driving a cab i really dont noice any at all and i do corner hard at times. Even the Ibiza and astra i drive with sports suspension i dont see what fuss is about.

One of many questions i have, and that my MK1 friends will know alot more than me, how strong is the MK1 Cabrio? say against a Tintop, and will the Chasis take as much power through it?

It will take as much power as you can put in it really - being front wheel drive, you won't get chassis flex like you do in the big rear wheel drive american muscle cars!

Cabs do tend to flex a bit more than a tin top when you throw them round bends, but not so much that it completely destroys the handling IMO.

I know they are heavier, but my Cab certainly does feel heavy when you drive it compared to my Tintop.

I cant put my finger on it, but its no where near as nimble as the Tintop.

Cab won't be as strong as a tin top as no solid roof, tailgate or C-posts to strengthen the shell. Never driven a cab, but understand still a lot more rigid than most other hot hatch/cabs from the same time.

Websnowbo - have you got wider tyres on the cab?

When I first put my 1984 cab back on the road after completing all the work, I remember being shocked as to how much vibration there was. I had never driven a cabriolet in a 'spirited' fashion before and had to check that all was ok with another owner. as it turned out all was ok and after a day or two I didn't notice anything of the vibration. To be honest I'd forgotten all about it until this thread came up.

Satelliteone… get a cab and try it out…don't listen to your mates!!!

Dan

Cabs are significantly heavier than the tin top - my G plate is about 1300Kgs and the tintops are 850kgs.  All that extra steel in the cab adds a lot of weight will tend to make the cab push more on cornering.

My tintops do handle better but the cab is not far behind - I'd get a tintop if handling was one of the key factors in a purchase.

markwon said

Websnowbo - have you got wider tyres on the cab?

Standard 14" Wolfrace 5 spokes at the moment.

Tintops intanstly feel very light when you are driving them and when you jump into the cab it feels more solid and heavy.

The Cabs have a lot of extra strengthening though, there is a beam accross the rear and one under the dash not to mention the sills and the roll bar.

I will have 16" 928 rims on it soon though for a trip over to Belgium and then 13" ATS Classics when i get back

Lookin in the haynes manual that i have for weights>
vw golf 1974-1984

Kurb
GOLF 2 DOOR - 51kW  800KG
GOLF 2 DOOR - 81/82kw 840KG (gussin this is a GTI)
GOLF 2 DOOR- AUTO 830KG
GOLF 4 DOOR - 51KW 825KG
GOLF 4 DOOR - AUTO 855KG
GOLF CONVERTIBLE 940KG (doesnt mention which model)

i was very suprised to see a scirocco manual at 800kg. It does not mention which one. and the Jetta 82kw 20kg heavy than the golf 82kw.

Reflecting this, the Golf cabrio is the same weight as my 1.4i 2 door Astra MK3. .and the 1.6GL Cabrio is 140KG heavy than the 2 door Golf. Must be like carrying an extra 2 passengers in a tin top.
Also reading some where, the roof on the Cabrio is a good 85KG in weight. As an after thought i wonder is any one has remanufactured the roof in strong alloy, instead of the steel bars. Imagine how much weight you could save. you could in theory get the weight down between 800-900kg.

the roof on the Cabrio is a good 85KG in weight

Yes, but the roof and C posts on a tintop aren't exactly going to be light. Think most of the extra weight on a cab comes from all the extra metal and reinforcement along the inner/outer sills and bracing underneath/behind the rear seats. Think the post 83 cab may have weighed more due to extra euipment that became available, particularly electric window/roof motors and the like.

Could see the mk1 Scirocco being as light/lighter as a tintop, after all same engine, chassis etc but with less steel used (lower rooftop).

Cheers