A decisive innovation with great advantages for the use of space in the front end was the front axle construction with spring struts, as also used by Porsche.

The advantages of the design are that the spring struts, which are designed as spring/damper units and also serve as wheel guides, do not take up space in the center of the axle, but are in the fenders.

In the middle of the axle there are only very flat parts, such as the push rods, anti-roll bar and the recirculating ball steering, which works fairly directly from lock to lock with 3 1/2 turns of the steering wheel.

Of course, the VW double-jointed axle was used at the rear, which has already weaned the small VWs (with automatic) from oversteering. This axle is also equipped with coil springs on the 411, while it works with torsion bar springs on the other models.

The 411 thus had a largely constant track suspension and no longer had an unwelcome tendency to oversteer.

Outstanding handling, comfort and safety characterize the state-of-the-art chassis.

Its carefully tuned suspension and well-balanced damping make the Type 4 a comfortable touring car. Precise wheel guidance thanks to the spring strut front axle and the diagonally linked wishbones of the double-jointed rear axle not only allow high cruising speeds, but also allow the performance of the 1.7 l engine to be fully utilized on winding roads.

Despite the rear engine, the axle distribution in the VW Type 4 is almost ideal and is only slightly influenced by the vehicle's load:

At curb weight + driver: front 45%, rear 55%

               With full payload: front 47%, rear 53%

Of course, this also has a very positive effect on the good handling.

From the 1970 model year, the sedans also received an anti-roll bar on the rear axle.

Belted tires were standard from the start - 155 SR 15 tires on 4.5 Jx15 wheels on the sedan and 165 SR 15 tires on the wagon.

The mixed brake system with disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear was divided into two independent brake circuits for safety reasons.

A brake pressure regulator was also installed in the rear axle circuit, which prevented overbraking of the rear wheels.

Front axle:  

The modern strut front axle plays a major role in the excellent road holding of the VW Type 4. It also allows the front end to be punched out for a really roomy trunk.

The front axle is almost maintenance-free.

The struts consist of large, double-acting shock absorbers and progressive coil springs mounted on them, which are mounted between spring plates. The shock absorbers are bolted to the steering knuckles and ball joints at the bottom.

The lower mounting of the spring struts is carried out by wishbones, which are connected to the extremely flat axle beam by silent blocks and are supported by push rods. At the top, the struts are rotatably attached to the body with sliding washers and rubber-metal bearings.

The spring travel is limited at the top by progressively acting hollow rubber springs and at the bottom by a rubber stop in the shock absorbers. A torsion bar stabilizer counteracts body tilt when cornering.

The wheels run on two tapered roller bearings.

Photo source: contemporary advertising

Steering:  

The recirculating ball steering of the VW 411 is characterized by particular ease of movement and a barely noticeable, even play over the entire impact area. With just under 3 1/2 turns of the steering wheel from lock to lock, this steering is also designed to be relatively direct and thus enables fast and precise steering. The steering gear is filled with low-viscosity gear grease and is maintenance-free.

The maintenance-free steering linkage, made up of 3 tie rods, is protected behind the front axle beam. The center tie rod is linked to the drop arm and an auxiliary link. The two adjustable outer tie rods lead from it to the steering arms of the steering knuckles.

A steering damper, which is bolted to the center tie rod and the front axle beam, dampens road shocks that are introduced into the steering.

A safety steering column with a scissor-shaped cage part, which is mounted in a protective tube on the body, and the three-spoke safety steering wheel with a large impact pad serve to ensure driving safety.

Photo source: contemporary advertising

Rear axle:

The rear axle is designed as a double-jointed axle. The rear wheels are precisely guided over the entire deflection range by wishbones, which are linked to the rear axle carrier with adjustable bearing blocks. The slight changes in track and camberb of the wheels when compressing and rebounding have a positive effect on the self-steering behavior of the rear axle. All lateral and longitudinal forces are absorbed by the rear axle carrier.

A progressively acting coil spring with an internal shock absorber is arranged between the wishbones and the body. The spring travel is limited at the top by progressively acting rubber hollow springs and at the bottom by a rubber stop in the shock absorbers.

The wheel bearing housings are pressed into the wishbones and welded to them. In the wheel bearing housing, the wheel shafts run in two tapered roller bearings of the same size. The cardan shaft flanges are slipped onto the wheel bearing shafts and bolted to them.

The power transmission to the wheels is completely uniform via drive shafts, each with two so-called constant velocity joints. Sliding distances in the constant velocity joints compensate for all changes in distance that occur when driving between the joint flanges on the transmission and on the wheel shafts.

The gear  

All models of the VW Type 4 are optionally available with a newly designed four-speed manual transmission with a direct 4th gear or with the automatic transmission already known from the Type 3. Again, the gearbox and engine are screwed together to form a unit and are suspended in 3 rubber mounts in the rear of the car.

The gearbox has some special technical features:

The drive shaft is designed as a torsion bar and passed through the overhead transmission main shaft. By arranging the synchronizing device for all 4 forward gears on the main transmission shaft, the power losses through the transmission are kept to a minimum; only the one-piece, needle-bearing countershaft runs completely in the oil. The drive gear for the countershaft is mounted on the mainshaft in needles and is connected to the drive shaft by splines.

In 4th gear, the drive wheel for the reduction gear is connected to the main shaft via the synchronization device for 3rd and 4th gear, thus avoiding power transmission via gears. This ensures that the transmission runs optimally smoothly in 4th gear. In th, 2nd and 3rd gear, the power flow runs from the drive wheel for the countershaft to the respective gear wheel on the main shaft.

The hypoid final drive forms a unit with the change-speed gearbox. The pinion sits on the extended transmission main shaft. The differential gear is mounted on tapered roller bearings in screw rings.

The automatic transmission of the VW Type 4 corresponds to that of the Type 3.

Photo source: contemporary advertising

Manual transmission

The four-speed transmission with countershaft, newly developed because of the higher torque, was synchronized in all four gears.

It was interlocked with the engine and sat in front of the rear axle. The switch box itself and the final drive were installed in the same housing.

Thanks to the hydraulic actuation, the clutch was self-adjusting.

Gears were changed using a center shift lever.

Photo source: contemporary advertising

Automatic transmission

From the start, the automatic torque converter was available for both the sedan and the wagon. It was a hydropneumatic converter with a planetary gear.

However, this automatic converter reduced the acceleration capacity of the vehicle and increased fuel consumption. In addition, VW asked for a surcharge of 400 - 600 DM.

Photo source: contemporary advertising