B14 Sweet Spot

[Jeff Goodall]

hi all,
Finally getting b14 fitted tomorrow at van style,couldn’t resist the free fitting service.Does anyone know what the max I can drop without sacrificing quality of ride too much . I think I read somewhere before that 10mm from the max lowest setting is a good place to start . Thanks

 

[DaveyB]

Hi @Jeff Goodall, my b14’s are set about 5mm from bottom on front and 10mm on rear. I’m happy with the comfort but then i’m also sat on 18’s, so you may or may not need to also consider your wheels.
Therefore 10mm as per your original post would seem a good starting point.

 

[Jeff Goodall]

Hi @Jeff Goodall, my b14’s are set about 5mm from bottom on front and 10mm on rear. I’m happy with the comfort but then i’m also sat on 18’s, so you may or may not need to also consider your wheels.
Therefore 10mm as per your original post would seem a good starting point.

That’s great thanks, I’m on 17” but soon to go to 20” .

 

[DaveyB]

That’s great thanks, I’m on 17” but soon to go to 20” .

You may find that you need to give it a tweet when you swap the wheels. This may be clearance related (rubbing); but may also be down to the compromise between ride height and tyre sidewall height.

 

[Lord Mfwic]

Liking all of this.
B14's are imminent and staying on 17 Devonports so very keen to hear your experience @Jeff Goodall

 

[Jon]

hi all,
Finally getting b14 fitted tomorrow at van style,couldn’t resist the free fitting service.Does anyone know what the max I can drop without sacrificing quality of ride too much . I think I read somewhere before that 10mm from the max lowest setting is a good place to start . Thanks

I would go 5mm from max personally front and rear, Had them all the way down at first and lifted up 5mm, but its not easy to adjust the rears.
Think about what weight you usually carry also, mine rarely carries much weight. I think that is the sweet spot personally on a SWB 204 BiTDI DSG.

 

[JimVee]

@Jeff Goodall I dropped mine as far as it would go without rubbing the tyres. It’s on 18’s which are good for me and runs/handles lovely.

 

[Jeff Goodall]

I will put up some pictures tomorrow and give my option. Fingers crossed all goes well,should look sooo much nicer . Thanks for advice so far

 

[T6180]

I had b14s first set 50mm lower on 20s
Then dropped it 60mm on Devonports and now running 18s at the same height...I think the rear needs another 5mm.


20s



Devonports



18s

 

[Peatey]

Liking all of this.
B14's are imminent and staying on 17 Devonports so very keen to hear your experience @Jeff Goodall

@Mfwic i'll wait until you get your B14's on to see how the van handles the north shropshire "smooth" roads we are blessed with,
then i can tweek mine

 

[BognorMotors]

As above 5/10mm is how I run our demo. Don’t forget to get a four wheel alignment after.

Enjoy, its the best upgrade for a transporter in my opinion

 

[Tourershine]

As above 5/10mm is how I run our demo. Don’t forget to get a four wheel alignment after.

Enjoy, its the best upgrade for a transporter in my opinion

Andy at TransporterHQ told me you have to drive the van for a few hundred miles before alignment, or if you do it straight away, they will be way out once everything settles.

 

[BognorMotors]

So drive your van without alignment for a few hundred miles, and risk excessive wear on tyres? This isn’t correct. Better to do it straight away and recheck if your worried. Never had any alignment issues further down the line.

 

[T6180]

Andy at TransporterHQ told me you have to drive the van for a few hundred miles before alignment, or if you do it straight away, they will be way out once everything settles.

I waited a few weeks just to make sure they had settled after fitting my b14s I had mine 4 wheel aligned....then a few months later had the ARBs fitted and b14s re-adjusted now I've got to get it done again

 

[RattyMcClelland]

Coilovers never settle.

I have had 5 sets over 3 vehicles. Not one changed. Inc the b14s.

Get alignment straight away.

 

[BognorMotors]

But to be fair on wheel alignment, and running bigger wheels, it’s beetter to get it checked every six months or so due to the state of our roads.

I’ve just had to de-buckle 3 of the wheels on my wife’s Rs3 - the roads are ripping apart wheels and tyres.

 

[Shredder]

Getting and reading lots of different views on B14 ride height options. I'm sure I've seen -40mm / -70mm drop range on Bilstein's site but have heard the range is actually -50 / -70mm

Can you run B14's at -40mm or is it the weight of a T6 T32 4Motion DSG that 'pushes' it lower than -40mm even if you set it there ??

 

[BognorMotors]

The T32 definitely sits lower at the highest setting than a T30, especially at the front - However it will ride 100x better than the standard suspension

 

[Shredder]

It is advisable or not so beneficial to run the B14's in the highest setting then ?? ..... and that setting equate to -40mm even at the front ??

 

[BognorMotors]

B14s work well at any height