Bilstein B14 Komforts can you uprate the springs?

[R32notT32]

Hi, sorry for the long newb post:
I've had to look over a friend's T32 DSG 4motion LWB crew van that he recently bought (I'm a mechanic, more into VW cars rather than vans).

Despite running 18" wheels and A/T tyres (forgot the size but not low profile) it "just" went on the ramp at work without grounding the splitter. So it's low. That's without anything in the back.

I get it in the air and find the rear springs are bound, rear driveshafts are pointing upwards and it's got alot of rear camber so scrubbing the tyres. I thought that can't be right in any shape or form.

Immediate assumption is SWB T25 springs, but after googling seems it's a little more complicated than that and that's how I ended up here.

Van appears to have Bilstein B14 Komforts, with Eibach springs (rear: 35/21 Mono 02HA. Front: 27/21 Twin 02VA). All at the highest settings give or take a thread. Van looks roughly level and comparing the wheel centre to arch distance with a standard-ish T25 SWB camper I happen to have in, its 76mm lower at the front and 89mm at the rear!

Took it round the block, ride seems ok, but cornering does feel weird, probably the A/T tyres (amazed they didn't rub the arches, but I only tottered about below 30), found they only had 30psi in them so bumped them up to 45psi, will try it again later. Can't go higher as they aren't commercial tyres! (50psi limit).

He's a tool salesman, so the rear is going to be carrying tools and racking etc. The way the rear coils are binding and only bending on the pig tails I can't see them lasting long once loaded up, so this setup ain't going to work. He doesn't care about ride height/looks - just wants it right, so looking at a solution. Simpler the better.

I can fit the parts, just no idea what to get other than going back to stock. Can anyone advise what do? Is it possible to replace the springs with heavier duty ones (front and rear - Front is too low too ) that will fit the B14 shocks? If so, can anyone recommend what spring to go for? Or will we have to ditch the shocks as well?

Cheers.

 

[Insert Coin]

Here’s a man that knows, calling @CRS Performance

 

[R32notT32]

Cheers, he'll be on the call list next week.

From what I can gather I can swap the rear springs and just use the OE perches/cups. Simple enough once I find a spring that upto the job.

But swapping the front springs whilst retaining the B14 shocks is going to be headache....correct?

 

[The Van Cave]

Cheers, he'll be on the call list next week.

From what I can gather I can swap the rear springs and just use the OE perches/cups. Simple enough once I find a spring that upto the job.

But swapping the front springs whilst retaining the B14 shocks is going to be headache....correct?

You're right. You can't just swap the front springs from the B14 komforts to an alternative. The spring seat on the front shock of the B14 komforts is incompatible with the vast majority of the springs on the market. That design is only shared with the Twin Adjust Projekt kits, which actually use the same springs, so nothing to be gained there.

You may well end up changing the shocks and springs all round to achieve the desired results. Steve @CRS Performance probably isn't that far from you based on your West Midlands location, so he's the guy to go to for a solution, no doubt about that.

 

[R32notT32]

Thanks. Annoying but not unexpected.

Was hoping Eibach may have made different spring rates for the B14 to suit heavier vans.

As an aside there are some spring manufacturers in my neck of the woods; Davies springs and Jones springs. The latter I used to make bespoke rear leafs on a Doblo that had been adapted for mobility scooter ramp access with a heavy tail lift hydraulic ramps etc. So anything is possible, but would rather not have to go down this route.

 

[R32notT32]

Thought I'd just post up some pics until giving Steve a call next week.

Bear in mind this is a unloaded Kombi with just a few bits and bobs in the boot. Imagine if its carrying rear passengers and/or boot full of heavy tools.

 

[JOG]

Thought I'd just post up some pics until giving Steve a call next week.

Bear in mind this is a unloaded Kombi with just a few bits and bobs in the boot. Imagine if its carrying rear passengers and/or boot full of heavy tools.

View attachment 189881View attachment 189885

That’s not good!

 

[CRS Performance]

Hi, sorry for the long newb post:
I've had to look over a friend's T32 DSG 4motion LWB crew van that he recently bought (I'm a mechanic, more into VW cars rather than vans).

Despite running 18" wheels and A/T tyres (forgot the size but not low profile) it "just" went on the ramp at work without grounding the splitter. So it's low. That's without anything in the back.

I get it in the air and find the rear springs are bound, rear driveshafts are pointing upwards and it's got alot of rear camber so scrubbing the tyres. I thought that can't be right in any shape or form.

Immediate assumption is SWB T25 springs, but after googling seems it's a little more complicated than that and that's how I ended up here.

Van appears to have Bilstein B14 Komforts, with Eibach springs (rear: 35/21 Mono 02HA. Front: 27/21 Twin 02VA). All at the highest settings give or take a thread. Van looks roughly level and comparing the wheel centre to arch distance with a standard-ish T25 SWB camper I happen to have in, its 76mm lower at the front and 89mm at the rear!

Took it round the block, ride seems ok, but cornering does feel weird, probably the A/T tyres (amazed they didn't rub the arches, but I only tottered about below 30), found they only had 30psi in them so bumped them up to 45psi, will try it again later. Can't go higher as they aren't commercial tyres! (50psi limit).

He's a tool salesman, so the rear is going to be carrying tools and racking etc. The way the rear coils are binding and only bending on the pig tails I can't see them lasting long once loaded up, so this setup ain't going to work. He doesn't care about ride height/looks - just wants it right, so looking at a solution. Simpler the better.

I can fit the parts, just no idea what to get other than going back to stock. Can anyone advise what do? Is it possible to replace the springs with heavier duty ones (front and rear - Front is too low too ) that will fit the B14 shocks? If so, can anyone recommend what spring to go for? Or will we have to ditch the shocks as well?

Cheers.

Sounds like the van is way to heavy for B14s of any kind. A quick simple fix ( cheap ) would be to pop a set of standard rear springs in. It will still be low enough for the short bilstein shocks to work well ; but the ride and steering feel will be better

 

[Lukefx]

Hi all, jumping on a slightly old post here but I've been looking into my set up and haven't been overly happy with the ride on my Shuttle for a while now.
B14 Komforts for the T32 are fitted and 275 40x20's but it's quite wallowy into corners and just doesn't feel totally planted when cornering.
I was looking at change the ARB's and while underneath at the back noticed the springs are coilbound like the picture above.
I have been back to where they were fitted and they said all was well but from what I'm reading here, they're not right.
So should I go back to where they were fitted and ask them to sort it?
It is a camper so has a Titan bed in the back and a small kitchen but no other real major weight, and I'm pretty sure the bed is lighter than the original Shuttle rear bench and middle row seats anyway so a T32 kit should be able to cope no problem.

 

[CRS Performance]

Hi all, jumping on a slightly old post here but I've been looking into my set up and haven't been overly happy with the ride on my Shuttle for a while now.
B14 Komforts for the T32 are fitted and 275 40x20's but it's quite wallowy into corners and just doesn't feel totally planted when cornering.
I was looking at change the ARB's and while underneath at the back noticed the springs are coilbound like the picture above.
I have been back to where they were fitted and they said all was well but from what I'm reading here, they're not right.
So should I go back to where they were fitted and ask them to sort it?
It is a camper so has a Titan bed in the back and a small kitchen but no other real major weight, and I'm pretty sure the bed is lighter than the original Shuttle rear bench and middle row seats anyway so a T32 kit should be able to cope no problem.

View attachment 217145

View attachment 217146

A very common issue , we have removed so many of these because of the problem you have . The spring isnt coping well with the weight . The big issue is that the top and bottom pigtails can stretch the spring steel to a point it shouldn't go to . the upper rubber spring seat plate is removed to fit coil overs so it cant protect the spring from over stretching it self . I need a picture to explain this better , let me see if i can find one ,
The rear springs supplied with most coil over kits are the same for all transporters T 28, T 30 , T 32 and non of them are rated to carry a ton .

There isn't anything the installer can do to fix this . We dont sell these kits at all but we have a fix for the problem as its very common

 

[Lukefx]

A very common issue , we have removed so many of these because of the problem you have . The spring isnt coping well with the weight . The big issue is that the top and bottom pigtails can stretch the spring steel to a point it should go to . the upper rubber spring seat plate is removed to fit coil overs so it cant protect the spring from over stretching . I need a picture to explain this better , let me see if i can find one ,
The rear springs supplied with most coil over kits are the same for all transporters T 28, T 30 , T 32 and non of them are rated to carry a ton .

There isn't anything the installer can do to fix this . We dont sell these kits at all but we have a fix for the problem as its very common

Ok thanks for the reply, so would a more sturdy spring not compacting so much make the van handle better noticeably? Is that the fix? New springs?

 

[CRS Performance]

Ok thanks for the reply, so would a more sturdy spring not compacting so much make the van handle better noticeably? Is that the fix? New springs?

Yes spring and adjustable perch needed . noticeably better on the rear . it wont make any difference to the front sadly , but its less of an issue

 

[Lukefx]

Yes spring and adjustable perch needed . noticeably better on the rear . it wont make any difference to the front sadly , but its less of an issue

Can you tell me the cost for this please?

 

[CRS Performance]

£275.00 incl vat shipped , if we fit it for you £50.00

 

[Lukefx]

Hi, sorry for the long newb post:
I've had to look over a friend's T32 DSG 4motion LWB crew van that he recently bought (I'm a mechanic, more into VW cars rather than vans).

Despite running 18" wheels and A/T tyres (forgot the size but not low profile) it "just" went on the ramp at work without grounding the splitter. So it's low. That's without anything in the back.

I get it in the air and find the rear springs are bound, rear driveshafts are pointing upwards and it's got alot of rear camber so scrubbing the tyres. I thought that can't be right in any shape or form.

Immediate assumption is SWB T25 springs, but after googling seems it's a little more complicated than that and that's how I ended up here.

Van appears to have Bilstein B14 Komforts, with Eibach springs (rear: 35/21 Mono 02HA. Front: 27/21 Twin 02VA). All at the highest settings give or take a thread. Van looks roughly level and comparing the wheel centre to arch distance with a standard-ish T25 SWB camper I happen to have in, its 76mm lower at the front and 89mm at the rear!

Took it round the block, ride seems ok, but cornering does feel weird, probably the A/T tyres (amazed they didn't rub the arches, but I only tottered about below 30), found they only had 30psi in them so bumped them up to 45psi, will try it again later. Can't go higher as they aren't commercial tyres! (50psi limit).

He's a tool salesman, so the rear is going to be carrying tools and racking etc. The way the rear coils are binding and only bending on the pig tails I can't see them lasting long once loaded up, so this setup ain't going to work. He doesn't care about ride height/looks - just wants it right, so looking at a solution. Simpler the better.

I can fit the parts, just no idea what to get other than going back to stock. Can anyone advise what do? Is it possible to replace the springs with heavier duty ones (front and rear - Front is too low too ) that will fit the B14 shocks? If so, can anyone recommend what spring to go for? Or will we have to ditch the shocks as well?

Cheers.

How did you get on with this mate? Did you revert to standard springs at the back?

 

[CRS Performance]

Ok thanks for the reply, so would a more sturdy spring not compacting so much make the van handle better noticeably? Is that the fix? New springs?

Yes its much better on the rear . with out changing the front we cant improve the front as we dont like the large diameter front spring idea that they use .