Cobra 40mm Lowering Springs - Review

[DtroitDan]

Hi, after a bit of a trawl I can’t seem to find a great deal of discussion on these springs. Who has had them fitted and what’s the verdict? Review of 40mm drop on a T32 everything else factory standard wood be very useful. Anyone with a recent Leighton Van may have this setup I believe?
Thanks in advance!

 

[cy294]

Hi, after a bit of a trawl I can’t seem to find a great deal of discussion on these springs. Who has had them fitted and what’s the verdict? Review of 40mm drop on a T32 everything else factory standard wood be very useful. Anyone with a recent Leighton Van may have this setup I believe?
Thanks in advance!

Hi, I have recently had 40mm cobra springs fitted to my T30, the ride is firm and the wallow in corners is slightly reduced. It looks great and I am happy with it.

Here are some pics. The top is before and the bottoms is after springs fitted. I got them from Transporter Life.

Good luck with your choice.

 

[DtroitDan]

Thanks pal. Good to know. There just seems to be so little written about these! Appreciate the response.

 

[cy294]

Thanks pal. Good to know. There just seems to be so little written about these! Appreciate the response.

Agree, I found that too. For me, it was the lifetime warranty that was a positive plus the price compared to the H&R which are very popular. I was in two minds myself, but spoke to Leighton vans who seem to use them and also Sally at Transporter Life who was really good. It's a lot of money to part with and I just wanted my van to be practical as it is a Kombi for family life and didn't want to slam it low. Take into consideration changing the top mounts and drop links and rear suspension cups if your van needs them. I did them all at same time the springs were fitted.

 

[Shredder]

Hi, after a bit of a trawl I can’t seem to find a great deal of discussion on these springs. Who has had them fitted and what’s the verdict? Review of 40mm drop on a T32 everything else factory standard wood be very useful. Anyone with a recent Leighton Van may have this setup I believe?
Thanks in advance!

I've got a Leighton Van and yes these come as standard. Mine is a T32 LWB DSG 4Motion Kombi. So the heaviest bar camper conversions. I do run it empty in relative terms as bikes weigh nothing. I ran these for about a year and a half on 20 x 9 rims with 275/40 tyres

What is it you specifically want to know ?

This is how mine looked on -40mm Cobra :

 

[DtroitDan]

Agree, I found that too. For me, it was the lifetime warranty that was a positive plus the price compared to the H&R which are very popular. I was in two minds myself, but spoke to Leighton vans who seem to use them and also Sally at Transporter Life who was really good. It's a lot of money to part with and I just wanted my van to be practical as it is a Kombi for family life and didn't want to slam it low. Take into consideration changing the top mounts and drop links and rear suspension cups if your van needs them. I did them all at same time the springs were fitted.

cheers mate!

 

[DtroitDan]

I've got a Leighton Van and yes these come as standard. Mine is a T32 LWB DSG 4Motion Kombi. So the heaviest bar camper conversions. I do run it empty in relative terms as bikes weigh nothing. I ran these for about a year and a half on 20 x 9 rims with 275/40 tyres

What is it you specifically want to know ?

This is how mine looked on -40mm Cobra :

View attachment 69017

Looks great, thanks for that.
I want to retain some comfort, And not break the bank on coil overs etc. my main reason for lowering is to get in and out of car parks/tips with less stress and improve the driving feel marginally. I suppose I’m just making sure there are no horror stories, considering the low price point and lack of information compared to more popular springs. Cheers!

 

[Shredder]

Looks great, thanks for that.
I want to retain some comfort, And not break the bank on coil overs etc. my main reason for lowering is to get in and out of car parks/tips with less stress and improve the driving feel marginally. I suppose I’m just making sure there are no horror stories, considering the low price point and lack of information compared to more popular springs. Cheers!

The "driving feel", if you mean handling, does improve in one way. Lowering springs are firmer and you have lowered the CoG of the van so you have what feels like more support in corners.

Without getting into the technical complexities of why, I would suggest you a drive a van with lowering springs first if you want to "retain some comfort". Degree of comfort is very subjective and the same springs will feel different on different vans (as there are so many T32 configurations possible including conversions) but there is general agreement that adding lowering springs only can be a harsh ride compared to the standard set up.

I personally found the ride very crashy with -40mm springs (both H&R and Cobra tested). Even though I am personally focussed on handling more than comfort so expected some harshness as a compromise. However, it was way too harsh. I felt like the windscreen was going to crack or the van was getting damaged just by hitting something as minor as a Cats Eye. Ultimately, that is why I made the investment in moving away from my lowering spring only option

 

[DtroitDan]

Thanks for that. Good to know!

 

[DtroitDan]

The "driving feel", if you mean handling, does improve in one way. Lowering springs are firmer and you have lowered the CoG of the van so you have what feels like more support in corners.

Without getting into the technical complexities of why, I would suggest you a drive a van with lowering springs first if you want to "retain some comfort". Degree of comfort is very subjective and the same springs will feel on different on different vans (as there are so many T32 configurations possible) but there is general agreement that adding lowering springs only can be a harsh ride compared to the standard set up.

I personally found the ride very crashy with -40mm springs (both H&R and Cobra tested). Even though I am personally focussed on handling more than comfort so expected some harshness as a compromise. However, it was way too harsh. I felt like the windscreen was going to crack or the van was getting damaged just by hitting something as minor as a Cats Eye. Ultimately, that is why I made the investment in moving away from my lowering spring only option

I’m assuming you went down a coilover route?

 

[Shredder]

I’m assuming you went down a coilover route?

Yes, I have gone full Coilover now. The Cobra came as standard on my van and was included in the price as you know but ultimately if you buy these springs, you are spending just £180 on something as fundamental as the suspension of your van, so you can't set your expectations very high in my opinion. You don't have to go full Coilover. You could look at lowering springs with an associated shock upgrade and select the shock based on whether you want the emphasis on handling or comfort, or even get an adjustable shock. This could be quite a bit cheaper an option than a full Coilover but you still get rid of the insurmountable problem of the standard VW shock not working properly with lowering springs.

 

[DtroitDan]

Thanks, the sports/comfort shock may be something for the future. I’d essentially come to a similar conclusion, especially if it works with the cobras. Appreciate the responses.