Coilover Suspension and use.

[Mike Dean]

Hi All,

Currently running 40mm spring drop on OEM shocks, paired with 20" Supermetal Cell wheels.

The more I read the more i get confused, as with everything in life you get what you pay for, right?

Stance + £299
I seem to read a lot of positives posts about these, budget setup but with no full camper build and only covered 3000 Miles per year is this a suitable option for me to remove arch gap? It's a 102BHP T6 SWB Panel Van, i have a real car for corners.

Vanslam £620
Again mixed reviews, but nothing comparing them to the Stance, are they really any better at twice the price, have you been there done that?

B14 £950
A lot of positives on reliability and build, but many suggest hard ride. Will this be suitable with the family in the van?

Looking to buy ASAP but just cant make my mind up.

Thanks.

 

[Jlo]

Wellcome @Mike Dean !

Just to throw another option your way... I recently had ST X coilovers fitted by @ChrisR at the Van cave

 

[The Van Cave]

Hi All,

Currently running 40mm spring drop on OEM shocks, paired with 20" Supermetal Cell wheels.

The more I read the more i get confused, as with everything in life you get what you pay for, right?

Stance + £299
I seem to read a lot of positives posts about these, budget setup but with no full camper build and only covered 3000 Miles per year is this a suitable option for me to remove arch gap? It's a 102BHP T6 SWB Panel Van, i have a real car for corners.

Vanslam £620
Again mixed reviews, but nothing comparing them to the Stance, are they really any better at twice the price, have you been there done that?

B14 £950
A lot of positives on reliability and build, but many suggest hard ride. Will this be suitable with the family in the van?

Looking to buy ASAP but just cant make my mind up.

Thanks.

Hi Mike, I can’t comment on the cheaper options as I have no experience of them, but there are many happy customers. I would discount the B14s as things have moved on a bit since they were the go to option. Are you T32?

As a B14 alternative, if you’re T30 or lower then ST-X are far superior to the original B14 and also slightly cheaper. They give a better ride and are a better quality kit in general.

If you’re T32 then things would get a little bit more expensive unless of course you go for the kits you’ve mentioned at the cheaper end of the market.

 

[Deleted Member]

A mate has Vanslams on his T32 and covers high mileage, he’s had no issues with his. I’ve got 3 year old B14’s with no issues, but as above things have moved on a bit over the last few years and there are alternatives to B14’s.

Chopped/lowered springs generally give a harsh ride, you should get a noticeable improvement with good coilovers.

My 20" wheels, B14’s and H&R arb’s are quite harsh on bad roads, but once on a decent 40mph+ road they are perfectly acceptable.

I can take corners at a pretty ridiculous rate of knots for such a big old bus, the handling is very neutral and predictable.

 

[Mike Dean]

Hi Mike, I can’t comment on the cheaper options as I have no experience of them, but there are many happy customers. I would discount the B14s as things have moved on a bit since they were the go to option. Are you T32?

As a B14 alternative, if you’re T30 or lower then ST-X are far superior to the original B14 and also slightly cheaper. They give a better ride and are a better quality kit in general.

If you’re T32 then things would get a little bit more expensive unless of course you go for the kits you’ve mentioned at the cheaper end of the market.

I'm not so sure but I thought it would be a T28. Just being a SWB 102BHP.
ST-X are obviously back up at the high end of the budget.

Doesn't seem to be much support for the middle cost options.

 

[The Van Cave]

I agree, those cheaper and mid cost kits don’t get as much support as the higher end stuff. I’m not going to start rubbishing the cheaper options and claiming they’re dangerous or anything because it isn’t true, but the quality of the kits isn’t as high as the higher end stuff and nor is the ride.

There are fans of the stance stuff, for the money the ride is pretty good, but if the budget can stretch I would advise the ST-X.

For a start, they’re TUV approved which shows that they’ve passed rigorous testing, they’re manufactured by KW suspension in Germany using high quality parts in a high quality environment. I’m not sure you can say the same for the cheaper kits.

Just as another option, if you confirm that you’re T28 or T30, you could stick with the springs you have and upgrade the shocks to some quality Koni sports shocks. That would keep costs down compared to the ST-X and give you an outstanding ride at your current 40mm drop.

 

[BognorMotors]

To add our conversation to the forum @Mike Dean, With suspension, as has been mentioned many times it will be the best money you will spend on the van, so always buy the best you can. It really will transform the drive of the vehicle 100% over your current setup.

For your T28 van ST X is the best value for money with the best results. With lowering from 35-65mm. We can also get them a little lower if you wish.

Regarding the mid range, we are forever taking off the cheaper suspension to replace - in some cases kits with only a few hundred miles. There is a market and a budget for these but if you can stretch for a better made, higher quality kit, you will love the results.

See you tomorrow

 

[Mike Dean]

To add our conversation to the forum @Mike Dean, With suspension, as has been mentioned many times it will be the best money you will spend on the van, so always buy the best you can. It really will transform the drive of the vehicle 100% over your current setup.

For your T28 van ST X is the best value for money with the best results. With lowering from 35-65mm. We can also get them a little lower if you wish.

Regarding the mid range, we are forever taking off the cheaper suspension to replace - in some cases kits with only a few hundred miles. There is a market and a budget for these but if you can stretch for a better made, higher quality kit, you will love the results.

See you tomorrow

Thanks for all your help Oli.
Super happy with your support and I will see you tomorrow to collect my ST X setup!

Look forward to meeting you.
Mike

 

[howler1975]

To add our conversation to the forum @Mike Dean, With suspension, as has been mentioned many times it will be the best money you will spend on the van, so always buy the best you can. It really will transform the drive of the vehicle 100% over your current setup.

For your T28 van ST X is the best value for money with the best results. With lowering from 35-65mm. We can also get them a little lower if you wish.

Regarding the mid range, we are forever taking off the cheaper suspension to replace - in some cases kits with only a few hundred miles. There is a market and a budget for these but if you can stretch for a better made, higher quality kit, you will love the results.

See you tomorrow

Hi, any known issues with installing a set of ST X on a T30 with a full camper conversion?

Thanks

 

[BognorMotors]

None - Why do you ask? - They work for all applications and very well