Coilovers or air, T32 LWB

[Dai_namik]

Hi all, I have a 204 DSG 4Motion T32 LWB kombi, bigger factory brakes and factory arb's. It's normally empty apart from 5 seats and I drive it like I stole it.

I've always planned to put it on air so I can air it out to look cool, and lift it up to stop me breaking splitters off road (4 in 18months), but the majority of my driving is tanking it about roundabouts showing up boy racers.

So, is air suspension suitable for 'spirited' driving? (I've been looking at the so-low T32 kit)
If not, what coilover kits are suitable for my needs (h&r/Koni?), Ideally I'm looking for adjustable height and damping so I can fit and tune it myself

I'm also considering the bigger whiteline(?) Arb's since my bushes need doing anyway.
powerflex bushes for the bottom arms, and recomendations on droplinks to suit.

This thread is specifically aimed at car thieves, boy racers and people who are always late for work

I'll tag @CRS Performance in obviously, but I'd like to hear some experience from the other street racers out there on their setups

 

[The Van Cave]

I’m reasonably well placed to answer this as I’ve run the H&R adjustable coil over, SoLow low coil over and now SoLow air on my own T32 van and I can also supply all of those options.

I’ll answer your first question first. Yes, air is suited to spirited driving. I don’t always drive my van like I stole it, but the boy racer in me does get let loose now and again. At my ride height of 135mm lowering with upgraded H&R ARBs it handles very well. I’ve surprised quite a few people on some lovely local roads when the traffic conditions allow.

Having said that, the H&R were better for handling. My van is usually an empty Kombi, but I found that adding a little rebound damping at the front worked really well (running them at their minimum ride height). Very controlled and planted in the twisty stuff.

We’re comparing very different setups though. The H&R coil overs are unbeatable at their price point for drops of up to 50-80mm. They offer a great ride, but great handling and the ability to adjust the front end is obviously a bonus.

Air eventually won for me, simply for the ability to air out for show quality looks parked up, but being able to get over all sorts of obstacles that it has to face as my daily drive/family vehicle. The handling has never let me down and you can definitely have fun with it in the twisty stuff.

You’re welcome to have a drive in my van if you fancy a 5 hour round trip! You can then see for yourself how well it handles.

 

[Dai_namik]

Thanks The Van Cave for the quick reply, and the offer of a ride in your own van, I may take you up on that
I am torn between the two options.
I think the h&r would be better suited to 4wheel drifting around wet roundabouts, but the height options of air make it more usuable for off road and show looks

 

[CRS Performance]

We have customized an H and R kit already for a client wanting to do a 9.5 minute. Lap at the ring in his LWB transporter ( yes why ? you ask ). and his comments on the handling after fitting the kit were very complimentary , this kit is brilliant in all situations except silly drops ( everyone knows how I feel about drops of 80 and more ) going fast around corners really has nothing to do with height, it’s about the quality and design of the shocks. the H and R kit has the best shocks on the market ! Koni Been around The Formula one paddock for 50 years plus .

shocks in air systems are not damping adjustable and so not ideal for spirited driving so I wouldn’t compare the two types of kit at all, they are designed for very different things ..
hope this helps.
we do have a van with them fitted if you want to test them , it has 405 mm big 8 pot brakes and polybushed so you will get a good idea how well these vans can handle when you drive them like you stole ‘em

 

[Dai_namik]

We have customized an H and R kit already for a client wanting to do a 9.5 minute. Lap at the ring in his LWB transporter ( yes why ? you ask ). and his comments on the handling after fitting the kit were very complimentary , this kit is brilliant in all situations except silly drops ( everyone knows how I feel about drops of 80 and more ) going fast around corners really has nothing to do with height, it’s about the quality and design of the shocks. the H and R kit has the best shocks on the market ! Koni Been around The Formula one paddock for 50 years plus .

shocks in air systems are not damping adjustable and so not ideal for spirited driving so I wouldn’t compare the two types of kit at all, they are designed for very different things ..
hope this helps.
we do have a van with them fitted if you want to test them , it has 405 mm big 8 pot brakes and polybushed so you will get a good idea how well these vans can handle when you drive them like you stole ‘em

Thanks for the reply, the guy doing a lap of the ring sounds interesting, I'd like to hear more about that.

I'm currently dropped on -50mm H&R springs and standard shocks with 275/40/20 tyres, that's low enough for me with minor rub on the arch liners at full lock.
It's 'crashy' as you can expect, but the handling isn't awful with the springs and arb's, as long as the road isn't bumpy, the shocks are definitely letting me down.

 

[CRS Performance]

Arch rubbing is becoming an MoT hi light nowadays. They are watching for it and failing vans with the tyres that are too big. 275 40 20 is too big. , better handling and grip will be achieved with 245 45 20 , more grippy tyres available in the slimmer size than the agricultural 275 40 20 commercial sizes.
ARB and lowering springs is a big Nono Too much spring force for the standard shock , so yes they are letting you down. A lot , if roads weren’t bumpy we wouldn’t need suspension ha ha. , give me a call and we can discuss what you need to do,

 

[Dai_namik]

Arch rubbing is becoming an MoT hi light nowadays. They are watching for it and failing vans with the tyres that are too big. 275 40 20 is too big. , better handling and grip will be achieved with 245 45 20 , more grippy tyres available in the slimmer size than the agricultural 275 40 20 commercial sizes.
ARB and lowering springs is a big Nono Too much spring force for the standard shock , so yes they are letting you down. A lot , if roads weren’t bumpy we wouldn’t need suspension ha ha. , give me a call and we can discuss what you need to do,

They are a wide tyre, they look great but resisting full lock in LWB isn't helping my parallel parking
Thanks for the info, I'll call you on Monday to discuss options