H&R ARB - shorter drop-links??

goldeneye243

goldeneye243

Senior Member
T6 Guru
I'm getting my coil overs and ARBs fitted today - The mechanic has asked if I had any shorter ant roll bar links.

I wasn't sure - Have I missed a part???

I'm having Stance+ Ultra coil overs and H&R ARBs fitted...
 
goldeneye243 said:
I'm getting my coil overs and ARBs fitted today - The mechanic has asked if I had any shorter ant roll bar links.

I wasn't sure - Have I missed a part???

I'm having Stance+ Ultra coil overs and H&R ARBs fitted...
Click to expand...

If you are lowering the van I thought you would have need some longer drop links not shorter?
 
I bought Meile drop-links for the same setup - which I believe are the same length - and the fitter raised no issue.
 
In reality most people don't change the drop links , The reason the fitter asked is probably because many cheap coil overs in other vehicle types have top link mounting point lowered to allow the threaded body adjustment . . they normally supply shorter link arms in the kit in these instances >

On a transporter however the lowering will mean that to get the A R B sitting parallel to the road as it should the link arms would need to be longer .
The A R B is at its most effective when parallel to the ground the greater the angle to the road the less effective the bars are .
 
CRS Performance said:
On a transporter however the lowering will mean that to get the A R B sitting parallel to the road as it should the link arms would need to be longer .
The A R B is at its most effective when parallel to the ground the greater the angle to the road the less effective the bars are .
Click to expand...

Just trying to get everything straight in my own head about Coilover fitting. Top Mounts and Drop Links seem to come up all the time. It seems that unless going very low (is that lower than -50mm ?? ) no change is necessary, unless the original parts are rotten?? Although, I have also heard people talk about taking the opportunity of having Top Mounts and Drop Links 'upgraded' when having Coilovers fitted !?! Or is there some implication / dependence on the Coilover kit you choose??

To your point about parallel ARB's (I already have the H&R's on at stiffest setting on a T32) ... I read somewhere, I think on here, that correct ride height adjustment should see the front being 15 - 20mm lower than the back. Apparently vehicles aren't meant to sit exactly level ... something to do with retaining the correct dynamic balance and braking performance of the vehicle !?!?!

It's all the varying 'expert' accounts of what constitutes the best/correct Coilover fitting and adjustment job that's confusing :confused::confused: .... I'm so not a "that'll do" type of owner
 
Firstly at 50 mm you don't have to go coil over route , a 50 mm sport kit will be more comfortable and cost effective ( not including cheap coil overs which in all honesty are often not what they appear)
The drop links are recommended to change simply because 9/10 times are corroded and don't come off . if the car has plenty miles its worth changing top mounts simply as a precaution . ( also too much work to change them alone ) these aren't UPGRADED, but simply replacement parts no benefit in performance or handling !
The rake of the van should be 25 to 35 mm forwards so a measurement from sill to ground front measured just behind front wheel , rear just in front of rear wheels .
if the vehicle is level as you accelerate all the weight transfers to the rear making the steering light .
My advice ( 30 years in the business ) is if you want 50 mm or less avoid coil overs . You will achieve better handling and comfort with a correctly designed sport kit . ( sport kit is a fixed drop kit ) less noises corrosion problems on the threads and a host of other issues .
avoid anything cheap if you want to do it and leave it . there are many reasons why a sport kit is better than coil overs but please understand a sport kit wont do more that 50 mm .
 
Use VW sharan/ford galaxy era rear drop links. They are identical but shorter and don't over angle the ball joints when lowered over 45mm or more.
 
Would you recommend these for anyone who has the solows or dropped their van more than 40 - 50mm?.
 
@CRS Performance Thanks for such a full and interesting answer.

I have the Eibach ProStreet Coilovers in mind. As you know, they were specifically designed for the Transporter and one of those variants specifically for the T32.

I am not looking for lower than -50mm for two reasons. One is, my T32 is at the heavier end of the bus scale i.e. T32, LWB with 4Motion and DSG. Two, I run 20x9 with 275/40 on an ET45 rim. I don't want to change the rim/tyre combo but the weight of the bus causes a significant few mm of spring sag so the ride height drop needs to be set carefully to avoid wheelarch strikes. I currently run -40mm springs (COBRA) and seem to be mostly getting away with it. Hence a Coilover setting must be possible around that range.

I thought the point of a Coilover was that the damper was matched more specifically to the spring rate (compared to just fitting a spring over the stock damper) which gives better suspension component balance and therefore better ride/handling ? In addition you get the option of ride height adjustment with them. Also, in the case of Eibach, I understand after several discussions with them, that they can offer slightly different springs for the ProStreet to suit your preference (i.e. initial spring rate and overall spring rate progression to adjust the handling vs. comfort balance to your preference)

I am very interested in what you say about a "correctly designed sport kit giving [both] better [than a Coilover] handling and comfort" for sub -50mm drops. This is not an option I have researched yet. I'll give you a ring next week as too much of a discussion for a Forum thread.

Many thanks
 
Skyliner33 said:
I thought as you lowered the van you need longer drop links?
Click to expand...
Normal drops wouldn't need any alternative drop link . excessive drops would cause the angle of the A R B to alter and this could be corrected with a longer ARB link
 
Shredder said:
@CRS Performance Thanks for such a full and interesting answer.

I have the Eibach ProStreet Coilovers in mind. As you know, they were specifically designed for the Transporter and one of those variants specifically for the T32.

I am not looking for lower than -50mm for two reasons. One is, my T32 is at the heavier end of the bus scale i.e. T32, LWB with 4Motion and DSG. Two, I run 20x9 with 275/40 on an ET45 rim. I don't want to change the rim/tyre combo but the weight of the bus causes a significant few mm of spring sag so the ride height drop needs to be set carefully to avoid wheelarch strikes. I currently run -40mm springs (COBRA) and seem to be mostly getting away with it. Hence a Coilover setting must be possible around that range.

I thought the point of a Coilover was that the damper was matched more specifically to the spring rate (compared to just fitting a spring over the stock damper) which gives better suspension component balance and therefore better ride/handling ? In addition you get the option of ride height adjustment with them. Also, in the case of Eibach, I understand after several discussions with them, that they can offer slightly different springs for the ProStreet to suit your preference (i.e. initial spring rate and overall spring rate progression to adjust the handling vs. comfort balance to your preference)

I am very interested in what you say about a "correctly designed sport kit giving [both] better [than a Coilover] handling and comfort" for sub -50mm drops. This is not an option I have researched yet. I'll give you a ring next week as too much of a discussion for a Forum thread.

Many thanks
Click to expand...
If I were you , I would ask VW how many Eibach kits they offer for the T 5 T6 vans if they offer one for the T 28 T30 and one for the T 32 its highly likely that the springs will be an issue similar to all the other manufacturers . I am not a big fan of coil overs in a leisure vehicle as the excessive drops make the van uncomfortable .
The issue that all the Coil over kits have currently is that that the rear spring is a "one spring fits all" scenario , this is why some owners say they are fine and some say there not /. Also why some owners claim drops of 70 mm at max height on a kit designed to do 40 to 70 mm drops ???
Due to cost most customers are buying the Bilstein offering
ng ( over the VW approved Eibach kit ) and no one can argue with its success , but the problems owners experience are from the one spring fits all scenario, the weight of a T 28 empty van is very different to a T 32 4 motion fully loaded with a camper conversion on the rear .
Your comment about the spring / Shock relationship is spot on , its important that they are matched , Customers fitting springs alone have issues because of this,
The importance of this is high lighted by the KONI special shock which is Damping adjustable and this means we can tune the damping to suit different application
The only Coil over kit that offers this feature is the H&R / KONI and KW kit but sadly not a good seller due to the £1400 price tag and £1700 for the KW ,
In my opinion the H&R /KONI coil over kit for T 5 T 6 is simply the best money can buy
 
@CRS Performance ... thanks again. I'll be giving you a call as I mentioned anyway but I seem to recall that there was specifically no T32 4Motion option offered by Koni and KW Coilovers (axle weight) ?? .... so I stopped looking at them.

Obviously, the VW approval of the Eibach Coilover is valuable from a warranty and insurance perspective but as I mentioned, when I had a much deeper discussion with Eibach directly, they did say they could offer different spring rates with their Coilover kit to tune more specifically to my requirement.

I assume you mean, with the Koni and/or KW that the spring you choose for the Coilover is custom dependent on application and driver preferences and that the dampers have some sort of external Rebound and Compression damping adjustment as well??
.
 
Last edited:
RattyMcClelland said:
Nope. Definitely shorter.
Click to expand...
Shorter ARB links needed when shocks are fitted with a lower mounting point for the link arm . Usually on cheaper coil over kits where the mount is dropped to allow the adjuster thread to run below the point that the normal bracket would be .
 
I'm on about the front. I run Billy B14s.
I run shorter ones on the front. Did this with my old t5.1 also.

I went through loads of OEM drop links on my t5, some only lasting 15k miles. In the end I discovered excessive wear from the extreme angle.
Moved to a shorter one and never had to change them ever again well over 80k on the shorter ones.

So on the t6 I just went straight to shorter links. I fitted the droplinks, b14s and h&r roll bars on mine with delivery miles. 60k later and they are still fine.
 
RattyMcClelland said:
I'm on about the front. I run Billy B14s.
I run shorter ones on the front. Did this with my old t5.1 also.

I went through loads of OEM drop links on my t5, some only lasting 15k miles. In the end I discovered excessive wear from the extreme angle.
Moved to a shorter one and never had to change them ever again well over 80k on the shorter ones.

So on the t6 I just went straight to shorter links. I fitted the droplinks, b14s and h&r roll bars on mine with delivery miles. 60k later and they are still fine.
Click to expand...
This is indeed very strange , maybe you could at some point post a picture of the anti roll bar angle ( must be taken at ride height ie van on the ground ) ,ill check the one I have in my workshop and see what the implications are . How much shorter did you go > approx.
 
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