Is there any benefit to lowering?

[Coast]

New to VW and panel vans. Have just bought a 2017 T30/150 DSG on 18” Amorak steel wheels. Have read mixed reviews and posts on the benefits of lowering on ride quality. The van will be converted over the next 12 months or so to a full campervan. It will also be used as a daily driver and will also tow a caravan. Is there any benefit to lowering or would you leave as standard?

 

[Salty Spuds]

New to VW and panel vans. Have just bought a 2017 T30/150 DSG on 18” Amorak steel wheels. Have read mixed reviews and posts on the benefits of lowering on ride quality. The van will be converted over the next 12 months or so to a full campervan. It will also be used as a daily driver and will also tow a caravan. Is there any benefit to lowering or would you leave as standard?

Breaks out flame proof overalls. I’d leave it personally. My opinion (fwiw) is lowering is form over function. Especially if you’re going to be towing.

 

[Lubrown]

Breaks out flame proof overalls. I’d leave it personally. My opinion (fwiw) is lowering is form over function. Especially if you’re going to be towing.

I second that.
Lowering is mostly aesthetic unless you really need that 20,30,40mm etc to enter specific car parks. On the other hand if you want farm tracks then stock height or even swamper is obviously better.
Lowering won’t improve comfort - the opposite really as you have less travel.
Better body control can be had a stock height with upgraded shocks and ARBs.

 

[hunta]

What do you like?

Go from there.

 

[Paynewright]

It is often big wheels with very low profile tyres that ruin the ride. I have the H&R -40 springs and Koni shocks on 18" Amarok steel wheels and 235/50R18 Uniroyals and it rides really nicely. When I put my winter 17s on with 55 profile tyres I can tell the difference - its slightly softer going over speed bumps.

I would probably wait until you have finished the works and have a chat with Steve @CRS Performance - when my van went in (nearly two years ago) he gave the choice of two different rear springs, depending on weight, to ensure the van sat level.

 

[Salty Spuds]

I second that.
Lowering is mostly aesthetic unless you really need that 20,30,40mm etc to enter specific car parks. On the other hand if you want farm tracks then stock height or even swamper is obviously better.
Lowering won’t improve comfort - the opposite really as you have less travel.
Better body control can be had a stock height with upgraded shocks and ARBs.

Phew! I thought it was just me

 

[DXX]

I have a SWB T32 fully converted camper on stock running gear.
No issues or urge to spend a pile of £££££ to get closer to the mud, restrict where I can drive or eliminate being able to get under the van without lifting it.
It might roll a bit going around roundabouts but it’s a van not a Ferrari.

 

[BognorMotors]

The right suspension and wheel setup for your vehicle will only enhance the driving experience. The standard suspension is very crashy and obviously Van like as it’s designed to carry a ton. You can completely change this. The correct setup will be the best money you spend on the van, not only for you but the comfort of you passengers too. We are now fitting in excess of 40 suspension coilover kits a month, hold a healthy stock of the best kits and demo vans to try before you buy. .

Alway happy to advice whether mail order or fitment on site.

 

[Samro]

I'm quite low and I have to say that I was worried about this for towing.
We towed our big old caravan this year over 3000 miles and it has been no issue at all. Ideally I'd have liked the van higher and it would be better due to the height between the road and jockey wheel, but I didn't have a problem.
The reason for me lowering is simple..... car parks!
I am able to get under 2m height restrictions with my van with a Fiamma 45s awning and Austops pop top. This is for me a massive benefit over and above the compromised towing capability.

(LWB T30 on STX coilovers.)

 

[4WheelsFromCanvas]

New to VW and panel vans. Have just bought a 2017 T30/150 DSG on 18” Amorak steel wheels. Have read mixed reviews and posts on the benefits of lowering on ride quality. The van will be converted over the next 12 months or so to a full campervan. It will also be used as a daily driver and will also tow a caravan. Is there any benefit to lowering or would you leave as standard?

I’m a year down the line from ownership and have probably scratched my head like you. I bought a camper converted PV but soon hated the ride and handling - and I mean general day to day, I’m not a speed freak in my 102hp!

I agree with some of the comments already on here. Lowering itself is largely aesthetic and you’ll not feel any benefit other than potentially being able to fit under barriers etc depending on your final height. So I’d park ‘lowering’ itself for a moment…

Upgrading the suspension itself (not sure if you are), however - completely different outcome. With guidance (speak with @CRS Performance ) you’ll end up with a safer handling van with a more pleasant driving experience.

But for what it’s worth, I’d put up with it as it is for now and wait until you’ve finished your conversion. You’re only going to get heavier, you’ll probably end up with notorious camper van ‘rear end sag’ (because a lot of the conversion weight will be in the rear) and you’ll learn to experience it as it is now to further inform what you want to do. Otherwise changes you make now you may want to reverse after your conversion. It all adds up £ wise so take a while to make the right decision and get the best long term result.

If you’re set on lowering (for looks), brilliant - but do it when the van is as good as completed including the wheels you’re likely to end up with so you get the look you want.

I had rear end sag, crashy ride, light steering and vague breaking esp. on motorway. Upgraded suspension to KW STX via @CRS Performance to fix my main ride/safety priorities and I lowered at the same time (50mm) for looks and love the results. My only regret is I only had 16” wheels at the time and didn’t know if I’d go 18s or 20s so wasn’t sure what height to go so struggled to decide what height to lower to. Steve was great and rather than the fixed Koni option I went to him for, suggested the STX (adjustable) so I’d have the flexibility in the future. And to be honest, now that I have ended up with 20s, I will probably try and lift from 50mm to 40mm as I get a bit of rub/scrape over speed bumps, so I’m pleased I can.

Good luck and welcome to the (endless) journey!

 

[Coast]

Some great advice thank you. I will wait until the conversion is done to make any suspension modification the final step. The van drives well and is comfortable as it is now but of course it is an empty panel van.

 

[Salty Spuds]

Some great advice thank you. I will wait until the conversion is done to make any suspension modification the final step. The van drives well and is comfortable as it is now but of course it is an empty panel van.

It should drive even better with some weight in it.

 

[dubber36]

I was sceptical about changing the suspension on mine, especially going for coilovers. The only experience I've had was with properly hard kits in little cars 20 plus years ago. Boy have things changed.

I've got STX coilovers set at -60mm below standard van height and it is so much better to drive. At that height, it still has more clearance than most cars, so it's really not that low to cause compromise. The roll has gone, the fore and aft pitching under braking has gone and bumps are dealt with in one stroke of the damper, not 2 or 3 bounces. It's much more controlled when towing too. Not that it was bad before, but it's got even more control over a heavy trailer now as the suspension copes better with the leverage coming through the towbar.

 

[Lubrown]

The other thing to consider is what your current suspension parts are like.
I had a broken spring on the back and changing that got rid of some noise and crashing over bumps.
I then had four shocks replaced as the fronts were misting and the van had spent the first 36k of life as a plasterers work van so it probably had some weight in the back most of its life.
I have no doubt the Koni Special Activ shocks are better than standard VW (no more fire/aft pitching, a lot quieter in the back, joints along the M6 flyovers are now smoothed out etc.) but replacing all the shocks just for new VW parts would no doubt still have improved the ride over what it was.
The vans aren’t that bad out of the showroom.
As others have said finish the fit first and then take a look at what your priorities are.

 

[The_Lad]

I found mine was bordering on scary on the standard suspension the body roll when empty on fast corners and roundabouts was horrific.


I don’t know what actually made the improvement as I had b14s, anti roll bars and 20” wheels done at the same time but it’s now much more planted both empty and loaded and apart from the front mud guards I’ve never caught anything while transitioning campsites and enduro events in and out of fields

 

[Cuffy]

Going from a fully converted van on stock suspension with a saggy rear end to STX Coilovers and getting @CRS Performance to sort it out is night and day.
Yes the aesthetics were partially in the back of my mind, but the driving experience is second to none.
Just my 2 pennies worth.

 

[Trouts]

without doubt the best money i've spent on mine.
just the fact that it's much more pleasurable to drive than it was is worth it in my book.

note: had my kit fitted by Steve @CRS Performance before the conversion with the understanding that it would/could be adjusted after all that weight was added to the back. wish i'd done it when i got the van.

 

[CRS Performance]

Most suspension suppliers will offer coil over solutions to every customer regardless of their needs ??
Clients need to be qualified as to what their needs are ?? If they want comfort and no lowering , then a coil over kit is definitely not the answer .
Client X last week asked a prominent supplier for max comfort and not bothered about lowering at all ?? he got an STX A coil over kit on the understanding that the adjustable rebound might help comfort ?? What were they thinking ? STX A can adjust rebound stiffer only !!! so that kit was removed days after fitting because the supplier said there was nothing wrong with it . Of course he is right there wasn't anything wrong with the kit they work well for customers who want lower stance. The problem here is the "Seller" fella who actually didn't listen to the customers needs because he couldn't do what the customer wanted ??? . Not fit for his purpose the kit should have been removed and refunded but this was denied by the supplier.

We see it all the time . we fought against coil overs for a very long time years ago , because they aren't ideal in a lot of cases . We now have coil over kits that can do Camper , California and Caravelles . But in these vehicles we still sell a lot more sport packages as comfort is a priority .
I always say to people researching - "get feed back from other van owners but ultimately talk tech to the sellers ask as many questions as possible even if you risk asking a silly question . but ultimately ask if they will take back the kit if it doesn't do what you ask for , and sit at the height you want . It is your right to be happy "