Making decisions on Rear Suspension for T6.1

[4wdMotion]

Hi, I have searched and read many posts, experiences, solutions and advice on the T6 Forum including the ‘back heavy and traction thread” about suspension issues and seeking to make a decision on my options. I have met and read about @TTKT solution and also read @AussieMick posts from the Forum.
We have a 2020 T6.1 LWB Tdi 450 4Motion (T30) on 17”chassis/rims as a campervan conversion here in Perth, Australia. It is specified as a standard spring set (weight code rear 0YC – weight class 3 and suspension code 1BA - rear coils 1 x yellow, 1 x blue dab) and is sagging in the rear comparative to the front (0JF – weight class 6 – 1 green and 3 grey paint dabs).
Front mid-hub to arch height is 455mm whereas Rear height is 425mm (with half tank diesel and currently 30L in water tank slung underneath along driver side. We also have a towbar and a lithium 150A "leisure" battery and associated electronics and equipment like portable tyre air compressor, recovery straps and associated camping gear under and behind the RIB bed). We want to restore the saggy rear to a standard height but at this stage do not want a suspension lift as the van does fit under our garage door with some clearance that will allow a bigger tyre (all-terrain) soon (and we are not interested in lowering the van).
From reading many comments on the Forum, the options I am evaluating are:
1) put VW rear springs from a greater weight class eg. 4 or ?? e.g. a T32 that may restore closer to standard height but may be stiffer – but what class and part number?? Suggestions most welcome.
2) after market springs – to restore to OEM height - but most seem oriented to lifting (or lowering) - any suggestions?
3) use spacers with existing coil springs - but in some States in Australia that is illegal e.g. South Australia - although an interpretation to restore to OEM height could be possible and the National Standards Bulletin 14 is silent on the use of spacers. This could be the easiest (and cheapest) but may not be possible.
4) a combination of 1, 2 or 3 with air assist bags in the coils to allow those times we carry an extra spare wheel or a trials motorbike on a carry rack on the towbar
5) Any option that I haven’t considered – I have considered full air suspension - but all other options are somewhat less expensive
6) I am also considering replacing the rear shocks e.g Koni, Bilstein or ?? to contribute to the ride, since suspension will be being worked on at the time.

 

[CRS Performance]

Would lowering the front 35 mm be considered as a more legal option to get the chassis level or is this something you wouldnt want to do ??

 

[4wdMotion]

A good question, but no, we do not want any potential lower overall ground clearance, given the tracks we like to travel in Australia. Ideally, we would like a lift for some of the tracks we follow but a permanent lift is not ideal for the percentage of travel on-road/off-road and the ability to house the van in our garage.

 

[HossP]

Hi, I have searched and read many posts, experiences, solutions and advice on the T6 Forum including the ‘back heavy and traction thread” about suspension issues and seeking to make a decision on my options. I have met and read about @TTKT solution and also read @AussieMick posts from the Forum.
We have a 2020 T6.1 LWB Tdi 450 4Motion (T30) on 17”chassis/rims as a campervan conversion here in Perth, Australia. It is specified as a standard spring set (weight code rear 0YC – weight class 3 and suspension code 1BA - rear coils 1 x yellow, 1 x blue dab) and is sagging in the rear comparative to the front (0JF – weight class 6 – 1 green and 3 grey paint dabs).
Front mid-hub to arch height is 455mm whereas Rear height is 425mm (with half tank diesel and currently 30L in water tank slung underneath along driver side. We also have a towbar and a lithium 150A "leisure" battery and associated electronics and equipment like portable tyre air compressor, recovery straps and associated camping gear under and behind the RIB bed). We want to restore the saggy rear to a standard height but at this stage do not want a suspension lift as the van does fit under our garage door with some clearance that will allow a bigger tyre (all-terrain) soon (and we are not interested in lowering the van).
From reading many comments on the Forum, the options I am evaluating are:
1) put VW rear springs from a greater weight class eg. 4 or ?? e.g. a T32 that may restore closer to standard height but may be stiffer – but what class and part number?? Suggestions most welcome.
2) after market springs – to restore to OEM height - but most seem oriented to lifting (or lowering) - any suggestions?
3) use spacers with existing coil springs - but in some States in Australia that is illegal e.g. South Australia - although an interpretation to restore to OEM height could be possible and the National Standards Bulletin 14 is silent on the use of spacers. This could be the easiest (and cheapest) but may not be possible.
4) a combination of 1, 2 or 3 with air assist bags in the coils to allow those times we carry an extra spare wheel or a trials motorbike on a carry rack on the towbar
5) Any option that I haven’t considered – I have considered full air suspension - but all other options are somewhat less expensive
6) I am also considering replacing the rear shocks e.g Koni, Bilstein or ?? to contribute to the ride, since suspension will be being worked on at the time.

Maybe speak with KombiLife at GC.
Mark is helpful.
I believe if you go with Seikel suspension then it and the vehicles warranty remains in tact.
No airbags. Just masks poor suspension setup.

 

[4wdMotion]

Thanks for the input. Yes, Mark at KombiLife is always helpful. They have some Eibach load levelling rear springs to accomodate the constant load of the camper fit out.

 

[Vw T6 R50]

Hi,

Interesting thread on the forum. I have such a suspension. It is not worth assembling, very emergency, no spare parts. Very expensive suspension elements.

Hi, I've searched and read a lot of posts, experiences, solutions, and tips on the T6 forum, including a “heavy back and traction thread” about suspension issues, and I'm trying to decide on my options. I got to know and read about the solution @TTKT, and also read the posts
@AussieMick From the Forum.

We have a 2020 T6.1 LWB Tdi 450 4Motion (T30) on a 17-inch chassis/rims a conversion to a motorhome here in Perth, Australia. It is defined as a standard set of springs (rear weight code 0YC - weight class 3 and suspension code 1BA - rear coils 1 x yellow, 1 x blue dab) and at the back bends compared to the front (0JF - weight class 6 - 1 green and 3 gray paint spots).

The height of the central front hub to the wheel arch is 455 mm, while the rear height is 425 mm (with a half diesel tank and currently a 30-litre water tank suspended underneath on the driver's side. We also have a towbar and a 150 A "recreational" lithium battery and related electronics and equipment such as a portable tire air compressor, life belts and camping equipment under and behind the RIB bed). We want to restore the sagging rear to the standard height, but at this stage we do not want to lift the suspension, because the van will fit under our garage door with a certain clearance that will soon allow you to put larger tires (on the ground) (and we are not interested in lowering the van).

Reading many comments on the forum, I evaluate the following options:

1) Put on VW rear springs from a higher weight class e.g. 4 or ?? E.g. T32, which can restore the height closer to the standard, but can be stiffer - but what class and part number? Suggestions are welcome.

2) after-sales springs - to restore OEM height - but most seem to be oriented towards lifting (or lowering) - any suggestions?

3) use spacers with existing coil springs - but in some states of Australia it is illegal, e.g. in South Australia - although an interpretation of restoring the OEM height is possible, and the National Standards Bulletin 14 is silent about the use of washers. It may be the easiest (and cheapest), but it may not be possible.

4) combination of 1, 2 or 3 with airbags in coils to allow the carriage of an additional spare wheel or test motorcycle on the rack on the towbar

5) Any option I didn't consider - I was considering full air suspension - but all other options are a bit cheaper

6) I am also thinking about replacing the rear shock absorbers e.g. Horses, Bilstein or ?? To contribute to the ride, because during this time work will be carried out on the suspension.

Full air VB, Not worth it, very emergency. Very expensive to service.

 

[4wdMotion]

As an update and seeking further advice/confirmation. From my previous questions (scroll to top), we corrected the rear sag of our T6.1 LWB 4Motion campervan using an Eibach Pro-Lift Kit that gives us 30mm lift from standard height but we kept the standard OEM front struts and rear shocks. This lift has been great in giving confidence on some of the tracks that we have negotiated around Western Australia. We do always explore "roads" less travelled which means lots of gravel (small and large) and corrugations. So it is time to hopefully improve our front struts and rear shocks and hopefully lessen some of sharpness on these types of roads. I am aware of complete suspension kits but the Finance Director across the dining room table forbids starting again, so we are looking to enhance the Eibach springs.
I was attracted to the concept of the Koni Special Actives letting the valves and bypasses do the thinking for me about rebound and damping. But in reading posts on the Forum and particularly advice given by Steve @CRS Performance to @bucketeer that because of the lift it was better to use the Koni adjustable units - the equivalents from the Koni site for the T6.1 are 87-2669 (front) and 82-2542 (rear). There was a suggestion to use Crafter units as they were longer but I am not sure of the differences. @bucketeer did report his experiences with the Special Active struts that he had bought and he seemed happy with the outcome.
I would be keen to hear of others experiences and seek confirmation or advice on the choices that we are considering. Or any other better options (noting the Finance Directors final say).
The focus is mainly to soften sharpness on corrugations and rough roads, appreciating that they are just part of the country we choose to drive - yes, I let down tyres, which certainly helps while having external TPMS to monitor tyre pressures and temperatures to avoid overheating tyres (and a good compressor to restore pressures when we get back on the tarmac).
Thanks for reading and any input. Cheers from downunder.

 

[CRS Performance]

As an update and seeking further advice/confirmation. From my previous questions (scroll to top), we corrected the rear sag of our T6.1 LWB 4Motion campervan using an Eibach Pro-Lift Kit that gives us 30mm lift from standard height but we kept the standard OEM front struts and rear shocks. This lift has been great in giving confidence on some of the tracks that we have negotiated around Western Australia. We do always explore "roads" less travelled which means lots of gravel (small and large) and corrugations. So it is time to hopefully improve our front struts and rear shocks and hopefully lessen some of sharpness on these types of roads. I am aware of complete suspension kits but the Finance Director across the dining room table forbids starting again, so we are looking to enhance the Eibach springs.
I was attracted to the concept of the Koni Special Actives letting the valves and bypasses do the thinking for me about rebound and damping. But in reading posts on the Forum and particularly advice given by Steve @CRS Performance to @bucketeer that because of the lift it was better to use the Koni adjustable units - the equivalents from the Koni site for the T6.1 are 87-2669 (front) and 82-2542 (rear). There was a suggestion to use Crafter units as they were longer but I am not sure of the differences. @bucketeer did report his experiences with the Special Active struts that he had bought and he seemed happy with the outcome.
I would be keen to hear of others experiences and seek confirmation or advice on the choices that we are considering. Or any other better options (noting the Finance Directors final say).
The focus is mainly to soften sharpness on corrugations and rough roads, appreciating that they are just part of the country we choose to drive - yes, I let down tyres, which certainly helps while having external TPMS to monitor tyre pressures and temperatures to avoid overheating tyres (and a good compressor to restore pressures when we get back on the tarmac).
Thanks for reading and any input. Cheers from downunder.

If the Pro lift kit came with Bump stop extensions at the rear , be careful using them if the purpose of fitting them was to correct camper sag .
Measure the centre of the wheel to the top of the arch at the rear , If the measurement is any where near 460 mm DO NOT use the bump stop extensions . it needs to be over 480 to 490 mm before there would be a need to fit them.

If you are using a rugged all terrain swamper tyre set up , the "Specials" will be a better KONI damper for a couple of reasons
1 they are damping adjustable ( rebound ) and this is a good way of controlling the additional weight ( unsprung ) of the wheels
2 They are more rugged than the Actives and will take more punishment when on un sealed roads

 

[4wdMotion]

If the Pro lift kit came with Bump stop extensions at the rear , be careful using them if the purpose of fitting them was to correct camper sag .
Measure the centre of the wheel to the top of the arch at the rear , If the measurement is any where near 460 mm DO NOT use the bump stop extensions . it needs to be over 480 to 490 mm before there would be a need to fit them.

If you are using a rugged all terrain swamper tyre set up , the "Specials" will be a better KONI damper for a couple of reasons
1 they are damping adjustable ( rebound ) and this is a good way of controlling the additional weight ( unsprung ) of the wheels
2 They are more rugged than the Actives and will take more punishment when on un sealed roads

Hi - Thanks for quick reply. No, there are no Bump Stop Extensions.
We hover around 480mm (centre wheel to arch) which only changes a little with full diesel and water tank load - the water tank is on the driver side and parallels the diesel tank.
Good to know the Specials are more rugged than the S.A. - a good consideration. Hopefully the suspension workshop can help sort out the rebound adjustment particularly on the front before final fitting - I saw you suggested a half-turn harder on the front?
We use Falken Wildpeak A/T Trail 225/65r17 (106H) - so not a big heavy "swamper" tyre - and just on the standard 17" steel rims (7Jx17 ET55).
Should I consider the Crafter options (front and/or rear) - or is that opening up a whole new challenge and options and convincing my local suspension workshop to order and fit what is not specified for the vehicle.