My van has been TRANSFORMED!

It’s not often you can genuinely say you’ve received 5-star service from the initial phone call right through to driving away, but today I can honestly say that about @CRS Performance

I recently bought a T32 4Motion LWB Leighton T6, and within the first 500 miles I realised I had to do something about the suspension. The van drove horrendously. I even went to another specialist first who suggested changing the tyres, but there was no way the tyres were causing all of the issues.

Every bump in the road sent shockwaves through the van. An expansion joint on a motorway bridge genuinely had me pulling over because the bang was so violent I thought something had broken — and that was only at 64mph. Manhole covers around town couldn’t be driven over at more than 10mph without it feeling like the 20” wheels were about to crack. It really was that bad.

After looking at all the options and reading countless reviews, CRS seemed to be the place to go, so I gave Steve a call. I explained exactly what I wanted: a van capable of doing 1,000 motorway miles a week without rattling my teeth out, while still being comfortable around town on poor roads. I also didn’t want to change the wheels.

“No problem” was the response, and I was booked in within a week.

For context, I also own a GT3 RS, and I’m telling you now — that is genuinely more comfortable than the T6 was when I bought it!

I arrived at 11am and within 20 minutes we were discussing options over a brew. I explained I didn’t want to go lower or higher and wanted to keep the current wheels. I had a couple of suspension options mentioned to me, but in the end I just said, “You’re the experts, I trust you.”

About 20 minutes later the van was in the air and the old suspension was already off the floor. Within the hour it was back down, sitting around 5mm lower and looking much better. The team then carried out a full alignment.

The customer before me came back from his test drive absolutely blown away by the difference in his van. I’ll admit, at that point I was still slightly sceptical.

Then I drove mine.

Honestly, “night and day” doesn’t even come close. The speed bump on the way in — the one I crawled over at 5mph because it crashed so badly — I now took at 20mph and barely noticed it. Manhole covers? What manhole covers? The harsh crashing and bouncing had completely gone. It’s not overly soft, and it’s not rock hard either. It just feels right.

Out on the motorway the difference was unbelievable. At 64mph it felt planted instead of nervous and twitchy. Before, anything over 70mph felt floaty and unsettled, and every bump had you clenching the steering wheel. Now it just absorbs imperfections instead of smashing into them.

I’m not saying it’s quite like a new S-Class, but honestly, it’s not far off. It feels better than an M3 on the motorway and probably on par with an RS6 in terms of comfort. I absolutely love it.

I genuinely didn’t think it was possible to transform a vehicle this much in under two hours and for under £2k.

CRS Performance definitely know exactly what they’re doing, and they don’t mess about.

I think I ended up with the H&R kit, although I’m not 100% certain.

If anyone is thinking about getting their suspension sorted — stop thinking and just do it. It’ll be some of the best money you ever spend. Plus, you get to see some seriously impressive vans while you’re there.

Big thanks to Steve and the team!
 
I'd be interested to know what was on it prior to the CRS treatment.

Edit: because it sounds like it was pretty terrible!
I don’t have a 4motion, started with a kombi converted startline which I ripped everything out of and did the usual u-shape job in the back.

It wasn’t awful, but it was not good to start, lots of body roll (both when driving and parked up), the smallest bumps felt and sounded awful, was just not a great space to be in for long trips on the road. Although it is worth noting I am on 20s which won’t be improving things.

Went for the CRS H&R set up, and motorway cruising is bliss, smooth, no roll on slight turns. On back roads it’s obviously a little rough, they are lowered coilovers, but at least it’s consistent. Go over a small bump you get a small bump, none of the boat like roll after. And parked up it’s much more stable. And now it’s low, looks much better IMO, although I did lose my front splitter in a fight with a pot hole.

Overall I would recommend chatting to the guys at CRS, see what they can offer based on your needs. If you get a chance at a meet up go round the block in someone’s van that has work done. Best way to tell if it’s for you.

Little picture to show how the van now sits, rather than looking like a builders van floating in low earth orbit.

IMG_2258.webp
 
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