Skippy T32

[FWhite]

Hi,
I have a T6.1 SWB T32, with original 17 steels and approved 215/60 C A/S tires. Original springs and ARBs too. 50k km on the counter.
I drives very good to be a van (a Kombi here, that is probably a baseline shuttle in the UK), and I am happy with my distance from the ground, no need to lower or raise.

But I find it ... skippy, underdamped, especially when almost empty.
Suspension are quite rigid, well, but they thend to jump around when excited by road bumps , espcially long ones.
It is more a pitching issue than rolling. Especially on those old Autobahn made of short concrete slabs, sometimes I am getting seasick.
I was thinking to replace the shocks only, with something top qualty and road approved , like the Koni Active. But since the car is still in warranty and I want to extend, maybe is there something better by the OEM? Does the Sportline or the California 204 hp have better dampers? I know that they will cost probably more... Otherwise I may have to look to black Konis or spay them in matt black .
Hopefully the dealer won't find it out at the next service they are technically clueless, at least when it is convenient for them.

Any similar experience or recommendation from our resident experts? I am new to VW and it seems there is a lack of competent garages around here.

 

[doncarlyon]

T32 with commercial tyres and empty is horrible.

 

[FWhite]

T32 with commercial tyres and empty is horrible.

I would not say that. It is still better of most of the vans that I drove in the past. Try to drive a 2015-sh Ducato with the rigid axle ... Or an old RWD Transit.
The probkem I feel is mostly pitching and undue excursion of the front. Being a SWB doesn't help by sure. It comes in slow, sickening, waves on concrete slabs highways. Dunno if you have any in the UK, it seems a German/ Austrian speciality.
Sometimes when I reach a top of a hill at speed it is like it is going to "flare" forever.
Corners are OK, though, not rolling too much. Looks like ARB are doi g their job.
Commercial C tires are the only ones allowed in my papers. They have some crazy rules here. But I have two sets, a summer 16" originals and a winter 17", very different ones, but this effect does not change. Actually the 17"HR60 C (107/109 ) feel a little better than the 16" TR65C (I think 105), both in 215 wide. Maybe my dampers are just exhausted. It was owned from a contruction company before. I will know better in a couple of months when it will get machine-tested for our "MOT".
If they are I would like to install something better, with more dampening, while road approved for T32. There are some available from the primary brands, even with adjustable action. Maybe the front ones are enough. Springs, if not broken, probably makes no sense, since they need to be approved at least for T32, and they cannot be made much more forgiving.
I would like to know if someone had obtained some improvement in similar conditions.