t32 hard suspension - pot hole avoidance

A&A

A&A

Member
I have had a few transporters in the past & a couple of LT's and the ride has been fine, but this van is such a hard ride I have to avoid potholes & cats eyes on every journey.
Is it a T32 issue?

I know there is a lot of advice here about suspension....but I am still confused. Any advice would be nice.

I have a 2018 T6 t32
tyres are Continental 215/60 R17 109T
I have tried reducing tyre pressures - didn't make much difference so when back to standard - 50ish all round from memory
I have tried carrying a bit of weight in the back - smallish difference.

Should I replace Shocks, springs?


Thanks in advance. Andy

ps.. I am in the Somerset area
 
IMO if you have a full loaded T32 the stock suspension if fine and most importantly for me totally bulletproof as have driven on some terrible roads along way from home.
There are a wide range of opinions and plenty of suppliers ready to sell you some brightly painted replacements for a considerable number of ££££.
There’s a whole section on suspension
www.t6forum.com

Suspension, Steering, Brakes

www.t6forum.com www.t6forum.com
 
My original T32 suspension was still rubbish even after the full weight of my camper conversion. In fact, it was worse because the weight in the rear had made the front end sit higher and the steering was light and had no real feedback through the wheel.
 
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A&A said:
I have had a few transporters in the past & a couple of LT's and the ride has been fine, but this van is such a hard ride I have to avoid potholes & cats eyes on every journey.
Is it a T32 issue?

I know there is a lot of advice here about suspension....but I am still confused. Any advice would be nice.

I have a 2018 T6 t32
tyres are Continental 215/60 R17 109T
I have tried reducing tyre pressures - didn't make much difference so when back to standard - 50ish all round from memory
I have tried carrying a bit of weight in the back - smallish difference.

Should I replace Shocks, springs?


Thanks in advance. Andy

ps.. I am in the Somerset area
Click to expand...
The Van Cave territory , KONI shocks are the answer to your prayers for sure , call me for more info if you wish we supply to the van cave so he can order them from us
 
Update on t32 hard suspension:

I have recently had some Koni special active shocks & Evo Technik lowering springs fitted but unfortunately the ride is still very crashy/bumpy over uneven road pot holes, cats eyes etc.
There is a small improvement but still a very harsh ride.
Next thing I was considering is to replace the Evo Technik lowering springs with T28 standard height springs.

any thoughts….
 
You listed Continental 109 rated tyres, I'm guessing they're solid rubber like on a forklift.
Is it possible/legal to fit 103 rated with a more pliable side wall, like say those big balls of snot they fit on SUVs?
Edit, I should add I once had Michelin run flat tyres on a 320d and they felt like they were made from mahogany, fitting non runflat Goodyear Eagles was like going from diving boots to running shoes.
 
Last edited:
The springs and the tyres rated at 103, 104 is the minimum rating for a T32.
 
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DXX said:
The springs and the tyres rated at 103, 104 is the minimum rating for a T32.
Click to expand...
103 minimum for a T32 dude?

109’s probably ride like concrete, I seem to remember when I took my 20’s off for a few weeks and put my old factory 17’s on that the ride on 20’s (265/45/20 - 103) was better.

The Koni short shock and 50mm springs are night and day better over potholes for me, but no better at all over crap road surfaces.
 
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A&A said:
Do you mean the springs won’t be legal (or the tyres)?

View attachment 208089
Click to expand...
Springs as you are limiting the load carrying ability, regardless of your best intention to never overload. You can have vehicles reclassified for things like this but by the without doing so, it could get sticky in an investigation.
Check your chassis plate for the axle weights. Half the higher value and then calculate the tyre rating required. T32 is normally 1710/1720 so 103 rating should be enough at 875 kg (1750 kg across the axle).
Some info here including a chart for load ratings on page 1.
 
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I have a T32 which I had new shocks and springs (40mm drop ) supplied by CRS fitted, and 235/55/R18 tyres. The ride is much improved on standard, though it's no flying carpet, it's a van after all, and the springs will still be T32 rated. The tyres fitted by VW will last forever, but they are rock hard and require high pressures, I replaced mine on my last T6 with 235/55/R17 and again they were much more pliant.
 
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Scruffy said:
I have a T32 which I had new shocks and springs (40mm drop ) supplied by CRS fitted, and 235/55/R18 tyres. The ride is much improved on standard, though it's no flying carpet, it's a van after all, and the springs will still be T32 rated. The tyres fitted by VW will last forever, but they are rock hard and require high pressures, I replaced mine on my last T6 with 235/55/R17 and again they were much more pliant.
Click to expand...
Can i replace tyres with 235/55/R17?
 
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