Wheel Tyre and lowering advice.

[Belly]

Looking for advice as I'm looking to improve the look and stance of my T28 6.1 Highline. I'd like probably 18" wheels with a not to low profile to keep a decent ride quality, really want the wheels to fill the arches so what type of drop am I looking at ? And can this be achieved with just lowering springs..tia..

 

[Samro]

Looking for advice as I'm looking to improve the look and stance of my T28 6.1 Highline. I'd like probably 18" wheels with a not to low profile to keep a decent ride quality, really want the wheels to fill the arches so what type of drop am I looking at ? And can this be achieved with just lowering springs..tia..

View attachment 180986

There is loads on this forum to answer your queries, but if I were you I would have a good dig about in this forum but be aware that what you are asking is totally subjective.

For example- Lowering makes a vehicle drive better and look cool, but actually can be a pain in the arse when pitching up on a farm on an uneven field. However, low height could be deemed essential if needing to regularly squeeze under car park barriers.

You should take care in your research. What one person likes another may hate. This is particularly relevant to perceived comfort with suspension.

Taste in wheel sizes and spacers is also subjective and it is easy to cause problems if you rush into anything. Ride comfort is important but not as important as avoiding rubbing, or keeping your van legal by ensuring correct load ratings, etc.

Speaking directly to experts such as @BognorMotors or @CRS Performance would be the way forward.

 

[Paynewright]

I wanted a similar result to you - a subtle change to aesthetics and improved comfort / handling.

I went for a ride in a fellow forum members van, dropped on coil overs, 19s and very low profile tyres. While it had go cart like handling it was just too harsh for my liking and UK B roads.

I went for H&R -40 springs and Koni active shocks from @CRS Performance along with 18” Amarok steels (Tamar wheels) with 235/50 tyres. Three years on and I’m still really happy with the set up. The van looks subtly different, is more comfortable than with stock suspension and not harsh at all. I do fit some GP 17” steels in the winter with taller tyres which give a gentler ride over speed bumps / pot holes etc.

As mentioned already you could get ten posts with ten different recommendations of what people think is perfect. Me having a go in a van with a set up I was considering helped make my mind up!

Ian

 

[BuilderJay]

Imho 18” wheels are the best for comfort and tyre price. 20” easily kerbed, 19” tyres expensive!
Coilovers rather than lowering springs for comfort.
15 years experience in above comments

 

[Belly]

Thanks Jay, excuse my ignorance but what do a coil-covers do compared with lowering springs…and do I keep my original springs..

 

[Samro]

Imho 18” wheels are the best for comfort and tyre price. 20” easily kerbed, 19” tyres expensive!

IMHO 17" wheels with BGF KO2's are the best for tyre price as they seem to last forever. They offer the best protection against kerbing, prevent getting stuck in a field, good in snow and look rad!

However, they are noisey, use a bit of extra fuel and are not as grippy on tarmac. I therefore now run summer 19" wheels. (Sure the tyres are quite expensive, but heck, we are wasting money on modding vans here which as my better half points out is very wasteful. "In for a penny" and all that!)


My wife likes black wheels and I like shadow chrome wheels for my van and run these all year round because I don't ever leave tarmac other that an occasional gravel track.


My T32 van is a Sunday best work van and I run KW1 coilovers and am delighted with them.

My wife's T30 camper runs STX coilovers (which are pretty much exactly the same set up as the KW1 on my van), but we now regret not having a different suspension set up which provides out and out comfort. In hindsight it was a mistake going with coilovers on the camper and we are fine living with it, but would do differently in the future. This is a case of horses for courses and all that........ Why have a coilover setup on a vehicle which is a mobile bedroom/kitchen! It's a bit daft in hindsight!

I say all of this because........ there is no right when it comes to taste, but lots of "wrongs" when it comes to functionality.

What are you planning on using your van for? Is it your daily drive? Do you need to park in multi storeys? Will it ever be used on pitches in the winter? Are you a closet hooligan that likes chucking a commercial vehicle around tight bends like it's a Lotus Esprit? Do you prefer to just arrive in comfort and be less concerned over performance?

All of the above dictate that there isn't a quick answer to the original post.

 

[Paynewright]

Thanks Jay, excuse my ignorance but what do a coil-covers do compared with lowering springs…and do I keep my original springs..

With coilovers there is basically an adjustable collar on the shock absorber that allows the ride height and corner weights (the weight of the vehicle pressing on each tyre) to be altered while on the vehicle. Only applicable to the fronts in the true sense of a coilover, as on the rear the spring and shock are mounted separately. There is still an adjuster that goes with the spring to set the desired height.

 

[BuilderJay]

Thanks for explaining PW.
@Belly you remove your complete suspension components and replace the lot.
Hope this helps.

BJ

 

[Paynewright]

Different vehicle same principle - the collar at the bottom of the spring can be wound up or down to adjust the ride height. All four corners on the Caterham need adjusting as a set, with driver on board, else you get something akin to a four legged chair with one leg a bit short so it wobbles!

 

[CRS Performance]

Thanks Jay, excuse my ignorance but what do a coil-covers do compared with lowering springs…and do I keep my original springs..

Belly isnt quite correct here , ill explain . The difference between springs and coil overs is , Coil overs come with new shocks , springs alone rely on standard shocks which are not great in reality , Therefore the improvement isnt from the coil over concept its more the different SHOCK that clients feel .( brand dependant obviously you do get poor quality coil overs as well)
So our biggest selling kit is lowering springs and performance matching shocks , This is the best comfort set up and the reason we sell more of these than any other set up including coil overs . Many coil over kits for transporters are troublesome , unreliable and overly complicated for a Leisure vehicle .

The Kit i refer to is what Samro ( Above ) should fit to sort his wife's camper outfit , max comfort and still maintain good handling .

 

[Samro]

The Kit i refer to is what Samro ( Above ) should fit to sort his wife's camper outfit , max comfort and still maintain good handling .

This is what we quickly realised after the stx coil overs had been fitted! They are not bad. Just a bit stiffer that we'd like. Not worth the cost of replacing though.

 

[david173]

This is what we quickly realised after the stx coil overs had been fitted! They are not bad. Just a bit stiffer that we'd like. Not worth the cost of replacing though.

Could you not still sell the STX at a good price if they are nearly new?

 

[CRS Performance]

This is what we quickly realised after the stx coil overs had been fitted! They are not bad. Just a bit stiffer that we'd like. Not worth the cost of replacing though.

Would the supplier not consider a trade in on something more comfy maybe ??

 

[Samro]

Would the supplier not consider a trade in on something more comfy maybe ??

Without being boring - No!

The longer explanation is that I bought the stx kit from a third party and had it hanging around for ages before it was fitted after I was messed about by the suppliers of my vans.

Brilliantly, Bognor Motors ended up supplying my vans after I had been let down by another company, who failed to supply my vehicles.

I therefore already had the stx coilovers and Bognor Motors kindly agreed to fit them, but due to the above saga I cannot ask for any Trade In from a company that didn't even have the opportunity to supply the original hardware.

Could you not still sell the STX at a good price if they are nearly new?

Possibly. There are not that new now. They were fitted in march and have done 5.5k miles.

I don't seem to have great success selling van related stuff. I think the market is a bit flooded with van stuff following Covid.

The STX would be fine if the van wasn't such a heavily loaded beast. I like it, but it's a very different animal to my work van. (Which is perfect!) Raising the ride height would help but feel that it would be such a bore with car parks, etc.

It is still a decent ride..... just not exactly what I want-now that I have the benefit of hindsight! I'm not unhappy enough to bear (or is that bare?) the cost and hassle to make it perfect.

 

[ginkster]

Looking for advice as I'm looking to improve the look and stance of my T28 6.1 Highline. I'd like probably 18" wheels with a not to low profile to keep a decent ride quality, really want the wheels to fill the arches so what type of drop am I looking at ? And can this be achieved with just lowering springs..tia..

View attachment 180986

My camper was fitted with 18" wheels and H&R lowering springs (40mm I believe) by the previous owner but keeping the original shocks. The stance good and I like to look of the wheels in the arches but the ride is rubbish. The damping and springs just aren't matched giving a really crashy ride and also too much pitching. Given my experience I would not recommend just springs - either leave as standard or go the whole hog with springs and shocks that are suitably matched for your van. My next major expense will be to upgrade the shocks to sort the ride! Best get saving!!

 

[CRS Performance]

My camper was fitted with 18" wheels and H&R lowering springs (40mm I believe) by the previous owner but keeping the original shocks. The stance good and I like to look of the wheels in the arches but the ride is rubbish. The damping and springs just aren't matched giving a really crashy ride and also too much pitching. Given my experience I would not recommend just springs - either leave as standard or go the whole hog with springs and shocks that are suitably matched for your van. My next major expense will be to upgrade the shocks to sort the ride! Best get saving!!

The best thing you can do is add some sport shocks to those springs . the standard shocks are always the let down , they dont like bigger wheels and lowered stance ( less travel ) The lowering springs in a camper are always a mess as the rear goes down double what it should . Camper weight lowers the rear 30 to 40 mm and a lowering spring another 40 odd mm result 80 mm drop . never ride well at that height ,
We have 14 different spring kits in our range and we can do campers specifically and keep them level .
We also do spring distance spacers which can lift the rear back to normal at little cost . once the travel is back to normal the ride is better ,

 

[ginkster]

The best thing you can do is add some sport shocks to those springs . the standard shocks are always the let down , they dont like bigger wheels and lowered stance ( less travel ) The lowering springs in a camper are always a mess as the rear goes down double what it should . Camper weight lowers the rear 30 to 40 mm and a lowering spring another 40 odd mm result 80 mm drop . never ride well at that height ,
We have 14 different spring kits in our range and we can do campers specifically and keep them level .
We also do spring distance spacers which can lift the rear back to normal at little cost . once the travel is back to normal the ride is better ,

Thanks Steve. We had a PM exchange a couple of months ago but I’ve still to get clearance from SWMBO! Once I’ve won the argument got permission I’ll be back in touch

 

[Belly]

So Steve [Crs Performance] what do I need and how much to To get the best look and ride with 17/18 inch wheels. pm if you want.. tia…