VW Campervan - raising the suspension and tyre choice help

- Is it worth doing in terms of less stress from bumpy tracks – we plan to keep the van for a good while

Absolutely.

- If so, is standard / stock suspension good enough, or worth an upgrade unit and if so, any suggestions

Go with completely standard/OE spec springs and dampers from a known/quality supplier. Sachs,Bilstein, etc, I dont know who is OE for VW.

Remember that the vast majority of people replaces completely shagged OE kit with their yellowspeed coilovers and claim them to be better - for your usage requriement, NEW OE spec will be absolutely fine.

Caveat - I've had loads of cars slammed, modified, lowered, I've run Ohlins, H&R, Bilsteins etc across a range of vehicles. So dont think im old man shouting at cloud you must keep it stock.

However for a van, camper/bike hauler - you just want some nice OE stuff, fresh (unsagged) springs, lots of wheel travel, it'll be lovely. The only alternative I'd possibly consider would be Koni Gold/FSD/Special Active if they do them to fit, they are like magic. OE length springs too though.

Nothing to add to the (good, IMO) advice from @snotrag - it's what I'd do. Bilstein do replacement for standard dampers that are designed for standard height springs.

However... your mention of campervan. How heavy is yours? Our full conversion T5 with poptop, RIB bed/seat etc. was 2600kg and was on -40mm H&R springs with standard dampers and 17" T32 steel wheels. It was noticably lower at the rear due to the weight, much more than 40mm lower than standard.

I quite fancy the Koni Special Active dampers on my slightly lowered car - I've read nothing about good things about them.

AFAIK most OE suspension is specced as a system. This means that at the original ride height all the bushings, joints, bearings etc are designed for optimal alignment to improve efficiency and reduce wear. Aftermarket conversions to raise/lower ride height are rarely, if ever, so thorough in their design, and so can accelerate wear.

One exception to this rule was the original E30 M3, which, apparently, was designed from the outset to be optimised for a lower ride height than it was supplied with. This was to improve it’s performance when it was used on track in a lower comfiguration.

Loads of low mileage OEM suspension out there for T5s/T6s (only difference across any of them is whether you have T32 struts or not). Conversion companies will often pull off low mileage suspension and shove some £300 coilovers on converted vans (mine was bought like that and was horrific).

If you are carrying a lot of weight in the back, it might be worth trying to find some T32 rear springs or places like Transporter HQ do upgraded rear springs and lift kits.

As alluded to above - when suspension is assembled the suspension bushes are generally installed for the control arm to be in a standard loaded/weighted position so they sit in a neutral position/rotation.

When suspension is raised/lowered/slammed etc the bushes are then rotated slightly and end up working at angles they were never intended to. As a result they wear/tear quicker. At a minimum the suspension bolts (control arms etc) should be loosened and retighten when the vehicle is in a loaded/weighted position. IE the worst outcome is the suspension is assembled/tightened when the vehicle is on a lift with the wheels dangling down.

I'm rebushing my XC90 control arms and installing the bushes with a slight rotation to account for the suspension lift.

As above get yourself onto t6forum people are always giving away oem suspension.

Ditto wheels. It's cheaper to get a set of delivery mileage alloys than change the tyres.

The Koni Special Active dampers have been mentioned a couple of times above and I would endorse the good reports. Had a set fitted to my (California Beach) 6 months ago and it was a noticeable improvement to ride quality and control. Some of the improvement would also have been as I had the bushings & top mounts changed at the same time. This was on a 10yr old 50k miles van.  I had -40 H&R springs fitted ~ 8 years ago with the stiffer option (T32) at the rear. I'm still on the 16" wheels.  (keep looking for 17" Devonports fitted with decent tyres locally).

Tyres fitted will also change the ride quality. Apparently the wider 235mm give a better ride than more normal 215mm (fitted to 17" such as Devenports). Presumably as the recommended pressure is lower.

Pure anecdote, but we have 2004, 160k mile T5 camper conversion, 100k of which we've put on since 2010 and with no shortage of bumpy tracks in there. The suspension and wheels are literally how it came out of the factory, not a thing has been changed (except tyres, obvs), and the most recent MOT is the first time anything has been mentioned wear-wise (slight external damage to rear casing, front bushings worn)

Yep.. been there.. bought mine like this

had been lowered 85mm sat on 18" alloys. Could feel a rizla paper! Was horrible to drive. Felt like it was sat on bump stops.

Couple of years ago decided to raise it up to standard and fit some standard steels along with AT tyres on with a slightly larger profile (along with a respray)

So much better. I mean yes i probably increases MPG but it feels much better to drive + it's better on muddy campsites or winter

Do a seaerch for t5 swamper and you'll see images like this

I thought the fashion now was for the lifted overland look, would be perfect for pot holed rds

I've got all terrains on my camper but they are 70:30 road:off-road bias. They have plenty of crosscut tread for wet fields but still have respectable on road performance.

That's important...the blocky mud terrains may look cool but they are a liability especially for on road wet handling.  The mud terrains are normally lacking the winter specific rubber and siping that you'll find on less aggressive all terrains too so terrible in the ice.

I have Wildpeak AT3WA's (Light Truck versions) on my van currently.  Use to have road biased General Grabbers but the price is horrendous now.

thanks all ... trickydisco is the way I'm kinda thinking, albeit we still do plenty of road miles - are AT tyres fine on road (noise and comfort the main questions)?

On tyres, I'll add that ours has whatever boggo mid-range tyres the garage has recommended when it's needed new tyres (it currently is on Landsail something or others) , and it's never got stuck anywhere. I did consider putting all season tyres on it in the last year or so but only for snow, as we now live up a hill where it gets snowy. Before that it's never been a consideration.

The low down grunt of the diesel and the largish tyre footprint generally are, I've found, all you need for plodding across soggy campsites. Unless you're really on a slope you can pull away and pottle across the field without even touching the throttle. I've christened it The Power of Chug.

Just to add, lifting it will probably result in rapid wear of front CV joints and ball joints. Mine is raised by 40mm and I am planning to drop it back to standard one day as I am about to change out the 3rd CV joint and second ball joint in 3 years! Tyres are BFG All Terrains in 235/70 16 flavour

I’d recommend having a look at the T6 Forum (covers T5 too and suspension is essentially the same) as there are several great threads covering suspension mods/upgrades. Also, a chat with Steve at CRS Performance as he is has great knowledge of what works and doesn’t work. I used them a few weeks ago for some suspension changes to solve a very harsh ride on a camper conversion and the service was very good.

Not VW, but I've put a set of all-seasons on my van. They're M&S rated, better in the wet and officially a tad quieter than the OEM summer tyres. Low 70s dB is usual, mid to high 70s might be irritating to some

Have a look at the EU tyre label, but noise inside will vary with the vehicle, insulation, etc

@welshfarmer is that the skirrid in the back ground?

@trickydisco

indeed it is. On the hill above Dirt Farm (helping a friend who lives there and had broken down above his house).

2011 2.8 tonne camper van - getting my suspension done tomorrow, dropped it off tonight. Standard height, but garage are replacing rear springs with upgraded ones to cope with the rear bias of the conversion. Front & rear springs, shocks, bilstein dampers etc. Will try to remember to update post with cost and ride comments once I’ve got it back

@welshfarmer. Ah.. i met Shaun Bevan from dirtfarm the other week at gilwern pump track! He is a very handy rider. I/m guessing you are close to crick /aber or blwch?

@trickydisco. Small world. I was riding the Gilwern pump track yesterday lol

I live just up the valley from Dirt Farm near Llanthony Priory.

Got it back - massive improvement to ride quality, steering feels better, no more klunking or squeaking. Sachs springs, bilstein dampers, top mounts etc all done. Brembo rear pads & discs, worn engine mount also replaced for a total of just under £1900, parts labour and vat. Sits much higher now too.