looks good
SoLow by Bilstein
looks good
Another thumbs up today for THQ, I had some slight knocking on full lock and over bumps with the SoLows so sent Andy an email at THQ.
Andy got me to come back in and fitted some plastic covers over the springs and lifted it by 5mm and all is sorted. While there I got it booked in for a Hunter alignment at Tyre Medic in Hinckley and Rich their Mechanic who has an excellent knowledge of the Transporter and highly recommended by other members on the forum sorted it. The 2 1/2 ride back was a pleasure.
Andy got me to come back in and fitted some plastic covers over the springs and lifted it by 5mm and all is sorted. While there I got it booked in for a Hunter alignment at Tyre Medic in Hinckley and Rich their Mechanic who has an excellent knowledge of the Transporter and highly recommended by other members on the forum sorted it. The 2 1/2 ride back was a pleasure.
rio
Member
Yes, tomorrow will be great, thank you.
Currently I have B14's in the lowest setting + machine top mounts, the effect is weak, it's still 15-20mm too high and a bit harsh at 255/35 r20
A little ` sobering thought . Companies like KW , H&R , KONI and other renown Suspension engineering companies consider 80 mm to be a maximum drop for practical and more importantly, SAFETY reasons , looking at the pictures of the 2 kits the Solow kit is a B14 kit but with a shorter body and the cable/brake pipe bracketry moved down to allow more thread for excessive drops . Its more comfortable because its a dual tube shock not a Mono tube hi pressure gas shock . The dual tube B4 shocks are the entry level Bilstein parts and not as harsh on the road . To get the extra low drops modifications need to be done which may or may not be safe >> Removing the spring adjuster from the rear ?? safe or silly . ?? drilling out the hub to allow the shock to slide through more till it nearly touches the Drive shaft . Safe or silly ?? Running a van at 130 mm safe or silly ?? Modifying the rear bump stop housing to allow further drops beyond the designed level , Safe or Silly , If the kit rides well at 70 to 90 mm then it should be sold as that and let customers understand how the additional drops come from other mods not the kit itself , this means of course all the Coil over kits can go lower than designed if they are modified in the same way . Why is it that companies like, H & R , KW , KONI Stance FK JOM and a host of other makes don't openly advertise these mods with their kits ?? . Maybe they agree that it isn't safe !
To determine how far a suspension kit can drop a vehicle you should read the approval Docs ( TUV ) or check the manufacturers specification . the amount of thread, has no bearing on this / The well accepted H&R /KONI kit is a proper coil over ( not a "sleeve over" like the 2 kits under discussion) a full threaded body and the thread is approx. 110 mm long but lowering is 50 to 80 mm . at the extremes there is plenty of thread left but this doesn't mean its there to use . The problems with changing the shock body length are, 1, suspension movements can go way out of their designed criteria , as the shock body is shortened to allow for excessive drops the wheels can strike the inner wheel arch easier because the stop point ( Shock body ) isn't long enough. 2 The drive shafts are allowed to move to an acute angle where the CV cages take strain and can crack. As the wheel goes too high in to the wheel arch the drive shaft gets stretched and if there is lock on the steering it increases this stretching motion causing a clunking noise from the CV . The next point is BUMP steer VW spend a lot of design hours getting the steering geometry correct so that as we drive along the wheels track straight . But when we move the angle of the Control arms a lot by excessive lowering the wheel alignment goes out . Yes it can be adjusted back to track straight BUT every time the vehicle hits a bump the steering rack and tie rod angles change and go to positions they weren't designed to causing BUMP steer , If the shock body is shortened to an extreme and the kit is adjusted to the highest point for comfort the lateral forces on the shaft housing are too high and you get the rod and piston binding through sticktion ( the nick name given to excessive forces on the Teflon sliders inside the shock )
I am well known for being a kill joy with excessive drops , But for someone who has built suspension components for VW and who is very familiar with most of the big factories i do like to bring a sobering point of view to a practice that is over glamorised in my opinion .
There will be some who like the low vans but its not practical and often not safe. Thankfully most customers can see that these extreme drops aren't practical for every day use , and definitely not suited to the average customer. I generally lower vans from 40 to 80 mm but the average is 65 to 70 , I have had some of those clients request us to lift them a little because they find the vehicle unpractical particularly on poor roads , so i have to ask where do you drive a van 130 mm lower ?? answers on a post card ?
To determine how far a suspension kit can drop a vehicle you should read the approval Docs ( TUV ) or check the manufacturers specification . the amount of thread, has no bearing on this / The well accepted H&R /KONI kit is a proper coil over ( not a "sleeve over" like the 2 kits under discussion) a full threaded body and the thread is approx. 110 mm long but lowering is 50 to 80 mm . at the extremes there is plenty of thread left but this doesn't mean its there to use . The problems with changing the shock body length are, 1, suspension movements can go way out of their designed criteria , as the shock body is shortened to allow for excessive drops the wheels can strike the inner wheel arch easier because the stop point ( Shock body ) isn't long enough. 2 The drive shafts are allowed to move to an acute angle where the CV cages take strain and can crack. As the wheel goes too high in to the wheel arch the drive shaft gets stretched and if there is lock on the steering it increases this stretching motion causing a clunking noise from the CV . The next point is BUMP steer VW spend a lot of design hours getting the steering geometry correct so that as we drive along the wheels track straight . But when we move the angle of the Control arms a lot by excessive lowering the wheel alignment goes out . Yes it can be adjusted back to track straight BUT every time the vehicle hits a bump the steering rack and tie rod angles change and go to positions they weren't designed to causing BUMP steer , If the shock body is shortened to an extreme and the kit is adjusted to the highest point for comfort the lateral forces on the shaft housing are too high and you get the rod and piston binding through sticktion ( the nick name given to excessive forces on the Teflon sliders inside the shock )
I am well known for being a kill joy with excessive drops , But for someone who has built suspension components for VW and who is very familiar with most of the big factories i do like to bring a sobering point of view to a practice that is over glamorised in my opinion .
There will be some who like the low vans but its not practical and often not safe. Thankfully most customers can see that these extreme drops aren't practical for every day use , and definitely not suited to the average customer. I generally lower vans from 40 to 80 mm but the average is 65 to 70 , I have had some of those clients request us to lift them a little because they find the vehicle unpractical particularly on poor roads , so i have to ask where do you drive a van 130 mm lower ?? answers on a post card ?
Thanks for taking the time to give such a comprehensive view. I'm just embarking on my mod journey and find these invaluable in guiding me through a potential minefield. I like the lowered look but am certainly not proposing anything as radical as SoLow's 130mm, and want to retain a comfortable ride balanced with looks/handling. My converter is proposing a 30mm drop using genuine VW Sportline springs coupled with 20 inch rims on my new T30 LWB Highline, but I'm not sure if this is going to achieve the look and feel I'm after. As it's a new vehicle, I'm reluctant to do anything that might invalidate the manufacturer's warranty, but I wonder if I should be considering/discussing alternatives with them before the start the conversion (when lock down eventually ends!). Thanks
The converters generally do offer sport springs as a cheap and cheerful way to get the van looking good . sadly springs alone dont get great results in the handling and comfort area . The other problem is if they spec the spring wrong the back end will sag approx 20 to 25 mm sending the vehicle rake angle out and this can give other issues . I wouldn't worry about the warranty too much particularly in light of the massive amount of mods the converter will do that could invalidate warranties rather buy a good quality suspension kit spec' d correctly and these parts will come with a warranty as good as the VW one and there wont be a conflict . You will then have a great looking perfect handling vehicle PM me for proper recommendations
I started designing suspension when I left uni and worked for Eibach and Bilstein before moving onto motorsport applications of WRC and F1, (and now Rolls-Royce but that’s electric controlled)
I don't normally post on any forum about suspension because it can be subjective and people only recommend what they have just brought. CRS's feedback is worth listening too, even though I like a low car.
The most important thing about suspension is the travel, not the brand, how low it is or ride height. Travel is everything and if this isn't right, no amount of damping will fix it.
When you change the springs and lower a car/van, you're reducing the amount of bump travel. The spring rate needs to be increased so the closing load on the spring when the damper is closed needs to be the same as series (was a TUV regulation). So if you really lower a car/van, you can drive round with very little bump travel which means it doesn't roll much, but can be harsh. To get around this, SO-LOW have shorten the damper body so at the static ride height, you have a good amount of travel in bump and rebound which sound great.
The reason OEM don't have a short damper body is because on full bump conditions the wheel can touch the body/arch liner and this isn't allowed by TUV. I don't know if the SO_LOW kit is too short and allows the wheel to go too high in the arch or not.
The TUV is there to approve the system and ensure its save and suitable for use. It takes away the need for Joe Public to be a suspension expert and therefore it's a requirement on any modified car in Germany to have this approval. In the UK we can do anything we like and create death traps without knowing it.
If you really lower the car/van too much, bump steer is a concern. Although you can get the geometry correct at the static ride height, as soon as you hit a bump or the car rolls, the tracking will change. This is normal and we plan this into the suspension design with zero bump steer around the normal ride height. In compression the wheel turns in and extension it turns out. This makes the vehicle directionally stable. When you lower the van too much, you move away from neutral bump steer. The further away you are the more the bump steer has an effect so lowering too much causes stability concerns. Lowering a car/van 30-50mm will have little effect on bump steer.
Sum up - Going to low is dangerous. Only buy an approved TUV suspension kit. I always advise buying a damper/spring kit rather than from 2 separate manufacturers.
Lets not get started on progresive / digressive damping rates, rebound spring.........
I don't normally post on any forum about suspension because it can be subjective and people only recommend what they have just brought. CRS's feedback is worth listening too, even though I like a low car.
The most important thing about suspension is the travel, not the brand, how low it is or ride height. Travel is everything and if this isn't right, no amount of damping will fix it.
When you change the springs and lower a car/van, you're reducing the amount of bump travel. The spring rate needs to be increased so the closing load on the spring when the damper is closed needs to be the same as series (was a TUV regulation). So if you really lower a car/van, you can drive round with very little bump travel which means it doesn't roll much, but can be harsh. To get around this, SO-LOW have shorten the damper body so at the static ride height, you have a good amount of travel in bump and rebound which sound great.
The reason OEM don't have a short damper body is because on full bump conditions the wheel can touch the body/arch liner and this isn't allowed by TUV. I don't know if the SO_LOW kit is too short and allows the wheel to go too high in the arch or not.
The TUV is there to approve the system and ensure its save and suitable for use. It takes away the need for Joe Public to be a suspension expert and therefore it's a requirement on any modified car in Germany to have this approval. In the UK we can do anything we like and create death traps without knowing it.
If you really lower the car/van too much, bump steer is a concern. Although you can get the geometry correct at the static ride height, as soon as you hit a bump or the car rolls, the tracking will change. This is normal and we plan this into the suspension design with zero bump steer around the normal ride height. In compression the wheel turns in and extension it turns out. This makes the vehicle directionally stable. When you lower the van too much, you move away from neutral bump steer. The further away you are the more the bump steer has an effect so lowering too much causes stability concerns. Lowering a car/van 30-50mm will have little effect on bump steer.
Sum up - Going to low is dangerous. Only buy an approved TUV suspension kit. I always advise buying a damper/spring kit rather than from 2 separate manufacturers.
Lets not get started on progresive / digressive damping rates, rebound spring.........
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Thanks for expanding on the critical points . I do sometimes wonder why UK isn't more pro active clamping down on excessive car modifications. like most of Europe is ,
Hi @Littleblackflash
Interesting reads between you and Steve at CRS
So basically if not buying a TUV kit or don’t know what your doing don't bother
Sounds like there’s a lot of poor kits out there
Thanks for the info
Please feel free to share your wealth of wisdom between you both
Andy
Would you buy a child seat without the saftey approval test markings? So why buy a suspension kit which doesn't?
Andy the problem is the practice of dropping vans too far has become so common place that we all think its normal and assume buyers think its safe . Most countries in Europe will simply take the car off the road if the mods done aren't covered by TUV and with in spec .
Makes sense,
I take it there’s no requirement on the MOT to check the said items for a TUV
Andy
No there isn't any thing on MOT that would be an issue unless the excessive drop had torn a control arm bush or something like that .
I have had inquiries from Denmark and Switzerland recently , and in these countries if the vehicle is lower than standard there must be proof that the modification is indeed T U V approved .
Kwik fit have issued a directive not to attempt any alignment on lowered vans . ( in our area not sure if its national thing )
I wouldn’t let Kwik fit attempt anything on any vehicle I owned 
so I see that as a good thing
so I see that as a good thing
