A & E Leisure told me its a full suspension system
VB Air Suspension - Let's Discuss...
- Thread starter kn0bby
- Start date
I sent an inquiry to them to see if we can find out what make of shocks they base the kit on . If they are standard VW OEM parts the ride will be no better that running a standard van sadly .
I’ve got the VB system and the ride was very definitely improved over the original in our case.
Are you still running on standard wheels or have you gone to a bigger wheel
No, standard 17 wheels. Practicality and comfort are king for us, not very bothered about getting a specific look.
From this comment I am intrigued as to the choice of kit ??
It’s a camper, and there are a few reasons VB kits are popular with campers who value comfort and practicality:
1) Decent, comfortable ride quality.
2) Lowest mode allows you to crawl under 2m barriers, even with a non-low-profile poptop.
3) Highest mode helps with bumpy tracks and fields.
4) Auto-level is just amazing for parking up on not perfectly level surfaces.
5) Agreement with VW means factory warranty is unaffected.
Ok that makes lots of sense , I want to understand customer requirements as in the new year we are launching our own range of Air systems and we were convinced to look into by some Wheel chair users who were experiencing problems with a side exit wheel chair access ramp . Thank you .
Having dealt with VW at factory level , what they say about after market kits and what happens in practice sometime contradict each other .
Having dealt with VW at factory level , what they say about after market kits and what happens in practice sometime contradict each other .
Vb air suspension was a factory option but was removed because the lack of interest
I would support all of @t0mb0 observations with the lower car park mode and self levelling being particularly useful for us.
I've found VB air to be an improvement in ride over my standard T32 suspension, with better handling when cornering. It is less harsh, and less jittery than I sometimes encountered on certain roads with the standard set-up. There is also less body roll, though probably because I usually drive it in the lower sport mode. As I have an LPG tank where the spare wheel goes, I also appreciate the "off-road" mode for additional height on the occasional rough track that I might encounter. But I especially appreciate the self-levelling mode as I work away from home, and sleep in my van 2/3 nights a week.
Yes it has to be a completely new suspension system, what we are trying to find out is if the shocks they base the kit on is indeed the standard VW shocks.
I've asked them the question, so I see what answer they come back with
The shocks are an integral part of the air bag, so I don’t see how they are standard OEM parts.
The manufacturer of these types of kits aren't shock manufacturers, they take a standard shock with out the spring seat and engineer a support to carry the airbag .
Look close at the picture at the beginning of the thread . the shock is identical to a standard shock but no spring seat just a support plate for the air spring . There is nothing wrong with this process , my point was simply that the standard shock isn't that great so to use it in a very expensive kit seems Odd .
Look close at the picture at the beginning of the thread . the shock is identical to a standard shock but no spring seat just a support plate for the air spring . There is nothing wrong with this process , my point was simply that the standard shock isn't that great so to use it in a very expensive kit seems Odd .
Just spoke to A&E Leisure, the shock is an ALKO shock
I spoke to head office as well , Interesting chat with them . very different product to what I thought . they said shocks are either KONI or ALKO . I know KONI very well as I am the importer for KONI into southern Africa , Never heard of ALKO but I don't thing they are in the performance industry so I probably wouldn't have .
you can lower it by tricking it just the same as any other air system
the 4 off height sensors have threads on them .. make them shorter and it lowers .. make them longer and it highers it
the ride height is set by the installer to standard VB specs
these are NOT the correct ones but read how they work
AUDI A8 S8 (D3) EVOLUTION AIR SUSPENSION LOWERING KIT / LINKAGES / LINKS | eBay
the 4 off height sensors have threads on them .. make them shorter and it lowers .. make them longer and it highers it
the ride height is set by the installer to standard VB specs
these are NOT the correct ones but read how they work
AUDI A8 S8 (D3) EVOLUTION AIR SUSPENSION LOWERING KIT / LINKAGES / LINKS | eBay
Remember this is air pressure holding the car off the ground , the lower you trick the car into going means the air bags have less PRESSURE in them.
Effectively the spring rate of the air bag isn't as designed and the suspension will get wallowy and unstable in my opinion . Better to buy a kit that is designed to go low than spend all the money on a kit and then miss use it >
Effectively the spring rate of the air bag isn't as designed and the suspension will get wallowy and unstable in my opinion . Better to buy a kit that is designed to go low than spend all the money on a kit and then miss use it >
Good piont CP ,, one can always try and then re-adjust back to were it was..
but i use these lowering rods on my Audi A8 which has air bags as standard and its perfect..
i also have lowered my Caravelle VB air about 15mm on the front because it just didnt look right, to no adverse effect..
but i use these lowering rods on my Audi A8 which has air bags as standard and its perfect..
i also have lowered my Caravelle VB air about 15mm on the front because it just didnt look right, to no adverse effect..
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