2024 California Lowering Springs

[N14agp85]

So I’ve just got a California and looking to put lowering springs on (supplied and fitted by VW to limit the issues with warranty)

I’ve been told the T30 springs are what is specced on the system for it, but it was also suggested the T32 ones are better to stop the rear sagging so much.

Is this still the case or can anyone advise/confirm ?

My local dealer can only tell me he’s priced what is specced on the system and is unsure which ones they are.

Thanks


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[pjm-84]

T30s....rear is fine unless you're going to fill it the boot with lead and or overload the bike rack.

The lowering spring are -30mm but I measured before and after and the drop was circa -20mm on the rear and -40mm on the front.

I junked my lowering springs after 6k and went down the coilover route. I found the front way too harsh

 

[N14agp85]

Yeh no bike rack for me, not something I think we would use often enough and we have another car with a towbar for the tow ball bike rack we have.
Yeh I thought of coilovers but willing to give the springs a go first.

Appreciate the feedback


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[WelshGas]

Yeh no bike rack for me, not something I think we would use often enough and we have another car with a towbar for the tow ball bike rack we have.
Yeh I thought of coilovers but willing to give the springs a go first.

Appreciate the feedback


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There is no rear sag. The Front wheel arch is higher than the rear. It’s an Optical Illusion. If you even up the tyre to wheel arch difference front and rear then the vehicle will be nose down. Your choice but there is an engineering/design reason VW have built ALL Transporter vehicles this way for at least the last decade or longer.

 

[Camperfamily]

I’ve researched this a fair bit.

VW offer two official 30mm lowering springs - one set for vans with front axle weights up to 1550kg (product code ending 677), and an heavier duty set for front axle weights up to 1710kg (cod ending 677A).

All T6.1 Calis - Beach, Coast, Ocean - have front axle weights above 1550kg. Despite what dealer might say, T30 and T32 also have front axle weights above 1550kg so should both be using the heavier duty springs (see screenshot from T6 forum).

I don’t believe there is any difference in height between the two sets - just the stiffness.

 

[N14agp85]

I’ve researched this a fair bit.

VW offer two official 30mm lowering springs - one set for vans with front axle weights up to 1550kg (product code ending 677), and an heavier duty set for front axle weights up to 1710kg (cod ending 677A).

All T6.1 Calis - Beach, Coast, Ocean - have front axle weights above 1550kg. Despite what dealer might say, T30 and T32 also have front axle weights above 1550kg so should both be using the heavier duty springs (see screenshot from T6 forum).

I don’t believe there is any difference in height between the two sets - just the stiffness.

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Thanks for that, that makes a lot more sense now.
Will double check which part number he has quoted me for but hopefully it’s the right one.


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[John Rowson]

So I’ve just got a California and looking to put lowering springs on (supplied and fitted by VW to limit the issues with warranty)

I’ve been told the T30 springs are what is specced on the system for it, but it was also suggested the T32 ones are better to stop the rear sagging so much.

Is this still the case or can anyone advise/confirm ?

My local dealer can only tell me he’s priced what is specced on the system and is unsure which ones they are.

Thanks


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I had the VW fitted, lowered springs on my T5.1. The issue is that VW only did half a job because the bump stops are not modified so you contact them much more often, resulting in poor ride quality over larger inputs. Great on smooth roads. Better handling etc. I think the only proper solution (and I've read good reports) is fit coil overs such as the Bilstein Comfort spec. Maybe go the whole hog and fit air suspension!

 

[Cath&Stef]

I had the VW fitted, lowered springs on my T5.1. The issue is that VW only did half a job because the bump stops are not modified so you contact them much more often, resulting in poor ride quality over larger inputs. Great on smooth roads. Better handling etc. I think the only proper solution (and I've read good reports) is fit coil overs such as the Bilstein Comfort spec. Maybe go the whole hog and fit air suspension!

That's a BIG Expensive hog then. We have a MY21 T6.1 Transporter conversion with VB Air Suspension, chosen because there's no impact to warranty.
Advantages: Vehicle runs at the same height, regardless of loading. Can increase ground clearance when crossing dodgy field or floods. No need for leveling chocs, one button push levels the van on campsites. Ability to limbo under 2m height barriers even though van is 2.10m tall. Less "roll" in corners and roundabouts, especially in "Sport" mode.
Drawbacks: Very Expensive!
Overall, I'm glad we have it.

 

[N14agp85]

Never considered air suspension as it’s not something I fancy or the cost of it.
Did consider coil-overs but from 4 garages I contacted none have come back with a price.
So it was only when I was in VW last week I asked about the springs again and got a price so went back to the original plan of spring instead of coil-overs


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[B J G]

Never considered air suspension as it’s not something I fancy or the cost of it.
Did consider coil-overs but from 4 garages I contacted none have come back with a price.
So it was only when I was in VW last week I asked about the springs again and got a price so went back to the original plan of spring instead of coil-overs


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Advantage of Coil-overs over just springs is that you can set the ride height to your own requirements.
ie put your 'normal' load in the Cali and have it set to match that or set the rear slightly high to allow for holiday load weight.
Coil-overs will usually be capable of going lower than is practical for camping use.
Other advantage is that the damping function will match the springs.

 

[happyjames013]

Never considered air suspension as it’s not something I fancy or the cost of it.
Did consider coil-overs but from 4 garages I contacted none have come back with a price.
So it was only when I was in VW last week I asked about the springs again and got a price so went back to the original plan of spring instead of coil-overs


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I’ve fitted a set of Eibach comfort springs lowered springs. (30 or 40mm)
The rears are adjustable, so the garage can level the van depending on normal loads.
Much better handling and decent ride. A bit firmer but worth it for the lack of wallowing in roundabouts alone.

 

[Perfectos]

Koni active shock are supposed to be very good, increase comfort and handling , a rare occurrence.

can get a short version for drop springs

 

[Jay586]

I have the Koni Actives & uprated Anti roll bar but the van is not lowered.

I used to have a T6 pv then a Kombi, so didn't test drive the 6.1...that was a mistake on my part, the kombi on T32 springs was fab.

Much better now.

 

[NessL]

I had the VW fitted, lowered springs on my T5.1. The issue is that VW only did half a job because the bump stops are not modified so you contact them much more often, resulting in poor ride quality over larger inputs. Great on smooth roads. Better handling etc. I think the only proper solution (and I've read good reports) is fit coil overs such as the Bilstein Comfort spec. Maybe go the whole hog and fit air suspension!

Agree with this comment. We had ours lowered by VW before we collected van. The ride quality was terrible. Very crashy.
In the end we went to Transporter HQ and had Bilstein fitted. The difference is huge and now a very comfortable ride.

 

[myvanrodney]

..just butting in here. I have 23 plate 204 with sport pack (18"). I think the ride is sublime and despite the wide tyres the road noise is minimal. I would love to lower the 'look' of the van and reduce some of the sailing boat roll in corners/roundabouts, but am struggling with the risk of paying up big money and hating the ride comfort when the van is returned to me.

Heard bad things about air and its an enormous investment, I get the philosophy of coil-over (matched shock and adjustability), but a 'VW' part fitted by a VW dealer is also very compelling.

Should I just leave as is - this is a rabbit hole that one can never get out of, OR tell me the perfect item to go with...

Thanks all

 

[N14agp85]

Well I can’t get springs only from VW. On back order with no idea on availability date. I also think I’ve gone off a spring only setup.

I found another garage who recommended a shortened shock with a spring to make the overall look handling and ride better. But by adding this it made my costs go up.

Here and on the T6 forum, CRS get a reasonably good write up so I’m now looking at making a long weekend trip down south for their Koni/H&R spring setup.

And totally agree spending money with no guarantee of getting what you want as everyone’s idea of perfect differs so much.


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[N14agp85]

Agree with this comment. We had ours lowered by VW before we collected van. The ride quality was terrible. Very crashy.
In the end we went to Transporter HQ and had Bilstein fitted. The difference is huge and now a very comfortable ride.

Which Bilstein of you don’t mind me asking?


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[happyjames013]

..just butting in here. I have 23 plate 204 with sport pack (18"). I think the ride is sublime and despite the wide tyres the road noise is minimal. I would love to lower the 'look' of the van and reduce some of the sailing boat roll in corners/roundabouts, but am struggling with the risk of paying up big money and hating the ride comfort when the van is returned to me.

Heard bad things about air and its an enormous investment, I get the philosophy of coil-over (matched shock and adjustability), but a 'VW' part fitted by a VW dealer is also very compelling.

Should I just leave as is - this is a rabbit hole that one can never get out of, OR tell me the perfect item to go with...

Thanks all

Further to my earlier comment. My spring only drop on Eibach comfort springs are a bit crashy on standard shocks. But my van has done 70k and is 12 years old, so that might be because the shocks are a bit past it.
When they go I’ll probably upgrade, but will take advice first. CRS were really really helpful and Transporter HQ have a good video on YouTube which runs through all the choices.


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[NessL]

Which Bilstein of you don’t mind me asking?


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B14 Komfort

 

[sidepod]

Has anyone actually ever done this job properly and set the van up using corner weight scales?

I know it sounds over the top but any vehicle is basically a four legged table. If just one of the legs (read wheel height) is out then the balance is all wrong. It may appear ok due to the compliance of the tyre but the balance will still be out.

Setting ride height using a tape measure is only so accurate.

Given the uneven weight distribution of the Cali I would have thought a more accurate setup would pay dividends. Seems daft to go to the expense of new suspension/arb etc and then leave some performance (read comfort/stability) on the table?

 

[N14agp85]

Has anyone actually ever done this job properly and set the van up using corner weight scales?

I know it sounds over the top but any vehicle is basically a four legged table. If just one of the legs (read wheel height) is out then the balance is all wrong. It may appear ok due to the compliance of the tyre but the balance will still be out.

Setting ride height using a tape measure is only so accurate.

Given the uneven weight distribution of the Cali I would have thought a more accurate setup would pay dividends. Seems daft to go to the expense of new suspension/arb etc and then leave some performance (read comfort/stability) on the table?

When I spoke to Steve@CRS he mentioned exactly that, the only way to truly get this 100% right was a corner weight machine, but there isn't many that are designed for the weight of transporters/californias as they are primarily aimed at sports/racing cars.

 

[sidepod]

When I spoke to Steve@CRS he mentioned exactly that, the only way to truly get this 100% right was a corner weight machine, but there isn't many that are designed for the weight of transporters/californias as they are primarily aimed at sports/racing cars.

Yes and no. A “machine” is simply a computer that collates each corner readout.

Perfectly easy to just use normal (if heavy duty ) scales. All it is is a big bathroom scale under each wheel. Adjust spring length until all scales read the same.

 

[N14agp85]

Took the plunge and took the Cali for a drive down to Cannock, to visit Steve + CRS.
Managed to convince the family to come and made a weekend of it at Alton Towers, shopping at MacArthur Glen while the Cali was getting its work done and then stopped off past the Chase for some treetop challenge at GoApe followed by a visit to some family.

Great weekend away and super happy with the work Steve has done.

Appreciate everyone’s needs are different but I wasn’t looking for a big big drop or coil overs so when somewhere else suggested a shock/spring combo (but couldn’t get stock) I gave Steve a call and he was more than happy to help.
Although we talked a good bit over the phone he took them time to go over what I wanted when I dropped it off. Took some measurements and then made some suggestions.

Couple hours later And I went back to pick it up.
Super happy when I first saw it. Looked exactly how I was hoping it would. Only a short drive up to the chase afterwards and then a good few hours up the M6 so difficult to say straight away how it was, but initially it felt good.
Got the chance to test it on some good Scottish roads today and it was superb! Way less roll (but not gone, but that was never the main goal, the ARB will be a future upgrade possibly) comfortable going across the back roads that are maintained by the local councils but overall just felt great to drive.

Need to get it washed then will get some before and after photos up.

Thanks to everyone for their contributions to date. Been super helpful in getting me to where I am now.

Just need VW to sort my faulty fridge and I’ll be happy! (Until the next mod/change comes along. I’m sure it won’t take long)


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[myvanrodney]

Thanks for the detailed account . Sounds like a very successful visit. What exactly did you have done? How much did it cost? What effect has the change had on ride comfort?

Very interested in getting mine done…

 

[N14agp85]

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