Lowering Suspension

[Lorri]

we are thinking of having our van lowered
Is this a good thing ?
Will we notice it in the handling ?
T6 2016 Ocean.
Thanks

 

[T6 CFO]

Hi Lorri, could point you in the right direction with some links but honestly there has been so much discussion on this subject already.
Try a search

If you can't find them let me know and I will post some.

Mike

 

[Lorri]

Hi Lorri, could point you in the right direction with some links but honestly there has been so much discussion on this subject already.
Try a search

If you can't find them let me know and I will post some.

Mike

Thank you.will have a look.

 

[sidepod]

Perhaps study the subject and understand vehicle dynamics then make an informed decision?

 

[Rob C]

That seems a bit of an arrogant reply. The question seemed a quite reasonable one to me.

I thought this forum was quite a friendly one, but in response to an honest question the person who posted it has been told to 'go and search' and then admonished for not understanding 'vehicle dynamics'! That seems very unhelpful and rude.

 

[Erbster]

I had my 2017 Ocean lowered with vw springs by my dealer. I did it so it would fit in my garage. Visually it doesn't make a big difference. The ride is a little harder on poor road surfaces but the van leans less in corners. The difference is not night and day. I would not lower it more for fear of not being able to drive over uneven ground without bottoming out.


Charles

 

[flying banana]

I hear that vw themselves will lower it by 30mm for you with a kit for about 450 quid get onto the dealer and see what they say

 

[Erbster]

I hear that vw themselves will lower it by 30mm for you with a kit for about 450 quid get onto the dealer and see what they say

That's what I did.


Charles

 

[Rob C]

I had our's lowered using the VW 30mm kit. The handling of the vehicle is very good, with no 'wallowing', but it does make the ride a little 'hard' at times. Personally I prefer the handling and the slightly harder ride is an acceptable price to pay.

 

[hirsty]

That seems a bit of an arrogant reply. The question seemed a quite reasonable one to me.

Chill Rob - it's clearly a reasonable question, just as it was about the last 15 times. There's a wider frustration here that often folks post first & read later, but such is forums ...

Click above where it says 'Suspension' & see literally hundreds of posts on lowering springs, coilovers, air suspension & replacement dampers. See also: which driveaway awning?, discounts, demo models, essential options, best bloody colour for residuals, Eurotunnel pricing, control panel knobs ...

Some fall over themselves to answer the same questions again & again by return, others prefer to take the mickey - either way after a while it all becomes a blur, but generally a civilised & informative one ...

I've personally got a lot of new & interesting info here & have tried to reciprocate, but it does seem we're in a bit of a Groundhog Day patch right now. Much is to do with the demographic of Boomer vs Computer, but do hang around a bit & see what you think.

 

[Rob C]

Hi Hirtsy. Thanks for your courteous response. I entirely take your point about topics being previously discussed and using the search facility - we've all been guilty of that on a forum and a polite 'nudge' does no harm. But personally, being a newbie (on any subject) one always feels apprehensive about asking 'the dumb' question, and the measure of a nice forum is one that doesn't ridicule someone else's lack of knowledge - or sling an insult out because the question has been asked before. (There is always the option to just not post a reply?)

I've had some very useful information and help from the forum, so I won't be going anywhere just yet. I just thought the response was rude - and would make me thing twice about asking a question in the future - which is counter-productive for a good forum.

 

[Lorri]

to everyone who has commented, much appreciated
too - being a newbie to the absolute delights of driving our California Ocean (daily car being a Fiesta) wasn't sure if it was a case of "you'll get used to the handling of the Cali" or "lowering would bring further delights to our drive".
Again thank you all for responses.
I am also gradually getting to grips with searching the Forums on here, generally by accident I might add, and have read some very interesting things.
I know it sounds like I possibly shouldn't even be behind the wheel
The next thing I have to master is getting a picture of our "Boy" on here, I think he's stunning.
Regards Lorri.

 

[Lorri]

I had my 2017 Ocean lowered with vw springs by my dealer. I did it so it would fit in my garage. Visually it doesn't make a big difference. The ride is a little harder on poor road surfaces but the van leans less in corners. The difference is not night and day. I would not lower it more for fear of not being able to drive over uneven ground without bottoming out.


Charles

We had to raise the roof of our garage to fit ours in - luckily wasn't that bad a job to do. Not looking to lower it too much, it does feel as if it leans too much on bends unless I'm crawling along also thinking about car park barriers etc. Thank you Charles.

 

[Lorri]

Hi Hirtsy. Thanks for your courteous response. I entirely take your point about topics being previously discussed and using the search facility - we've all been guilty of that on a forum and a polite 'nudge' does no harm. But personally, being a newbie (on any subject) one always feels apprehensive about asking 'the dumb' question, and the measure of a nice forum is one that doesn't ridicule someone else's lack of knowledge - or sling an insult out because the question has been asked before. (There is always the option to just not post a reply?)

I've had some very useful information and help from the forum, so I won't be going anywhere just yet. I just thought the response was rude - and would make me thing twice about asking a question in the future - which is counter-productive for a good forum.

 

[Lorri]

I had our's lowered using the VW 30mm kit. The handling of the vehicle is very good, with no 'wallowing', but it does make the ride a little 'hard' at times. Personally I prefer the handling and the slightly harder ride is an acceptable price to pay.

 

[Lorri]

I had our's lowered using the VW 30mm kit. The handling of the vehicle is very good, with no 'wallowing', but it does make the ride a little 'hard' at times. Personally I prefer the handling and the slightly harder ride is an acceptable price to pay.

 

[Erbster]

We had to raise the roof of our garage to fit ours in - luckily wasn't that bad a job to do. Not looking to lower it too much, thinking about car park barriers etc. Thank you Charles.

Many car park barriers are 2m, which a standard Cali will (just) get under. You have to watch that the barrier has not "sagged" (or been hit by something). I sometimes ask a passenger to see me under a barrier, but I've rarely been kept out of somewhere I wanted to go (though you might want to read some of the threads on here about French motorway toll barriers, which I have no experience of.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[briwy]

Basically if you lower the suspension you are losing some suspension travel. To prevent the suspension bottoming out, ie the suspension is hitting the top stops, you generally need stiffer springs, hence the harder ride. Lowering will also obviously slightly lower the centre of gravity which helps to reduce body roll, probably negligible on a vehicle like the Cali. Overall you need to decide why you want to do it, for looks or to reduce the roll with the stiffer springs bearing in mind that as already said it will mean less ground clearance.
Hope this helps.

 

[Lorri]

Many car park barriers are 2m, which a standard Cali will (just) get under. You have to watch that the barrier has not "sagged" (or been hit by something). I sometimes ask a passenger to see me under a barrier, but I've rarely been kept out of somewhere I wanted to go (though you might want to read some of the threads on here about French motorway toll barriers, which I have no experience of.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Lorri]

Many car park barriers are 2m, which a standard Cali will (just) get under. You have to watch that the barrier has not "sagged" (or been hit by something). I sometimes ask a passenger to see me under a barrier, but I've rarely been kept out of somewhere I wanted to go (though you might want to read some of the threads on here about French motorway toll barriers, which I have no experience of.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thank you.

 

[WelshGas]

to everyone who has commented, much appreciated
too - being a newbie to the absolute delights of driving our California Ocean (daily car being a Fiesta) wasn't sure if it was a case of "you'll get used to the handling of the Cali" or "lowering would bring further delights to our drive".
Again thank you all for responses.
I am also gradually getting to grips with searching the Forums on here, generally by accident I might add, and have read some very interesting things.
I know it sounds like I possibly shouldn't even be behind the wheel
The next thing I have to master is getting a picture of our "Boy" on here, I think he's stunning.
Regards Lorri.

Also, what sort of travelling do you plan to do? If keeping to Motorways and Main roads with the occasional lesser roads fine, but if you plan on exploring off the main routes in this country and on the Continent then think carefully, because when fully loaded you could have 2nd thoughts.
When I was in Norway, only me, I struggled on some roads with my standard suspension.

 

[Lorri]

Also, what sort of travelling do you plan to do? If keeping to Motorways and Main roads with the occasional lesser roads fine, but if you plan on exploring off the main routes in this country and on the Continent then think carefully, because when fully loaded you could have 2nd thoughts.
When I was in Norway, only me, I struggled on some roads with my standard suspension.

 

[Lorri]

Well we've finally had the lowering springs fitted. We've only driven home unlaidend around the M25 from the dealership but Hubby is pleased, and I didn't feel sea sick around the country roads or roundabouts.
Already have side bars so next on the list is possibly the rear spoiler.
Thanks for all the comments.