Lowering

[Bubble]

Hi

Would appreciate some Advice on lowering my 2009 California. I'll b fitting 18" alloys so I presume 40 mm lower will look good. A little hard to judge without seeing anything in the flesh.
It seems that there are a lot of products on the market with regards to lowering! Is it a case of fitting the four springs ? If so which ones? They vary in price from £90 to £280
Any advice on these matters welcome

Kind regards chris

 

[BMVS-Camper-Hire]

VW do there own springs for the California, they lower approx 30mm and are about £200+vt

 

[Bubble]

Hi again

In your personal view is 30 mmm enough or will it not be noticed at all. Will the roll be improved a little ?

Cheers

 

[calikev]

Here is mine lowered on 30mm with 18 inch alloys. If you want mega low the springs are not for you but the ride
You get with the vw springs is a good compromise the Cali handles better and you don't lose ride quality.

 

[Bubble]

Fantastic

You cou couldn't have answered that any better... Looks great !

Many thanks again

 

[choplee]

I agree with Kev ,but it is quite harsh a ride and the rear does get a bounce on sometimes ....combo of the low profile tyres and stiffer springs will ultimately hard the ride up ,but give better road holding

 

[BerndRos]

My Van is at the garage for a couple of weeks having warranty stuff done.......

Would the VW lowering springs combined with my standard 17inch wheels on my 180DSG give a better and less wallowing ride......?

If so will likely get them fitted.....

 

[calikev]

My wheels are 18 inch Martin has the lowering springs on 17 inch thunders he may be able to
Help you my van is definatly less wallowey with the springs holds the road much better

 

[T5WOB]

if you want comfort the only way to go is coilovers H and R cost around £1400 plus fitting you can have the van as low as you like or as high as you like .nice soft ride .had my ones fitted at van work in portland .can get you a mates rat price if you like takes about 4 hours to fit .springs are a hard ride compared to coilovers .

 

[Martin]

Money well spent, handles so much better, just wish I did it earlier, I have 17inch thunders.

 

[Custardtart]

I test drove a beach on 16" wheels and normal suspension and it made my wife travelsick. Probably a very comfy ride if you're not prone to motion sickness but didn't suit us obviously.

We ended up with 17" thunders and 30mm lower springs and body roll is MUCH better and everyone's been happy through thousands of miles.

I really fancy the look of the 18" wheels but am scared of making the ride too harsh for passengers.

Have any of you been able to do a comparison between -30mm with 17" and 18" wheels? How much harsher is it?

 

[T5WOB]

if its side roll you dont like H and R bigger anti roll bars front and back .they are so much bigger the anti roll bar .guys at van work say its makes a big difference to the ride no side roll at all .its on my to do list .but doing my beetle cabrio at moment ,

 

[Bubble]

What tire would you fit to a 18 " would it be 225 x 40 ...??? Or 45

 

[calikev]

255-45-18 on mine the ride seems fine to me

 

[choplee]

if its side roll you dont like H and R bigger anti roll bars front and back .they are so much bigger the anti roll bar .guys at van work say its makes a big difference to the ride no side roll at all .its on my to do list .but doing my beetle cabrio at moment ,

Thumbs up for bigger anti roll bars and coilovers ...I think I will fit when out of warranty for sure

 

[choplee]

The larger the wheel the lower profile the rubber ,so harsher the ride ,so 17" wheels will be more forgiving on our not so great A&B roads ...

 

[Custardtart]

Think I'll be sticking with thunders ..... couldn't bear to fork out £1500 for wheels/tyres if the family weren't going to be happy with them.

Shame as I do like the look of the 18's.

Thanks.

 

[raynormor]

Really pleased with the VW lowering springs on my 2011 180 manual, much better handling (less roll) and slightly harsher ride, money well spent, Alec at SMG Cowfold did the business.

 

[calikev]

same here i think the ride has also improved The handling certainly has i went from
16's to 18's and love it

 

[raynormor]

Hi Calikev on the subject of lowering springs any idea what the new o/all height is. I was tempted to try a 1.95m barrier at Warsash the other day (who thinks up all these random height limits?) but chickended out.

 

[James]

I had considered the lowering springs for my Beach, having spent the last month driving a full fat 140 Cali, the handling differences between the two vehicles is interesting.

fIf I had a ful Cali - absolutely - I'd have it lowered. There's a lot of bounce and a certain amount of kickback from the weight in the back. It wasn't as settled as my Beach in terms of ride. The Beach feels a lot more stable, it still pitches and rolls because it is a van but I feel less inclined to have it lowered.

If I lower the Beach for me, it will just to improve the looks. I am sure there would be some improvement but not having the weight in back completely changes how the vehicles drive.

James

 

[timhutch]

if its side roll you dont like H and R bigger anti roll bars front and back .they are so much bigger the anti roll bar .guys at van work say its makes a big difference to the ride no side roll at all .its on my to do list .but doing my beetle cabrio at moment ,

Thumbs up for bigger anti roll bars and coilovers ...I think I will fit when out of warranty for sure

I'm waiting for the warranty to expire too! Coilovers, roll bars and bushes.

 

[calikev]

Hi Calikev on the subject of lowering springs any idea what the new o/all height is. I was tempted to try a 1.95m barrier at Warsash the other day (who thinks up all these random height limits?) but chickended out.

I will measure it tomorrow for you

 

[smgcowfoldparts]

I had considered the lowering springs for my Beach, having spent the last month driving a full fat 140 Cali, the handling differences between the two vehicles is interesting.

fIf I had a ful Cali - absolutely - I'd have it lowered. There's a lot of bounce and a certain amount of kickback from the weight in the back. It wasn't as settled as my Beach in terms of ride. The Beach feels a lot more stable, it still pitches and rolls because it is a van but I feel less inclined to have it lowered.

If I lower the Beach for me, it will just to improve the looks. I am sure there would be some improvement but not having the weight in back completely changes how the vehicles drive.

James

You should do this and fit the 18 inch Bi-Dakar alloy wheels. Would finish it off a treat :cool

 

[calikev]

Hi Calikev on the subject of lowering springs any idea what the new o/all height is. I was tempted to try a 1.95m barrier at Warsash the other day (who thinks up all these random height limits?) but chickended out.

I will measure it tomorrow for you

measured to the top of the awning 194cm or 1940mm so i would not be risking 195cm barrier
you cant guarantee the sign is right anyway i will not go anywhere less than 2metre's