T4 front suspension

[paulypal]

So far I have not travelled on dirt/gravel roads and would like to know the best suspension set up my van has Bilstein front shocks

[Sunny43.5]

Well some good news the front can be raised and lowered as it has torsion bars so you just wind them up or down with alarge socket and long bar . Rears would require different springs .

[paulypal]

thanks sunny but what does that actually achieve

[Sunny43.5]

Well the raising would give you better clearance if you are going to drive over real bad roads . My sons T4 was lowered and we went every where with no problems when he was Moto Cross racing we drove dirt roads and tracks . I would suggest you wait for more answers as there are heaps of guys on here who would have gone to the trouble of lifting for real off road use . I could ask what plans do you have for the van off road or general usage . There are a multitude of setups to choose from but it helps to know what you may be going to experience . Bilsteins are one of the best we have a full Bilstein spring and strut setup on our T5.1 .

[paulypal]

Sunny,
I am not intending go off roading like in 4wd territory, it just seems like there is a lot places to visit that to get to them would be on roads listed as gravel and my van does not seem to be all that supple and going over train tracks cattle crossing and the likes poundes the front and makes the dash shake, top & bottom ball joints have been replaced,wheel bearings replaced,have not replaced any rubber/bushes relating to the front suspension,due to replace rear shocks with bilsteins shortly

[Sunny43.5]

Hmm interesting quandary as you need road driving comfort combined with gravel road compliance . I would imagine then you need to keep the ride height much the same and maybe some improved shocks front and rear . The rear springs are easily changed but the front is a different matter because raising or lowering the ride height by adjusting the torsion bars will give two different feels . if raised it would stiffen the ride lowering would make it softer but make the ride more risky over obstacles and more likely to bottom out onto the bump stops . I would suggest you go over to the Brickworks VW Forum and join them as well lets face it in Europe there are 300 million plus as opposed to our 30 million population . This will take you direct to the T4 section T4 Chat - The Brick-yard - Page 1 ok just found this one it only pertains to lowering but it does give great infor about components and how to Rand R T4 lowering thread. - The Brick-yard - Page 1

[paulypal]

Thanks Sunny,
I will checkout the brickyard.

[Seano]

My t4 has spent most of its life on gravel roads and I have nothing bad to say about koni shocks. However, tyres play more of a role on dirt than shocks do. Currently running hankook ra18 and great tyre but not hot on dirt...slidey understeer is the order of the day even on a syncro!

Pfaffing about with the torsion bars makes no difference to feels. Only to travel...the bars have more give than they have height adjustment. Raised is no stiffer...it's just harder to hit the bump stops!