Campervan Suspension Upgrade Options - Van Chat Tuesday
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- Опубліковано 2 кві 2023
- Which is the best option when it comes to upgrading your campervan or motorhome suspension? You want to improve the ride quality, ensure the rear end doesn't look like it's sagging and maybe you want to improve the ride height too.
In this video I'm going to go over the options based on the 3 vans I have owned that has had 3 different types of upgrades, from the dual leaf spring option, the rear airbag option and now to the superspring option.
For a 5% discount on Superpsrings range, discount code: Gadgetspring on checkout at rhodesvans.co.uk/
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Just added Air Bags to the rear. The bump stops were smashed. £200 kit easy to install, I only had real trouble removing the bump stop cups as one of the captive nuts welding broke. So much better on the uk Potholed roads. If I ever need to do the front Suspension I will look into air bags for the front. Thanks for the info John.
we have the jones twin springs and the air bags, and Kilen motorhome 4.5t springs on the front. This works very well. When on rough terrain such as beach road dirt tracks I have noticed that the airbags if pumped up above 1 bar reduces the wheel travel, the suspension travel is reduced as the airbag cannot be compressed beyond a certain amount. I had the airbags first and tried all sorts of pressures and wasn't happy with the handling, the springs felt so much better. I am not really worried about the weight, it is what it is! the coil rubber things have been around for decades, they used to be sold as towing aids for rear springs. Had them on my VW T3 Syncro, they worked great.
Thanks, John! A Very useful upgrade to think about.
Great info John, you did well removing those old bump stops, did mine the other week and the weld on the cup broke on both so the cup was then spinning on the bolt with no way to remove it, ended up just inserting the new ‘rubbers’ into the old cups
I had the o/s but weld snap within the first few turns so I used a multi tool with a carbide cutting tool to cut through the bolt and that allowed me to fit the new one and get a nut through the top.
As always John, thank you very much for a most informative vlog. I always find your vlogs very interesting.
My pleasure!
Great vlog John I have Air bags on the rear. To be fair I don't have a lot of weight as I'm a weekend Warrior but when I have a little bit of extra weight they are handy just to take it up level and also use it for levelling up sometimes. And it is a better ride
Be safe
We've had sumos on the front of our 4x4 Sprinter for 12 months now, gave them a good bashing off-road round Albania. They've been a massive improvement, especially combined with the Koni dampers.
Hi John really enjoyed watching your video very interesting about the spring on your van 🚐 looking forward to seeing your next video keep safe 😷👍🏻
Glad you did this video mate. Very intuitive John. Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it
Thanks for your advice! 😊
That kit looks great on your van 👍🏻. Top job 😁
Put these on my Pilote 700 three years ago and they do what is says on the tin,made a huge differance to the wobble.
Well I enjoyed it probably feels like a new van to you good luck 👍🏴
Very practical, thanks for sharing as looks much simpler than some other solutions. Had the same with spring assistance when I fitted some to a car when I had a caravan many years ago. As always very helpful - have a lovely Easter, all the best, David 👍
Glad it helped
Great was looking at these nice to see how easy they are to install
Glad you liked it
Great video and review of the different types of suspension. I’ve just bought the same kit for my van conversion, so now sure that I’ve made the right decision. 👍
Glad it was helpful!
That sounds like a great upgrade to your van John 👍
And thanks for yet another informative explanation (in plain English) on something that many of us would not have known about... 😂
Glad you enjoyed it
good vid on the van thanks lee
I have the air bags. It does make back end a bit hard, I only run them about 30 psi, anymore it’s like solid. So your new system looks much better.
great video ,i bought front sumo springs for my sprinter based hymer and i improved my drive no end great product
Very nice!
You know what to buy Mandy for her Birthday this year now. Lots of Brownie points.
Great video pal I enjoyed it very much thank you 🤗
Glad you enjoyed it
Great video, they will compress a bit over time, from your measurements you can see you managed to balance the weight left and right pretty well, bit more weight on the drivers side (about 1cm worth) I would guess the batteries are on that side. 😊
Yes, the batteries do account for extra weight on the offside but once I load up my garage with my bike, kayak and tools on the nearside it’ll all be balanced out.
Thanks
Nice tape measure!! 📏👍👍👍 14:06
The van looks awesome with its new ride height 😊👍
I think so too! 👍🏻
Great video John . Will you do a future review later on after some further mileage on track and tarmac?
Many thanks for sharing .
This was over muddy track, tarmac, rough roads and country lanes.
I prefer air bags at the rear as I can adjust them depending on load and if I'm going onto a ferry I'll jack up to max pressure
I fitted the Sumo spring kit to my Sprinter before we left home for three months away in Europe. The difference in ride and handling was amazing! The van felt properly planted to the road and tackling hairpins in the Pyrenees was a breeze. I've since added 5 ton springs to the van which has made things even better with a satisfactory lift to the ride height.
Thanks for sharing!
Very informative John. Already have double leaf springs at the back but have been thinking about the front sumo upgrade
How about a video on inside camera monitoring? Would like to keep an eye on our Spanners when we leave them inside the van when out on the Miriders 😀
I’ve not changed anything from my previous moho cctv system, so that video is still there to view on the @basicallyepicadventures channel 👍🏻
Great video, thanks. Have you had the van on a weighbridge since building it? Do you plan to if not? Would love rundown of stats, time, cost, weight etc.
Eventually I’ll get this info into a video 👍🏻
John, Really informative. I have a 7.5M Adria MH on Ducato 2021. I have rear Airbag suspension fitted. Would the Sumo front coils compliment this & would you recommend?
Good video john, I have air bags fitted on my autosleeper campervan. I would love some advice on how to fit a lithium battery and b2b charger upgrade.
Those videos already exist over on my travel channel, Basically Epic Adventures @basicallyepicadventures
Very strange you should post this up now as I am about to fit a bagged system on my Master, It's an ex ambulance with a Dunlop factory system and to replace the knackered bags is £350 a side, now the original compressor has also decided not to fill the bags, the bags leak slowly but hold air so that's not the issue, like so many others I am going to fit a kit as I'm fed up with it breaking down every time I want to use it , wish I could go down the route you have but it's not possible until the steel ramp cage is removed. Enjoy your travels
I fitted the Dunlop air suspension kit to the rear of our Boxer. Easy kit to fit Did not opt for the kit with compressor just manual inflation. I would advise that if you are removing U bolts from the springs, you seriously consider fitting new U bolts especially if the van has covered a few miles. The air suspension certainly has improved the ride quality on the rear especially when loaded with ebikes etc. I always think of the Castlemain 4X advert “ I think we have overdone the Sherry”
Good tip!
Hari OM
While this is not something that I would tackle these days, I still love to geek out on watching such things!... I'm trying to remember if ou opted to go down the 'electric kitchen' option; would be interested in a van chat about your experience with that! YAM xx
I did indeed, only renewable energy powered cooking here 😀
Hi John - nice video as always. Thanks for posting. I’ve read and seen other videos where people have fitted just one ‘spacer’ to the rear Sumo Spring. Looks like you fitted two spacers. Was this of your choosing (ie you wanting more ride height) or were two spacers recommended by the manufacturer for your specific vehicle? Hope to hear. Thanks, Nick
If you remove a space the bolt wouldn't be suitable as it's only threaded at the end, so it seems the manufacturer wants both spacers to be used.
air conditioning john please! have the timpro air suspension kit love it!
I don’t have air conditioning in the hab area, and I’ve not had it in any previous vans, so that’s not something I could comment on.
@@GadgetJohn I'm going to be trying out a unit from coolbreeze looks good will do a review on my page
Hi John
How about a fridge video, 3 way, compressor and top loader. Again not many will have experience of them all.
Cheers
Phil
Great idea, noted 👍🏻
My only worry would be more chance of broken front springs as only one or two coils are doing all the work.
Interesting video John. Do you have to inform your insurance company about the changes?
My insurer asses a vehicle at the time of a claim, so I don’t need to notify them of any changes.
I have 3850kg burstner ixeo with single leaf springs , I wouldn’t say they look happy just amused maybe. Would you upgrade ?
Hi John what about your radio are you doing a review soon I tried using a fire tablet worked ok but then I found out it has no GPS for sat nav☹️
Yes, that review video will be out within the next 7 days.
It is very nice of the boxer/relay/ducato/promaster put crappy bumpstoppers and weak coilsprings on their vehicles so that other companies earn some money and more over let owners enjoy a safety upgrade 🤓
Totally agree
John, have you used the wheels and tyres that you had on the motorhome, just wondering as we have taken our wheels and tyres from our motorhome to fit to our campervan (when it eventually arrives), just concerned about wheel arch clearance. Cheers safe travels
As you can see from the video the clearance is fine 👍🏻
John , enjoyed the advice but since you’ve had both a camper van and a Motorhome what would you recommend for a Moho upgrade ? I have a two year old Burstner over 3500kg and find the ride a bit crashy on A and B roads , probably down to the highly inflated Michelins . I think from previous videos you recommend fitting All terrain BF’s at a lower PSI , what suspension mods would you recommend? Appreciate any advice you can give .
The BFG allow for lower pressures as the sidewalls are much stronger than other tyres, so that helps. This state 1 kit would be my suggestion as an easy and very welcome upgrade to the stock suspension.
Hi John....when are you doing the video about your Renogy system as I'm about to fit the same bit of kit??
Should be out this Friday 👍🏻
@Gadget John thanks...I look forward to it...we went with the tiny separator toilet off your recommendation too
John do they have some form of Spring built into the bump stops to allow the axle to move up and down as you go over bumps, or are they simply just a solid block of nylon. great video John cheers mate
The spring is the leaf spring, the bump stop is not solid plastic so it allows for movement too.
@@GadgetJohn so a bit like in the 70s when you wanted to jack up the back of a car by putting two lumps of wood in there then. I have had a look on their website and there is very limited information nothing really explaining how they work I would imagine you really need stage 2 so you've got the uprated Springs as well. because as you've got it I would think it would be a very banging bumpy ride on any rougher terrain than tarmac roads as it seems that you have very little travel for your axle if any.
As usual, an interesting video, and as usual, it's got me thinking about our van and what to do about its poor suspension which is very hard and transfers every rut and pothole into a minor shock wave throughout the van. Has this lift kit smoothed out the ride, stiffened it up in respect of shock or not affected this issue? We have the maxi Ducato which has, I understand, the heavy weight suspension as standard.
If you’ve got the maxi then you’ve got double leaf springs and uprated shocks already, so my suggestion to smooth out your ride would be to get BFG K02 tyres so you have more flexibility on tyre pressures, standard van tyres require very high pressures due to their sidewall construction, so the BFG would let you get a smoother ride as they can run at lower pressures.
@Gadget John Cheers John. That's the general plan once these Michelin cross climate tyres are worn out, but they are holding up well and show little signs of wear, so it's hard to justify the cost just now.
Oddly enough, although my van is definitely a Ducato maxi, it's got single leaf springs. They are fairly chunky and have a "happy smile". The Van only had 13000mls on it when I bought it, and I can't imagine anyone changing the springs on it at that mileage, although anything is possible. Maybe it was spec'd as when purchased by ih motorhomes as a camper. Further investigation required. 🔎
Looks great. If the air suspension was cheaper - would you rather have that?
Also, is the suspension kit Tüv compliant? Your MOT.
We have to produce certification if we make any modifications.
I am trying to source 2 hand double leaf springs and airsuspension on mine.
I covered the air suspension in this video, the other info you can find out from the manufacturer.
@@alanhat5252 - Mine is an old handicap bus, and the single leafsprings have a very heavy "frown" and not a happy smile as John puts it.🤣🤣
Not even empty.😭
Do you need the tracking changed now you have changed the front suspension angle?
Not at all as nothing has changed the geometry.
Hi John, have you notified your insurance company about the sumo springs and was there any additional cost?
My insurance company doesn’t request info about vehicle changes.
2 quick questions doesn’t it make the ride stiffer and therefore less comfy and how long are these items expected to last. Cheers
Yes, it’s a firm ride but on a normal smooth road, motorway etc. you still get a comfy ride.
Your other question is best suited for the manufacturer.
Hi John I've been watching your build since you started. One thing I've not heard you mention is a cambelt change. I have the same van and am led to believe a belt change is due at 75k or 5 years. Is it something you've overlooked?
It’s been done before I bought it and the next is due at 120k miles.
I have manually inflated airbags on my pickup for when I use my truck camper. It rides much better with the camper pod on the truck but in 6 years I've never used them to level the van. It's much quicker to use a ramp but I might have do it next time that I drive off and leave the ramp behind (I wonder if they will still be there next time I go to Scotland).
What tyre pressures do you run?
50psi front & 53psi at the back.
Just wondering if any of the cheaper power banks were worth buying. I need one for my CPAP machine but I don't have a load of money to spend. I know you took some cheaper ones to Ukraine to run medical equipment so your insight would be much appreciated because I am totally clueless
I recently made a video of a great power station that’s very reasonably priced.
What's that place called please where you went that sells all different campervan and motorhome parts ?
Magnum Motorhomes.
@GadgetJohn cheers mate appreciate it
Do you get any noise travel?
Not sure I understand your question. Why would this mod add noise?
Can I fit this upgrade to my sunlight Motorhome
If it’s on a Ducato/boxer/relay van then yes.
@@GadgetJohn thanks John
Would you spend your own money to fit them to Mandy's van?
We fitted these to Mandys van too 👍🏻
That's a better recommendation than any words can say👍 What's your opinion on auto Vs manual for campervans and bigger motorhomes or is that the subject for another vlog 😜
It’s a bit of a poor subject for me as the last silver panel van conversion was a robotised auto, and it was pathetic. So as that’s all I’ve driven I’d say I’m not best suited to give a constructive opinion 😁
Excuse me for possibly talking complete guff, but isn’t there something on the rear axle that measures a lower ride height based on it having weight inside and adjusts the brakes? Won’t forcing an increased false ride height confuse that? Or am I talking complete nonsense?
No, and with 3 vans of experience I can confirm that it’s not on any vehicle of this type.
A bit of advice you can only do 50 mph on a single country lane in a van
But 60 in a campervan 👍
@@garagefaff that is right but only if its registered with dvla as a camper
If your vehicle is registered as a motorhome/motor caravan and has under 3.05 tonnes unladen weight you can do 60 on a single carriageway.
Van conversions can go either way depending on if they are based on a goods van or a car derived van weighing no more than 2 tonnes (laden). Only a self converted micro camper is going to be under 2t though.
Wierdly it doesn’t have to be registered with DVLA as a Campervan it just has to meet the criteria. 👍 Same as presenting for MOT. The DVLA classification doesn’t matter.
@@garagefaff Yes, this is correct. The V5C classification doesn't affect speed limits and is just there to describe the outward appearance of the vehicle. Having said that, I would get the classification changed to motor caravan in order to remove any confusion which could arise. I wouldn't want to have to travel to a court on the other side of the country to argue against an erroneous issued speed ticket.
👍🏼🛠🚐
I have 3850kg burstner ixeo with single leaf springs , I wouldn’t say they look happy just amused maybe. Would you upgrade ?