Van Slam Coilovers

What is a coilover?

To put it plainly, a coilover is a spring and damper together as a single component set. That means the spring and the damper have been developed to work together to function as a single unit, this setup was designed to operate as one as opposed to bringing separate parts together you will find you have less issues.

There are a fair amount of companies who manufacture aftermarket coilovers for all different types of vans/cars. A lot of these companies develop them to be able to adjust the ride height, firmness of the ride and the chamber can also be changed on some types but only if they are supplied with adjustable top mounts.

Coilovers or Springs?

A lot more can be achieved when the suspension is being converted using coilovers. The obvious difference between springs and coilovers is how low you can drop your T6 Generally the lowest you can go is 45mm.

With coilovers on the other hand you are able to achieve a 65mm drop. This is pretty slammed, especially with your VW dropped onto 20 inch alloys. You can get adjustable lowering springs and dampers but these are not as available as adjustable coilovers.

You are certainly able to get impressive results with lowering springs or a combination of springs and dampers but they are limited. New springs and dampers will be tested and designed as a pair. They will be firmer and more controlled. If you want that ‘slammed’ look then in our opinion coilovers are the way to go. Lowering your van will reduce body roll and enable your vehicle to stick around the corners.

Mistakes.

Springs and shock absorbers can be sold separately but they must match up to the original components of the suspension, a lot of people do not check this and can end up very disappointed when they have to send them back and wait for the correct ones to arrive!

One mistake is choosing the lower price point. You may think you are grabbing a bargain but this could cost you quite a bit in the long-run, too hard and the top mounts will perish from a battering from the dampers and you’ll be dealing with a noisy and bumpy ride every time you get in! Cheap coilovers are the main cause of this.

Many, many people lower their vehicle too much (yes it looks cool but not practical) this can cause unnecessary and uneven wear to tyres and very costly, again, damaged strut top mounts and a very uncomfortable drive is achievable with this option but rather unwanted. This can all be avoided if you do your research.

Wildworx Recommends

If you’re serious about coilovers then you have probably already considered all options and given coilovers some thought. Here at Wildworx we don’t recommend purchasing budget coilovers. As explained above this will be costly in the long run and will sacrifice the ride, seeing as you are most likely going to be venturing quite far in your Camper or Trade vehicle this will not be ideal.

There are loads of choices when it comes to coilovers. The ones we stock are Van Slam 5forty. These are not terribly expensive but are great quality and reasonably easy to install. They sit perfectly with 20 inch alloys and the results are gorgeous. We have always had great feedback with these.. Another option is Bilstein’s. These are quite expensive but again are great quality and you won’t be sacrificing comfort with them, we fit a lot of these for our customers.   

Do your research!

Fitting upgraded coilover suspension will allow you to transform the look of your car completely and change it depending on where you are travelling or if you are attending a show. Some coilovers come with adjustable top-mounts which enable you to fine-tune the camber on the car/van either for improved handling or an impressive visual.

Where adjustability is on offer, you have a lot of very exact control over how your car handles so either yourself or a professional can suit the vehicle to handle as you like. We do have a workshop in Alcester where we can fine tune this for you. It is very achievable for most people to do themselves, you can watch this video of fitting Stance Coilovers to a VW T6. 

Get in touch with our team for more information.