I've had loads of aircooled dubs, 21/22, I can never remember! This bus is the only one that I've left stock, and its a marvelous revelation!
I've got a CE adjustable beam at max height and dropped spindles. There's also dampers & an anti-roll bar, 14" wheels & 82 profile tyres, but mine is dire. How can I improve things?
I wouldn’t myself but it looks a lot better than those idiots with wheels that look stuck out with too much camber.
Fit adjustable coilover shocks, drop it a bit (25mm) on adjusters and then lift it back up with preload on the springs on the shocks. Stiffens the suspension . My bus can be driven on normal roads without worrying about bumps, and still cross speed humps at 20 mph. Cut n twist in 2005 by one of the loving 19 other previous owners. Like this you are NOT taking the whole weight of the bus on the front shock horns, as the torsion springs are still all there. Without an antiroll bar it is also still pretty good on bumpy fields.. like breaking out from Victoria Farm at 20mph., across the ruts left by beached T5s
My mates Bus has been cut and twisted on one spring only, it will give your kidelleys a right good shake
My old bus was lowered. It was great on good flat roads, motorways, etc. Handled roundabouts like a race car... but country lanes with high points in the middle, the anti roll bar would just ‘scrape, scrape scrape’... cut and twist job too, so it was hanging itself from the ball joins. Not a good method of lowering, tbh.
I've got stock suspension on my late 1970 van, thought it handled reasonably well except on windy motorways. Decided to fit an anti- roll bar kit, thicker front bar and the addition of a rear bar plus Gas a just KYBs all round. The difference in handling is night & day and no more suprise lane changes on motorways.
From what i've read CE is good stuff, so its surprising to read your comments.. what dampers have you got? how old are they? what about your tyres - old rubber hardens up so the ride will suffer. A mate of mine bought a lovely low miles 80s merc SL a few years ago, had been sat for some time so refreshed the suspension, dampers etc still rode like poop - tyres looked great but were pretty old - swapped these for some new rubber and it was transformed.
Tyres are recent. Shock absorbers are old. What sort would you reccomend? I need to retain a compliant ride and won't stiffen if any more than I have to, but it bottoms out occassionally. I really don't understand why it's so bad, it's better than a lot of horrible, bouncy, jittery crashing bays that I've driven, but despite doing things 'right' (I have no intention of tubbing it). It really is total pants in comparison to a bus with a stock, factory set-up. It makes me grumpy.
