One thing you might not have thought about when buying a campervan is the suspension. But it’s what keeps your ‘van from feeling smooth and comfortable, even when you're driving down dodgy country roads.
Richard explains why you might want to consider upgrading your campervan suspension - whether you've got a short or medium wheel based van.
The basics of campervan suspension
Suspension is a delicate balance of shock absorbers, springs, and other fancy bits that work together to soak up the bumps and keep you feeling nice and steady.
Now, the type of suspension you'll need can vary depending on the make and model of your campervan, and how you plan to use it. Some campervans are built for off-road adventures, while others are more suited to the motorway. Knowing the ins and outs of your suspension system can help you make sure you've got the right setup for your needs.
Watch Richard explain suspension...
Leaf springs
A lot of Fiats, Peugeots, and Citroens use a leaf spring system on the back, which can be weak for a campervan. The suspension sits virtually on the bump stop which is designed to stop it from hitting your axle.
But what happens in a lot of vans is that when you see them driving around, the lights seem quite high. And that's because when the back ends are low, the lights lift up at the front, which causes some issues. You'll also notice that when you're travelling, the suspension is much harder as well, so you don't get as much comfort.
The bigger vans tend to suffer more than the smaller ones, but even a SWB 'van can really benefit from upgraded suspension. Especially if you want to add a tow bar or anything like bike racks to your ‘van, this adds too much weight after the axle.
What are the options for upgrading your campervan suspension?
There are two options to solve this problem.
Uprated leaf springs
You can have uprated leaf springs. Most vans will have a single-leaf spring on the back. There are double-leaf springs specifically made for the Fiat, Peugeot and Citroen ‘vans, which beefs it up a bit.
For this, we take your old leaf springs off and put new U bolts on. And of the two options, the leaf spring swap is the cheaper one.
Air assist
Another option is air assist. Now you could go full air, but this can be very expensive, whereas air assist is very similar.
Air assist works in conjunction with your existing leaf springs. The airbags sit on top of where your bump stops would go. You remove those, put these airbags in, run some pipes to the front, and wire it all up.
You have a little compressor at the front, and in your cockpit, where your van is, you'll have a dial. They sit really nicely, just at the side of the steering wheel, on the right-hand side.
There are two gauges because you can use them fully independently, so you can set your travel comfort when you're driving.
It will lift the back end much higher, bringing the front end down, so you've got more control while you're driving. And it'll feel nicer while you're driving as well.
When you are parked up, it'll give you a good 3 inches of travel. So when you're trying to self-level, if it's only a bit you need, you can use your air suspension at the back to give you a little bit of flexibility there.
Upgrade your suspension with us at Orange Campers
For more information on suspension, how it can benefit you, and what upgrading with us involves, give us a call, drop us an email, chat with us if you visit a show, or just pop in any time at our workshop in Rotherham.
See prices for adding on upgraded suspension to the Trouvaille Classqiue MWB and the Trouvaille Classique SWB.
Comments