Raise front of van, thoughts on Kilen 190 coil springs?

[eresseraca]

So I'll be having the service station fit new discs and brake pads sometime next month I started thinking about the front ride height at the same time.

It's quite a lot lower in the front (like the Mk5's originally are designed to from the factory). As it's a camper that doesn't carry heavy loads at all I'd like to raise the front a bit, say 4-5cm or so, to have it more even front to back and at the same time get a bit more clearance up front for parking and beach parking spots etc.

I was thinking about getting these Kilen 190 springs:http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Kilen-Front-Coil ... 41c72b6c4c

And have the station swap the at the same time they do the front brakes and hopefully get a bit of discount on the job as they could do it at the same time the remove brakes and replace wheel bearings.

Questions for you guys, the reg. papers says the van has a GVM 3300kg... guess that means it's a 150, right?

- how much higher will the front approx sit on 190 springs?

Just want to confirm that it doesn't suddenly start to lean back instead, if the coils would raise it up 10cm or something!

- is it an easy swap for the service station?

That is, a straight swap of coils only without needing to swap or buy new shocks even if the coils would be for a 190 model?

[V184]

Dont think they are any higher (190), if yours has the original springs there probably a bit tired by now so any new spring will give it a bit of a lift

[eresseraca]

Thanks V184 for that info!

So basically the 190 springs would only be stiffer and give a more uncomfortable ride then...

Yeah, I figured that new stock springs will give a bit of a lift but from looking at some threads here on the forum of newly fitted springs the vans still lean forward a bit. So I guess I would need to be looking at a new set of 150 springs along with something like some 1" or 2" coil spacers and ask the garage to fit those.

New to this area of the van and cars in general, is there a specific spacer/dimension of spacers that will fit the springs on a Mk5 or would that need to be something custom made?

[eresseraca]

So if I have them fit new springs, the right stifness for a 150 and then add these rubber donut spacers as a budget solution to get it a bit higher on top of that.

How do I figure out if these fit a Transit Mk5 spring (as theres no spacers anywhere for Mk5)?

Can I find a measurement for a Transit spring and double check with the ebay seller if it's the same outer diameter and diameter of the spring itself, to make sure it fits into the groove?

Then just jack it up and squeeze these donuts in place for that last bit of lift?

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Coil-Spring-ga ... mwBanner=1

[bagotransit]

What about these?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/King-Springs ... SwCU1YvQjt

Must be good - made in Oz

[MinorMatt]

Well.... most aftermarket manufacturers only sell 2 types of spring. 150 and 190 use the same aftermarket springs.
Chances are you will notice no difference in ride, but will get a small (10-20mm) rise in height simply because they are new springs

[eresseraca]

Thanks Bagotranist and MinorMatt for the input!

Def. looking into the King Shocks that Bagotransit linked to. Those are for the petrol mk5. Is there a difference in weight and spring type between diesel and petrol models? (the description says it raises it 20mm over stock)

I did some more eBay searching on that brand and found a set, also King Coil springs that lists compatibilty for 2.5TD. And also another pair from a brand called archm-suspension, these are only listed for petrol Transit mk5, but gives a 30mm raise, so even a lil more.

Could I potentially get springs listed from a petrol van or will these be the wrong type or weight spec for the 2.5TD?

[Chug]

Then just jack it up and squeeze these donuts in place for that last bit of lift?

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Coil-Spring-ga ... mwBanner=1

They don't look like they will last five minutes!

I have played with lowering motors in the past and you need to find a friendly spring supplier and go and measure some different springs and check spring load rates etc until you find the ones you want, usually with Ford you can find something standard to do the job from a different Ford model.

[eresseraca]

Chuggy, yeah that's what I kind suspected as well. But one option would still be to fit new stock springs get a bit from those and then spend 15 bucks and try those things. I've heard several people using "donuts" successfully on smaller cars and to stiffen suspension for driving on the track. But for a heavy weight van I kinda agree with you, they'd prob last a summer and that's it. But then again, it's 15 bucks

But after bagotransit's link I most likely will try to get a set from King suspension that's designed to do a 20mm raise on the Mk5's.

[bagotransit]

I have the same problem as eresseraca, in that my camper is not very level when parked due to the front being a lot lower than the rear.
My budget solution is to carry a pair of plastic caravan leveling ramps and drive up onto them when overnighting.
Also have a small 'T' level mounted down beside the driver's seat and spend a couple of minutes pottering around bumps and humps in the camp area until I get close to level.

Ramp.jpg

Level.jpg

King springs make a good product and I have been thinking about installing a pair in my mk5. I have a pair of their raised coils in the rear of my Subaru Forester and they work as advertised but would like to find someone who has these in a Transit before I commit to buying some.
Of course, the ultimate solution would probably be individually controlled air-bag suspension with a permanently mounted compressor.

[eresseraca]

I sent emails to three or four sellers that sell the King or Archm springs on eBay.

First problem is that most of them are listed for Mk5s with a petrol engine and I haven't found any info whether the petrol vans use the same springs, nor if these "raised" springs are designed to lift a heavier LWB or a shorter SWB those 20-30mm.

Other problem is that these aren't available anywhere else than in Aussie, and shipping to Finland from Aussie isn't the cheapest thing to do

So we'll see, still waiting for confirmation on whether they will lift a lwb 2.5TD 20-30mm as advertised, so I don't order them and end up with a saggier front than before! And also hoping that one of these seller are willing to ship them with some economy shipping option. Right now the price that seems to be: EUR 121.31 + EUR 78.50 for shipping, and then potentially a 35-40 EUR customs fee on top of that...

[eresseraca]

Got a confirmation from one of the sellers that they will fit and raise the LWB 150 and that it shouldn't matter whether a diesel or petrol engine. So that thing is cleared now.

Still waiting to get a reply from some of these sellers regarding an more economic shipping solution (if they even want to reply)... still stuck at the price, EUR 121.31 + EUR 78.50 for shipping. Feels a lil steep, especially the shipping costs, but might very well be that it is what it is on that front

[Hondekop]

Hi,
It sure is not a one size fits all story, as I have found various different spring versions listed for the 150 (as for spring data).
Before you order, at least ask them for the spring data:
-Wire diameter
-Coil diameter
-Spring height
-Number of windings

You can then compare this to your current spring's data. Apart from the sagging thing, spring characteristics are almost identical for different steel alloys.
https://www.atp-autoteile.de/de/search/v-5294/n-290-fahrwerksfedern/o-2/f-10517

If you don't belong to the faint hearted, you could put a spacer on top of the strut bearing, between strut bearing and bodywork. In the same way, you could put a spacer on top of the strut, between strut and strut bearing. I reckon one could win some 2 x 10 to 2 x 15 mm doing this. Why faint hearted? Well, a lot of organizations that test vehicle safety (like the MOT) will not be fond of such mods, but that is depending on where you live (and if the mod is visible ).

Ciao, Kai

[eresseraca]

Many thanks Kai for your input and the link.

I checked the measurements on different springs listed in the link you posted, they seem to fall within:
Thickness: 19-22 mm
Diameter Ø: 142-145 mm
Length: 275-287 mm

Seems that those with a thinner thickess are longer, would make sense if they are designed to do the same thing I guess?

I got these measurements from the seller on the King Springs KFFR-35 that are supposed to jack the front up 20mm.
Spring is 22mm thickness ,144mm outer diameter and 275mm length.

So they fall within the same specs, but they aren't any longer than stock springs.

Spring experts, if they are stiffer, is it still possible that they'll raise the van the advertised 20mm, even if the actual spring isn't longer than stock springs?

[Hondekop]

The way I understood it, the longer (but softer) springs are for the SWB, the shorter (but stiffer) ones for the heavier LWB. That said, the data given on various websites are far from consistent, a general problem on part selling websites.
If both data are correct (part selling websites & King Springs), I'm afraid there is no gain in King Springs over standard springs.

Ciao, Kai