SUSPENSION

Our van is heavy. When the water is topped off and we have a full tank of fuel you can feel it. At least we could. Since installing the Van Compass suspension we’ve noticed a real difference. We used their shocks on our last van and were very happen with how they felt. This time I decided to upgrade it a little bit with our plan to encounter a lot of different dirt roads in South America. Van Compass offers different shocks options for the rears and 2 options for the front struts. We went with the Bilstein B6 yellow struts up front. The install is straight forward and goes quickly. In the rear we chose the remote reservoir adjustable Fox Shocks. These things are rad. When I pulled them out the the box and got them ready for the install, I couldn’t help but be impressed. They’re quality to the max and another easy install. The last piece of the suspension puzzle are the sumo springs. These are bump stop helper springs. With theNew added weight we felt it was necessary to get the for the front and back. I notice a lot less sway and rocking going over uneven surfaces. The kit was not inexpensive, but I feel like it was totally necessary and a good value. Van Compass is great to deal with and I loved how they requested information about our van as far the interior build and our expected load were concerned. This information allowed them to get the valving of the shocks just right. If you have a Sprinter, Promaster, or Transit, check them out.

WHEELS & TIRES:

I’m an indecisive person. That fact was pretty evident when it came to deciding what wheels to go with. At one point I had a set of OEM alloy wheels, OEM alloy wheels powder-coated black, OEM black steel wheels, and some Mandrus alloy wheels. They all seemed like good options and I can’t pass up a deal, so 4 sets we had. In the end the powder-coated OEMs won out and I think we made the right choice. I usually prefer OEM vs aftermarket wheels as I think they tend to fit the over aesthetic of the van better. Plus the black looks good against the silver paint.

For tires, BFG AT’s felt like a logical choice. With the van being as heavy as it is, I wanted a stout tire for the dirt roads we will encounter in Alaska and South America. BFG is known to have a long service life in tough conditions with their Tri-Guard sidewalls. I ran a set on my 4Runner years ago and didn’t have any issues. Thus far we’ve put 10,000 miles on them and they’ve been great. We’ve done a lot of highway miles and they track well and are quiet. I decided to go up a little in height and give up some width compared to the factory size. We went with 235/85R16s. I think the fill out the wheel wells better and give us a little bit of extra clearance. They totally fit and do not rub at full lock. The spare fits perfectly underneath with only the mildest of persuasion. The larger size has caused our speedometer to be about 4 MPH low compared to our Garmin when we’re driving 70.

SUSPENSION – WHEELS & TIRES GALLERY:

We listed a few details of what we did at the bottom of each picture. If you have any questions about this build feel free to reach out to us.