Bongo Fury

Has anyone tried the 25% uprated coil springs advertised on e-bay, my 2002 2.5 V6 occasionally bottoms out at the rear over speed bumps, despite me being very cautious.

It has only got 59000 miles on it so I don't think they should be too tired yet, what do people think, this is my first Bongo so still learning, any advice appreciated.

Lots of us use these to stiffen up our saggy rear ends .

http://air-lift.co.uk/product.php?unique_id=341

We've got LPG tank and rear conversion and it helps to keep a pert Bongo bum.

Fairly simple to fit yourself but a pair of spring compressors (£15 from Screwfix) is a necessity.

hi simon

I am really close to getting these - especially now the list price has gone down to £100 from £150

need an honest answer - do you notice a good difference ?

I feel the rear end is saggy - so to speak ...

or does it feel better riding because you know they are there ?


I don't have a rear conversion or anything - but when I do pack up for camping - you can really see the rear drop down a little etc

it states that it eliminates some swaying motion and sits squarer round corners



what pressure have you put yours at ? 50 psi

let me know asap bud - cheers


andy

Funny thing is i thought I recalled them costing around £100 historically and also that you could buy them direct rather than on eBay. Has that all changed?

Hi
Here you go Andy:
http://www.mattsavage.com/acatalog/Air- ... AL001.html
I got mine from him, and they're good to deal with...a few Bongo owners have bought from him. They do 2 kits...one for standard Bongos, and one for lowered Bongos.
I haven't got the compressor kit, as I was going to get a ViAir on-board compressor for tyres, and a set of Nathan Air-Chimes!....
Cheers
Helen

hi Helen

Ive got the other ones now.

she,s being well treated this year

2 minitop cupboards en route

air lift bags

air con re-gas

she,s spoilt

lol

Hi Andy

Cheers
Helen

They make a difference but maybe not to the same degree as other people have reported. I find it does not crash over bumps and does not sag so much when we add a towbar mounted box on the back.

Simon Jones wrote:They make a difference but maybe not to the same degree as other people have reported. I find it does not crash over bumps and does not sag so much when we add a towbar mounted box on the back.

That's always been my suspicion. I nearly bought some several years back but decided instead to pay particular attention on the (rare) occasions when I was heavily loaded and travelling over road undulations likely to cause grounding. Its worth also reminding people that the rubber bump stops can fall off old Bongos and it is perhaps the absence of these that will make the rear suspension grounding especially unpleasant!

Well done Helen - I knew there was a website out there and mattsavage rings a bell from many years back! Haven't looked at the site yet but assume from Andy's comment it had prices better than £150!

this was me last year in perranporth

when I go camping with electric hook up - everything comes with me

wether my 19 years old springs are sagging a little now - who knows

but I am hoping it wont sag that low next time I fill her up

in fairness the camp stuff was spread evenly - and I guess with me and the wife in the front it counter balanced a bit better

also I did have half the stella artios brewery in the back

andyb36 wrote:

this was me last year in perranporth

when I go camping with electric hook up - everything comes with me

wether my 19 years old springs are sagging a little now - who knows

but I am hoping it wont sag that low next time I fill her up

in fairness the camp stuff was spread evenly - and I guess with me and the wife in the front it counter balanced a bit better

also I did have half the stella artios brewery in the back

The air assisters should sort that little problem with luck. To be fair I nearly fitted them, but that was when I was carrying more stuff and people than I generally do now.

to be fair

thats one reason why I don't like carrying anyone in the rear

it bottoms out and sags like a good one

as you've said mike - that should stop all that

- I aint telling the rest of the family once there fitted

I will be the new taxi lol

Hi
I didn't have the air-bags on when I have loaded ours up in the past...I doubt they would have survived...in fact, I didn't think the Bongo would survive...We had the usual washing machine, a couple of fridge-freezers, and a couple of freezers on various occasions, but the one killer was a wood-fired kitchen range, and another was a complete set of kitchen / dining-room units made from colossally thick vinyl chip-board in kit form...I had a firm cut the board to design...poor old thing sat on the bump-stops all the way home...no banging or bumping Still, the airbags do help on the monthly shop...which probably weighs up to 300 kilos, including sacks of pet-food and half-a dozen 19 litre bottles of water, beer, and food...plus 3 people on board!...hardly a bump now!, but they don't stop things like the exhaust banging!
Cheers
Helen

Has any one tried the 25% stronger springs
I'm going to buy some springs or air bags this week and I still carnt decide which
I'm favouring the 25% stronger springs at the moment

But would like to hear from someone who has tried them
Cheers

Hi Gasy
I know you asked about the springs but I want to give a firm thumbs up to the air assist.
Our Bongo is regularly loaded up with what must be close to the max and, before the air springs, we had all kinds of problems when driving off road over bumpy tracks. The springs, set at around 35 psi, give much better ground clearance and the Bongo generally handles better on smooth roads also. I realise that the assistors may be compensating for shocks where the oil, if not mostly gone, will have degradated significantly.
If you do get them, avoid the tempation to link them together. Having what in effect is two identical but completely seperate assistors is the way to go. You want independent rear suspension as far as is possible.