Peugeot Expert 2.0 Diesel L1H1 Van (2015) Rear Suspension drop

[Baza]

Hi
I have the above van and would like to drop the rear end. Is this type of van able to have the rear torsion bar adjusted to allow a 60-80mm drop of the bodywork.
I have no access to a workshop and at present have 2 views - 1 say No, other says Yes.
Would love to hear a qualified opinion on can it be done or not.

Live in S Yorkshire any local forums/clubs that I could meet up with.

Baza

 

[thexav]

You can adjust the torsion bar but should get springs to match, you'll be deforming the springs and reducing travel. Fit some lowering springs and you'll get away with around 40mm lower at the rear, unless you are carrying loads, in which case you'll need the full compression and range of the stock setup.

80mm seems quite a large drop, why do you want to go this low, will ground clearance be a problem with the exhaust silencer and pipework?

 

[Baza]

Hi Thexav
These type of vans sit very high at the rear and as I do not really carry any heavy loads anymore I want it to sit a lot more level.
Exhaust clearance is OK as I had a S/Steel hand made for it with this work as part of the long term plan and no rear box. Springs I have sorted, A company in Sheffield made springs for me so they carry the weight limit of the van but are the length I want. The torsion bar though is my area of problem as the springs will not sit and stay under the default setup, body work needs to come down. Still have to sort out a set of adjustable shocks for the reduced height as well. I was at Santa Pod tying to talk to people about what I am after but it was a waste of time as almost all the trade stands were "buy it off the shelf" and as almost nothing is off the shelf for these style of van everything is having to be fabricated. A couple of garages I have contacted to do the drop seem very reluctant to take the work on for some reason. Clearance is also helped by going to 19" Wheels.

I also want to change to a different gear box and move away from the Van ratios but that is next on the list.

An issue that is confusing to me is Peugeot. I want to make quite a few changes to the van, switches, lamps, folding mirrors etc but my local dealer will only sell me stuff if it matches to my Reg Number, they will not sell me a full OEM Fog light set and switches for the dash, they will not sell me the folding mirrors and door switch. MAD.

 

[obi_waynne]

An issue that is confusing to me is Peugeot. I want to make quite a few changes to the van, switches, lamps, folding mirrors etc but my local dealer will only sell me stuff if it matches to my Reg Number, they will not sell me a full OEM Fog light set and switches for the dash, they will not sell me the folding mirrors and door switch. MAD.

That sounds crazy but Mercedes and Audi have been doing this for a while. Not sure on the reasoning, perhaps to stop people upgrading to a better model, and they think people will go out and buy a new car to the spec they want!

 

[Lunchmoney]

An issue that is confusing to me is Peugeot. I want to make quite a few changes to the van, switches, lamps, folding mirrors etc but my local dealer will only sell me stuff if it matches to my Reg Number, they will not sell me a full OEM Fog light set and switches for the dash, they will not sell me the folding mirrors and door switch. MAD.

And that's why third party aftermarket companies exist

 

[thexav]

Hi Thexav
These type of vans sit very high at the rear and as I do not really carry any heavy loads anymore I want it to sit a lot more level.
Exhaust clearance is OK as I had a S/Steel hand made for it with this work as part of the long term plan and no rear box. Springs I have sorted, A company in Sheffield made springs for me so they carry the weight limit of the van but are the length I want. The torsion bar though is my area of problem as the springs will not sit and stay under the default setup, body work needs to come down. Still have to sort out a set of adjustable shocks for the reduced height as well. I was at Santa Pod tying to talk to people about what I am after but it was a waste of time as almost all the trade stands were "buy it off the shelf" and as almost nothing is off the shelf for these style of van everything is having to be fabricated. A couple of garages I have contacted to do the drop seem very reluctant to take the work on for some reason. Clearance is also helped by going to 19" Wheels.

I also want to change to a different gear box and move away from the Van ratios but that is next on the list.

An issue that is confusing to me is Peugeot. I want to make quite a few changes to the van, switches, lamps, folding mirrors etc but my local dealer will only sell me stuff if it matches to my Reg Number, they will not sell me a full OEM Fog light set and switches for the dash, they will not sell me the folding mirrors and door switch. MAD.

I feel your pain. Yes you need to find a capable fabricator.

Those car derived vans usually use the same chassis as the car versions. I'm guessing the expert is a little larger though and not quite a car derived van!

I bet 19's look good on that. Have you posted up pics or started a project thread yet? You might even turn this into TorqueVans you never know

 

[obi_waynne]

Hi buddy have you found any suitable suspension mods for this yet?

 

[LostInTransit]

Hi buddy have you found any suitable suspension mods for this yet?

It is our objective to lower the rear of our 2020 Connect Cargo. In order to achieve this we purchased a set of the Cobra Suspension 40mm rear lowering springs. These are progressive springs that have bene powder coated red and very well coated. However, Jeffery via Cobra isn't entirely sure these springs will fit correctly on a North American Van, because the springs were designed for the UK and AU market. Mind you Eibach has a set of lowering springs also, but are way more expensive, Plus one has to purchase the complete springs set unlike the Cobra springs which you can buy just the front or rear set. We should know more within the next 2 weeks if not sooner. IF successful, we'll then purchase another set of factory front springs from Ford and have those powder coated to color match the Cobra rear springs, then have the Bilstein B6 struts dropped and the old springs removed and the newly powder coated springs installed with the B6 struts once again.

 

[LostInTransit]

@thexav​

Yes, 19x8.5 ET40 Axe CS Lite Wheel will fit and do look good on our 2020 Connect.