RV FEATURE
THE RIGHT SUSPENSION WILL MAKE
ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN HOW YOUR VAN
HANDLES, WHETHER ON OR OFFROAD.
Suspension. A leaf pack or a coil spring and
shock absorber – whatever, it’s more or
less all the same, right?
Wrong. In fact, the suspension system on
any vehicle is extremely important. A cheap
and nasty setup is a recipe for disaster, as is
asking your vehicle’s suspension to perform
a task it was not designed for.
Beyond making the ride more
comfortable, suspension absorbs road
shock and prevents these forces from being
transmitted to the vehicle and causing
damage. That goes for the tow vehicle and
the trailer.
But how to choose the right type for your
van? And what are the characteristics of a
quality system?
THE RIGHT SUSPENSION
First, where will you be taking your van?
If your ambitions include extreme offroad
touring, independent suspension would
be called for. Simplicity’s independent
leaf-spring design or Smart Coil system
both come highly recommended, while
Cruisemaster and Al-Ko also make proven
independent coil suspension. Naturally,
these suspension types are suitable for
all terrain types, from extreme offroad to
smooth Hume Highway bitumen.
If, however, you’re planning to limit your
travels to the bitumen, do you need to
fork out the extra dollars for independent
suspension when a leaf-spring beam axle
setup will adequately do the job? No
Al-Ko Enduro suspension (pic Matt Fehlberg).
question, a case can be made for on-highway
independent suspension systems, such as
Cruisemaster GT or Al-Ko’s Enduro Touring.
The ability for one wheel to move with the
lumps and bumps of the terrain, without
affecting the other wheel, will naturally make
the ride smoother.
What about that ‘grey area’ – semi-
offroad caravanning? Loosely defined as
national park touring, gravel roads, etc.,
combined with vanning on the bitumen, semi-
offroad caravanning will probably require a
particular suspension type. Again, specialised
gorv.com.au
19