Sprinter 4x4 Suspension Upgrades with Van Compass
Suspension upgrades are highly recommended for drivers wanting to take their vans off-road, into the bush or through the outback. Adventure Fitouts is proud to be partnered with Van Compass to provide industry-leading suspension kits that will ensure your van is ready for any challenging terrain that lies ahead.
Van Compass is a US-based company specialising in off-road suspension systems for Mercedes Sprinters. Since 2015, they have been designing and manufacturing a wide range of suspension kits that help drivers achieve smooth, comfortable rides on and off-road.
In this post, we'll discuss our two most popular van suspension packages for 4x4 Sprinters: the 2.3 kit and 4.3 kit from Van Compass.
Note, these kits are not considered lift kits. They are purely a ride improvement addition. The additional leaf springs as part of the 4.3 kit do help to reduce sag in the rear, "lifting" the rear back to close to original ride height.
Lifting a Sprinter is not an easy task with Australian Vehicle Standards.
The Van Compass lift kits are a body lift style, which requires engineering sign off in accordance with VSB14. However a lot of engineers are hesitant to engineer a Sprinter body lift due to the increased roll over potential. This is a whole other discussion, but we generally avoid lift kits on Sprinters.
Stage 2.3: High Performance for Lightweight Vans
The Stage 2.3 System uses fully adjustable front and rear Fast Adjust shocks paired with the Sumo Spring front bump stop upgrade.
This system is perfect for lightweight vans that do not require a rear spring upgrade, or heavier vans that have already had a leaf spring adjustment.
We love the stage 2.3 kit because of Fast Adjust shocks, which allow owners to quickly soften or firm up their suspensions based on driving conditions. These shocks have a massive range of compression which is adjusted using the accessible Fast Adjust knob. Position one–the softest setting– is best used for rough dirt road travel, while position 2 is our go-to setting for everyday road travel. Position 3 is the firmest setting and provides the maximum amount of stability–ideal for windy highway travel.
The best part? All of this is achieved without increasing the vehicle ride height. This means that the factory geometry is retained, which helps limit fuel consumption and side sway.
Stage 4.3: The All-In-One Kit
The Stage 4.3 System is our most popular suspension package.
In addition to the Fast Adjust Shocks and front Sumo Spring, it features the Mini Leaf Spring pack which corrects rear sag on midweight and heavyweight vans.
The Mini Leaf Spring pack can be installed in just one day, which makes the 4.3 system the most time efficient, comprehensive suspension kit we offer - no need to wait 2+ weeks to have your rear leaf springs reset.
Extra Add-Ons
We strongly recommend adding Baja Brackets to any Van Compass suspension upgrade, as they help alleviate one of the Sprinter’s shortcomings in off-road travel. The Mercedes Sprinters have a single shear upper shock bolt, which is suitable for daily drives on pavement but can cause issues for Sprinters off-road. The addition of the Baja Brackets supports the upper shock from both sides, eliminating the fulcrum effect that can lead to premature failure of the shock bolts.
Adapt Option. The 2.3 and 4.3 kits can both be upgraded to include remote controlled adjustment from the driver's seat. With the push of a button, drivers with the 2.5 and 4.5 kits can soften their shocks when they encounter bumpy terrain. The E-ADAPT system in these packages also includes an “auto” setting, which adjusts the suspension automatically based on road conditions.