Eibach PRO-KIT Springs Review

“You want to do what?” That was the reaction from my wife to the news that we were planning to put a performance suspension modification on the Ford Transit Connect with a set of Eibach PRO-KIT springs. The Transit Connect was Ford’s compact van that was developed for business use. In fact, you rarely see the passenger version on the road. We took it to an oil change place a while ago, and the employees all came over to look at it because they had never seen one with seats in the back. Imagine our surprise to see Eibach offers a PRO-KIT for it? We had to try it out!

But…Why the Transit Connect?

We want to start off by saying we enlisted the help of a certified mechanic in case there were any unforeseen issues (this proved to be a wise choice). When you install an Eibach PRO-KIT on your vehicle, we would suggest the same unless you are 100% certain of what you will encounter.

The Ford Transit Connect is a short wheelbase small van, or station wagon depending upon how it is classified. It has a low deck height and a lot of space, mostly due to the height inside the cabin. This makes it a little top heavy and very susceptible to high winds, not to mention G-force when cornering. Ford outfitted the Transit with a suspension that is definitely on the softer side to supply a cushy ride, which means it rides nice but can be a handful in the right conditions.

The Eibach PRO-KIT

The Eibach PRO-KIT uses Eibach’s proven progressive springs that lower the overall ride height of the Transit by 0.8 inches in the front and a full inch in the rear. It makes a visual impact for sure, but this also lowers the center of gravity for the Transit Connect. Eibach makes possibly the highest quality in the industry and they carry an incredible Million Mile warranty. With this kit, you get replacement springs for the front struts, and replacements for the rear springs. Before we talk about installation, let’s go over the end result.

Ride Quality

The Eibach PRO-KIT gives the Transit Connect a more aggressive stance…though aggressive is a relative term when you are talking about a minivan. You can visually see the van is lower to the ground. But once you start driving, you really start to notice the overall improvement.

Steering is most definitely improved. The Transit Connect feels more connected with the road (pun intended) and the steering is more deliberate and precise. Before the Eibach PRO-KIT, when you would turn, you could feel the weight shift slightly from the top down. This due to the softer stock springs and the vehicle’s tall height. With the PRO-KIT springs, the vehicle feels planted and the transitions when turning don’t have as much of an impact on what you feel inside the vehicle. This is largely due to the lowered center of gravity, and while the ride difference isn’t overly dramatic on the outside, it is very dramatic when you are driving.

Cornering is a whole new experience. You feel like you’re driving a different vehicle all together. It’s more like an SUV than a van in that it doesn’t have the weight transfer feeling that comes from, once again, the tall height and the softer stock springs. This also translates to windy conditions. The stock suspension makes the Transit Connect a handful in high winds. During testing, we had a thunderstorm roll in that gave us some nasty winds. The Transit didn’t feel like it was being pushed nearly as much. Due to the higher profile of the vehicle, you can certainlyh still feel the wind, but we never felt like there was going to be a loss-of-control situation.

Braking distance improved with the Eibach PRO-KIT as well. The little Transit Connect van is actually pretty hard on brakes, especially with a lot of stop-and-go traffic. When you have to get hard on the brakes, the stock suspension transfers quite a bit of that lurking feeling to the passengers, especially those riding in the middle-row of captain’s seats. By lowering the center of gravity, the Transit Connect stops much better, an average of 10 feet shorter than stock at 50mph. That is good stuff! The feel is also better as you don’t feel as much of the braking as you did before.

Now, About That Install…

Like we said at the outset, if you have any uncertainty of what you’re doing, seek professional help with the install. We are certainly happy we did that.

Installation of the Eibach PRO-KIT proved to be a little trickier than expected, due to the design of the minivan. To get to the front struts, we had to remove a bunch of stuff (including the windshield wiper motor). Even then there was little room to work to loosen the bolts to release the tops of the struts. Once you get them out, use a proper spring compression tool to compress the spring and swap in the new Eibach ones. Replacing the springs isn’t too difficult if you know what to do, but getting to the struts is a major undertaking. Be sure to have the proper tools and be careful! Messing with springs seems like an easy task, but you can get badly injured if things go wrong.

The rear springs should have been easy…but this project was full of surprises. The issue wasn’t in the spring install itself. We ran into an issue with the rear rubber suspension jounce bushing. Our stock bushings were kind of rough, but may have been still usable. However, pulling the stock springs ripped them to shreds. The only replacements we found were direct from Ford and cost an additional $48 apiece. Plus they took 4 days to arrive, so during that time, the Transit Connect sat on a lift awaiting parts that we didn’t know we’d need. Lesson learned as from now on we will plan to replace any bushings like that from the start, so we can order ahead and be prepared.

Is It Worth It?

Absolutely. The Eibach PRO-KIT retails for $350 and the results are amazing. It absolutely transforms the handling of the vehicle. The tricky install was ok in the long run, as the improvements in ride quality and braking far outweigh the hassle of the install. Plus, the Eibach products are first rate.

If the Eibach PRO-KIT can vastly improve the handling of something as weird as a Ford Transit Connect, just imagine what this kit could do for your ride.