Not very PH - VW T5 Camper
Discussion
84bhp isn’t a lot in a small eco box hatchback, it’s borderline dangerous in a van. There is continental tectonic movement that would embarrass it once fully loaded with a camper conversion.
So with that in mind and the van now relieved of all the old racking, flooring and full height bulk head it was off to an old friend.
My friend Chris happens to run performanceremapuk in Gloucester, which is very handy when visiting my parents.
Some money later and the van was in the wokshop for an electrical tickle. A couple of test runs to establish base levels and no boost leaks etc and it was time to plug the old girl in.
The 84bhp (and 102bhp for that matter) vans are equipped with only a 5 speed gearbox where as the bigger 140bhp has a 6 speed. As well as an extra cog the 6 speed is also allegedly stronger and able to take more than 380nm of torque.
So with those warnings in mind and the electric wizardry complete it was time to see what the van could muster up.
The result?
162bhp and a completely renewed driving experience.
So with that in mind and the van now relieved of all the old racking, flooring and full height bulk head it was off to an old friend.
My friend Chris happens to run performanceremapuk in Gloucester, which is very handy when visiting my parents.
Some money later and the van was in the wokshop for an electrical tickle. A couple of test runs to establish base levels and no boost leaks etc and it was time to plug the old girl in.
The 84bhp (and 102bhp for that matter) vans are equipped with only a 5 speed gearbox where as the bigger 140bhp has a 6 speed. As well as an extra cog the 6 speed is also allegedly stronger and able to take more than 380nm of torque.
So with those warnings in mind and the electric wizardry complete it was time to see what the van could muster up.
The result?
162bhp and a completely renewed driving experience.
Yours looks to be a 5spd, whats it like to drive with that additional power ? I find with my 102bhp and 5spd that sometimes a 6th would be nice for motorways and extra power would be nice for the odd hill when fully loaded! but other than that its a camper and its fully loaded with family so don't need a rocket so 102bhp was pretty fine 99% of the time.
familyguy1 said:
Yours looks to be a 5spd, whats it like to drive with that additional power ? I find with my 102bhp and 5spd that sometimes a 6th would be nice for motorways and extra power would be nice for the odd hill when fully loaded! but other than that its a camper and its fully loaded with family so don't need a rocket so 102bhp was pretty fine 99% of the time.
Similar line of thinking tbh. Another gear would be desirable, but it is a van, and I never drive it hard as a result. Dynamically speaking a T5 transporter is never going to show its heels to pretty much anything on the road, it is after all a 2 tonne box on wheels.
However it could be improved.
With that in mind I got to work and dropped my van to the garage to get the wheels and tyres united and the coilovers bolted up.
Tyre choice as I mentioned before was limited as I wanted both a lower profile and suitable load rating. In between the linglong ditchfinder xl’s and other such quality items there were Nankangs. Now people always have an opinion on Nankangs and being brutally honest I’ve never had an issue with them on the various cars I’ve had... so for that reason they were duly ordered. In this instance I went with a load rated 255/50/18 XL 103.
The suspension by all accounts ( I don’t do mechanical stuff) were a sod to do. The old shocks and springs playing hard ball and drop links having to be cut off and replaced with some upgraded ones.
But the end result was worth it.
Ok at this point it didn’t have windows and was a bare van inside but I could see its potential slowly growing.
The drive was much improved, less body roll, a significant drop in height but best of all a compliant non crashy ride. If there is ever a criticism levelled at coilovers without a posh name is that they are often bumpy as a result of poor rebound control, the vanslams avoid this and drive smoother than stock.
This was pretty much the outside finished aside from the guts of the conversion such as windows and a very expensive roof system.
However it could be improved.
With that in mind I got to work and dropped my van to the garage to get the wheels and tyres united and the coilovers bolted up.
Tyre choice as I mentioned before was limited as I wanted both a lower profile and suitable load rating. In between the linglong ditchfinder xl’s and other such quality items there were Nankangs. Now people always have an opinion on Nankangs and being brutally honest I’ve never had an issue with them on the various cars I’ve had... so for that reason they were duly ordered. In this instance I went with a load rated 255/50/18 XL 103.
The suspension by all accounts ( I don’t do mechanical stuff) were a sod to do. The old shocks and springs playing hard ball and drop links having to be cut off and replaced with some upgraded ones.
But the end result was worth it.
Ok at this point it didn’t have windows and was a bare van inside but I could see its potential slowly growing.
The drive was much improved, less body roll, a significant drop in height but best of all a compliant non crashy ride. If there is ever a criticism levelled at coilovers without a posh name is that they are often bumpy as a result of poor rebound control, the vanslams avoid this and drive smoother than stock.
This was pretty much the outside finished aside from the guts of the conversion such as windows and a very expensive roof system.
croakey said:
Took it out to a local VW meet the other night and took this photo.
My favourite so far at showing it’s current appearance.
More posts coming soon; just need the time to type them all out
Looks great. Definately ph material
Having taken some baby steps with the suspension and wheels it was time to swallow to pull on my big boy pants and face both the prospect of someone cutting some monstrous holes in my new pride and joy... and the large bill that follows doing so.
Windows were a relatively easy decision, the rear tailgate was already pre glazed from factory and I knew I needed some windows so that the back wasn’t like sleeping in a coffin. There’s plenty of options for windows, sliders, posh new flush sliders, and the list goes on. I opted for the original single slider on the drivers side where the kitchen would end up and a non slider window in the sliding door. The rear quarter panels if you hadn’t clocked already are false, just the panel blacked out and the window bonded over the top. This serves two purposes, one it provides some privacy in the back (plus one would be covered by the kitchen) and two from the outside it provides a more balanced look. The factory tailgate was then tinted to match.
The roof was the major sticking point, there are LOTS of options out there varying not only in price but also build quality. You can spend £1800 fully fitted for a non M1 crash tested newcomer brand upto a mind blowing £7000 for the worlds latest and greatest big brand offering. Me? I went somewhere in the middle with a Skyline M1 crash tested roof with some extras such as the scenic canvas option and gas strutted bed platform. Skyline stood out for a couple of reasons, their customer service is second to none and all of their reviews rave about how good they are. The fact they were from where I lived as a child topped it off.
A roof for me was essential, it provides not only an additional two “berths” ideally the kids when they get bigger, but also the ability to stand up and not spend time doubled over like a hunchback.
I found a local installer (more on them later!) and got the ball rolling with a lead time of 3 months! Skyline offer a mad array of colour options for both the roof shell and the canvas fitted, I played it safe with a colour coded shell and a black canvas to match into with general colour scheme.
During the installation the installers insisted on sending me proof of the butchery I was subjecting my poor defenceless van to!
And this is the finished article in various configurations, roof up and down and the scenic canvas clipped back opening it to the world.
It was a huge expense but worth every penny not fitted opening up so many more options.
Windows were a relatively easy decision, the rear tailgate was already pre glazed from factory and I knew I needed some windows so that the back wasn’t like sleeping in a coffin. There’s plenty of options for windows, sliders, posh new flush sliders, and the list goes on. I opted for the original single slider on the drivers side where the kitchen would end up and a non slider window in the sliding door. The rear quarter panels if you hadn’t clocked already are false, just the panel blacked out and the window bonded over the top. This serves two purposes, one it provides some privacy in the back (plus one would be covered by the kitchen) and two from the outside it provides a more balanced look. The factory tailgate was then tinted to match.
The roof was the major sticking point, there are LOTS of options out there varying not only in price but also build quality. You can spend £1800 fully fitted for a non M1 crash tested newcomer brand upto a mind blowing £7000 for the worlds latest and greatest big brand offering. Me? I went somewhere in the middle with a Skyline M1 crash tested roof with some extras such as the scenic canvas option and gas strutted bed platform. Skyline stood out for a couple of reasons, their customer service is second to none and all of their reviews rave about how good they are. The fact they were from where I lived as a child topped it off.
A roof for me was essential, it provides not only an additional two “berths” ideally the kids when they get bigger, but also the ability to stand up and not spend time doubled over like a hunchback.
I found a local installer (more on them later!) and got the ball rolling with a lead time of 3 months! Skyline offer a mad array of colour options for both the roof shell and the canvas fitted, I played it safe with a colour coded shell and a black canvas to match into with general colour scheme.
During the installation the installers insisted on sending me proof of the butchery I was subjecting my poor defenceless van to!
And this is the finished article in various configurations, roof up and down and the scenic canvas clipped back opening it to the world.
It was a huge expense but worth every penny not fitted opening up so many more options.
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