how high is the california beach

R

rob.wheeler

Messages
8
Vehicle
T5 Beach
evening,

might sound like a crazy question but would anyone know the height of a factory t5 beach please?

kind regards
 
Does anyone know the height with the factory awning too? - I have tried measuring and it look very close to 2000mm but hard to be sure.
 
I would say 2000 for vehicle as tyre pressures and wheel choice can vary height slightly. With awning its definitely higher again
 
I believe the Ocean and Beach are the same height. I took mine into a 2.1m car park at the weekend. It was fine but OMG that really felt close.
 
They are similar but depends what alloy option you take or the steel wheels.
 
With standard tyres and VW Thunder Alloys, VW Awning and a Solar panel on top I have measured out at 1997mm. I regularly use 2m height restricted car parks with no problem, although I do duck .

The Awning does give the appearance of extra height, but don't forget the roof is Concave and is higher in the centre. When I put a long spirit level from awning top to roof centre on mine the spirit level was horizontal. I don't know if awning position can be raised or lowered, but mine adds no additional height on standard suspension and wheels.
 
thank you folks, much appreciated.
 
How do I measure the height?
Need to book a ferry and difference below 1950mm and above is pretty high.
Am I obliged to measure a vehicle before booking or can rely on technical data specified for my vehicle?
 
Sp0_0k said:
How do I measure the height?
Need to book a ferry and difference below 1950mm and above is pretty high.
Am I obliged to measure a vehicle before booking or can rely on technical data specified for my vehicle?
Click to expand...
You can rely on the Manufacturers Height Data. It is not that critical, it is just to help loading the ferry. BUT having said that some ferries check what you state in the booking against the Manufacturers Data so if you try to pull a fast one they can refuse travel.
 
Ok just measured mine. 197,5 close to front, 198,5 closer to back. Most definitely the lower springs are built for heavier load on the back.
Awning is indeed not the highest point because roof in the middle bulges.
After fully loading it I expect it to drop 1-2cm.
Is it worth to play with tyre pressure? What is the safest lowest pressure I can go. Not for driving but for a short loading ride to a ferry and back.
Got a good compressor with me to do the quick job.

Regarding the safety I am sure they have a huge tolerance on board. And not even 2m car will dmg anything.
Too many height deviations can happen during the ride inside. And for example 7 people unloaded can be a huge difference in height.
It is a question of being checked at the gate.
I suppose in worst scenario they ask for extra payment after measured? Never seen anybody refused on that ferry with numerous re-measures.
 
Last edited:
2 weeks ago our friends dropped the tyre pressures on their Discovery and gained nearly 40mm as they were blocked from loading.

The amount of height gained depends on how tall the tyres are to start with, so a 16" wheel will gain more than an 18.
When we drive in the sand dunes we let the tyres down to 12psi about 1 bar with no problems. You could let them down just outside the terminal and put them back up just after disembarkation but I would not travel at normal speed like this as the weight of the Cali would cause the stability problems.
 
Got 17' but they are pretty high. So 12 psi should be safe for slow driving?
 
I wouldn't recommend running a road tyre with low pressure at all. You may damage the sidewall structure of the tyre.

It may sound unlikely but, there is a fair chance you won't know you have damaged the tyre until it explodes.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
 
This video (from 7min) shows my tyres at 1 bar in the sand. Cali tyres are XL load rated the same as mine and for temporary use is not a problem as long as the rim is not pinching on the sidewall.
 
Sp0_0k said:
Ok just measured mine. 197,5 close to front, 198,5 closer to back. Most definitely the lower springs are built for heavier load on the back.
Awning is indeed not the highest point because roof in the middle bulges.
After fully loading it I expect it to drop 1-2cm.
Is it worth to play with tyre pressure? What is the safest lowest pressure I can go. Not for driving but for a short loading ride to a ferry and back.
Got a good compressor with me to do the quick job.

Regarding the safety I am sure they have a huge tolerance on board. And not even 2m car will dmg anything.
Too many height deviations can happen during the ride inside. And for example 7 people unloaded can be a huge difference in height.
It is a question of being checked at the gate.
I suppose in worst scenario they ask for extra payment after measured? Never seen anybody refused on that ferry with numerous re-measures.
Click to expand...
There can be some significant changes in road height,ramps, grip bars etc: I would be worried driving over them with a loaded vehicle and soft tyres.
 
You've just spent £50k\£60k on a campervan don't stress about a few quid on a ferry ticket.
 
Well it is not few quid. Anything above 1995 cost like 4m high with a trailer )
Anyway, the manual says vehicle with a popup roof is 1990-2030
Models without it 1950-1990
So the roof adds height.
 
So this ferry company do not have a Campervan/Motorhome category. It is just on height only?

If the height limit is 1995 then I know the Land Rover Defender would be over and some of the other models.

Which ferry is this?
 
My T6 beach is 1990mm with 17" Davenport alloys. I know because my work car park had a max height of 2m.. I have no awning rail and the suspension is standard.
 
Last edited:
yes measured it. I know it's a co-incidence that its spot on to what VW say.. They must be right!
 
Last edited:
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