Lower, Bigger Wheels or DCC?

[LondonPride]

Hi All.

My first post after a couple of weeks of looking through this great forum!

I've decided that the Beach is what we need. It would be used for 2 adults and 2 kids, camping, driving around town as would main vehicle and also for chucking bikes on the bike and heading off mountain biking. I've been trying to find out what the best thing is to improve ride quality, mainly as it will be used a lot as a main vehicle and not in camper mode and have a few questions.

1) Should I lower the van? Does this reduce ride height significantly though which might getting down track to campsites etc a bit more difficult? I love the look of slightly lowered and bigger wheels.

2) Go for bigger wheels? 16, 17 or 18 inch? Bigger looks better but I have read that the lower profile tyres reduce the cushioning and therefore might not be so good getting down beaten up farm tracks to campsites etc.

3 Is DCC a good solution? Saw in previous posts that this seems a new option (and sometimes not available in UK but it is on the spec list) and therefore not many have experience of it. From what I can work out it performs best on smaller wheel sizes.

Any thoughts people have would be much appreciated and looking forward to hopefully putting an order in for one once I have found a few more pennies down the back of the sofa!

 

[WelshGas]

If you plan on spending your time on main roads and motorways then fine - lowered suspension and big wheels if thats what you fancy.
If you intend to do what the California was built for - camping either wild camping or the wide variety of campsites in interesting places then I would think very carefully.

Too low suspension will be a significant problem in some places.

18" wheels - No Spare
Bigger than 18" and you can get a harsh ride.

So, if you spend your time admiring the Beach - lowered suspension and 18 - 20" wheels

If you are going to spend your time enjoying the lifestyle it was built for - save your money and enjoy.

 

[Bubba Gross]

Lowering the van reduces the clearance by 30mm so negligible effect also bearing in mind it will bounce less going over bumpy field so less likely to bottom out.
Depending on what size wheels your beach comes with, then the rolling radius of larger wheels will counteract the lowering to some degree. If you go from 16 to 18" then you will gain just less than 10mm in ride height. So therefore if lowered and rolling on 18" your van is only around 20mm lower.

However the ride, bounce, handling, roll will all be significantly improved and the van will look - Go for it !!!

 

[theonecraw]

Lowering our Cali was one off the best things we did (and we have 17" wheels) - The ride quailty has really improved and it corners so much better now. Go for it.

 

[andyinluton]

Lowering the van reduces the clearance by 30mm so negligible effect also bearing in mind it will bounce less going over bumpy field so less likely to bottom out.
Depending on what size wheels your beach comes with, then the rolling radius of larger wheels will counteract the lowering to some degree. If you go from 16 to 18" then you will gain just less than 10mm in ride height. So therefore if lowered and rolling on 18" your van is only around 20mm lower.

However the ride, bounce, handling, roll will all be significantly improved and the van will look - Go for it !!!

Changing the wheel size won't affect the ride height at all, if you have 16" rims the tyres are higher profile than if you have 18" rims, the overall diameter of the rim + tyre will be the same.

 

[HugoFar]

The best handling improvement i believe is to fit the Heavy Duty Anti Roll Bars. Front and back if ordering from New. Just the rear if you're buying second hand. The rear is a do it yourself job if so inclined. Quite easy and takes about an hour Max. Also make sure you run your tyres at correct pressure.

 

[Skinnee D]

People have also combined uprated anti roll bars and lowering springs apparently with good results. Also maybe source your own 18" wheels and keep the original spare for emergency use (check its rolling circumference is compatible though). Good secondhand market for selling on new Transporter wheels ;-)

 

[andyinluton]

Whilst you can use a 16" spare & carry it, the problem is where to put the 18" that you've taken off when you have a puncture, its the width of the tyre that stops it fitting in the carrier not the diameter.

 

[Skinnee D]

Whilst you can use a 16" spare & carry it, the problem is where to put the 18" that you've taken off when you have a puncture, its the width of the tyre that stops it fitting in the carrier not the diameter.

Yes agreed, best to assume the punctured wheel needs to go inside somewhere. It is an option though and avoids the nightmare scenario being in some remote spot somewhere with a split sidewall, no phone signal and an inflation kit!

 

[Loz]

Whilst you can use a 16" spare & carry it, the problem is where to put the 18" that you've taken off when you have a puncture, its the width of the tyre that stops it fitting in the carrier not the diameter.

Yes, you stow it inside and lay it on your crawling mat (dust sheet) that you keep with your tools, that way you are reminded constantly to get it fixed

 

[WelshGas]

Lowering the van reduces the clearance by 30mm so negligible effect also bearing in mind it will bounce less going over bumpy field so less likely to bottom out.
Depending on what size wheels your beach comes with, then the rolling radius of larger wheels will counteract the lowering to some degree. If you go from 16 to 18" then you will gain just less than 10mm in ride height. So therefore if lowered and rolling on 18" your van is only around 20mm lower.

However the ride, bounce, handling, roll will all be significantly improved and the van will look - Go for it !!!

Sorry, but changing wheel size has very little if any effect on ride height if the tyre sizes are correct as the overall circumference is unchanged. If you go for Non-Standard tyres then Yes, wheel circumference will alter and so will ride height.

 

[WelshGas]

Mind you I've seen many Transporter Vans/Conversions and Californias ( a few ) with lowered suspension and large wheels in my travels. I still wave as I pass them in my Standard California SE.

 

[Bubba Gross]

Changing the wheel size won't affect the ride height at all, if you have 16" rims the tyres are higher profile than if you have 18" rims, the overall diameter of the rim + tyre will be the same.

I guess it depends entirely on what profile tyre you choose for your 18" rims

 

[kave]

The best handling improvement i believe is to fit the Heavy Duty Anti Roll Bars. Front and back if ordering from New. Just the rear if you're buying second hand. The rear is a do it yourself job if so inclined. Quite easy and takes about an hour Max. Also make sure you run your tyres at correct pressure.

Any more info about this? I didnt order it from the factory but if it is that easy and not too expensive I might do it to my t6.

 

[Paul S]

I'm sure there's a post on the Forum somewhere where a member has opined that the uprated anti-roll bars are not that great on a Beach as they affected the overall ride quality. Everything like this is subjective of course, one mans meat is another's poison etc. I know the SE/Ocean can be a bit of a boat because of its weight, the Beach is a bit firmer though as it weighs less. Just my opinion but I'm in the "fine from the factory" camp. However I totally respect that VW design it to encompass a broad spread of requirements and if some people want to restrict it to their own circumstances then that's all good too.

 

[RosmiaAirSuspension]

Hi London Pride,

You may or may not know of Rosmia from the Forum, but we fit the Full 4 Corner air suspension developed by VB Air Suspension. It has all the necessary approvals and certifications needed and can be fitted to a brand new, or older, VW California without affecting warranties or anything

It’s not the cheapest option, but will pretty much do everything you’re asking for in your post.

We recently did a T5 4 Motion with 275/35/ZR20 wheels. The Full Air system we fitted meant he could have the lowered look when he wanted it, pump back to standard ride height when comfort was needed and also have the much improved ride quality you get from air suspension.

Have a look at our web-site via the link on the home page of the California Club web site or contact me on info@rosmia.co.uk if you would like any more information.

Regards

Ryan.

 

[Loz]

Have a look at our web-site via the link on the home page of the California Club web site or contact me on info@rosmia.co.uk if you would like any more information..

Ryan, will you have a stand at Busfest this weekend?

 

[Slovenia]

Hi London Pride,


We recently did a T5 4 Motion with 275/35/ZR20 wheels. The Full Air system we fitted meant he could have the lowered look when he wanted it, pump back to standard ride height when comfort was needed and also have the much improved ride quality you get from air suspension.

Regards

Ryan.

The tyres with 35 mm offer no comfort, regardless of pumping the height of the vehicle.

 

[sidepod]

Come

Lowering the van reduces the clearance by 30mm so negligible effect also bearing in mind it will bounce less going over bumpy field so less likely to bottom out.
Depending on what size wheels your beach comes with, then the rolling radius of larger wheels will counteract the lowering to some degree. If you go from 16 to 18" then you will gain just less than 10mm in ride height. So therefore if lowered and rolling on 18" your van is only around 20mm lower.

However the ride, bounce, handling, roll will all be significantly improved and the van will look - Go for it !!!

Comedy.

 

[LondonPride]

Thanks all. I'm thinking DCC might be the most cost effective option for what i want with standard wheels. If that is not available then some bigger wheels and possibly heavy duty anti-roll bars as long as the overall height of the van does not increase (seems to be the case for newer option).

 

[RosmiaAirSuspension]

Sorry Loz, we're not at Busfest. It always seems to clash with something at this time of year.