Mid life crisis Cali Swamper!

[Grigio Van Grigio]

Thanks for all the replies. I think I’m settling on the Falken’s. They sound the perfect balance between road use, looks and campsite traction. Now to the wheels. Anyone got the Rally Raid’s on chunky tyres?

 

[wildslammer22]

Thanks for all the replies. I think I’m settling on the Falken’s. They sound the perfect balance between road use, looks and campsite traction. Now to the wheels. Anyone got the Rally Raid’s on chunky tyres?

I’ve no experience of the Falkens but they are where I will probably go when my BFG KO2’s eventually need replacing. The reviews of the Trail Terrians suggest that their wet weather performance is even more compromised that most AT’s so if you live in a wet climate I’d probably rule them out too.


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[Grigio Van Grigio]

I’ve no experience of the Falkens but they are where I will probably go when my BFG KO2’s eventually need replacing. The reviews of the Trail Terrians suggest that their wet weather performance is even more compromised that most AT’s so if you live in a wet climate I’d probably rule them out too.


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I live in the Peak District so yes, definitely live in a wet climate!

 

[wildslammer22]

I live in the Peak District so yes, definitely live in a wet climate!

You’ll be needing a snorkel as well then!


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[Californication69]

Those Tomahawk Kato’s look great!

Thanks !

 

[Californication69]

Any issues with rubbing on the sliding door? Or with TPMS (if you have this?).

None at all.
I use aftermarket Chinese aliexpress TPMS

 

[Grigio Van Grigio]

If you want to lower the van to enter garages and/or barriers at car parks I believe the only solution is air suspension with any of these tires. Also, note that for the BFG AT's you will need to drop down to 225/65R17 due to the tread and sidewall config, whereas with Falkens you can go with 235's. I have no idea on the Trail Terrain, but I highly suggest the Falkens. I've been running them for months now and done 20K Km's. Still super quiet and aggressive enough to conquer everything I've thrown at them. And I go offroad frequently. I ran BFG's for a long time prior and the noise did my head in finally.

Interesting thread on another forum on running 235/65/r17 with 30mm drop. I’m most interested in losing the saggy bum look tbh so I’ll see what CRS says if/when I get round to looking at the suspension.

Anyone running 235/65/17 on lowered suspension?

Looking for advice from anyone that has lowered on the above set up. Dropped than van off at the garage this morning to have st coilovers fitted. Won't be going really low, only about 40mm as the tyres fill a lot of the gap as it is. Mechanic was saying though it does look like it will rub on...

www.t6forum.com

 

[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

Interesting thread on another forum on running 235/65/r17 with 30mm drop. I’m most interested in losing the saggy bum look tbh so I’ll see what CRS says if/when I get round to looking at the suspension.

Anyone running 235/65/17 on lowered suspension?

Looking for advice from anyone that has lowered on the above set up. Dropped than van off at the garage this morning to have st coilovers fitted. Won't be going really low, only about 40mm as the tyres fill a lot of the gap as it is. Mechanic was saying though it does look like it will rub on...

www.t6forum.com

BFG’s are more squared up on the sidewall and Falkens have tread on the sidewall. Keep us posted but I have doubts still.


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[babble]

Mine are 235/65R17S on standard suspension - no issue of rubbing at all. speedo a few % slow (about as much as it was fast from new.)

 

[Corradobrit]

I'm very happy with my wildpeaks. no noise, and tough without being overkill.

Nice. My first choice too.

Mine are 235/65R17S on standard suspension - no issue of rubbing at all. speedo a few % slow (about as much as it was fast from new.)

Perfect stance IMHO without messing with suspension or having a big impact on clearance.

 

[wildslammer22]

Nice. My first choice too.

Perfect stance IMHO without messing with suspension or having a big impact on clearance.

Agreed, it’s the way to go if you’re prioritising aesthetic’s and need just the ability to get off of greasy campsites and deal with snow etc. If the plan is the venture further off-road then a suspension lift is the top priority after tyres imo. It does bring with it compromises though. Lots of car parks are out of bounds unless of course you’re Ms Slammer who ignores such trifles as evidenced by the nice scar on my Front Runner roof rack


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[Californication69]

Any issues with rubbing on the sliding door? Or with TPMS (if you have this?).

None at all.
I use aftermarket Chinese aliexpress TPM

Interesting thread on another forum on running 235/65/r17 with 30mm drop. I’m most interested in losing the saggy bum look tbh so I’ll see what CRS says if/when I get round to looking at the suspension.

Anyone running 235/65/17 on lowered suspension?

Looking for advice from anyone that has lowered on the above set up. Dropped than van off at the garage this morning to have st coilovers fitted. Won't be going really low, only about 40mm as the tyres fill a lot of the gap as it is. Mechanic was saying though it does look like it will rub on...

www.t6forum.com

Steve is great.
But.
This is my experience with my bronze & white FWD Cali Ocean MY20
Bought Koni suspension for all 4 corners.
Had the Cali “levelled” so when looking at it the height between wheel arch top and center of wheels the same (front wheel and back wheel)
New H&R roll bars front and rear 32mm
Had different top mount installed. Lower I think to bring front of Cali lower.

Drove it for 1 month.
Felt like I was tipping forward in the seat everyday.
Cali bounced around the roads, and was stiff as my MapTun 35mm lowered Saab convertible. With new poly bushes.

So really went off the ride quality.
Took it back had everything put back to standard and bought a 4Motion.
4Motion suspension out the factory is absolutely perfect.
Couldn’t want for anything else.
Maybe VB air, but I couldn’t fault the drive down for 4hours 20 minutes Saturday.
Fully loaded. Handled like a dream.

So my word of caution.
Be careful what you wish for.

I now know the difference.
The rear end sag is meant to be there.
The roof line is perfect from front to back.
On standard suspension.
Just don’t want you to make the same mistake I did.

 

[Grigio Van Grigio]

Thanks for the word of caution. Let’s see what it looks like with the new wheels and tyres first before doing anything rash!

I think I’m narrowing it down to black Rally Raids now (on Wildpeaks). Matt or gloss is the question!!

 

[Corradobrit]

Thanks for the word of caution. Let’s see what it looks like with the new wheels and tyres first before doing anything rash!

I think I’m narrowing it down to black Rally Raids now (on Wildpeaks). Matt or gloss is the question!!

What colour is your Cali? Personally I prefer a satin finish with darker colours like grey. The OZ RR's will look smart on the a Swamper spec Cali.

 

[Grigio Van Grigio]

I’m Ascot Grey. The gloss black b-pillars and carbon wing mirror caps look great against the bodywork (imho). Nice contrast. Also thinking of doing a chrome delete at the front while repairing the damage done by someone rolling back into me on Honister Pass last month. Potentially piano black grills and dog bones. But undecided atm. Don’t want to look too boy racer!

Thinking the satin black RR (they’re not really matt as far as I can tell) might be enough bling!

 

[Grigio Van Grigio]

Also aware gloss black stuff isn’t really going to give out swamper vibes!

 

[CamperFam]

We used to have gloss black alloys on our old Lotus and they were a PITA to keep looking clean; brake dust inherently has the efect of making them go 'matte ' inbetween washes. Easy to hide with matte black wheels. Difficult with gloss black.

 

[The Merle]

Don’t think bfg 225 come with white lettering, had them on my silver joker.
Just priced them up for my new van, blimey they have doubled in price nearly (black circles listed as no white writing which I prefer).
The 225 were always a lot cheaper as most VW T owners opted for wider now £1200 for 5.

 

[wildslammer22]

Don’t think bfg 225 come with white lettering, had them on my silver joker.
Just priced them up for my new van, blimey they have doubled in price nearly (black circles listed as no white writing which I prefer).
The 225 were always a lot cheaper as most VW T owners opted for wider now £1200 for 5.

Another reason to look at the Falkens which seem to be a fair bit cheaper and I’m guessing might be some further discounts to have once they start rolling out the new version.

I’ll be looking to avoid the new version, apparently they have beefed up the side walls to compete with KO2’s and have added a significant weight penalty as a result. I sail very close to my payload on longer trips and another 15 or so kilos on the wheels I can do without!


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[The Merle]

Another reason to look at the Falkens which seem to be a fair bit cheaper and I’m guessing might be some further discounts to have once they start rolling out the new version.

I’ll be looking to avoid the new version, apparently they have beefed up the side walls to compete with KO2’s and have added a significant weight penalty as a result. I sail very close to my payload on longer trips and another 15 or so kilos on the wheels I can do without!


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No tyre upgrades for me at the mo, need to pick my mods carefully and not chuck lots of money at van.
£1600 roamer extreme bat isn’t happening either.

 

[Corradobrit]

Also aware gloss black stuff isn’t really going to give out swamper vibes!

I think you can pull off the look of gloss black on AG, probably the only one apart from that bright white that would look good. But think about the upkeep. Brown brake dust is the pits. You'll prob have to upgrade to low dust pads like the Akebono Carbons.

 

[Californication69]

Also aware gloss black stuff isn’t really going to give out swamper vibes!

My whole Cali is gloss black, but pretty sure Kato’s are satin black.

 

[Californication69]

I think you can pull off the look of gloss black on AG, probably the only one apart from that bright white that would look good. But think about the upkeep. Brown brake dust is the pits. You'll prob have to upgrade to low dust pads like the Akebono Carbons.

Also look at liquid fire from infinity wax in a Kwazar Venus 360 SUPER Pro+
Spray it on, wait 30 seconds and jetwash off.
Gets rid of that brown metal stuff so you can then give them a good rodding with autogylm polar wash.

 

[JuanVecino2023]

Off topic, but relevant here I think, as all you swamp types have off-grid setups.

I am currently charging the EF D2 using the 12V socket in the boot. This is I believe run from the leisure batteries.

Do any of you have a better setup? I tried charging from the dash 12V, but got tired of moving the pack around, so ran an extension cable from the boot under the seat.

I guess I need to physically unplug the EF when off grid, otherwise it will just deplete the LB?

Is there any workaround? Can I turn off the charging via the EF app? Flattened the LB again last weekend forgetting to unplug it!

 

[wildslammer22]

Off topic, but relevant here I think, as all you swamp types have off-grid setups.

I am currently charging the EF D2 using the 12V socket in the boot. This is I believe run from the leisure batteries.

Do any of you have a better setup? I tried charging from the dash 12V, but got tired of moving the pack around, so ran an extension cable from the boot under the seat.

I guess I need to physically unplug the EF when off grid, otherwise it will just deplete the LB?

Is there any workaround? Can I turn off the charging via the EF app? Flattened the LB again last weekend forgetting to unplug it!

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