Seikel "lift' kits

[KernowLad]

Sorry but those wheels look almost comical.
Why not huge wheels?
Heavier (much heavier), weaker, ruins the ride, tyres are incredibly scarce, no good off-road.

18s are the biggest wheels a Cali should have.

 

[Curtis]

I stand corrected clearly I am in the wrong just a few observations however, my comicals are not much heaver than my 17inch thunders certainly no weaker, the ride quality is actually the same and about the same off road although the comicals have the edge on a beach.

But I agree 18inch wheels are the max you should have on a Cali I am obviously mad. Not sure which ride height would be OK to set when being seen out about but I am presuming not lowered. Got it thanks.

Best Curtis

 

[estresao]

Hey Curtis, so air suspesion allow you sef the heigth you need? rear and front? which brand have you fitted?

Regarding the wheels, mine will come with 17" (as standard in 4motion) which I'll stick with.

 

[KernowLad]

Hey Curtis, so air suspesion allow you sef the heigth you need? rear and front? which brand have you fitted?

Regarding the wheels, mine will come with 17" (as standard in 4motion) which I'll stick with.

It's the engine power which dictates the wheel sizes AFAIK not 4motion. But early T5.1 4motions were only 180 (they can now be 140) so all had 17s to fit over the large front brake disks.

I saw a Rockton T5.1 4motion in the Pyrenees and fell in love. It was on nice steels and just looked exactly as a 4x4 van should do. I went up the very bumpy track in our Cali a lot more carefully than the Rockton van which hammered up!

 

[estresao]

In Spain you can get 4motions with 140 and 180. All cases, when is 4motion, they comes with 17". Mine one will be a Beach 4motion 140 with 17".

It's very popular among people that want more off-road configuration to fit the smallers alloys they can (usually 16" ir 17" in 4motions) and bigger tyres. The reason is to avoid rocks impacts to the alloy.

If I'm not wrong, the Rockton is a 4motion transporter with Seikel lift-kits. I also love this model.

 

[Curtis]

Hey Curtis, so air suspesion allow you sef the heigth you need? rear and front? which brand have you fitted?

Regarding the wheels, mine will come with 17" (as standard in 4motion) which I'll stick with.

Hi Estresao, I have VB air Suspension fitted by Romia; advert on the side of this page. I enclose a pic of the hand control. Sport is lowered, Carpark really low and you can only go slow other wise it lifts up, Off Road high, Auto Level a total blast for camp sites no more chocks. Mi and M2 you can set you own heights. It is connected into the Van CAN system so its mainly fool proof.

Best Curtis

 

[estresao]

Thanks a lot Curtis, I'll do some research about this option, it sound nice. My intention is to travel to Iceland, Morocco, and so, but also height it's a problem sometimes when parking. Usually parkings allow up to 2 meters, which it's nor enought when Seikel fitted. There are even lower parking entrances, for example, in very old buildings in Madrid center.

If I could manage both, all-road and parkings it couls be great.

 

[estresao]

I'm doing some research about the air suspension option and, so far, I've seen several videos about how it works (lifting and lowering the van), but I have not found some in which you can see how the van behaves off-road.

There are one by Air Ride that drive the van through some country roads, but not "proper all-road" ones like the Seikel you can see just by searching in YouTube "vw t5 seikel".

Did someone see similar videos demonstrating air suspension in this kind of roads?

 

[philippo]

I have no connections with Seikel, but when you want to go really off-road, the seikel suspension is the one to go for.
I use it for almost ten years now and it,s flawless.
And I gave it some hammering in the last years.

When looks and comfort are your aim, Airsuspension might be a good and maybe cheaper alternitive.

Ron

 

[estresao]

Thanks Ron, that was my guessing. I think in my case I should bet for Seikel.

 

[Curtis]

Seikel or other raised suspension: Fixed one height cost approx 1800k quid.

Air Suspension multiple heights, self levelling, does not affect your warranty as its OEM supplied and is much smoother on the road and transforms the road handling but is 4500k approx.

You pays your money you take your choice they both basically do the same thing except one goes up and down the other does not.

There are multiple threads on this forum about air suspension one is:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=6250&p=56277&hilit=Air+Suspension#p56277

This is also a video a user from your part of the world put up showing his VB equipped van off road.

If you are going to spend your time mainly off road I would jack up your suspension tear up your warranty and save yourself 2/3 grand. However if you want to gain the benefits of handling that come about with a lowered suspension and go off road start saving.

Best Curtis

 

[bvddobb]

so far, I've seen several videos about how it works (lifting and lowering the van), but I have not found some in which you can see how the van behaves off-road.

Hi estresao,

We have the VB air suspension on our 4Motion Cali. We have posted two video's on this forum where you can see us go off road: one where we did an off road course with our fully loaded Cali (with bike rack and all...) and one where you see us struggle on a pebble road. Also a slide show of some pictures where you can see some of the piste tracks we were on last summer in Norway. All with excellent behaviour of the suspension, the 4Motion system and the car in general.

off road course:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUK8Hcioyqk[/youtube]

Pebble roads on "Route des Grandes Alpes"

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du2d7ghxk-M[/youtube]

Norway pistes and such:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myNt_Mjo6ck[/youtube]

 

[bvddobb]

When looks and comfort are your aim, Airsuspension might be a good and maybe cheaper alternitive.

The air suspension is definitely NOT cheaper...

 

[philippo]

I didn,t realize airsuspension was that expensive.
And I thought Seikel was expensive. :crazy

I still think for offroading it,s the best option.
But through, it,s a soly purpose.
But there must be a reason why VW put it from factory under there offroaders.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Wjf0JlnPaOo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wjf0JlnPaOo

You will find more video,s on youtube.
VW is keen on selling the rockton and panamerica.

 

[froggy]

Pretty sure warranty would be Ok with Seikel, when I was there they had about 15 brand new vans they had just converted for VW Austria, and Rockton has Seikel suspension.

 

[Curtis]

Hi Bart and Marga and Phillip.

Whats with all this off road action in the Netherlands I thought your country was supposed to be flat :lol: Great Videos.

 

[bvddobb]

Re: Seikel "lift' kits

Curtis, it's relatively flat, yes, but also quite often quite muddy...


Verzonden vanaf mijn iPad met behulp van Tapatalk

 

[estresao]

Interesting information, I'll review them.

The air suspension solution, if good for all-road as well, it's perfect.... it's was I was looking for, because one of the cons of fit a Seikel kit is when you have to park into low parkings.

Seikel prices are high, Air suspension are astronomic numbers :mrgreen:

I'll have time to think about with solution I'll go for in the mean time my Cali is delivered.

 

[philippo]

Most of Holland is flat, but I live in the Dunes.
As a Taxidermist, sometimes I mist be in the dunes or on the beach.
So a lot of sand and climbing.

http://www.preparateur.nl

Holidays in North Africa or Lappland.
So a lot of stoney tracks an mud.

 

[Curtis]

Most of Holland is flat, but I live in the Dunes.
As a Taxidermist, sometimes I mist be in the dunes or on the beach.
So a lot of sand and climbing.

http://www.preparateur.nl

Holidays in North Africa or Lappland.
So a lot of stoney tracks an mud.

Wow Philippo what an amazingly weird job is that you on the website? I have never met a Taxidermist before fascinating I did not think any one did that anymore certainly a dying art.

I end up going over the dunes a lot mainly at Shell Island http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_Island_(Wales) you can actually sleep on the beach but you need big soft tyres and high suspension to get over the dunes, worth it when you do. Sleeping on this beach is one of my super favourite things ever. My avatar is from there.

I enclose pic of van and dog ready to take on them on, the big issue is when you get stuck its a very long walk.

for the contact.

 

[philippo]

lol, For me it,s a normal job, five day,s a week.

A few tricks for sand, (maybe you know them allready).

Do,t lower your tyrepressure to the lowwest point and don,t use difflock as standard.
So when you got stuck, you can lower the tyres further more and then use difflock to go back.
When you are back on firm ground, raise tyrepressure and ditch the difflock.
Then you try another route.
When you got stuck again, you start the procedure again.

For when I got really stuck, I carry a Hilift Jack ( left over from my defender) and some chains.
Burry your sparewheel in the ground with a piece of chain atached to the wheel.
A piece of chain attached to the car and bolt your Hilift jack between the chains.
Now you can pull your car a meter forward (or backwards if you want).
Unbolt one chain and atach it a meter further.

(When this doesn,t work, I call the gamekeeper with his tractor and mount a pheasant for him. )

 

[Curtis]

Love the snorkel I think I would crap myself using it lol, I did not know all those tips the one about the diff lock very good.

I actually use http://www.tyrepal.co.uk to monitor the tyre pressure as the lower the better and when you blow them up again nothing I seem to use every gets it to the right pressure so I have to keep an eye on it. Used three tyre inflators so far all mostly rubbish.

Hand winch sounds like a great idea as well I used to have one with a Toyota Landcruiser I had but did not think how to anchor it on the sand thanks for that.

 

[estresao]

Hey phillipo, don't catch your jack trick, cannot imagine how you set the chains.

I learned the pressure trtick at Qatar.

@Curtis: looks like you can inflate/deinflate anything in your van by just clicking a button :crazy

 

[estresao]

so far, I've seen several videos about how it works (lifting and lowering the van), but I have not found some in which you can see how the van behaves off-road.

Hi estresao,

We have the VB air suspension on our 4Motion Cali. We have posted two video's on this forum where you can see us go off road: one where we did an off road course with our fully loaded Cali (with bike rack and all...) and one where you see us struggle on a pebble road. Also a slide show of some pictures where you can see some of the piste tracks we were on last summer in Norway. All with excellent behaviour of the suspension, the 4Motion system and the car in general.

off road course:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUK8Hcioyqk[/youtube]

Pebble roads on "Route des Grandes Alpes"

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du2d7ghxk-M[/youtube]

Norway pistes and such:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myNt_Mjo6ck[/youtube]

Thansk a lot bvddobb

 

[estresao]

Hi bvddobb, I've realized I've watched your off road training video somtime ago, but I thought you fitted Seikel or something similar.

Nice videos and pictures, thanks