Club 80-90 Forums

IanMills wrote:have just gone through this thread and very interesting, are any of your vans lowered ? if so by how much.
Thanks
Ian

Not mine at least. Its on stock springs, quite new ones though, so i guess no 'sag'. i like them high. easier to roll under and fix things

IanMills wrote:have just gone through this thread and very interesting, are any of your vans lowered ? if so by how much.
Thanks
Ian

I think the majority of people who fit merc steels and big tyres are more likely to stick to stock height or raise the van than lower it (syncro envy )

http://forum.club8090.co.uk/viewtopic.p ... tting+high" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Definately not lowered no. If anything, the original ride height seemed higher than other T25s but I presumed this was due to it being a Caravelle and perhaps carrying more load. The main reason I did it was to make the gears more useable which turned out to be the case. Nowt to do with Syncro envy anyway.

Anyone used these people ?
http://www.oponeo.co.uk

CovKid wrote: The main reason I did it was to make the gears more useable which turned out to be the case. Nowt to do with Syncro envy anyway.

Yep same reason I'm considering it - though I do have syncro envy

I'm still discovering the finer things about going taller. For starters the Michelins are really excellent in the wet and cornering is quite amazing compared to what I've been used to. Tyres are a harder compound but then wear characteristics are better than many tyres.

Fifth is now strictly motorway which to my mind is spot on. If I try and move up to fifth where I used to before, it really chugs - waste of time. However, on a motorway I don't feel I'm revving the hell out of it. Very pleasing. Speedo is right on the nose now until I reach 58mph when I'm actually doing 60mph. Not gone anywhere where I've hit 70mph but imagine it will be similar. Below those speeds, everything reads exactly as it should. That doesn't sound like a massive change but on stock wheels the speedo (in common with most T25s), was always grossly ambitious with 27mph showing as 30mph so theres quite a jump here. That would account for my using 1st gear far more than I ever did before, and travelling further in it too.

Finally, I don't need to get the jack out to crawl underneath unless its something really awkward. More importantly perhaps, I don't have to slam the anchors on for speed ramps like you do with a lowered setup - no bad thing on todays roads with all the lumps and bumps. I really like it!

Nothing to add here, but echo what covkid is saying. I have the same experiences here, and the van feels like new. Its more solid and stiff than I've ever known it!



Especially with the new hub\stub covers . ahem. . .

Is that the top off a pound shop spray can?

Yeah, great on the biggies isn't it.

Yep! Some paint can tops from the cellar. They clip on the front dust caps perfectly, but no luck on the rears. Think I'll just hammerite the stubs for protection. I can't imagine It'll hamper getting the hub nuts off, given the torque required? What do you reckon?

Mine are all painted - including wheel bolts. Had no issues.

Love the fact your tyres actually say 'transporter' on them - lol.

Now heres a weird thing. This afternoon I drove from Tamworth to Nuneaton via Mancetter. On that road theres a particularly challenging, long hill which has forced me into 3rd in the past. Took a run at it and did the lot in 5th!!! Boy was I impressed. I tell you, when you're on a roll it really flies.

Heh, something tells me you're driving around a bit faster now!

i just copied you both and bought some 195/80/15s not a very common size in ireland
so bought new at 75 euro each the change in amazing i found myself forgetting to change up to fourth gear
steering seems a little lighter but more sure footed and arches filled up lovely

so we know now this works with a 1.9 na (1y) engine with standard gearbox from 1.7 diesel

are you both petrol engines ?

Well I am.

slowcoach wrote:well, in lieu of a reply, i have the wheels mentioned above. they fit well with no clearance issues (ive not got tyres fitted yet though). heres the link to the wheels i got http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121389338563

The stock m14 bolts fit easily through the holes so no hassles there, and the centre bore is good. I trial fitted one to the front and back this morning and all is well.

One hurdle remains, which is the bolt seats. The Mercedes uses an r12 radius/ball seat, while the stock vw bolts have an r14 radius/ball seat. Meaning the stock vw bolts don't sit fully into the ball seats of the merc rims, and only make contact on the outer edge (confirmed by oiling the radius on the bolt and pushing it into the merc seat, to see how much coverage of oil is transferred onto the seat) . So what i need now, i think, is replacement bolts that have the smaller r12 radius - m14x1.5 r12 ball seats. (and corresponding nuts for the back).

So what do people do? just use the stock r14's? because theyre bloody hard to find!? lots in the US and Germany, but postage for nuts and bolts seems a waste. brickwerks have the correct r12 nuts for the back, but not exactly the right bolts for the front. ( I dont want to convert the front to studs )

cheers!

Did you end up sourcing m14X1.5 r12 ball seat nuts/bolts for your new wheels Slowcoach? Or did you just use the stock VW r14 ones?
I've just got some merc alloys myself and I am now facing this same challenge, and my budget didn't really factor in nearly £4.00 per suitable wheel nut.

Cheers