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After 16 years of owning my beloved T4 transporter the time has sadly come where I have to upgrade to something quicker and more suited to my young family - who are becoming eager to spread their wings further than the 1.5 hour drive to our local preferred destination.
I've already purchased a 2014 140 ps LWB T5 from a friend - a deal too good to ignore.
Its a blank canvas and I will be turning it in to a Kombi with a bed frame in the rear...the conversion is being done by a local company.
Any suggestions for insurance companies ? I'm guessing I will have to alter the vehicles V5 to reflect these alterations??
One other thing wheel size 20 inch or 18 ??
I've heard that 20's can give a rough ride and aren't great for fuel consumption ?
Oh and any other advice gladly received relating to the T5's upgrades.. maintenance battery in the back for a fridge ?
Cheers
16”s with proper winter tyres on. 😉
Ccc is around three hundred quid agreed for me
Surprisingly aviva were best for insurance for my t5 kombi.
Leisure battery under the drivers seat was a relatively easy diy job.
Insurance - I'm with Brentacre for my van (and car). Have been for years now - pleasure to deal with and cheap vs other companies.
If its a blank canvas at the minute and you're fitting rear seats I think you can change it with the DVLA so its classed as a window van. Some kombis are classed as cars I think but they might just be factory kombis - not sure.
Wheels - unless you're planning on dropping it to the ground I'd stick with 18s with a decent tyre. Factory VW Sportline wheels would be what I'd go for...
Adrian flux
Don’t have to change the v5
travelvolts
Insurance the usual suspects are aplan brentacre Adrian flux, all are quite involved in the t5 scene. You’ll pay a lot less if you fully convert it, a half baked job ends up being classed as a panel van with modifications and makes insurance tricky. You’ll need to go full camper to alter the logbook though. I’m with safeguard 300 a year but that’s fully converted.
stick to 18’s. 20’s look cool but can cause higher wear etc, dmf/clutch/driveshaft issues. Keep to lighter weight ones that are load rated.
battery will go under drivers seat if you’re not planning to put a heater there or a swivel in. Don’t expect too much from it though, especially if you’re talking a cheap cool box fridge. I only get a couple of days from a 100ah leisure battery and that’s a proper compressor fridge. You’ve also got to factor in fitting a split charge or hookup feed.
Be prepared for the scene tax.... t4’s have it but nowhere near as bad as t5’s. If it’s a Lwb give some thought to a rear garage if you actually bike, that extra bit of room really works as wet storage.
Brentacre for insurance as they're cheaper than most and don't care about any modifications at all other than a power increase. That means you won't have any grief due to being a day van or a work in progress etc.
As for wheels, 20 on a T5 feels alright but 18's with decent tyres is more comfortable.
Travelvolts will do everything you need for a split charger and leisure battery.
Oh yeah, and people take the piss on prices. Any accessory or bit of plastic for a T5 will be twice the price of other vehicles.
Another thumbs up for Aviva. Not fazed by any modifications. I tried brentacre but got bored with them having to keep referring to the underwriter. Aviva does live chat so I can have a cuppa, listen to the radio and do something while I sort it. Aviva were cheaper than all the comparison prices, which incidentally all had a fit when it came to modifications despite that box being ticked for the quote.
The second you mention mods, its time to keep away from price comparison sites. Since getting my T5 which was a camper conversion when I bought it, Brentacre have not batted an eyelid, nor increased my premium for any of this:
- stereo and speaker upgrades
- different wheels
- 2 different sets of coilovers and now air ride
- Sportline front bumper
- new lights front and back
I'd love to have to explain my air ride to someone at Churchill vs Brentacre whose response was something along the lines of "that's awesome, it'd be great to see some photos".
I couldn't wait to get the 20's off my van. Crap ride and stupidly expensive tyres. Its much nicer on 18"'s now even with the uprated suspension (stiffer and 40mm lower). Handles better, grips better, less skittish on uneven surfaces, less road noise. The 18's I've got utilise the tyre size that is available as a standard option from VW so not really an upgrade - 245/45/18 I think.
Insurance...I found Direct Line hard to beat. They were not really interested in the mods I've done...they get these things are usually enhanced from an aesthetic point of view and since its a campervan conversion there is a huge variety of wheels and other mods that go into these conversions so a huge exercise to log every single deviation from original spec so they don't bother. I think as soon as you start doing engine mods that are delivering more power and performance then they might be interested.
Ahhhhhh the 18inch alloys I was looking at are out of stock
19’s it is 🤔
I have 20's for summer use, but just fitted my winter 17's, gives a much nicer ride and the van feels a lot lighter to drive, would go 18 next time. Also can't get load rated tyres for a T32 in 255/35/20.
Oh dear this whole wheel thing ??
Typical that they haven’t got them in 18s
I’m now worrying that 19s are still going to be way too big they’re talking about putting 255/30/19 tyres on it .. that doesn’t leave much tyre does it ?
I can pretty much guarantee that a 30 profile tyre on a 19" rim isn't going to be load rated and totally unnecessary. Don't even need to drop down to a 30 on a 20" rim on air so why the hell they're suggest running them on 19s is mad.
What wheels / where are you getting them from? Best bet is to try somewhere who knows what they're doing - Tamar Wheels specialise in transporter wheel setups and know their stuff.
Depending on your suspension setup (I'm going to assume you're standard or maybe dropped a bit on springs?) then with a 19" wheel you'd probably be wanting to run a 40 or 45 profile tyre.
So this is from a reputable company who lots of VW specialist use, I can only presume they’re so used to dealing with people wanting that low profile look - they presume everybody wants the same.
I’m dropping the van by 40 mm
Yes there was a typing error apparently
Yes there was a typing error apparently
255/40/19
Which sounds better
FUW insurance
I run 245 45 19 on Range Rover spare wheels.
Lowered by 30 mm
19 inch tyres tend to be on the expensive side
Thank you for your assistance
My goodness what a learning curve choosing alloys is, I finally got some sorted and I’m happy with my choice
I went with Brentacre insurance and one of the advisors - David was truly awesome - He helped me untangle a real mess.. as I found myself after 30 years of driving with not a single claim to my name or accident but without a single no claims bonus due to a 3 year motor home policy with a less than transparent insurance company !!😳
Hi,
I run 18s which means standard tyres fit. I swopped over my original tyres and saved the old wheels for winter tyres. My friend runs 20s and they are twice the price of mine.
When I first insured my van it was going through its change. I had to send photographs into the insurance company to show it had a side window, bed, table, fridge, cooker, etc. Once if proved it was a campervan and not a van the insurance was halved.
I have been with Hic for around 9 years now and they always price match. Can't fault them but never had to claim apart from a smashed side window when a scroat stole my radio.
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