Taking things to another level

So I guess you're thinking 'where does Stone174 go from here? - the van looks pretty sorted and perfectly fit for purpose as a campervan'. Well, as a closet-perfectionist, there's still loads of little details that I'm not happy with. One big detail that isn't to my liking is the suspension, time for the whole story...

When first taking the van over to Merseyspeed to discuss the colour-coding/facelift options, I mentioned that I was looking to swap the -40mm H&R lowering springs for coilovers. My reasons were that I wanted some adjustment in the front to lessen the gap between wheel arch and tyre, and to sit the (now slightly driver's-side heavy due to interior) van completely level - it was about an inch or so out at the back.

Coilovers are ideal for this as you can simply wind up or down each corner until everything sits perfectly level. I had done some research and was about to commit my hard-earned to Bluebird Customs for a set of Gaz coilovers when Merseyspeed offered us a deal on a set of Prosports with free fitting, seeing as the van was in for so much work.

Why didn't I listen to my own mantra of 'buy cheap, buy twice'? The Prosports were great for approx 200 miles when, after traversing a large speed bump at less than 5mph, the fronts seemed unsettled. Since then they have creaked, groaned and clonked in protest. I've had them checked-out in-situ and everything looks and feels fine, but it seems the spring just isn't seating correctly - just a few minutes research on the forums and it seems there's a whole batch of T5 owners on Prosport coilovers with exactly the same symptoms.

I don't blame Merseyspeed for this, they had fitted sets before without complaint. But I'm now forced to look at other options when they should have been a fit-and-forget item.

So in the true Stone174 style of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, here comes the solution...

Remember in old posts I used to say this was to be a 'no compromise' van. It has to be air ride. To begin with I started to repeat the 'buy cheap, buy twice' mantra (don't worry readers, I'm not going mad) and the research started. There's quite a few companies offering a variety of setups, some better than others, some with a good reputation, some that are obviously 'budget' and some that are in the realms of lottery winners. Whilst I was keen not to make similar mistakes as with the coilovers, I have had my eye on one setup that stands out amongst all the others - Accuair - and with the announcement of a very special add-on being released just as I have the funds to fit air, made it all the more an obvious choice.

All air ride setups consist of the same component parts; bags and struts, compressors, tank and valves, and a management system. One great feature of fitting this to a T5 is that it all mounts externally underneath and can be unbolted and transferred to the next van if required. No welding, no chopping.

Bags and struts
High durability 2-ply double convoluted air springs help provide both a comfortable ride at driving height and maximum drop when aired out. Compression fittings are used to ensure a reliable leak free seal when used with 6mm or ¼ inch DOT nylon air tubing.
The front strut is fully threaded to maximize adjustability similar to that of a coilover. You can easily adjust for maximum drop or for maximum comfort at driving height by simply loosening the lower lock collar and turning the damper and air spring assembly up or down, perfect to dial-in a sweet stance. The strut has a 12 click adjuster for damping and rebound.

Compressors, tank and valves
Using 2x 480 compressors and a 5 gallon tank will allow the bags to quickly replenish. The T5 won't be a dancing lowrider seen in music videos! As with any compressed air system, water tends to collect over time. The setup will have inline water traps that can be easily emptied by raising the van up to the highest setting and reaching in and draining. The valve unit is the element that sits in the middle between management and bags to distribute air to each corner - Accuair's is one of the best there is.

Management
This is the 'brain' of the setup. The absolute killer feature of the Accuair setup is that it 'knows' where each corner is at any given time - other systems work on calculating the air pressure at each corner, good but not precise. Pushrods and level sensors feed information back to the management system to keep the van at a pre-set constant. You could load a washing machine into one corner of the van and it would re-level to suit.

The e-Level touchpad (which will be somewhere on the dash) gives total control and three pre-sets;
90% full - this is almost like stock ride height
Drive height - a nice useable lowered setting
Low cruise - perfect for running low on the motorway where steering input is limited.

Then press and hold the 'all-out' button for five seconds to drop the van when parked.

Down the right hand side of the touchpad is a set of controls for individual adjust; both front up or down, both rear up and down, plus individual corner tweaking - this will be ideal for uneven campsites!

And the special add-on I mentioned? How about a replica of the touchpad on your iphone - yes please!

Here's a little demonstration:



The final component in the whole setup is possibly the most important of all - they guy who fits it (no pressure!). For this task I've chosen to go with iKustoms. For a number of reasons; firstly, they've had their own T5 running this setup so are familiar with it. Geographically they aren't a million miles away, like a lot of others offering Accuair. And finally, they are good people who take pride in everything they put their name to - from the very first email I've had nothing but sound advice, all my questions answered - and there have been some questions! - and a genuine excitement for getting the van in and starting the transformation.

Nut-cracked? I hope so. The struts are paid-for and are being built at the moment, I'll keep you informed of the other elements during the build up to the big day - the van goes in early February 2013 - and hopefully some in-progress pics will be up whilst the van is in.