Air Suspension with KONI?

[Kind of Blue]

I have done a quick search for Air Suspension using KONI and came up with


VW T5+T6 Koni air suspension - Brabant Custom Airride Parts


As it has been generally thought that KONI are not being used with airbags, I thought that the above link might be useful for conversation perhaps @CRS Performance might be able to through some light on the matter and might any of the other Air Suspension outlets and fitters be interested.

 

[CRS Performance]

I have done a quick search for Air Suspension using KONI and came up with


VW T5+T6 Koni air suspension - Brabant Custom Airride Parts


As it has been generally thought that KONI are not being used with airbags, I thought that the above link might be useful for conversation perhaps @CRS Performance might be able to through some light on the matter and might any of the other Air Suspension outlets and fitters be interested.

Koni do supply a few companies that build Air kits . Koni them selves have nothing to do with the design , finished article or marketing of these kits .

I did contact this company a long time ago and didnt make any decisions on a way forward with it . It will be the best ride you will get from an air system there is no doubt in my mind , I would need to verify the cost and reliability of such a kit before offering it as a CRS option .

I will check it out again

 

[Kind of Blue]

​

Someone somewhere must have made the adaptions. I know that Seikel started off Using the adaptive KONI for their Air Kit but I believe that they then changed to Bilsteine for some reason. Have a look at the Air Kit really very well done and most of the ancillaries pumps and air tank I understand are contained within a mettle box that fits inside the spare wheel well really tidy! Perhaps @Richard T6.1 whom I was talking about KONI and the main Air Suspension force are both Dutch. As he is also perhaps he might know a little more

VW T5+T6 Koni air suspension - Brabant Custom Airride Parts

For myself I am happy travelling along the road at the same height as I am now 2019 199bhp Caravelle Executive with diff lock, which I believe is about 20mm drop I understand from normal standard Transporters. I do however travel off road into and out of our property and have done plenty of of road driving which I wish to continue and pursue again. Some of the routes around Wales are very rocky with plenty of fords so I need to be able to attain maximum height at times but for general off road it could be a compromise. The ability to pass under 2m or 2.1 height restriction barriers is also important. My preference is for KONI Adjustable Damping. The ability to level for camping would be a very good bonus. Just some of the points of interest. Seikel could have provided most of that in the past but language difficulties prevented going the whole hog with a change to KONI Adjustable from KONI Adaptive I realy should have asked my wife to do the negotiations becaus her understanding of Geraman language

By the way a little time ago you put a thought into my head concerning a Hydraulic lift with KW. I found the KW site a little awkward to see exactly what did what did what and could see no dimensions. I am very interested and can see that hydralic Lift can be initiated at any speed. Could not see if it was available for Transporters, though they do have dampers that fit but can a KW set up provide the lift and reaching the height range that air provides because in theory that would perhaps be a better all round proposition. Certainly something different and not needing air tanks either?

 

[Richard T6.1]

Perhaps @Richard T6.1 whom I was talking about KONI and the main Air Suspension force are both Dutch. As he is also perhaps he might know a little more

VW T5+T6 Koni air suspension - Brabant Custom Airride Parts

I don't know this company, sorry. They seem to focus on the Custom cars & Low Rider side of the market.

Reading your requirements & wishes (in the other thread too) - I still think VB Air 4C provides everything you're looking for out of the box. As said, they are a very reputable company with a huge experience in air suspension ranging from vans, campers to trucks and all kinds of special purpose (governmental) vehicles. The company that build my van (Tonke) has a lot of experience fitting VB Air to their campers based on VW and Mercedes vans and they too speak very highly about the quality of the VB air kits.

While VB doesn't seem to use Koni as you mentioned, I'm sure their shocks are made by a well known manufacturer, probably to their specs. While Koni is good, they are obviously not the only company that makes good shocks. And to be realistic, we're not setting up F1 cars here either.

 

[Kind of Blue]

Thank you for contributing Richard T6.1. I had intended originally to go with VB Air but I have little faith in their choice of damper and reluctance to change. A few reports in threads relating to VB within the forum and negatives concerning dampers. Dampers from my own experiences are one of the most important parts of a motor vehicle and are a major contributor towards safety, good handling and comfort. If I was to disregard KONI I would have chosen Seikel and I believe other than damper choice that their kit is one of the best presented and sorted and also directed towards off road and safari use. If it was only a matter of just swapping over dampers immediately after installation that would be the way I would have gone. The new find above and the fact that Seikel have used KONI leads me to imagine that a solution is not very far away. Tantalising for me. The worst thing would be if the new air kit is just another posing toy for high street strolling. A Hydraulic set up would be most interesting and perhaps have greater reliability it can be adjusted at speed but as yet as far as I can see only done for facilitating sports cars to clear traffic humps. It does not take too much imagination to see great possibilities for Transporters specifically, Vans and 4x4 more generally. It would still rely on steels springs not a bad thing but the adjustment in height done mainly by hydraulic ram. Therefore handling and control very predictable regardless of lift. Each medium has its good points and low points.

 

[Richard T6.1]

@Kind of Blue - I came across these interesting topics about Seikel, VB, TMP/Coilovers in general on the German TX forum. You might need Google translate or something and use English subtitles for the videos but there could be a lot of useful info and insights for your research.

Seikel vs Gewindefahrwerk Höherlegung vs Luftfahrwerk

Hallo zusammen, man kann sich mit dem Thema Höherlegung lange beschäftigen und das schlimme ist, man macht sich nur noch weiter verrückt :) Es gibt ja mittlerweile einige Optionen, festes Fahrwerk, Verstellbares Fahrwerk oder das teure Luftfahrwerk. Ich stehe gerade vor der Entscheidung...

tx-board.de

SEIKEL ProAir Luftfahrwerk

Hallo TX Gemeinde, vom Off-road Spezialist Seikel gibt es ab Sommer das erste Luftfahrwerk für unsere T5 bis T6.1 Weitere Details zum SEIKEL ProAir Luftfahrwerk unter SEIKEL ProAir Offroad Luftfahrwerk für VW T5 - T6.1 Bin gespannt wer als erstes davon berichtet… P.S. Ich arbeite weder bei...

tx-board.de

 

[Kind of Blue]

@Kind of Blue - I came across these interesting topics about Seikel, VB, TMP/Coilovers in general on the German TX forum. You might need Google translate or something and use English subtitles for the videos but there could be a lot of useful info and insights for your research.

Seikel vs Gewindefahrwerk Höherlegung vs Luftfahrwerk

Hallo zusammen, man kann sich mit dem Thema Höherlegung lange beschäftigen und das schlimme ist, man macht sich nur noch weiter verrückt :) Es gibt ja mittlerweile einige Optionen, festes Fahrwerk, Verstellbares Fahrwerk oder das teure Luftfahrwerk. Ich stehe gerade vor der Entscheidung...

tx-board.de

SEIKEL ProAir Luftfahrwerk

Hallo TX Gemeinde, vom Off-road Spezialist Seikel gibt es ab Sommer das erste Luftfahrwerk für unsere T5 bis T6.1 Weitere Details zum SEIKEL ProAir Luftfahrwerk unter SEIKEL ProAir Offroad Luftfahrwerk für VW T5 - T6.1 Bin gespannt wer als erstes davon berichtet… P.S. Ich arbeite weder bei...

tx-board.de

Thank you most kindly for posting those links above you certainly have gone the extra mile. I am just using the FIREFOX service to translate the articles as I write but takes a little while and the Mrs is away at present she usually reads and gives me any gen on German or French publication or speech that I might need to understand. She schooled and bourdered in Belgium and had to speak French all the time throughout the day and is fluent but only now has her twin sister to converse with so not quite a rapid as she once was. She used to say that all her dreams where in French. She has some knowledge of German but rebuked me when I suggested that she was fluent however we had some German friends stay over a few years ago here in Wales at our small holding and took them on some off road expeditions in Wales and to me she was fluent and rabbited on in German at quite a pace. She is a very exact person and will not accept praise for something that she feels is undeserved. When she tackles any new language she concentrates on the language structure methodically. She is English but has said that language within the UK is dealt with extremely badly by comparison to education in Europe. I had some Dutch friends from university that where word perfect in English and one always wanted to perfect accent on top of his most excellent conversation and he often asked me to correct his accent if it sounded foreign to my ears. All this makes me very ashamed of my infantile attempts at language and agree that it is not given proper attention in UK schools. As a nation we are arrogant and ignorant and might explain our ridiculous leaving of the EU Just as we both looked forward and settled on retired life, freedom of movement has been abolished and now going anywhere from GB is a real pain needing passports, fingerprints and so on, its easier and less invasive just to remain here. Very envious of the freedom of travel within the EU that has been denied us by manipulation by our Westminster masters.

Thank you for the posts Richard T6.1:

 

[Kind of Blue]

Well Richard I am part way through the two thread and have seen the video also With auto translate certainly looks very professional and well thought out setup. Something that I would be most happy to have on my vehicle. It is only the Bilsteine dampers putting me off. Not a big fan of those at all. Bilsteine do manufacture dampers with manual adjustments for damping but from what I have seen they do not have longer lengths and mainly accommodate those vehicles creeping close to the ground perhaps KONI might be Retrofitted at a latter date. I have been using KONI adjustable damping now for many years and am so used to setting my own rate. KW are the only other company with even more damping adjustments than KONI one can depending on model adjust rebound and separately adjust compression damping. that would be a most attractive thing for me.

Any way I will read he rest of what you have sent later on today. Thank you again for going to all that trouble finding an alternative source for reading. Many years ago I used to be on some German Off Road Forum to do with Pinzgauers and another forum to do with Volvo TGB ex-military vehicles. They where so kind to me it brought a few tears. Even though they where mainly German and everyone else spoke German from the start of my joining they spoke in English to me. I tried to write in German via a translator google possibly and it cause much hilarity and fun. Not helped by my neurodiverse writing skills the translator more often as not gave a very poor representation of what I was actually trying to say and after a few re translations from them to demonstrate what I was actually saying they suggested everyone spoke in English when I was aboard on topics that they new I was interested in. I fact some would even translate earlier post without my asking. Someone from an eastern neighbouring country complained to the board about favouritism but I was defended by quite a few saying I was English you know that not many of them have any language skills and what a fuss as everyone else speaks English, none could not speak English evidently even the complainant. So after them scolding him many post where conversed in English. One does make friends, that is how a German Family came over here on holiday to stay for a little while. I was also on a Terranger forum Finnish I believe.

Any way some more links.

SEIKEL ProAir – The first air suspension system from our company - Seikel

The SEIKEL ProAir pneumatic suspension provides your Volkswagen Transporter with up to 28 cm of ground clearance (with correspondingly large tires).

www.seikel.de

SEIKEL ProAir – The first air suspension system from our company - Seikel

 

[Richard T6.1]

Nice read @Kind of Blue - tnx!

I think I’ve read most forum topics and seen most relevant vids about chassis and suspension, just out of interest.
I'm perfectly happy with my lowered TMP Sensitive coil-over kit. The best investment in the van so far. Closely followed by the DSG software & remap from TVS.

 

[Kind of Blue]

Nice read @Kind of Blue - tnx!

I think I’ve read most forum topics and seen most relevant vids about chassis and suspension, just out of interest.
I'm perfectly happy with my lowered TMP Sensitive coil-over kit. The best investment in the van so far. Closely followed by the DSG software & remap from TVS.

I agree the original fit suspension is not the best and even for the road the dampers really would benefit from a change the fist day home with a new vehicle. I would normally fit KONI and thought with little knowledge that i could get a lift via air and have all the convenience of all the various heights, levelling and that some air suspension company would accommodate my wishes even if I had to purchase the KONI separately in advance or what ever. Never actually viewing an aftermarket strut or damper I could not imagine why not. It was never explained why not only no we don’t do that and most were unhelpful when I suggested changing them myself after the act so to speak. I might now accept things but it is a blind acceptance I see that the bags are located on the strut or swinging arm if in the rear which should not matter what manufacturers damper was used, the fronts are a strut so the bag supports or clamps, whatever, needs to slide over the struts and be loccasted or are manufactured in small numbers with the bag supports in place I have no idea. If Seikel once used KONI for the air system and now the Dutch company that I posted above uses KONI then It must at least be possible if not readily available. The bags that Seikel use, do not look at all that special, in fact they look familiar, from a novices point of view, look similar to solow and many of the other aftermarket bags in use. One wonders, that suppliers just want people to use there choice of damper because of there own arrangements and that might not be purely mechanical. Still I am not spending £££££££ thousands just to experiment with changing over components just in case they do not fit. I will give it just a little longer (can now hear some clunking so little later might be now) then just make a decision and do something different and stop reading about suspension from then on because I imagine the day after doing something a new set up will appear the very next day.

 

[Kind of Blue]

Nice read @Kind of Blue - tnx!

I think I’ve read most forum topics and seen most relevant vids about chassis and suspension, just out of interest.
I'm perfectly happy with my lowered TMP Sensitive coil-over kit. The best investment in the van so far. Closely followed by the DSG software & remap from TVS.

What about the DSG software has that made things better in some way for you?

 

[Richard T6.1]

What about the DSG software has that made things better in some way for you?

The standard mapping of the DQ500 is prioritized to keep the revs down as much as possible to help emissions & fuel consumption. Not for optimal drivability or to help the engine for that matter. The trans shifts up way too soon, lugging the engine or bordering on lugging (you can feel & hear this too). At the other end of the scale it shifts too late at unnecessary high revs, past the torque & power curve. It's also quite sluggish in responding to throttle changes shifting down etc. The TVS software and remap (it's not just a remap) solves and/or improves all this.

With the Drivability Option that I have, the engine feels much more alive and alert with a shifting pattern that is aimed at drivability matching the engine's power delivery instead of emission regs. A significant improvement!

More info: DQ500 - TVS Engineering