FWIW, here's a little update.

The kit's been in for almost 2 months and ±3,000km of which half was in Lesotho, with some mild to serious off-roading.

I measured the ride height a week after it was fitted, and again after returning from Lesotho. There was very little change in height.

The suspension kit gave me an additional 43mm (FR) and 33mm (RR) clearance, and with the bigger tyres (265/65R17) the vehicle now sits 60mm (FR) and 50mm (RR) higher than what it was when I bought it. (That's 2.4" FR and 2.0" RR for the metrically challenged... )

I'm still as happy as can be with the results and performance.

 

Further experience...

FWIW, here's a little update.

The kit's been in for almost 2 months and ±3,000km of which half was in Lesotho, with some mild to serious off-roading.

I measured the ride height a week after it was fitted, and again after returning from Lesotho. There was very little change in height.

The suspension kit gave me an additional 43mm (FR) and 33mm (RR) clearance, and with the bigger tyres (265/65R17) the vehicle now sits 60mm (FR) and 50mm (RR) higher than what it was when I bought it. (That's 2.0" FR and 2.4" RR for the metrically challenged... )

I'm still as happy as can be with the results and performance.

Hello AndrieK,
just wondering, on the Seikel website it says the kit will give you a 30mm lift. Did you get a special one or have they changed products since? Any idea?

And, how about the experience so far? Any good or bad news? I'm looking into this option as well and am just checking with the local Seikel partner here in Oz.

Did you find any good reviews of the kit before you bought them?

Thanks and cheers
Sascha

 

Looks good my friend all you have to do is get out the bucket and sponge now

 

Ha Ha !!!

Luckily it's been washed (more than once...) since THAT pic. Took them almost 3 hours to get it clean.

 

AH!! it took THEM 3 hours

 

Correct... R160 (€14.57) for a wash, wax and vacuum inside... And that's EXPENSIVE, but they do a good job.

You gotta luv Africa...

 

Will they do the house as well, 160R is a very good price. Here you would pay about 75.00 euros we should all move to South AFRICA, A nice house in camps bay would do just nice, the beach and the great food brings back great times

 

Hi Sascha

AFAIK the kit I've got is the only one Seikel makes. The values are before and after measurements on my specific Touareg. Suppose there might be a slight variance from one vehicle to the next. I've also been checking the ride height from time to time to see if there's any sag. So far there's none.

Although I would've liked a bit more lift (suppose it'll never be enough... ) especially compared to an a/s Treg, I think this is about as much as you can squeeze out of the Tregs geometry reliably. Any higher and the drive shaft angles might become an issue for the CV joints. The geometry on an a/s Treg is the same, but running at adverse angles on an a/s Treg isn't such a big problem as you don't drive at high speeds and not for long periods with the vehicle in Off-road or Xtra modes.

I'm still very happy with the kit. No concerns whatsoever. No changes in ride or handling since I had it fitted.

The kit was recommended to me by a VW dealer who had a lot of Seikel kits fitted to T5 Transporters with great success. I was so frustrated with not being able to find what I was looking for that I just took the plunge the moment I got my hands on the kit.

The Seikel kits are now VWSA approved accessories for the Treg and T5. I had my kit fitted by the importer as it was part of the warranty clause, but it's a straight bolt-on swap and can be done DIY. You'd have to have the alignment set after fitting though.

 

Have you priced getting an air suspension kit fitted?

What about this

Super Deluxe Air Suspension Kit by Air Suspension Inc

 

AndrieK,
Finally! Thanks for all the legwork. I've been looking for a lift kit for quite a while. You implied that the lift is good but not quite the equivalent of a egg with a/s. If I'm correct the max ride height of an egg with a/s is 11.5" and with this set up you get 10.5"? Does that sound about right for your total height? I really wish I could fit an my egg with an aftermarket a/s system? I'm asking around in California right now if I find anything I'll post it.

Thanks again!

 

The Touareg's ground clearance specification seems a bit dodgy. In fact we're finding the same thing with the new Amarok pick-up just launched here. VW has a funny way of measuring it. I suspect they measure it at the same point where the break-over angle is measured, i.e. in the middle of the vehicle between the front and rear axles, and NOT the lowest point underneath the vehicle.

My T1 steel sprung Treg is supposed to have a 237mm (9.33in) ground clearance.
A T1 with A/S was supposed to be 300mm (11.8in).

Like I said, the kit lifted mine 43mm (1.7in) in front and 33mm (1.3in) at the back, so on average I should have increased my ground clearance from 237mm (9.3in) to 275mm (10.8in).

But the actual lowest point underneath the vehicle is probably the ball joint where the lower wishbone attaches to the bearing housing, right against the inside of the wheel and this would be identical for a steel sprung and air sprung Treg. The ONLY way to get this point further off the ground is to fit bigger tyres. However, because this point is so close to the tyre, it hardly ever touches anything since it moves out the way the moment you drive over the obstacle.

This is one of the reasons I went with the 32" tyres on 16" steel wheels.