12 VW Transporter Modifications for T5 and T6

1. Awesome TDI Remap and RacingLine Stage 1 Software

If you only do one thing to either van, make it this. Which file you end up with comes down to what's under the bonnet. On an early T5, our Awesome TDI remap for the 1.9TDI PD takes a standard 84bhp diesel to somewhere near 125 to 135bhp. Torque climbs from 148 lb/ft to 200 to 210, and that's the figure you feel with a load on board.

Newer vans get their own file. The RacingLine Stage 1 remap for the T6 and T6.1 2.0TDI 150ps takes 150bhp to 179bhp, with torque going from 251 lb/ft to 297. If yours is the twin-turbo van built between 2015 and 2020, the RacingLine Stage 1 remap for the 2.0BiTDI 199/204ps lands at 256bhp and 409 lb/ft. There's coverage for later T5s too, with Stage 1 files for the 2.0 TDI and the twin-turbo on our T5 remaps and software page. If you're running the 2.5 TDI, send us your registration and we'll tell you what's available for it.

A VW Transporter remap is much more than plugging in a laptop. We road test the van, log its data, check the oil and boost pipes, then scan for stored fault codes using dealer-level software. After three baseline runs on our Dynojet rolling road, we upload the new file and complete another three runs to verify the results.

The process takes a couple of hours. On a healthy van, few upgrades make as much difference to how it drives. A properly written Stage 1 diesel remap will also stay within legal emissions limits.

2. Bilstein B14 Komfort Coilover Kit

A coilover is a damper with an adjustable spring platform round it, so you set the ride height yourself. The Bilstein B14 Komfort coilover kit has the widest range on this list, roughly 20 to 70mm. The dampers are tuned for comfort rather than lap times, so a loaded van still rides well down a broken B road. That combination suits a van you drive daily, rather than one you save for shows. Damping isn't separately adjustable, which makes this a set-it-once kit.

3. KW Variant 3 Coilovers

A step up in price from the Bilstein, KW Variant 3 coilovers let you adjust rebound and compression independently. Rebound controls how quickly the suspension returns after a bump, while the 14-way compression adjustment changes how firmly it responds in the first place.

The stainless steel bodies are well suited to year-round use, and the kit lowers the front and rear by 35 to 65mm. For a family van that only ventures to the coast a couple of times a year, it’s probably more adjustment than needed. It makes more sense when the load changes from week to week or the van regularly covers long motorway journeys and B roads. Add compression damping with weight in the back, then soften it again when the van is empty.

4. RamAir ProRam Induction Kit

An induction kit swaps the sealed factory airbox for an open filter behind a heat shield. On its own it won't do a great deal. Fitted with a map it starts to matter, because the software can use the extra airflow. The RamAir ProRam induction kit is built for named engines rather than sold as a filter on a stalk. It covers the 2.0 and 2.5 TDI in both vans, though not the 204bhp or 199bhp versions. Your van will get louder on boost, which some owners enjoy more than their passengers do.

5. Milltek Cat Back Exhaust System

Milltek’s cat-back exhaust system is a popular choice for diesel T5 and T6 vans. It uses 2.75-inch stainless steel pipework and comes in resonated or non-resonated form. The resonated version delivers a deeper note without becoming tiring at motorway speeds, making it our pick for a daily-driven van.

This listing covers long-wheelbase models. A short-wheelbase version is available to the same specification, so check the wheelbase before ordering. Neither system fits the 103 PS T6.

6. Scorpion Cat Back Exhaust for the T5

The Scorpion cat back exhaust for the T5 is stainless like the Milltek, with the same choice of resonated or not, and one part number covers both wheelbases. The difference that matters is at the back. Tailpipes come discreet or a good deal chunkier, so this is the one to pick if you want the van noticed from the pavement as well as heard from inside it.

7. Airtec Intercooler Upgrade

A mapped diesel makes more heat, and hot air going in is thin air. The van feels strong on the first pull and duller by the third. The Airtec intercooler upgrade is a bar-and-plate core with cast end tanks. It goes straight in on the factory fittings and your existing boost pipes, with nothing to cut or drill, which is why plenty of owners fit one on the drive on a Saturday. It covers a long list of engine codes on both vans, so check the code stamped on yours first. Think of it as insurance on the map you've just paid for. It won't add power on its own. It keeps hold of the power the map gave you.

8. EBC Apollo Six Pot Big Brake Kit

More power means more speed to get rid of again, and the front brakes on a loaded van are already working hard enough. The EBC Apollo six pot big brake kit puts 355mm discs and six-piston calipers on the front. It suits vans that tow, carry weight or have already been mapped. Two things before you order. You need 17-inch wheels as a minimum for the calipers to clear, and even on the factory 17s you may need spacers. If you drag a twin-axle caravan up a long climb every summer, this is one of the VW Transporter modifications you notice on the way back down.

9. Vagbremtechnic Brembo Front Brake Kit

A smaller step than the Apollo, and for most vans the more sensible one. The Vagbremtechnic Brembo front brake kit pairs four-piston Brembo calipers with standard-size 340x32mm discs, grooved or hooked depending on how much bite you want. The disc stays the size it was, so it tucks behind stock wheels far more easily than a 355mm setup. Calipers come in black, red, silver, grey or a colour of your choosing. You give up some outright stopping power against the Apollo, and that typically shows up only under repeated hard braking with the van full.

10. Powerflex Geometry Adjustable Handling Pack

If your T5 has done big miles and feels vague rather than broken, the bushes are usually the culprit. Rubber perishes slowly. Nobody can name the day the steering stopped feeling sharp, they just know it isn't what it was. The Powerflex geometry adjustable handling pack swaps four of them at once for polyurethane. The adjustable version lets whoever fits it dial in camber and caster at the front, camber and toe at the back. It covers 2003 to 2015 vans including 4Motion, so this one is the T5 pack. On a T6 there's no bundled version, so you build the same fix a bush at a time, starting with the Powerflex camber adjustable front arm bush for the T6. This is the most underrated thing on the list, and it's as much overdue maintenance as a modification.

11. AP Coilovers for T25 to T30 Vans

Here's the accessible way into properly adjustable suspension, and it sits down here with the other check-first picks rather than up with the coilovers, because it doesn't fit every van. AP coilovers for T25 to T30 vans fit the T5 and the T6, dropping the front 35 to 65mm and the rear 30 to 65mm. They stop at T30, though. Those codes are the factory weight ratings, stamped on the plate inside your driver's door, so checking takes ten seconds. The wrong kit either won't bolt up, or it leaves you riding on springs never rated for the weight of your van. The second one is worse, because it works well enough to fool you for a while.

It's a common assumption that a T5 and a T6 are close enough that any part fits either. Most of our suspension, braking and induction range is shared. The exceptions are the ones that cost you a return.

12. TVS DSG Software and Sachs Clutch Kit

Add torque and something further down the line has to hold it. That's why we sell the gearbox and clutch parts alongside the software, rather than after the van starts slipping. Two vans, two answers here. If you're driving a mapped T5 with the twin-clutch automatic box, it's the software below. If you're in a mapped T6 with the 2.0 TSI petrol engine, it's the clutch instead.

If your T5 is a 2011 to 2014 automatic, the TVS DSG software for the DQ500 gearbox rewrites how the twin-clutch box handles clamping pressure and shift points. It's rated to 700Nm. It's a second-stage job, and it generally does nothing useful until the engine has been mapped.

On the petrol side, the Sachs clutch kit for the 2.0 TSI is one of the few VW Transporter T6 upgrades with no T5 equivalent in our range, since Sachs lists it for the petrol T6 specifically. Take the organic friction disc if the van is your daily, since it bites much like the clutch you already know. The sintered paddle grabs harder and can judder as you pull away. Sachs recommends changing the release bearing at the same time and checking the flywheel while it’s all apart, so allow for that work when budgeting.

For DSG owners, the RaceChip XLR5+Controller for the T6 can also help with drivability by adjusting how the engine responds to the accelerator. There are seven response settings to choose from, letting you tailor the pedal feel to your driving. It changes throttle response without increasing engine power, so it’s useful if you want the van to feel more responsive.

It’s also worth checking the original inlet hose, which is a common failure point. The Forge inlet hose for the T6 and T6.1 from 2015 onwards replaces the factory rubber hose with five-ply reinforced silicone and a fluorosilicone inner liner suitable for air containing oil mist. Check the part number before ordering: it replaces OE hose 7E0129615P and isn’t compatible with versions that have sensors or spouts.