VW T4 Topaz rear door struts

Has anyone found any struts stong enough to support the rear door with a Fiamma cycle rack fitted? (empty). I think the existing struts at 10 yrs old are probably past their best but dont want to invest in new ones if they are not going to solve the problem. Theres nothing like being whacked on the head whilst changing gas bottles etc.

Hi there
I've had several T4 vans with cycle racks and on one I even replaced the struts. It was better, but still would not support the weight of the rack and would lower slowly to the ground. The T5 seems to have beefier struts and will support the rack. I used to carry a telescopic pole to support the tailgate especially when changing the toilet cassette ! Saved my head a bit

Regards
John

It's possible to get "adjustable" gas struts, which have a gas release valve so that you can choose the level of assistance needed - though of course if you let too much gas out there is no easy way to go back and add some!

I have them fitted on a daytona spyder replica that I built 25 years agio - I adjusted the level of lift when I first built it and they still lift the bonnet with no problem at all today.

We just replaced ours - the new ones are superb. They are adjustable - but the company i ordered them from set them on max and they will actually support the boot open with a bike on the rack!!

It's still not too hard to close the tailgate so I'll probably leave them as they are rather than let a bit of gas out. Over time I'm sure thet will loose a bit of pressure - but it is very handy being able to open the boot with a bike on there.

Let me know if you are interested and I'll try and dig out the company details.

Steve

These sound just what i am looking for, I would be grateful if you could let me know the company name. I have currently gone down the low budget route of slipping a 250mm hard plastic tube with a slit in it over the piston rod, this is a good tempory fix but not the real answer.

Hi bearskin,
Company was [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Our struts (98 t4 mk2) are part number SDRS140136.

Hope that helps,
Steve

Thanks very much Steve, great website cheapest I have seen too. Definitely getting a pair