At one level, the VIBE Audio VW T5 was formally Europe’s loudest car! You don’t need to miss this characteristic…
First featured in 2016. Phrases by Midge, Images by Dan Pullen
Do not forget that loopy Daimler Hearse audio automotive that we featured? Properly right here’s one thing else from its creators – the VIBE Audio VW T5.
It could sound like one thing of a ridiculous assertion, however the VIBE T5 was constructed, at the beginning, to be sensible. Now clearly at this level you’re asking precisely how a VW van filled with 24 of probably the most hardcore woofers to ever hit the streets, (to not point out six of VIBE’s legendary Reaper amplifiers able to producing 14,500Watts a chunk) might be remotely sensible?
Drivability
Properly, not like many an knowledgeable class competitors automotive, it drives – and with the assistance of Forge Motorsport and Revo it drives fairly bloody effectively at that. You see, British agency VIBE Audio is probably as well-known for its bonkers demo automobiles as they’re for producing a few of the craziest sonic weaponry identified to man. Through the years they actually haven’t held again in creating the odd present stopper and right here at FC we’ve featured all of them.
The difficulty is, getting the DVLA to declare a four-tonne Daimler or a Decide Dredd prop car as utterly street authorized isn’t the simplest job, and truly piloting the issues across the UK and European roads isn’t probably the most interesting job both. And that’s the place the T5 is available in properly.
Whereas earlier builds have been particularly designed to point out off their large vary of merchandise in new and fascinating methods, one thing wherein they all the time excel, the VW van is an entirely extra severe idea. As an alternative, they designed it with one factor in thoughts – hitting Salzburg in Austria and displaying the entire of Europe how the Brits do it in competitors.
Aggressive Streak
Now, because of the sort of severe wattage audio system, subs and amplifiers VIBE produce, their demo autos have all the time been ridiculously loud. However competitors at this degree, particularly as a producer the place you’re routinely entered into the highest class, is a complete totally different ball sport. What’s extra, the Euro Finals invite the champion and runner up from every nation to compete, and the SPL Class is all the time one of the crucial hotly contested.
Fortunately although, the boys at VIBE knew precisely what to anticipate. Having been an enormous supporter and sponsor of the EMMA (European Cellular Media Affiliation) occasions over the previous few years they have been hardly going into their very first competitors blind – though with only a month for the entire construct, time was tight to say the least.
Selecting The Canvas
Clearly, on the subject of earth-shattering gear, choosing the proper gear to fill their demo was by no means going to be an issue – their expert-level BlackDeath vary gives a few of the strongest contraptions which have ever been on the worldwide audio market. The difficulty for VIBE was way more grounded in practicality – discovering a car that might be capable to stand as much as the sheer bass drive their gear can serve up.
From the beginning, it was apparent that they wanted a severely sturdy motor. Do this type of malarkey in a Renault Kangoo and also you’ll probably be selecting up bits of it round a three-mile blast radius. The rugged construct high quality of the T5 Transporter fitted the invoice simply completely.
Constructed Robust
That’s to not say there wasn’t teething issues although. In testing, the boys blew out the windscreen, sending shattered glass everywhere in the workshop – and that wasn’t even working at full whack! So, for those who’re questioning what that ‘stripper pole’ within the cab is for, now you already know. It’s the one factor stopping the bass actually elevating the roof.
Spearmint Rhino-style enhancements apart, the enterprise finish is the 30mm thick, fibreglass-reinforced plywood enclosure. Braced on the within with 14mm metal bars, it homes the 12 ‘Bubonic’ 15-inchers that produce the vast majority of that superior sound strain. Designed as a large fourth-order band-pass enclosure, the blokes even needed to fly in a staff from Italy, together with Danny Boy from Staff Bull Sound, to assist with its development.
The Science of Sound
VIBE stands for Vented Progressive Bass Enclosures and, with this for instance of their work, it’s straightforward to see why they picked that identify all these years in the past. The engineering to get the best quantity of air, in addition to the proper frequencies, and the proper stability of {hardware} and supplies, is immense.
Key to the van’s acoustic efficiency, too, is the sleek stream of air out and in of the cabin. This meant they needed to completely re-design the unique bench seat so it didn’t cowl the big bass port. The brand new construction, incorporating a pair of super-posh Cobra Misanos, will not be solely useful for this very cause but in addition provides plain contact of leather-lavished class.
The Finish Consequence
Come to consider it, the entire set up is cosmetically flawless from the customized door playing cards to the rear amp-rack, an uncommon high quality in any car with such hardcore intentions. Nonetheless, because the spec confirms, it’s actually bought the minerals to again it up too. And in competitors that’s what issues most.
So, the construct was a tad ‘concerned’ and I’d think about the 19-hour drive throughout the continent wasn’t the most important spotlight for the boys both. However a very powerful query is, did it do the job? Properly, sure. Sure it did. The truth is, it confirmed grunt of just about biblical proportions on the day. A lot that, throughout the ‘doorways shut’ a part of the spherical, they managed to tear the internal roof pores and skin off and break the spot welds working in direction of the B-pillar – and that’s with nothing however the drive of shifting air.
File Breaker
Now you’ll assume the boss could be pissed on the harsh therapy of his new van. However he couldn’t be – not once they introduced the consequence. Recording an enormous 160.1dB, the VIBE T5 was formally topped the loudest car in Europe. Now, that’s what I name a contest debut!
How loud is 160.1 decibels?
160.1 decibels is past loud. Contemplating your eardrums will rupture at round 150db (the quantity of a jet taking off subsequent to your head for instance), it’s a harmful degree of sound and a determine that’s not straightforward to realize.
Consider it like this. Your family Hoover will kick out round 70db and, usually talking, for each 10db recorded above that the quantity we understand is doubled. 80db is twice as loud as that Hoover, 100db is eight occasions as loud and a 120db thunderclap is 32 occasions louder. With that in thoughts the VIBE T5 is round 512 occasions louder than a vacuum cleaner, or twice as loud because it takes to blow your ear drums out. The common human ache threshold is round 110db, so, suffice to say, you don’t need to be sitting on this bastard once they crank it up!
TECH SPEC: VIBE Audio VW T5
AUDIO:
Customized doorcards housing 6x BlackDeath Professional 8 midwoofers and
3x BlackDeath Professional 4 Tweeters per door; aspect housing 2x BlackDeath Stereo 2 Amplifiers, 1x BlackAir Stereo 4; rear construct, 6x BlackDeath Bass 2 Reaper amplifiers, 12x BlackDeath Carbon SPL 15-inch Bubonic subs in customized bandpass enclosure; 2x BlackDeath Professional 8 Midwoofers; 2x BlackDeath Professional 4 Tweeters; 28x kinetic batteries.
CHASSIS:
20in staggered 3SDM 0.01 wheels with 225/35×20 and 255/35×20 tyres; V-Maxx coilovers.
INTERIOR:
Cobra Misano leather-based and Alcantara entrance seats with customized embroidery; centre seat delete; ‘stripper pole’ roof brace; MDF lined headlining; Anti-VIBE sound deadening.
TUNING:
Forge Motorsport entrance mounted intercooler; Revo remap.
THANKS:
Revo Technik; Meguiar’s UK; Forge Motorsport; Cobra Seats; VIBE Audio.
