VANILLA 170 - WHY I WANT MORE POWER FROM MY CAMPERVAN

I’ve been thinking about remapping Vanilla.

Not because I want a racing van.

Not because I suddenly want to start embarrassing hot hatches at traffic lights.

And definitely not because I need another excuse to spend money on her.

Although, admittedly, Vanilla has become exceptionally good at producing those.

🚐🟠😂

The real reason is much simpler.

I think my campervan deserves more power.

Vanilla started life as a 2022 Volkswagen Transporter T6.1 T28 Highline with the 2.0 TDI 110 PS engine and five-speed manual gearbox.

That was perfectly sensible when she was just a Transporter.

But she isn’t just a Transporter anymore.

She’s a campervan.

She’s heavier.

She’s permanently carrying furniture, fridge, heating, lithium battery, solar, water, cooking equipment, awnings, camping kit and enough technology to worry an RAF communications officer.

She’s also running significantly larger tyres than Volkswagen originally fitted.

And then I take her somewhere like Cornwall.

Suddenly 110 PS starts sounding rather modest.

So this isn’t really a story about tuning.

It’s about whether I can make Vanilla better at being Vanilla.

And I’ve already got a name for the result.

VANILLA 170.

🟠

Most of the time, Vanilla is completely fine.

Driving around Stafford, cruising along the motorway or wandering through the countryside, the 2.0 TDI simply gets on with it.

But there are moments when I become very aware that I’m asking 110 PS to move a fully converted campervan.

A motorway slip road.

A long climb.

A tractor appearing in front of me on an A-road.

A roundabout followed immediately by an uphill section.

A holiday load in the back.

Then suddenly the accelerator pedal reaches the carpet and what I’m really requesting is:

“Come on, Vanilla.”

😂

She isn’t slow in a dangerous sense.

She’s just… deliberate.

And that’s the difference I’m interested in changing.

I don’t want absurd performance.

I want reserve.

I want to press the accelerator and know there is still something waiting underneath.

This is the bit that’s easy to forget.

The engine might still think it’s powering a Transporter.

But everything around it has changed.

Vanilla has a full camper conversion.

A Rock n Roll bed.

Kitchen.

Fridge.

Webasto.

Fogstar lithium battery.

Solar system.

Camping equipment.

Water.

Clothes.

Food.

Photography gear.

Drone gear.

Power stations.

And whatever other objects I’ve decided are absolutely essential for spending two nights in a field.

By the time we’re leaving for a proper trip, Vanilla isn’t exactly travelling light.

That’s fine.

The Transporter chassis is built for weight.

But the little 110 PS engine doesn’t magically become stronger just because the van has become heavier.

And that’s where remapping starts becoming interesting.

This is where my thinking differs from the normal tuning conversation.

Apparently it is possible to extract something approaching 190 to 200 bhp from some versions of this engine.

And naturally my first thought was:

Excellent.

Then the sensible part of my brain arrived.

Vanilla has the five-speed manual gearbox.

She is a campervan.

She needs reliability.

She spends hours cruising.

She carries equipment.

She goes on long trips.

Sometimes she may tow.

I don’t need every last horsepower Volkswagen left hidden inside the engine.

I want the best version of the van I already have.

Something around 160 to 170 bhp sounds vastly more appealing.

Hence:

VANILLA 170.

That number isn’t about bragging rights.

It’s almost a design brief.

Strong.

Smooth.

Progressive.

Reliable.

Around 170 bhp.

Useful torque.

No massive low-rpm shove trying to turn the clutch into confetti.

No ridiculous smoke.

No boy-racer throttle response.

Just a considerably stronger Vanilla.

The more I think about this, the less interested I become in the peak number.

What I really want is the middle.

The bit between roughly 1,800 and 3,500 rpm where a campervan spends most of its working life.

That’s where I’d want the transformation.

Stronger pull in third.

Stronger fourth gear.

Less need to drop two gears for every serious hill.

More authority when joining traffic.

More confidence overtaking.

Easier acceleration when loaded.

The sort of improvement you notice every single day without necessarily driving any faster.

That’s far more interesting to me than a dyno sheet with a huge number printed at the top.

Then there’s another slightly ridiculous twist in the Vanilla story.

My wheels and tyres.

Vanilla originally had 205/65 R16C tyres.

She now runs 235/65 R17 General Grabber AT3s on the Leighton LV4 wheels.

And those tyres are much taller.

The original setup works out at roughly 673 mm overall diameter.

The current setup is around 737 mm.

That’s almost 10% bigger.

Which means I’ve effectively made every gear taller.

Without changing the gearbox.

That has advantages.

At a given true road speed the engine turns more slowly.

Motorway cruising feels relaxed.

The van looks brilliant.

The Grabbers suit what I use Vanilla for.

But there’s a downside.

Larger tyres reduce the mechanical advantage at the wheels.

So effectively I’ve asked the 110 PS engine to work slightly harder.

The bigger tyres haven’t caused the remap idea.

But they certainly make it more attractive.

A little more torque would restore some of the punch I’ve effectively lost through the taller gearing.

And suddenly VANILLA 170 starts sounding less like tuning for entertainment and more like completing the package.

This is probably where I’d feel the difference most often.

Nothing glamorous.

No mountains.

No European expedition.

Just normal driving.

I’m approaching a roundabout.

Traffic clears.

Third gear.

Accelerator.

Standard Vanilla goes.

VANILLA 170 goes immediately.

That’s the difference.

Not wildly.

Not dramatically.

Just with more authority.

The same thing happens leaving junctions.

Joining the A34.

Pulling onto the A513.

Accelerating after a 30 mph village section.

Normal things.

The remap would be used hundreds of times before I ever pointed Vanilla toward Cornwall.

And that’s why I don’t see this as a holiday-only modification.

It would change the character of the van every time I drive it.

This is one of the places where 110 PS feels most obvious.

Especially when Vanilla is loaded.

You enter the slip road.

Third gear.

Accelerate.

Fourth.

Traffic is doing 60 to 70 mph.

You’re watching mirrors.

Judging the gap.

Accelerating.

And Vanilla is trying her best.

With another 50 or 60 bhp available, everything becomes easier.

Not because I’d join the motorway faster than everybody else.

But because I’d reach motorway speed sooner.

That gives me choices.

And in driving, choices are enormously valuable.

I can accelerate into a gap.

I can ease off.

I can merge.

I don’t have to commit half a mile earlier because I’m waiting for the van to build speed.

That’s exactly the sort of improvement I’d appreciate.

Probably the most useful remap test imaginable.

Vanilla is doing 50 mph.

Motorway.

Gentle incline.

Traffic opens up.

Accelerator down.

Standard Vanilla eventually reaches 70.

Nothing wrong with it.

But I’d love to see what happens after the remap.

This is where midrange torque should make the van feel completely different.

Done.

Not dramatic.

Just effortless.

That word keeps coming back.

Effortless.

That’s what I want from the remap.

And then we get to the place where VANILLA 170 starts making enormous sense.

Cornwall.

I love taking Vanilla down there.

But Cornwall is almost the perfect environment for exposing every weakness in an underpowered campervan.

You’ve got hills everywhere.

Short ones.

Long ones.

Steep ones.

Roundabouts followed immediately by climbs.

Villages where you slow to 20 or 30 mph and then need to regain momentum.

A-roads constantly rising and falling.

And then there’s the A30.

Anyone who thinks Cornwall is flat has clearly only seen it on a postcard.

😂

Now imagine Vanilla loaded for a proper trip.

Food.

Water.

Clothes.

Camping kit.

Power gear.

Camera equipment.

Possibly an awning.

Everything I actually take with me.

Standard Vanilla will do it.

Of course she will.

But there will be a lot of third.

A lot of fourth.

A lot of anticipating hills.

And quite a lot of accelerator pedal.

VANILLA 170 would still need gears.

Physics hasn’t been cancelled.

But everything should become less frantic.

That’s exactly the sort of trip where I’d expect the remap to earn its money.

This is classic Cornwall.

I’ve just gone through a village at 30 mph.

Then the road opens.

And immediately goes uphill.

Standard Vanilla:

Third.

Accelerator down.

Revs rise.

Eventually fourth.

We’re moving.

Third.

Torque.

Acceleration.

Fourth.

Settled.

It sounds like a tiny difference written down.

Behind the wheel it could be enormous.

Because that pattern might happen fifty times in a day.

That’s when power stops being about performance and starts being about relaxation.

The A30 is probably the perfect road for this experiment.

Long gradients.

Fast traffic.

Loaded campervan.

Standard Vanilla starts climbing.

Fifth gear initially.

Speed begins dropping.

More throttle.

Eventually fourth.

Now she’s comfortable again.

With more midrange torque, I’d still be perfectly happy using fourth.

In fact, I’d rather use the right gear than force the engine to labour in fifth.

But the difference should be that Vanilla holds the speed instead of slowly surrendering it.

That’s the sort of thing an HGV driver notices.

You don’t necessarily want to fly up the hill.

You just don’t want the hill deciding your speed for you.

Exactly the same logic applies to Wales.

Possibly even more so.

The roads I enjoy in Vanilla aren’t straight motorway slogs.

They’re the interesting ones.

Climbs.

Valleys.

Mountain roads.

A-roads through villages.

Constant changes of speed.

That’s where torque makes a vehicle enjoyable.

I’ve driven enough heavy vehicles to know that sheer horsepower isn’t everything.

What matters is where the power is available.

A strong midrange makes a machine feel relaxed.

That’s what I’d want Vanilla to become.

Scotland is another perfect VANILLA 170 environment.

The Highlands aren’t about drag racing.

They’re about momentum.

You can spend hours on roads where you’re constantly changing between 30, 40, 50 and 60 mph.

Corners.

Climbs.

Villages.

Traffic.

Single carriageways.

A stronger engine means fewer moments where I’m waiting for the speedometer to catch up with the road.

It would make Vanilla feel lighter without removing a single kilogram.

That’s probably the best way I can describe what I’m after.

Then there’s Europe.

My 2026 European Drift taught me a lot about what Vanilla is capable of.

Long-distance motorway days.

Mountains.

Heat.

Altitude.

Endless gradients.

And this is where a remap starts becoming more than something I’d enjoy around Stafford.

Imagine heading through France.

Then the Pyrenees.

Or the Alps.

Or down into Spain.

A fully loaded campervan climbing for miles.

Now I’d be very glad I’d chosen a sensible remap rather than the most aggressive one available.

I don’t need maximum torque at 1,500 rpm.

I want strong, sustained power through the middle.

The ability to put Vanilla into fourth, let the engine sit comfortably in the power band and keep climbing.

That’s my idea of a good remap.

Not fireworks.

Endurance.

Vanilla is doing 65 mph.

Long hill ahead.

Loaded for three weeks away.

Standard setup:

Fifth.

Speed drops.

Fourth.

Engine settles.

Eventually we crest.

Fifth initially.

Gradient builds.

Fourth.

Strong pull.

Speed remains almost where I put it.

That’s the entire point of the project.

Not a higher top speed.

A stronger van.

There is another benefit I’d value enormously.

Overtaking.

Again, not because I want to start overtaking everything.

Quite the opposite.

In a campervan, I’m fairly selective.

But occasionally you find yourself behind a tractor.

Or a vehicle doing 40 on a clear 60 road.

The road ahead opens.

The decision is either:

I have plenty of room.

Or:

I’m staying here.

More power doesn’t change that judgement.

What it changes is how long the manoeuvre takes.

That’s valuable.

I’d rather spend four seconds accelerating past something than nine.

Performance can be useful without turning into aggressive driving.

This is the thing that keeps me sensible.

Vanilla has the five-speed manual gearbox.

So even though the engine might be capable of producing enormous figures, the gearbox becomes the limiting factor in my thinking.

I’d want a tuner who understands that.

I wouldn’t walk in asking:

“How much torque can you give me?”

I’d say:

“This is a 2022 T6.1 110 PS converted campervan with the five-speed manual. It runs oversized tyres. I travel long distances, including Cornwall, Wales and Europe. Reliability matters far more to me than peak output. I want stronger progressive midrange performance.”

If somebody responds:

“Mate, we can give you 400 Nm.”

I’m probably leaving.

😂

I don’t want a number.

I want a calibration.

WHAT ABOUT FUEL ECONOMY?

This is the fascinating bit.

A remap doesn’t repeal physics.

Moving the same campervan at the same speed still requires energy.

So I’m not expecting 60 mpg because somebody changed some numbers inside the ECU.

But there is a possibility that everyday economy could remain similar, and under certain conditions might improve slightly, because the engine could spend less time working flat out or hunting between gears.

The real danger is me.

If suddenly Vanilla accelerates brilliantly, I may discover that my right foot has developed a new hobby.

Then mpg will drop.

😂

So any economy benefit depends heavily on how I use the extra power.

My intention would be to use it as reserve.

Not constantly.

Yes.

Vanilla might occasionally tow Caroline.

And yes, a remap would absolutely help.

Caroline is Fiona’s 2016 Swift Conqueror 480.

At a maximum loaded weight of around 1,454 kg, she’s comfortably within Vanilla’s headline towing capability.

More torque would make motorway joining easier.

Hills easier.

Acceleration easier.

Everything easier.

But towing isn’t why I’d remap Vanilla.

It might happen occasionally.

Most of Vanilla’s life is spent carrying herself.

So Caroline becomes another advantage rather than the reason for the project.

And that’s how it should be.

That’s the phrase I’ve settled on.

Not a performance remap.

A campervan remap.

Because my requirements are different.

Vanilla needs to:

Cruise comfortably.

Climb hills.

Carry weight.

Travel long distances.

Handle hot European days.

Work reliably.

Drive smoothly around town.

Deal with steep Cornish lanes.

Sometimes tow.

And still feel like Vanilla.

That gives the tuner a very different brief from someone chasing maximum dyno output.

If I could specify it today, I’d want something roughly in this territory:

Around 160 to 170 bhp.

Around 290 to 310 Nm.

Progressive torque below 2,000 rpm.

Strong pull through the midrange.

Smooth throttle response.

No massive torque spike.

No unnecessary strain on the five-speed gearbox.

All emissions equipment retained.

DPF working.

EGR working.

AdBlue working.

Completely normal manners around town.

Then when I ask for full power:

There it is.

That sounds almost perfect.

WHY VANILLA 170?

Because it sounds right.

110 PS was appropriate for the van Volkswagen built.

Vanilla isn’t that van anymore.

She has evolved.

She’s a camper.

A power station.

A photography base.

A cinema.

A kitchen.

A bedroom.

An expedition vehicle.

My home for weekends.

My transport for adventures.

My way of disappearing for a few days when I fancy pointing the bonnet somewhere interesting.

So adding another 50 or 60 bhp doesn’t feel like turning her into something else.

It feels like giving the completed campervan the engine performance it deserves.

And if I do this, obviously I can’t just remap Vanilla and say:

“Feels quicker.”

This is NIX.

There will be data.

😂📊

I’d want a proper before-and-after rolling-road test.

Standard horsepower.

Standard torque.

Mapped horsepower.

Mapped torque.

Then I want real-world testing.

Same hill.

Same gear.

Same approximate weight.

Same stretch of road.

Acceleration from 30 to 60.

50 to 70.

Motorway gradient.

Fuel economy.

Possibly engine data from OBD.

Then Cornwall.

Because Cornwall would become the ultimate real-world dyno.

If VANILLA 170 feels dramatically more relaxed there, I’d know the project had worked.

I find videos like this much more interesting than simply seeing a final horsepower number because they show how much work should go into developing a calibration properly.

And that is exactly what I’d want.

Not an anonymous tuning file emailed from somewhere.

I want somebody who actually understands what the engine is doing.

A good rolling-road explanation is worth watching before considering any remap because horsepower is only part of the story.

What matters far more to me is the torque curve and how smoothly that torque arrives.

That’s what I’d be studying.

I don’t want Vanilla to become unpleasant.

That’s probably my biggest requirement.

I don’t want a sharp throttle.

I don’t want wheelspin every time the road is damp.

I don’t want a clutch constantly fighting enormous torque.

I don’t want a van that surges around town.

And I definitely don’t want some ridiculous smoke-cloud map.

If anything, VANILLA 170 should feel more refined than Vanilla 110.

The extra performance should feel factory.

That would be the ultimate compliment.

Someone driving her without knowing about the remap should simply think:

“This van has a lovely engine.”

That’s exactly what I want.

WOULD I GO HIGHER?

Maybe.

If an experienced T6.1 specialist put Vanilla on the rolling road, checked everything and told me:

“180 bhp with this torque curve will be absolutely fine.”

I’d listen.

I’m not emotionally attached to exactly 170.

But I’m also not chasing 195 just because someone else achieved it.

There will always be a bigger number.

That’s how tuning works.

I’m far more interested in having the correct map for my van.

VANILLA 170 is therefore more philosophy than specification.

It means:

Useful power.

Mechanical sympathy.

Long-distance ability.

Strong midrange.

Factory manners.

That’s the project.

Ultimately I think Cornwall would answer the question.

Drive down from Stafford.

Motorway.

A30.

Loaded camper.

Then leave the main road.

Village.

Hill.

Bend.

Climb.

Roundabout.

Another hill.

Another village.

Another climb.

And somewhere halfway through the trip I’d probably realise something.

I’m not thinking about the engine anymore.

And that would be the biggest success of all.

Because right now I occasionally notice the 110 PS.

If the remap works properly, I shouldn’t notice 170 bhp either.

I should simply notice that Vanilla feels right.

Would more power make Vanilla better?

I think yes.

Not because she’s bad now.

Far from it.

But the campervan Vanilla has become asks more from the engine than the Transporter Volkswagen originally built.

The conversion added weight.

The holiday gear adds more.

The bigger tyres effectively lengthened the gearing.

Cornwall adds hills.

Wales adds more.

Scotland adds mountains.

Europe adds very long ones.

And every motorway slip road adds the same little question:

Have I got enough time to get up to speed?

With somewhere around 160 to 170 bhp and a carefully managed torque curve, I think the answer would become beautifully simple.

Yes.

Towing Caroline would improve.

But that’s almost incidental.

This is about the other 95% of Vanilla’s life.

Stafford.

Motorways.

Weekends away.

Cornwall.

Wales.

Scotland.

France.

Spain.

Mountains.

Road trips.

Fully loaded adventures.

That’s why I want VANILLA 170.

Not to make my campervan fast.

To make it effortless.

Same Vanilla.

Same adventures.

Same big tyres.

Same orange details.

Just with a little more waiting underneath my right foot.

And when the A30 points uphill…

I want Vanilla to look at it and say:

Fine.

🚐🟠💨