Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2003 09:13:28 -0400
Reply-To: The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject: Re: Bilstein Shocks Vs. Stock
In-Reply-To: <Law9-F9VvLVKi3s1wsX000093ea@hotmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
> How much an improvement over stock do the Bilstein
> shocks make on the 2WD Vanagon? Are they worth the money?
> I had KYB's for 5 years and the ride was always rough. The
> stock gave a softer ride. The Bilsteins ended the porpoising
> effect I had and the comfort and stability has improved.
Remember, you now have four options (at least from us):
KYB, Boge, Bilstein, and Al-ko.
A copy of my prior post on the Al-ko's is below. (It also touches on the
KYB/Boge/Bilstein differences.)
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This seems a goodf time to announce that I now have a new shock absorber
offering from Europe, for all 2 wheel drive Vanagons, that may bridge
the gap between the affordable yet slightly hard-riding KYB's, and the
stock but slightly mushy Boges, without draining the wallet to the tune
of Bilstein. A good middle ground, in other words.
These TUV-approved shocks, from Al-ko Suspension A.G, are oil-filled, so
they won't ride quite as hard as the KYB's. They are also priced about
the same as the stock Boge oil-filled shocks. But they are very
noticably heavier duty, with significantly larger pistons than the other
two. I have not run them on my own Vanagon yet (as my shocks are still
relatively new), but they have been through extensive field testing by
Just Kampers in the U.K., who has been selling them for a couple of
years now to excellent customer response. It was on the basis of their
recommendation that I imported them. For not too much more than KYB (and
half the price of Bilstein), you get a smoother ride than a KYB yet
better handling than a typical oil-filled shock, and robust
construction. And, for those who care about such things, they are still
European made, whereas Boge has been moving more and more of their
production to Mexico (and KYB is, of course, Japanese). Might be worth
considering if you don't have the means for the Bilsteins but would like
an upgrade to the more common KYB and Boge fare.
20 sets in stock now. No more for a couple of months when they're gone.
Links:
Front: http://www.busdepot.com/busdepot/details.jsp?partnumber=22321
Rear: http://www.busdepot.com/busdepot/details.jsp?partnumber=22322
Don't forget to enter your listmember discount code (list1e) on the
"view cart" page just prior to checkout, for an additional 5% savings.
- Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot, Inc.
www.busdepot.com
(215) 234-VWVW
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Toll-Free for Orders by PART # : 1-866-BUS-DEPOT
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