Date:         Fri, 25 Jul 2003 08:07:32 -0700
Reply-To:     "Phil S." <napszeerf@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "Phil S." <napszeerf@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: Bilstein Shocks Vs. Stock
In-Reply-To:  <005901c352b8$47bdd870$4501c80a@lakewood.corsof.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

> Keep it dead-ass stock. Put another way, don't
> override the factory
> engineers.

If Bilstein shocks and stock shocks have the same
travel distances then i dont see why adding an
aftermarket shock would override the factory engineers
design...all you are doing is changing the stiffness
for lack of a better word. I wonder if the factory
suspension engineers designed the vanagon to have five
hundred pounds of weight on the drivers side of the
van(Westfalias, Aventurwagen)

Now changing factory SPRINGS...that changes everthing.

Phil 84' Westy w/Tiico





--- Dan Haydon <DanHaydon@CORNERSTONESOFTWARE.COM>
wrote:
> If it's not stock, it ain't ......
>
> Keep it dead-ass stock. Put another way, don't
> override the factory
> engineers.
>
> Dan
> 91 GL
> 83 320i
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "The Bus Depot" <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Friday, July 25, 2003 7:13 AM
> Subject: Re: Bilstein Shocks Vs. Stock
>
>
> > > 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.)
> >
>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > 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
> >
> > _____________________________________________
> > Toll-Free for Orders by PART # :  1-866-BUS-DEPOT


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