Date:         Tue, 3 Feb 2009 13:05:52 -0500
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: Shock Absorbers for Vanagon (2WD)
In-Reply-To:  <71d9cdf90902030816s16d48100o6e165cff477b28fc@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

>  I have the Alko's on my vanagon Westy and am very pleased.
> I have run bilsteins in the past and didn't like them as much though
> it was on a different van.  I picked mine up from Bus Depot but
> they should be available at other places.


The Alko's used to be my favorite "value-for-the-dollar" shock. They were
beefier than the stock Sachs/Boges, and offered a nice mix of comfort and
handling.  Unfortunately, Alko suddenly decided they were worth 40% more
than they used to be, and at the new price they weren't such a good value
anymore.  In their place, I now import a special heavier-duty version of the
OEM Sachs/Boge shock that is designed for the European market and not sold
by Boge in the U.S.  At $79.95 these have great control yet a very
comfortable ride. In my opinion you could not get a better Vanagon shock in
that price range.

If you were to step up from there, the lifetime-warranted Koni's ($109)
would be my pick for the best shocks you can put on your Vanagon. They have
the unique advantage of being user adjustable, either at time of
installation or down the road. This allows you to "dial in" the ride you
like. If you find the ride a little more taut than you like, dial them back;
if you want very taut handling dial them up. What's more, over time as the
ride softens (as it will with any shock), you can change the setting to
compensate for the wear (which is the main selling point Koni uses for the
user adjustability).

As for the KYB's, we do sell them but they are handily outclassed by both of
the above options (as one might expect, given their price). I would call
them a good budget shock, but some people do find them too harsh. If you are
on a budget, you could spend a bit more than the KYB's and get the stock OEM
replacement Boges, which are only $59 and will give you the original factory
ride (which isn't all too shabby).

You can see all of our options at the following link:

http://busdepot.com/view.jsp?model=58&category=38&group=-1&prodgroup=-1

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  www.busdepot.com
  (215)  234-VWVW

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