HK,

There are so many variables that it is really hard to tell.  My bad
experience with Bilstiens involved their warranty situation.  At the time,
there was no Bilstein outlet in Phoenix, so if I had a bad shock, I had to
mail it to San Diego and wait for a new one.  Since the van is a daily
driver, this was not a very acceptable situation.

I had two Bilsteins go bad, both of then because the shocks were too damned
stiff for their own good.  In both cases, the attachment loop on the bottom
of the shock let go where the loop is welded to the shock body.  When one
went the second time, I replaced them with the KYBs.

I put about 150K on the KYBs before I took them off the Westy.  The front
end guy asked why I was replacing them, as they still looked and felt good,
but there was a noticeable difference in ride between the old KYBs and the
new ones.  I then put the old ones on my '84 7 passenger van (lighter
vehicle), where they still are today.

Bottom line - I don't think there was any REAL difference between the two;
certainly not enough to justify the difference in price.

Karl
----- Original Message -----
From: "Horace K. Sawyer" <firestream@mindspring.com>
To: "Karl Wolz" <wolzphoto@worldnet.att.net>
Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2001 4:57 AM
Subject: Re: Any Bilstein users?

> At 09:33 PM 5/22/01 -0700, you wrote:
> >KYBs have a lifetime warranty, too.  I've had KYBs and Bilsteins on my
'85
> >Westy.  I kinda preferred the KYBs.
> >
> >Karl Wolz
> You actually tell a difference??  I mean, discernable in some way?
> hk
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "David Beierl" <dbeierl@attglobal.net>
> >To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> >Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2001 6:38 PM
> >Subject: Re: Any Bilstein users?
> >
> >
> > > At 12:22 PM 5/22/2001, Stuart MacMillan wrote:
> > > >What are the opinions of the Bilstein users out there?  Are they
worth a
> > > >$210 premium over the KYBs, even with the lifetime warranty?
> > >
> > > I have them, I like them.  No opinion on the KYBs.
> > >
> > > They helped the handling, but not nearly as much as shifting to MXT
> >tires...
> > >
> > > d
> > >
> > >
> > > David Beierl - Providence, RI
> > >   http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
> > > '84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
> > > '85 GL "Poor Relation"
>