>H & R also sells lowering springs which will drop the height about an
> extra half inch like the Carats. NOT recommended for heavy Westies as
> many have already found out.

I sell a spring kit that drops the height to about the same as the Carats
AND is designed to handle the weight of the campers. In fact they are
specifically sold as springs for VW campers. They are made by Boge, the
original supplier to VW, and are only available from The Bus Depot.

For those who want a slight improvement in look and handling without
radically lowering their Vanagon or stiffening its ride, these are just the
ticket. They lower the van by 45 mm compared to stock height, a smaller
difference than with the H&R springs that others on the list have used.  So
they will lower the van slightly compared to a stock profile (a la Carat),
giving it a slightly more squat look, but not enough to make it a "curb
hugger" that wants to bottom out on every pothole.  Also, they also are not
quite as stiff as the H&R's (although they are sold as a performance spring
and are a bit stiffer than stock). So while they do improve handling a bit,
they don't stiffen the ride to the point of making it "bone jarring."

I have a set of them on my own '89 Westy.  My motivation for installing them
was to get rid of the really bad left-hand-lean that my Westy had with the
worn out original springs (a common problem, since all of the kitchen gear
and propane tank are on the left well, not to mention the driver).  Since
new springs are about $1500 from VW, these were the only affordable option
that was at least close to stock. I hadn't put them on in order to change my
van's handling or look, but after I did, I was pleasantly surprised to find
out that they improved both.  Just enough, without going too far. Personally
I wouldn't want my van any lower, or the suspension any stiffer, than with
these springs.  Any lower, and my South African mudflaps (which already hang
just inches off the ground) would be scraping on every bump; any stiffer and
my Vanagon would feel like a go cart.  Incidentally, even with the new
springs  I did decide to augment one drivers side spring with a spring
helper (inexpensively found at auto parts stores, often used on the rear of
cars that will be pulling trailers) to eliminate a very small difference in
height between drivers and passengers sides.  It was not absolutely
neccessary to do so, as the van was almost level without it anyway (it
looked level but I discovered a small difference when measuring), but I know
from experience that the drivers side tends to badly sag over time on a
Westy, and wanted to make sure it was absolutely level to begin with.

The part number is 9878, and the price is $362 for a set of 4 with
listmember discount. I am sold out at the moment but have another shipment
hitting port in 2 weeks.

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

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