Yes. I should have qualified this.

Ride is everything. The Bilstein shocks are beautiful if you are on a slalom
course, but the Vangon I feel needs a kinder road-feel.

For anyone near Colorado, I thought I'd plug this event at the Bandamere
strip:

      Volkswagens, Volkswagens, Volkswagens!
      Dates:
         Aug/10/2003

      DRAG RACING, HUGE CAR SHOW, BUG STUFF, PRA CLASSES, VENDOR MIDWAY,
SWAP MEET, BUG PUSH, AURWALK BMS STUNT TEAM

      Schedule
      Gates open 8:30 am
      Car Show Judging 9:30 am - 1:00 pm
      Time Trials Begin 10:00 am
      Eliminations 1:30 pm
      Show Awards 3:00 pm
      Special Events scheduled throughout the day.

      Admission
      Participant $30 (includes car & driver, license plate, and eligibility
for show awards)
      If racing, pay additional fee at tech.
      Swap Meet (20' x 20') $30
      Larger displays will need to purchase additional space.
      Spectator $12
      Children 12 and under FREE with paying adult.
      No participant entries accepted after 11:30 am.

      Discount Coupons Available at:
      Al Bugs Me!, Cool Stuff Inc., Fineline Signs, Graphics & Studio, G&G's
Import Auto Clinic, McDonald Automotive Group, Nu Vintage, Painter's
Grinding, 23 Deluxe, Tynan's Volkswagen, and V-accessories.com

      Race Classes
      All Volkswagen owners can participate. There are classes all skill
levels.

      Painter's Grinding Sportsman Eliminator
      All vehicles in this class must run 15.00 seconds or slower, with no
electronics. WIN, R/U, Semi trophies will be awarded.

      PRA Pro Eliminator
      PRA Rules. All vehicles in this class must run faster than 14.99
seconds, no electronics. WIN $700, R/U $300, Semi $150, QTR $75, minimum 24
cars. Entry fee $75.

      PRA Pro Mod
      PRA Rules. WIN $1200, R/U $400, Semi $150, minimum 6 cars. Entry fee
$95.

      PRA Super Street
      PRA Rules. WIN $1000, R/U $300, Semi $125, minimum 6 cars. Entry fee
$95.

      PRA Super Comp (11.60 index)
      PRA Rules. WIN $800, R/U $300, Semi $150, minimum 6 cars. Entry fee
$95.

      PRA Super Gas (12.65 Index)
      PRA Rules. WIN $800, R/U $300, Semi $150, QTRS $50, minimum 14 cars.
Entry fee $80.

      V-accessories.com Water Cooled Eliminator
      Open to all water cooled VW's. No delay boxes. Dial-your-own racing,
WIN, R/U, & Semi trophies.

      Show Classes
      Classes for all makes and models of VW including but not limited to:
      Radical Custom, Modified, Vintage, Ghia, Daily Driver ('65 & Earlier),
Daily Driver (1971-1975), Daily Driver (1966-1970), Daily Driver
(1976-1979), Convertible, Bus, Type III, Off Road/Sand Rail, Baja/Dune
Buggy, Thing, Race Car, Undone, Special Interest, Water Cooled ('84 &
Earlier), Water Cooled (1985-1992), Water Cooled (1993-19991/2), Water
Cooled (19991/2 - Newer), and Best of Show

      Swap Meet
      Entry includes 20' x 20' space and one spectator admission for $30.
All vendors receive a complimentary event license plate. Swap Meet designed
for private parties only. For commercial display prices and information,
contact us at (303) 697-6013 Ext. 125.

      Airwalk BMX Stunt Team
      Come see the hottest tricks and wicked stunts performed my the
nationally known Airwalk BMX stunt team.

      Additional Activities
      VENDOR MIDWAY, BUG PUSH, BUG STUFF, FUN AND GAMES!

      Host Hotel
      Days Inn Denver West
      15059 West Colfax Ave.
      Golden, CO 80404
      (303) 277-0200

      No Tickets available on-line.
      Tickets sold the day of the event at the Bandimere Speedway Box Office
or for advance tickets call (800) 664-UWIN.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Phil S." <napszeerf@YAHOO.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, July 25, 2003 9:07 AM
Subject: Re: Bilstein Shocks Vs. Stock

> > 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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