Keep it dead-ass stock? Are you afraid of change?

We did H&R Springs and bilsteins on our Westiico... and it is SWEET. Drives
and handles like a car, not a schoolbus.

Have you personally tried suspension modifications Dan? That's a pretty
strong opinion if one hasn't.......

Ri

At 07:23 AM 7/25/2003, you 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