I still don't see it.  Beefier.  Why?  The stock shocks never break.
They last over 100k miles normally.  So improving on them does what?  It
just sounds like a difference in contruction to me.  A solid steel beam
is "beefier" than a steel I beam.  Does that mean it is better?

Thanks,
Ken Wilford
John 3:16
http://www.vanagain.com
http://www.strictlyvwauctions.com
Phone: (856)-327-4936
Fax: (856)-327-2242

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
Of The Bus Depot
Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2003 11:16 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Shocks

>> I put a set of Alko's on my van last August and they seem to perform
>> very well. Very reasonable too. I've taken one very long trip on some

>> poor Mexican roads and several shorter trips and I'm satisfied with
>> them. Bus Depot recommended them a while back on this list and they
>> are on their website.  Do a search for Alko.

> They seem comparable to the Boge in price.  I don't see the advantage.

> The Boge are top of the line as far as oil/air shocks go. Am I missing

> something?

If you look at the two side by side, the difference in construction is
obvious. The Alko's are noticably beefier, with perhaps a 50% larger
piston than the Boges. I started importing them after hearing some
glowing reports about them from Just Kampers in England, who's been
selling them for quite some time and found that many of their customers
preferred them to Boge. Not that the Boges are bad by any means, but the
Alko's seem to offer more for the money. They handle quite well, without
the stiffness that some find objectionable on the KYB's, and without the
high cost of the Bilsteins. In other words, good all-around performance
at a reasonable cost.

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

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