I almost flipped my van right after I got it, an '87 westy, driving
slowly on a slope, hit a rock and started rocking back and forth,
sideways.  I replaced the shocks per list recommendations with KYBs,
seems like they were Gas-adjust and something else, and replaced the
tires with bigger Michelin LTXs.  The ride is fabulous and you could
almost say that the van actually handles now . . . almost . . . :^)  Um,
I actually paid a local shop to replace 'em.  I was in too much of a
hurry and no longer have a floor jack, which makes so many jobs much
easier and faster (assuming you use proper safety precautions).

Regarding those Michelins:  After 40k miles, they still look almost
new.  Love 'em!!!

Marc Perdue

Florian Speier wrote:

>hi all,
>
>we have been up and running in our new 87 westy  for a couple weeks
>now. the only problem is.... it would be nice to have a kind of
>stiffer ride, my girlfriend claims it rides like a ferry (and she
>hates ferries). so i was wondering where the problem could be. i feel
>it rides a lot wibbelier than my 86 vanagon i had a few years ago.
>the tires are nankings light truck with 5000 miles on them, so that
>should be fine. the shocks are pretty worn i think, so i wonder what
>to replace them with? the car has 130000miles. i read the article on
>gowesty that bilsteins would be great, any second opinions here? and
>does it solve the problem or do i have to replace the springs as well?
>back in germany many vanagons are lowered, but i didnt see any
>lowering kits here - also i would prefere to keep my ground clearance,
>if possible, although handling is more important.
>and, if i replace the shocks, do i have to do all four or can i start
>with only the front ones? hmmm and is it very hard to do yourself for
>a beginner?
>
>thank you all so much
>
>florian
>
>
>