BenT,

I have been running the Bilsteins and HR coils on my 85 for over 6 years now, I feel safer in winds/mountain roads. But the ride is not for everyone since its a hard ride on some bad roads.

ohh and I have hauled massive amounts of cargo inside with my seat flipped down, like a mini
truck. :)

have a nice day,
Joe
Ore.

-----Original Message-----
>From: BenT Syncro <syncro@GMAIL.COM>
>Sent: Mar 11, 2008 3:03 AM
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Opinion regarding new lowered 88 2wd Doublecab w/ Porsche/Pirelli              17's
>
>Hi Gang,
>
>At a weak moment I decided on putting my H&R (purple) lowering springs on my
>88 Doka. I had them on my 87 GL with the stock Boge shocks were they
>occasionally bottomed out. This time around I am using heavy duty Bilsteins,
>thanks to a couple of generous listees (Dave Lockshaw & Joel VanderKwaak)
>who sold me gently used units for very little money.
>
>Anyway, the Bilstein gas shocks added an extra 1/2 inch of height compared
>to the oil-filled Boges. The front end dropped 2 inches compared with this
>combo. The ride is noticeably firmer. My initial reaction was to yank them
>out. After consultation with my regular passengers, it became apparent I was
>the only one who noticed the difference.
>
>I'm not sure I like the look.
>
>I posted pic which is available for viewing just for this week. They may be
>viewed at:
>
>http://images.craigslist.org/011501010212011604200803112c763e804b4fe23ba800187a.jpg
>
>http://images.craigslist.org/01010501020701161320080311d404a424ae93a8945400f871.jpg
>
>
>Note that the rear which has not been lowered is about 2" higher. That's
>what the front end used to look like. Now the 17 X 7" wheel with 40 series
>Pirellis looks to fill wheel opening better. I have 17 X 9" wheels in back
>with 45 series Pirellis.
>
>So what do you guys think? Jack it back-up to stock or keep the lowered,
>pimpy ride? If the consensus is to keep it low, I will drop the rear to
>match.
>
>For the curious, the wheels are Porsche Cup 2 Alloys as found on 911, 944,
>928, and 968 cars. Offset was corrected with spacer/adapters to ET20. rears
>will almost clear sliding doors. Spokes scrap a little but can be corrected
>with door adjustments. The narrower fronts are just perfectly inline with
>the wheel arches. Bolt pattern is typical Porsche at 5 X 130mm.
>Spacer/adapters convert to 5 X 112mm. Pmail me if you need even more detail
>than that.
>
>
>Cheers,
>
>BenT
>www.vanagoncafe.com

"the possession of anything begins in the mind" - Bruce Lee