FWIW, I noticed no difference when I put on some HD's that had 3k on
them from the HD's that had like 8 years and maybe 90k on
them.  Maybe that will make you feel a little better.

DM&FS

At 03:48 PM 5/2/2010, Shawn Wright wrote:
>This weekend was the first short trip with new Bilstein HDs on my '88 Westy.
>The KYBs I took off were still ok, at least they seemed to have similar
>resistance to compression (a bit less on the rear, a lot less on the front)
>compared with the new Bilsteins. The Bilstein rebounded 2-3 times faster
>than the KYBs when off the van. Based on this (and my Dad's great report of
>new HDs on his Eurovan) I was expecting a big improvement. So far, I still
>waiting... Things are definitely quieter and smoother over bumps, and a bit
>more stable in turns, but nothing like I expected. I am also surprised how
>soft they appear to be at a stop - I can now bounce the front bumper much
>easier than I recall with the old KYBs, which seems opposite to my
>impression prior to installing them. On a few big dips, it does seem the HDs
>are helping to prevent bottoming of the front suspension quite a lot better;
>this is probably the biggest improvement so far.
>
>I suspect that many who have upgraded to HDs have come from worn out shocks,
>and so their experience has been much more positive. I also wonder if the
>condition of other components factor into this - if you're suspension and
>tires are in good shape except for shocks, then new HDs might just make all
>the difference, whereas my Westy with 420k on original springs and most of
>the bushings, technically under-spec BFG A/Ts on the rear and Yoko Y370s on
>the front may be as good as it's going to get until I deal with loose
>bushings, soft springs, and mis-matched tires.
>
>Overall, I don't regret the purchase, but like so many things Vanagon, one
>purchase only leads to another... what to do next? Bushings? Wheels/tires?
>With any luck, I can enjoy the camping season and ponder these things before
>having to tackle them next winter! :-)
>
>--
>Shawn Wright
>'88 TD Westy