Having used both, Bilsteins run circles around KYBs.  IMHO the KYBs are
harsh and have poor rebound control compared to the Bilsteins. Though
the gas-filled KYBs will raise your Van a small amount.

Todd
'88 Westy.

On 3/19/2014 5:25 PM, Marc Perdue wrote:
> Reading all these threads about tires and wheels has me wondering about
> something. My other vehicle is a BMW E39, a 528it, which is classified as a
> high-performance sport wagon. On the sportier cars that I have owned, which
> is not many, nor am I any kind of expert on the subject, it has seemed to
> me that it was desirable to have lighter wheels to improve handling. I may
> be completely off-base here, but I'll say that up front.
>
> I seem to recall bits and pieces of wheel/tire threads here over the years
> that talk positively about the weight/strength of the Vanagon's steel
> wheels. Now, my interest is in what my '87 Westy should be shod with. I
> already know of Dennis's preference for wheels. Nothing personal, Dennis,
> but those aren't quite my style. I do like the Merc wheels...
>
> Here's what I'm wondering about: Can you, or should you, get alloy wheels
> that are lighter than the OEM steel ones? Would they be stronger or weaker?
> How do you spec out the correct combination of weight/strength of wheels
> for a Westy? There's been lots of discussion about stud spacing and offset,
> and the hole in the middle being the right/wrong size, which I'm still not
> totally clear on. I've tried reading the tire and wheel article on
> vanagon.com, which I can't seem to get to just now (error_500), but it's
> still kind of a mystery as to how you find the right wheel for your needs.
>
> Thanks for all the light you all have shed on this discussion. I thought I
> had the perfect combination of tires (Michelin) and shocks (KYB), but the
> tires are worn out and I can't get replacements and I think the shocks are
> finally going. Evidence is things rattle more! :) The bounce test never
> seems to reveal anything to me.
>
> Marc P.
>