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Advice? How to get a "wide stance" on our Westy?
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mg93108
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 02, 2014 3:17 pm    Post subject: Advice? How to get a "wide stance" on our Westy? Reply with quote

My wife likes that broad and beafy, tough look for our Vanagon. That's probably why she married me, says the 5'7" 135# man.

It needs 3 of the 4 fenders repaired so I am very open to the idea of running fender flares. It might be the cheapest way to do the repair.

It seems to me that it would corner better and not get so blown around in the wind.

Anyone have advice on this? How to do it? Concerns?

Thanks for you help!!
1987 Westy with a manual trans.
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Mike Fisher
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 02, 2014 6:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lowering it would help more than a wider stance, but you could do both.
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mg93108
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 02, 2014 9:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not interested in lowering it.
Would rather raise it.
We are trying to achieve a certain look and not just be utilitarian.
I agree that lowering would help with cornering but we are looking to keep it at least as high as stock
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easy e
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 3:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Can you post a pic of another westy with "the look"?... or other vehicles?
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slalombuggy
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 7:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I know it won't give you the look you want but the best thing you can do to help the handling of your bus is to run KYB Gas-a-just shocks or similar good quality gas shocks and use LT rated tires. IT will be a night and day difference from oil shicks and passenger car tires.

brad
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911pickup
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 04, 2014 10:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you plan on adding fender flares (and wider tires?) make sure they clear the sliding door.
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mg93108
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2015 10:54 pm    Post subject: Update: Tires, wheels, spacers, lug bolts, and studs Reply with quote

So here's the update
I bought 16" Ronel wheels ET37
and put on tires: 215/65R16 98T
I went to put them on the front and found out that the stock studs on the Westy are bigger (14mm) than the holes on the new wheel (12mm). Bummer. I looked into using reducing lug bolts from 14 to 12mm. I didn't feel good about it and have come to learn that this is really not a good idea.

Bottom line, I'm going to drill the wheels out to 14mm. Definitely the preferred way to go.

I'm also going to run 10mm spacers (possibly a different thickness). This would net an ET27. I saw a Vanagon recently running at ET20 with 215/65R16's and they were definitely at the max. Any lower than ET20 and that tire and wheel would be outside of the wheel well. That said, I think that I can easily run at ET27 and would consider ET22.

So now I'm ordering studs and lugs from T3 Technique. They have been very, very helpful and responsive. All through email but effective. They earned my business. Any thoughts?
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mg93108
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 09, 2015 2:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

To address some of the responses listed above.
We don't want to lower it, if anything we want to raise it.
It already has excellent shocks. And on that topic...They are KYB's. I have had Westy's with Boge, KYB, and Bilstien shocks. The Bilstiens were my fav's followed closely by the Boge's. The KYB's just give a harsher ride that I don't care for. Definitely in a distant 3rd place.
Thanks for the reminder about the sliding door.
Decided to not run fender flares.
Thanks for your help with this.
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Mike Fisher
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 09, 2015 4:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Drill out your aluminum wheels yourself since you have perfect guide holes. How wide are the 16's? Run spacers if necessary & post some pics for us!
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911pickup
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 10, 2015 11:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I had Konis on my 86 Westy and loved them. I also installed a set of Weltec lower springs. The combo really improved my Westy's handling and significantly reduced front dive while braking.
One nice feature about the Konis is they are adjustable.

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mg93108
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 18, 2015 10:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Friends
So here's an update. I mounted wheels, perhaps too big for stock but we'll see. The wheels are 16" Ronels. I bought the big ass drill bit and borrowed a friend's big ass drill motor. I'm drilling them out today from 12mm to 14mm so that they will fit. I have some cheap ass spacers to try just for fit. Once I know the needed size, then I'm should be golden. I'll take some pics and post later with more details. Wish me luck, right? I have 3 Vanagons and want to change the wheels on all of them so this is a lesson that I hope to learn well and then practice properly. Very Happy
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mg93108
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 18, 2015 10:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mike Fisher wrote:
Drill out your aluminum wheels yourself since you have perfect guide holes. How wide are the 16's? Run spacers if necessary & post some pics for us!


Finally got the drill bit, drill motor, and the courage to give it a shot. That's the plan for the day. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to drill them out. First time for me.
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mg93108
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 18, 2015 10:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

911pickup wrote:
I had Konis on my 86 Westy and loved them. I also installed a set of Weltec lower springs. The combo really improved my Westy's handling and significantly reduced front dive while braking.
One nice feature about the Konis is they are adjustable.


I've never tried Koni's. I've had Boge, Bilstein's, and KYBs. I found that the KYBs were too rough for me. I have a Vanagon with 69,000 miles on it and it has the stock Boge shocks and it rides beautifully. Compared to our other Westy with the KYBs, it's night and day with the Boge's winning out in my book. I drive both of them on a very regular basis. We had a Westy that had a bunch of miles on it with the stock Boge's and they are definitely played out but shocks do wear out. On that van, we changed to Bilstein's and it drove beautifully. Then we went to 15" GoWesty wheels and our expert Vanagon mechanic and aficionado took me on a "hell ride". He approached a small intersection at a high rate of speed and indicated that he was going to turn left. I was terrified!! I KNEW for sure that he was going to roll it. There was no way that it could handle a turn like this. I knew that "he" knew how to drive these things really well but I was sure that this time, he pushed it too far. Clearly we were going over. If I lived, I hoped that he had really good insurance. He through our sweet Westy around that corner and she just took it with a confidence that was amazing. I cannot overstate the shock that...not only that we lived, and not only that the Van didn't just make it around the corner screaming through her wheels for mercy...but this van just seemed to say, "Bring your A-game next time".
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