Shocks - '02 Weekender. Best option/choice?

[StAugSam]

Hey Gang,

Need to replace the shocks. Local guy said if i could get them myself it would save me money and he would then do the work.


Question: I see a few options and wonder which is best, also considering budget.

- Blue and Yellow Bilstein Extra Heavy Duty HD (most expensive)
- Blue and Yellow Bilstein B6
- Brown Bilstein B4 (least expensive)

We have a 2002 Weekender.

We don't use the van off-road much. Mostly an around town ride these days with a few road trips to camp here and there. Mostly just hauls surf boards around the state.


Thoughts on what I should do? If there are threads to point me to, that would be appreciated.

[Tom Clark]

The price delta between the Heavy Duty Bilsteins, and the Extra Heavy Duty Bilsteiens is not great.

Go-Westy advocates for the Extra Heavy Duty for the Weekender

https://gowesty.com/collections/euro-van-mechanica...6723209381
_________________
2003 MV Weekender

[StAugSam]

[qval]

I have the HD Bilsteins on my weekender, and they're fine, 6 or 7 out of ten. Idaho has quite a few campgrounds at then end of an hour+ of dirt roads, and they don't last super long in that use case. I've heard that the go Westy Fox setup isn't all that much better, even though they're designed for exactly that. I'll follow this thread to hopefully learn of something better.
_________________
2000 MV weekender, 267k miles

[StAugSam]

[HeyCrutch]

You can find the regular "Heavy Duty" Bilsteins for much cheaper than what GoWesty sells them for (and probably with free shipping) and places like FCPEuro.

I haven't seen anyone else sell the "Extra Heavy Duty" besides GoWesty, which makes sense given the claim that it was a partnership product.
_________________
-2003 EV MV Wk - Forest - 51k
-2002 EV Camper - Ghost - 82k
-2003 EV GLS - Fluffhead - 176k

-1997 EVC - 12vVR6 (SOLD 5/2025)

[HeyCrutch]

I installed the Fox shocks onto my Weekender and ended up pulling them off. I thought the ride was way worse than the Bilsteins I had installed on my Camper. GoWesty told me by phone they really don't recommend the Fox shocks beings installed on vans that aren't lifted (because the body of the shock is too long and it doesn't leave any room for shaft extension/contraction).

YMMV.
_________________
-2003 EV MV Wk - Forest - 51k
-2002 EV Camper - Ghost - 82k
-2003 EV GLS - Fluffhead - 176k

-1997 EVC - 12vVR6 (SOLD 5/2025)

[bikes!]

I have had the Bilstein HD's on my weekender for eight years now. They have held up well - no leaks, still control damping nicely, smooth but firm ride.

The weekenders were set up to sit a bit lower than they should be, in my opinion. When setting up suspension on a mountain bike or motorcycle (for two wheels), you want the suspension to be 20-30% into the travel when sitting still with the rider and gear loaded up. The stock shocks on my van were well into the travel at stock ride height and did not have much additional distance they could compress before hitting the bump stops.

When I installed the HD's, I added a 10mm spacer to the rear springs and readjusted the torsion bars to level the suspension front to rear. I think this makes a big difference. With the slight lift, the HD shocks sit in the middle of their travel and I only feel the suspension hitting the bump stops on rocky gravel roads (south entrance to Bodie ghost town near Mono Lake, for example).
_________________
VWs past: 66 Kombi, 76 Westfalia Camper, 17 GTI; present: 02 Eurovan MVW, 17 Alltrack SEL & 19 Golf R

[[email protected]]

I used the OEM Sachs shocks, mot very much money.
_________________
2001 eurovn weekender 207k fresh batteries

[Tom Clark]

I suspect there's more than a good chance for confusion in this thread, at least for me, when describing the Bilsteins as "Heavy Duty" and "Extra Heavy Duty"

Perhaps we should refer to them as "Stock Bilstein B6s" vs "GoWesty Bilsteins"?
_________________
2003 MV Weekender

[bikes!]

@Tom Clark - Good point. Let's use Bilstein part numbers so it is clear.

Super HD Front - 24-242356
Super HD Rear - 24-242363
HD Front - 24-019118
HD Rear - 24-214230
Standard Front - 7D0 413 031C (VW pn)
Standard Rear - 19-028521

Note that the Super HD are available many places, not just GW.

Pedantry corner: if someone says "dampening" when referring to motion control, likely they haven't studied physics. Some more info here and here.
_________________
VWs past: 66 Kombi, 76 Westfalia Camper, 17 GTI; present: 02 Eurovan MVW, 17 Alltrack SEL & 19 Golf R

[Tom Clark]

@bikes! - We now have a new term to confuse us, “Super Heavy Duty” vs. “Extra Heavy Duty”

Thank you for the part numbers, they disambiguate the parts.

Yes, Bilstein part numbers 24-242356 and 24-242363 are the same as what Go Westy sells.

There are a few places that sell them, but not many. Europarts of San Diego (VW/Audi dealer) chief among them. Their pricing is virtually the same as GW

Europarts of San Diego offers the same advice about the Weekender, use the Super Heavy Duty Bilsteins
_________________
2003 MV Weekender

[StAugSam]