Re:Bilsteins vs BOGE

[Andrei Kogan <abk@phy.duke.edu>]

>The Boge's just dont last under "demanding" conditions, or do they last
>under normal conditions, for anything over 30,000 miles!


There is no question about it, Bilstein is a superior shock, fully sealed,
much more solid etc. I also totally agree on the warranty and durability
points --- if you can afford them, get them, especially if you intend to
keep the car for a long time. All I said was that I expected there to be a
_dramatic_ difference in performance/handling compared to our setup with
BOGEs on the other car ( which I am quite happy with ) and the difference
wasn't as big as I expected it to be. As seen from the driver's seat, the
stiffness appears to be about the same. When I said that Bilsteins weren't
quite worth the extra $170, I meant that  other factor matter more than I
thought they did, and with a limited budget and a strict street use in
mind,  I should probably have opted for BOGEs and saved some $$ for other
suspension issues. 

There is only one thing I really disliked about the Bilsteins besides the
cost -- the fit on the front. They are much, much thinner then the housing,
the gap around the cartridges is at least 1/8" or more. If the retaining
nut breaks loose, I suspect one will loose control of the car completely.
Not that the likelyhood of that is high, however, a few people reported
conventional OEM Caps breaking loose , so it's not unheard of.

Andrei