TheSamba.com :: View topic - KYB-Gas A Just - no up and down at all on my bug front end.

Sun Aug 26, 2012 8:00 pm

Well today I pulled the KYB's off the front and tried to push down on one while one end was on the driveway. At first I thought it had seized, till I really put my weight on it. Then it slowly moved down. I figure two of those would be pushing up with about 200 lbs of pressure. When it is fully extended it is really hard to get it moving. Tomorrow night I get the stock shock from my brother. With the KYB I meaured 14 1/2" from the ground to the center line of my bumper. Lets see if it goes down.

Mon Aug 27, 2012 12:44 am

I suggest you have a problem some ware in the front end, and the shocks are just making it worse. as for the bilstiens, i had them on three different cars and they all rode like a dray.

Mon Aug 27, 2012 5:56 am

VWO60, first of all you live in the same town as me except you live in Australia and I live in New York. Pomona is the goddess of Fruit, my area is known for apples orchards.

OK the VW sorry, it is only the KYB Gas A Just that has this problem, other shocks work fine. They are just to powerful for a light bug front end.

When I get the replacements I will advise the height difference and hopefully there will be one.

Mon Aug 27, 2012 10:15 am

Did you try to push on the front end with no shocks to make sure it moved ok?

Mon Aug 27, 2012 2:49 pm

Hi nextgen, great to hear you live in the same town as me but i am going to have to agree to disagree, As i keep saying it is not the shock but the set up of your car, i have a ball joint converable, a link pin irs ghia and a link pin swing axle beetle, i have tried many shock combo's over the years as i have stated in my previous posts, and have always come back to the gasajusts, you cannot make sweeping statesments about a individual item, i have had three setsof bilstiens and these were the worst shock i have ever had, I could not get them to ride at all on any of my cars, i get compliments all the time about the ride of all of my cars including my early beetle with 17" composite wheels and 45 series tyres, when you come over to my place i will take you for a ride,

Mon Aug 27, 2012 5:41 pm

vwo60 I I am stating a proven fact, the Gas Adjust shock will raise a Bug's front end. I am not the only person that has had this happen. It is very obvious on a lowered car. The KYB GR2 is fine but nothing like the Gas A Just.

Try to push down on a Gas A Just and a stock shock. You have to put all your body weight on it to get it to move. Not on a stock shock which I can close between my two hands.

That presure keeps the front end up.

I will have my measurement shortly. Waiting for the shocks from my brother.

My town of Pomona is 10,000 from your town, so it will be a bit expensive to come for a ride, but I appriciate your office.

Tue Aug 28, 2012 9:34 pm

OK the end of the saga, my brother winds up giving me a set of Gabriel never used front shocks. They said Classic but the part I was worried about was it said gas shock. What !!! Did not want another gas shock, but I found out all gas shocks are not like KYB Gas A Just. These I could actually squeeze up and down. No where near as hard as the KYB.

I installed them and not only did the car drop 1" but if I push on the bumper the the car bounced, unlike the rock solid KYB. I expect them to drop a bit more after some riding and as they age. As this all started, I have 2 1/2 " dropped front spindles the KYB brought me up 1" and road like I was using bowling balls for shocks. 1" is alot if you look at the overall look of the car, that is noticeable. I was worried about it being gas, but actaual it is a nice ride and does have a bit more control then if I use plain oil shock,
I will be putting the KYBs on Ebay with in the next week. If that is what you want I got em. They are as strong as the day I bought them.

Wed Aug 29, 2012 1:16 pm

As i said, all my cars run them and are set up to suit, not just plonked on and hope they work, your car has to be set up for them, the shocks you have put on are a low pressure shock like the GR2, glad they work on your car but there is more to a shocks job than just the ride.

Thu Aug 30, 2012 6:02 am

We are on the same page, that is exactly what I said and it is until you do your homework will you get it right.

This is the 4 set of shocks I put on my bug and now I got it right. Once you change anything, Like the dropping the car by pulling it down or using dropped spindles to do it. Things change.

Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:01 am

That is what I tried to tell you 2 months ago in your other thread you posted.

vwracerdave wrote: KYB are great shocks for heavier Fords or Chevy's. Unfortunatly ther are just too stiff for the lightweight VW Bugs. They are OK on Bus's, Baja's and off roads buggies. I have found the best shock to use on a street driven Bug or Ghia are the $15 Monroe or Gabriel that you get at the big chain auto stores.

Thu Aug 30, 2012 3:03 pm

I have done my research, i bet all you have done is fit the shocks, you have not set the car up to suit, i have done my home work over the years and have found these shock to be a performance bargin, two of my cars are set up to handle and require a shock to actually damp the suspension not a cheap shock you get from cheap car part place.

Thu Aug 30, 2012 5:59 pm

So it is 10000 to 1. We finally found a fan of the stiff KYB whites on bugs.

Thu Aug 30, 2012 6:00 pm

The Vanagon Syncro KYB whites side to side with bug versions have the same valving and stiffness. Imagine putting a shock that works well on a 5000 pound bus on an 1800 pound beetle. KYB=kick your butt on bugs.

Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:28 pm

I just put the KYB GR-2 gas shock absorbers on my '71 standerd beetle and they seem great even though the engine is out and the guy who helped me put them in said he stands by them and puts them in all his VW's. I hope this helps.

Thu Aug 30, 2012 9:02 pm

I believe the KYB GR2 shock is fine, top of the line shock, I have no problem with them. Steve I was trying to find a comparison vehicle that used a KYB Gas A Just shock and you did it for me. I have no doubt that shock would be perfect on a 5000 lb vehicle.

My friend came over tonight, and I told him the shock story. He thought I was joking when I asked him to push down on the KYB shock, he could not move it. I moved it before but this time I thought it was totally stuck in the open position. Finally I got it moving with all my weight on it. I think if you do not move the shock it gets even harder to move. It did get cold last night, it was 45 degrees. I bet the cold makes it worse. Wow imagine in the winter, you may as well have a soild front end.

Come on logic will tell you, the bug has no weight in the front, that is why you only have to put 18 psi in the tires. Why would you put a shock that can work on a 5000 lb van.

Thu Aug 30, 2012 9:14 pm

OK vwo60, you have been toting the Gas-A-Just banner....why don't you give us all the benefit of your experience and tell us how you "set the car up" to suit the KYB whites.

Fri Aug 31, 2012 6:25 am

Set up your car to suit the KYB Whites, ha!!! Reverse engineering.

Instead of designing a cool looking bug with dropped front end and then find shocks to suit.

Starting with the KYB Whites I would windup with with a Humm Vee.

Darth that is a good question, you suggested. I am interested in his answer.

Fri Aug 31, 2012 6:39 am

You Americans need to understand the Australians have poor quality roads and need the extra suspension travel to get around in the Outback.

Fri Aug 31, 2012 9:13 am

I just switched from gas a justs all around to GR2's on my 63 bug and although the ride is much better there was a sacrifice in handling. That may not be a big deal to those of you who live in the city and maybe only hit the winding roads on your sunday drives, but for people like me that have 15 miles of winding country roads to travel each way pretty much anytime I leave the house it becomes more of an issue.

I do run 1" sway bar up front but will either be putting the gas a justs back on the rear or looking into a rear sway bar setup of some sort. I have tried the bugpack style camber compensator in the past but found it pretty much useless, so I may try the CB performance style and see if thats any better.

Anyway I guess my point is that the suspension setup of your car has alot more to do with ones personal preference and usage of the vehicle then with the popular opinion of the masses.

Fri Aug 31, 2012 12:35 pm

Dan I totally agree, I have a heavy duty sway bar in the front and the back. I left the KYB gas A just in the back. The car still handles well I now have the lower car I wanted and when I go over a bump I don't get a bone jaring jolt.

I will admit the handling was better with the KYB whites on the front but seriously if I took two steel bars, the same lenghts of the KYB's and tapped the tops and drilled holes on the bottom of each . I would have the same great handling as the KYB Whites.

They are so stiff they do nothing in the way shock damping .