now this is my first time posting here and yes i've read the faqs and all that...
i'm just learning how to work on my car, so gimme a lil break ha.

i noticed when i'm driving and i let the wheel go it doesn't stay straight(no matter what speed) so i asked around and friends told me i probably just need an alignment. so i went into midas today and they told me i needed new struts, shocks, and ball joints. i declined obviously because they wanted to charge me $650 for all that. i looked around online but not really sure what i'm looking for. what i'm wondering is, what are the best parts to get for my 87 305 tpi iroc daily driver but i like to have that performance feel ya know? also, how hard is replacing all that? i am in the army and they have an autoshop on post where you can pretty much do anything so i plan on using that.

any helpful comments would be appreciated. thanks

 

Welcome to TGO. A search will help you come to buying decisions where brand is concerned. With a shop at hand and a manual--or assistance from this site--you can make the necessary replacements yourself, with the possible exception of an alignment.

JamesC

 

I replaced every thing on mine helped alot. If you plan on keeping the car gett the better line of parts.
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/susp...ion-101-a.html

 

get an alignment first and then see how it handles. no reason in replacing parts if they're not the problem.

 

To get the best parts you are going to need to shed some money. You could easily spend over $600 just on shocks and struts alone and get some bilstein or koni shocks and struts. It is not too difficult to replace shocks and struts yourself, you may have problems with stubborn nuts and bolts, but can be done.
I on the other hand did not have the money to spend on good quality, expensive shocks and struts, but needed to replace them badly because one front was leaking oil and the back ones were completely shot. My car used to bottom out whenever I went over a bump. My car has also be lowered an inch and a half, so I needed to get something that would work well with my Eibach lowering springs. I also needed something that would give me a firmer, sportier ride.
I decided to stay away from monroe, gabriel, or KYB, and went with spring tech shocks and struts. I put them on my car 4K miles ago and really like the way my car rides and handles. They are firm, but handle bumps well, and I have so much better control over the can now. I bought all 4 of them for $130 plus shipping, which was another 30. They are made in Mexico, which I know is not the best, but I still think they are better than anything made in China. I bought them from http://shop.suspensionmax.com/Shop/Control/fp/SFV/32526.
As far as ball joints are concerned, I have never done them before so can't give any advise on that.

 

Ball joints- I say Moog or Napa. As for shocks, if you're going for the performance feel and handling, it really depends on how much you want to spend and how much performance you want. It ranges from the nice KYBs, to the Tokicos, to the KONIs/Bilsteins. I have the KONIs and really like them, although the ride is somewhat rough.

 

wow you guys have been real helpful, i will keep all this in mind

 

DUDE!! Whatever you do,don't take your car to Midas!!If they quoted you $650, you can probably get the same job at a neighborhood service center for about $500.Sure that's a lot of money too,but if you're like me (not a mechanic,just a half- parts changer)you gotta give your loot to somebody.Shopping on line for parts is kind of a win-win;you would only pay labor charges for the installation.I bought some Moog springs and KYB shocks for the rear of my RS(total $133.40),but I can't tell you how they handle,'cause it's still at the shop getting other work done to it.Yes, I know you are talking about the front end here,so before you do anything, do what has been posted previously and just take it in for an alignment.(I know this is common sense, but make sure your front tires are in decent shape.)From my experiences,if you buy your parts online,check out RockAuto.I've had great dealings with these people. Keep us posted on what you decide to do,and good luck!!

 

I'd recommend PST for all that stuff. I just got a front end rebuild kit(ball joints, tie rod ends, and all the bushings) and KYB's for all 4 corners for $398 which I thought wasn't bad. They dont use crappy parts, everything was made by energy suspension or moog. I just got it put back together and I really like it. $650 seems awfully expensive for all of that work. You can do it yourself if you just take your time, trust me I'm only 16 and did everything myself on my rebuild. Id recommend getting a Haynes or factory GM manual before you start though.

 

whats wrong with KYB?
they have pretty good mid-upper range shocks...
i mean they arent on the level of Konis or Bilsteins or anything, but if you want the best for the least amount of money you can get, id get KYB shocks and struts.
if you want non adjustable, get the Gas-a-just shocks
if you want adjustable, they have a GR2 line that is adjustable IIRC.
-------------
edit:
never mind, the AGX is the adjustable line of KYB shocks...
have fun

 

Nothing's wrong with them, but the Bilsteins and KONIs are just better.

 

Your struts are your shocks on the front and don't really affect the alignment. They do however affect the ride and handling. If you are going to change them it should be done before the alignment. Worn ball joints can affect alignment and if bad enough, do prevent an accurate alignment. Changing rear shocks won't change anything alignment wise as long as they don't change the ride height too much.