Hey guys, well I guess my 91 Trans Am needs new front struts. The car gets pretty upset on rougher roads and the current struts just look bad with lots of surface rust. Rear shocks aren't a bad idea either, since the ***-end is a little bouncy and those shocks look bad too. I'm not looking for performance stuff; stock is fine for now. But I'll definitely consider any cheap upgraded parts. What do you guys recommend?

And yes I did search... didn't find too much.

Thanks!

 

My daily driver 87 GTA had KYB Gas-a-Just struts & shocks on it when I bought it.

3 years later, even with Ground Control Weight Jacks with stiffer springs, I have zero complaint about the ride quality.

 

I had Monroe Sensatracs on my IROC for a few years, rode and drove ok, handled terrible. I now have Koni Yellow single adjustables and they are incredible, one of the best investments I've made, but get our your wallet. Second to Konis I'd recommend Bilsteins, but they are salty too, but remember you get what you pay for. I've heard decent things about KYB. I'd stay away from Monroe, Gabriel, or other brands like that unless you're just looking for stock replacement.

 

KYB struts & shocks for those that don't want sticker shock for the top named two brands.

I went with the KYB gr2 strut & gas-adjust shocks about six months ago when I replaced the original Bilstiens. I am pleased with the results on my daily driven 87 IROC-Z.

 

Thanks for the tips guys! Anymore?

 

Yeah right, like there is no difference in quality between koni or bilsteins and those kyb's.

 

Which would you recommend? I'm sorta on a high school budget just letting all you guys know lol. I'm not looking for the best parts, just something a little better than stock, since if I'm gonna go through all that work might as well put something a little better in.

 

The koni classics are most likely the cheapest, they're rebound adjustable, a good quality shock that should last a lifetime )rebound adj usability allows to adjust to compensate for wear) The yellow konis and bilsteins are priced similar. They are a good chunk of money but if you buy them you'll probably never have to buy another set again. People spend tons of money on engines but IMO quality brakes and suspension is equally, if not more important.

Did all these cars come w/ blilsteins? Mine came facotyr w/ delco/bilsteins front and rear and the fronts are a little worn but the rears were just fine. No slop in them whatsoever.

 

Yeah I definitely see what you're saying. The local autozone has a pair of Gabriel Ultras for $44 a piece (front struts). What do guys think of those? The guys at the store said that they never heard complaints about them... but they probably just want me to buy em lol.

But I see 1MeanZ has an objection...

 

Oh and I'm also tempted to go with the ac delco struts. I found em online for about $74 a piece. Although I have one question... are drivers/passenger side struts different? The AC Delco website is showing a left-hand strut and a right-hand strut. But when I click "add to cart" on both of them, the cart shows 2 right-hand struts.
http://parts-catalog.acdelco.com/b2c/catalog_search.php

 

No, they are identical, the lower part is drilled/threaded on both sides for the brake hose retainer.

 

I tried those gabriels back when i worked at autozone and their not worth a penny. i replaced all 4 at the same time and within a week one on the front and one in the rear were leaking their fluid. I went and replaced them under warranty three times in the same month and decided to just save for konis. Never made it to the konis, dang transmission problems

 

Oh wow that sucks! I guess I know which ones I'm NOT buying.

 

The set I just replaced was on my car for 9 years. The came from AutoZone and I replaced them with AutoZone this time and the car handles like a dream.

 

gabriel shocks?

 

I just had them replaced in October. The springs were orignally on the car. Them being 17 years old I fealt they needed to be replaced. The Struts and shocks lasted me for 9 years.

Struts: http://www.autozone.com/autozone/cat...=Gabriel+Ultra

Shocks: http://www.autozone.com/autozone/cat...=Gabriel+Ultra

Front Springs: http://www.autozone.com/autozone/cat...dName=Duralast

Rear Springs: http://www.autozone.com/autozone/cat...dName=Duralast

 

What do the parts store guys know about good shocks? Do any of them race? Do any of them have a clue? Just because no one complains during their trip to the grocery store doesn't mean they are good shocks....

Handles like a dream eh? How many autocross events do you do per year? Have you driven the car in any open track days? Have you ever been in competetion with someone that had Konis? Have you driven a thirdgen aggressively that had Konis to compare to your car?

 

Not everyone is interested in competition level race handling. Some people simply drive their 3rd gens to & from work, which may be perfectly fine for HIM. Even of those that do, do not all necessarily need Koni-level handling.

Don't knock his choice of non-competition level choice of driving. Instead, have respect for HIS choice in how to drive HIS car.

 

Well if it clears it up some more, my car is just a "sunny day cruiser." I don't plan on racing it, but I like spirited driving (love hitting the curvy mountain roads) and I might hit a track once or twice just for fun. Does that help narrow down the shock repertoire? lol

 

I live in the mountains of NC so a curvy road is where I get my kicks. I have kicked many go straight monkeys who can not handle a curve. Yes, my car is a daily driver. I don't go to road racing events mainly because I don't have any around here. For what I need and use my car for I have not seen the need to pay that price for a set of shocks. My car drives great with these shocks and I'm very happy. I have little body roll and can pull some good G's. I'm no slouch at driving on a twisty road I have been able to out drive many faster cars that had better everything than me.

These shocks get the job done. During normal driving they give you a smooth ride. If you have not changed the springs I would suggest doing so it will make a difference. 19 year old springs are at the point where they get weaker faster.

 

I stated in my first post that the cheapo shocks work for standard duty. I didnt knock his choice, I'm simply pointing out that his comment about "handles like a dream" is very subjective. he has nothing to compare his current handling to, so him saying his car handles doesn't mean much because it's his opinion. I wouldn't spend my money based on someone's subjective opinion and no facts.

Again no data here or other comparisons. I'm glad you like your shocks and struts, I didnt say they were bad, I'm pointing out that you have nothing to compare them to. What may feel like a good handling car to you may feel like garbage to someone else. And by the way, springs don't lose rate over time, they loose compressed height and can sag, but they don't lose rate.

 

Well by your own claim backup your statement with some MOTEC data. Please I would love to see it! When I redo my car with bigger tires and up the HP to the car then I could justify the price of a better shock package. It is all subjective because some people like it one way some like it another. Just because they cost more does not mean they are the best.

This guy was asking how were these shocks. I have a set, so yes I do have experience with them so I would have knowledge of what I'm saying.

If you can collapse the springs with less weight does that not mean the rate is reduced?

 

I agree with 1MeanZ. "Handles like a dream" is very subjective. We both do a lot of autocross a lot but I can garuntee you that we both have completely different ideas of what "good" handling is. It all comes down to driver preference.

I have a friend with an 89 IROC that just uses it as a cruise car with some basic KYB shocks and thinks it handles awesome. When I gave him a ride in my car he agreed that it handled better but he didn't like how you can feel a lot more of the bumps and he thought my car felt way too loose.

What kind of High School budget do you have (you don't really have to answer this)? Everything done to my car so far has been on a High School budget. It just depends how many hours you're willing to put into a job to pay for your hobby. While a lot of my friends were home playing video games, I was out working almost 30 hour weeks during the school year and over 50 hour weeks during the summer. Just be smart about where you spend your money and you will be surprised how far it goes.

 

The guy asked a question and I went by what he asked. The shocks and struts I showed him are the cheap upgrades. Because the stock shocks and struts they sell are way cheaper and not that good because they just pull down on the car not allowing for a better ride and have way more body roll.

 

Well I don't wanna spend more than 200-300 bucks on shocks. I have a little more cash, but I wanna save that for other parts.

 

If you change them yourself it will save you even more money. Then all you will need to do is take the car in for realignment.

 

Oh yeah, I'm doing them myself no question about it... at least for now. I'm dropping the rear end anyway to install a disc 3.23 or 3.73 rear and I'll replace the rear shocks while I'm at it.