I just ordered a ton of goodies from UMI and all I can say is great service. I got the control arms and panhard bar kit, steering bar, transmission cross member with torque arm mount (adjustable) weld in sub frame connectors, along with strut mounts (Hawk) and sway bars (1 inch rear and 1 5/16 front solid.
I have used KYB in the past and have liked them but i would like to hear what you guys run.
I have been looking in to TOKICO HP shocks and struts... anyone used them before?

Thanks
Westy.
Fob Fenty AFG

 

I just recently installed some Koni yellows on all 4 corners and the ride is great! I have the front at a half turn & the back is on full soft. Alot of people say that koni is just too stiff, but I don't think so. My car is a dd and I'm happy with them.

I also picked up a few UMI parts, LCA's with dual roto & adjustable panhardbar with roto. Can't wait to install those bad boys!

 

Do a search on tokico I'm sure theres been discussion about them....

 

That is exactly how mine are set and driven daily.

 

I have tokico illuminas on my car and I really like them. With 225lb front coilover springs I can adjust them from just less than firm to quite stiff. Even when I had stock rear suspension there was very little body roll around corners. IIRC they're quite a bit cheaper than Konis. I don't think I would bother with Konis unless it was an autocross car.

On my Fiero I put KYB gas-a-just shocks on the front and I was pretty disappointed; to me they feel pretty much the same as stock.

 

Koni yellows and 17" rim/tire is harsh on the street. I have that...

I would give Edelbrock IAS a shot if I knew they made them, not even sure...

 

Go bilstein.

 

Id love to know the opinion of those who have Bilstein. I like the idea of Adjustable. I've worried that the plastic interior will get to rattling and squeaking, if to firm.

 

Rattling interiors tend to come from things being too soft, not too firm. That's why subframe connectors are so popular. I remember a few Christmases ago, going to a house party with a bunch of car guys. I went out for a ride in a Z06 Corvette.

Now I figured that a C5 would ride about the same give or take as my WS6 package GTA (with stock suspension). And that a Z51 Vette would ride marginally firmer. While a Z06 would ride stupidly stiff. After all, they pull a g in corners and are lower with low profile tires......Imagine my amazement when it took the bumps in the road even smoother than my GTA did.

Good shocks like Koni or Bilsteins will keep you off the bump stops. Keep the car from creaking over humps in the road and do it all faster with more control than worn out stock shocks. No, the car won't ride like a Cadillac. But it will ride better than what you had.

Sure, there is no free lunch. If you crank up the Konis to max rebound (+100%) settings, then it will ride like Fred Flintstone's car. But those settings are for racing only. The full soft 0% to +20% range that most people drive on is easily streetable. And I have concrete roads in a city with 4 million people on land that was originally swamp land. Here's a picture of the side walks down the road from me. Now how do you think the streets hold up?



I wish I went with better struts/shocks years ago. They made the car so much more fun to drive on a daily basis from A to B. Not racing. Just cruising to work. Dealing with pot holes. Dips and humps. Everything.

 

With stiff front suspension I found pretty much the only rattles came from the stock rear suspension. I have a hard top so that might make a difference. I also have a few poly bushings that started squeaking a bit after a while.

 

I have to disagree, I have the same set-up & I think they are great!

If your driving down bumpyroads all day they will suck! But in that case any shocks & struts on these cars will be terrible. Only solution for that problem is a caddy,lexus or beamer....

I've been having so much fun driving the car to & from work (46miles) daily that I've been thinking about upgrading the rest of my suspension & getting into road racing! So in other words the great performance from my Koni's has inspired me to do more to the car & dive into a new hobby.

 

Michigan roads are brutal... That's the main problem. I DD my car and I avoid certain roads but that just means more time behind the wheel...

If I was starting over I would probably do sticky tires/springs/swaybars and a low dollar shock/strut.

 

The probelm with everyones answers is it is not the shocks they are comparing, they are comparing cars with often heavier larger and sometimes a little wider also rims on cars made for a certain ride ratio and sidewall. It is the wheel weight (unsprung weight) and narrow low profile tire (A 40 series should be about 295 wide for decent road absorbtion on a 3400lb car) that make the car ride harsh, not the shock. You need to custom valve the shock to fix the problem. Doesn;t matter at that point which shock brand you use. You want the fastest car from point a to point b going accross town? Hands down Koni will do that better than Bilstein, and then you can dial them down for a little more comfort and a little more body roll like the Bilsteins do.

 

Let me futher give an example

I have taylored my truck for instance with an 8 shock setup- very complex using 4 linear valved shocks and 4 digressive valved shocks- but this is irrelivant for the most part other than understanding the vehiocle was setup through extensive trial and error until it was correct. It has been that way on the current setup for the better of 5 years now with semiannual shock rebuilds.

I have run a rear rim that is 19x11. I ran a tire size for those years that was a 295/50-19 that was recently discontinued. I just a few weeks ago put a 285/45-19 on there and it rides harsh and like crap. One would get into this truck and think what the hell happened? bent wheels? what. A simple mismatch of shock and tire sidewall frequencies. I need to start revalving again.

Koni's at least have adjustment- go with Koni's over Bilsteins.

 

Anyone use the KYB AGX line? It'll be a while before I get to try them out but I just recieved the rear set I ordered. Adjustable 8 setting **** on side for firmness. RockAuto had best price I could find!

 

Yes, I have had the KYB AGX on all four corners for a few years now. I like them. They're easily adjustable while on the car and I like the ride toward the firmer side.

 

Good deal! I'm sure I'll be ordering the front sooner or later. I like the ease of adjustability and I've always had good luck with just the regular KYB brand.