I am looking for a good set of shocks for my 91 z28 350 camaro, Iam looking for a comfortable ride and handling! Would the bilsteins be overkill or what other shock would be a good replacement? thx for the advice..

 

KYB GR2 Struts and KYB Gas/Adjust Shocks are a set up I and a lot of others have. They are also not Bank Busters like the Bilsteins..

 

What's your budget? Koni yellows are about the best you can buy by most accounts.

 

PRICE DOES NOT MATTER . JUST WANT THE BEST RIDE,,,, THX

 

I got koni yellows on my 92, but I can't imagine bilstein or KYB being bad for a street car.

 

If you are just looking for ride quality and not handling then I would go with what DJP87Z28 sayed that is the KYB GR2

 

I was looking at the prices between those and the koni's and bilsteins. For the price difference, does it make that big of a difference?

 

The only difference is how much you have left in your bank account. The KYB's will work very well on a street car. Unless you want to brag I got Koni's or Bilstein's.

 

Above statement is absolutely not even remotely true. KYB's are not in the same sentence as bilstien or koni. The difference they make in handling & ride quality is well worth the cost difference IMHO. I have had all three before & can tell you from experience koni out handles them all by a large margin and adds quite a bit more control. Probably the bet mod you can do to the car. Bilstiens don't have as much dampening, but really offer a great ride, especially with stock springs. KYB's are not close to either of the other brands. IT is worth it to save/spend the money on the better shocks if you plan on keeping the car. If you just need to fix it, get the KYB's as they are better than blown shocks. BUt the statement above is kinda ignorant..

 

I've had all 3 brands you mention in my street cars over the last 20 years and would only suggest KYB for a stock replacement or mild performance (maybe lowering springs) - they don't hve ave the proper valving for serious driving or light track use. I'm referring to the non adjustables.

I have Bilsteins on my Camaro - love them, but they were custom valved to my springs. Not a great ride, but tolerable.

My GTA has Koni Yellows and they are great - the ability to adjust them in minute amounts is worth the time to keep fiddling with them. This applies to ride and also performance, since you can turn the **** to make them softer or firmer anytime you like.

 

I have KYB gas a justs on my 69 and they are great comfy shocks but they have nowhere near the performance of the koni yellows I have on my 92 that I autoX and HPDE.

 

What kind of difference are we talking about?

 

From spooky to sportscar type of difference. THe road feel and actual road holding/handling improve with a quality shock absorber. Car will have higher limits along with more control. Major diff in feel/balance.

 

Gotcha. I was really thinking about kyb's, that's what my father in law has in his 84. And his rides so much better than mine. But he also has all
The aftermarket suspension goodies along with the kyb's

 

Monroes and Gabriels are stock replacements- good for a grocery getter or a car you plan on fixing up and selling. The suspension equivalent of an engine tune up.
KYB's and Tokicos are an upgrade much like adding an aftermarket air filter is-very little difference over stock if any, most is probably all in your head
Bilsteins and Konis are like adding headers- measurable difference as well as a significant improvement easily detected by the butt dyno.

If you want a nice, good riding and handling car that you plan on keeping for a while, Konis or properly valved Bilsteins are it. If you just want your old truck or grocery getter to be slightly kinder to your kidneys or you want to be able to say that the car you're selling has new shocks, OE replacement are the way to go. I wouldn't bother with the in between stuff, unless it was on special and you know you won't regret it and want to upgrade a few months later.

If you care enough to ask us for advice, instead of the counter guy for whatever's on special at O'Napazone, you probably already know the answer

 

Koni yellows are definitely at the top of my list!

 

It will be a good idea. Even hated Honda owners know what a good set of S&S will do for your body control. Google some reviews on both Koni's & Bilsteins. Almost everyone from domestics/import to even exotics aprove of both Koni's & Bilsteins for street use. They can also be used on the track with great success.

Good luck with your build.

 

I have KYB and they are fine as a stock replacement /cruising shock

Koni Yellow will go in next as my wife drives my IROC and she needs all the help she can get

 

For what it's worth, I bought my Koni's in 1990, and they STILL work fine after all these years. They were the very first mod I made. If you are going to be a long term owner or use it at the autocross track, they are probably worth the money.

 

Wow! Thats a long time

 

It's been a while, I think my back shocks are Bilsteins or Gabriel....can't remember, just remember they are gas shocks, same with the front. Great performance, these cars handled pretty fantastic in stock form too.

All depends on what you want to do. AutoX, sure, spend a little more money. Dragging, who cares how it takes a turn. Cruising, totally up to you (technically all the other ones are too but yeah)

 

I have monroe sensa trac, I bought them last year. They're not the most expensive nor are they the cheapest. I needed shocks so I decided to give them a try, Compared to my old shocks it's like night and day, my old shocks were not blown I'm just upgrading my suspension. It's not like I have anything else to compare them to but I do like them. It still rides like an 80's Camaro but because of other upgrades from Spohn it handles very well.