The suspension right now is insanely stiff, but IK that's how it's supposed to ride. I figured new shocks and springs would soften it up just a touch.

I've been looking at KYB's. Koni's and Bilstein's are out of my budget for now. Are the KYB's worth it or should I just save some more and buy the Bilsteins/Konis?

I take corners very lightly, but IDK how suspension affects a launch from a dead stop. This is just a weekend car, so I don't want to spend a crazy amount on a setup that won't fit my drive style.

 

Buy the best you can afford. No one ever said "Gee I wish I hadn't spent so much money on Konis."

 

Do the konis ride softer? What makes them worth the price?

 

I have had KYBs on a 84 Camaro and now on a 91
TA convertible and for the money you cant beat them. Good ride and handle corners very good.

 

I had KYB's and fresh stock rate springs and they were just OK. The KYB Gas Adjust are far better than the KYB Excel G rears. I do not recommend the KYB Excel in the rear of the car. Way too bouncy.

 

Would Excels in the front and Gas Adjust in the back be a decent setup you think?

I’m just doing stock rate also

 

Yes. It was decent.

 

Good enough for me! Thanks for the help

 

I'm gonna revive this thread real quick...

Looking at the Bilstein's right now. There is only one Bilstein shock available everywhere and it is the B6 Rear Shock.

Where are the front shocks? Are they discontinued? Can I call and get some made?

 

There is a lot to a suspension, not just shocks. You say it's 'insanely" stiff, but you just want to change out the shocks. You have stock springs? Or have those been changed out for stiffer ones. Need more info.

 

Bilstein fronts are no longer available. Too bad because they were the best of all. And expensive.

 

I had KYB's and switched to Koni's. It was a huge difference. It corners much more smoothly. And just going over bumps the Koni's are superior. Best money I ever spent.

 

I plan on getting new stock springs from Moog. Sway bars, LCA’s, panhard bar, etc. its all stock.

My plans are to get new shocks, springs, all new bushings, and tires are on the way right now. Anything else I can add to that list?

 

That’s a downer. I emailed them earlier today to see if they could make another set and how much it would be. Haven’t heard back yet.

I looked at another thread from a couple years ago and one guy said they made another set for him and shipped it out all through email and phone calls.

 

If I were to get Koni’s, will the front or back shocks make more of a difference?

 

When I first went with KYB Excel G's front and back, the car did not ride well on stock, fresh springs. Once I went to the KYB Gas-A-Just in the rear, the ride was much better.

 

I have the KYB Excel G's with stock worn out springs on my car. It's still a little bouncy for my taste but it handles well. Like you, I didn't want to spend a ton of money on shock/struts right now on a car that I just cruise. Koni's would have been nice, but so is having the extra $600 that I saved.

 

I hear you. The Gas-A-Just rears are very much worth the extra money over the Excel-G IMHO. I suspect they are the correct damping characteristics for the IROC/Z28 rear spring rates, which (I believe) are different than the non-TPI/Z28 rates.

 

If you're taking the front end down that far, I would suggest replacing the ball joints, sway bar links, and strut mounts as well. Maybe steering linkage too if you have any slop.

What tires did you decide on? I'm ready to pull the trigger on some tires too but I am having a hard time making a decision.

 

I put Koni's and Moog springs on the rear end of my car last summer. It made a huge difference in the way the car settled and hugged the road over bumps, and especially how it didn't squat as much on hard takeoffs. I highly recommend. I've got mine on full soft right now, but I might take it up a setting.

I am getting ready to do the front end within a week or two, so I can't comment on the Koni's there yet. But I suspect if you want to talk about overall benefit to the way the car handles, the front would make a bigger difference.

 

All I can say is that I put a pair of konis on my Formula. The impression they made was so strong, I immediately ordered the pair for the other end of the car. Night and day, no comparison. FWIW

 

The rears will make a difference in how the back end takes bumps. You'll also notice that the front of the car will want to lean in turns while the back is straight.....Changing the fronts will make a difference in the front and middle of the car in terms of feel. So I would say doing the fronts will make the bigger difference. BUT, they're also expensive. So I'd say just do what I did and change the rear shocks to Koni first and then save up the money and do the fronts later.

I will say that switching to Koni struts and shocks was easily my favorite mod on the car. It's not just about all out handling. The sheer difference in everyday casual driving will be felt immediately.

I've done struts/shocks, delsphere LCA and PHB, sway bar links, Del-A-Lum in the A-arms, wonderbar, springs, subframe connectors, and I can honestly say that the Konis were about 80% of the suspension benefit. The rest all have their benefits. But nothing changes a car like good struts and shocks.

A full set of front and rear are not cheap. But if it means saving up for several months before you can buy the fronts, I say wait to buy the fronts. The rears aren't that much more than the other brands. So go ahead and get it now.

 

What if I just want my car to ride like it did when it was new? What shocks/struts for that? (Yes, I'm aware that the rest of the suspension must be in good condition)...