ill be getting about 500$ back on income tax so i could go ahead and fork out the 500$ for a set of koni shocks and struts...i also wanna change springs so thats another 200$ plus the 200$ for installation of the front springs and struts...(will do the back myself) my question is will stock replacements even compare to the ride quality of konis? also im trying to make this car handle really well the springs will probably be like 1'' lowering springs so i hope that helps...SFC and strut tower brace will be planned whenever i get the money anyways let me know what you think

 

bump ^

 

Well that is a tough question, first off, the konis will not compare to stock replacements in the RIDE department, they will be much stiffer, and your ride will be ruff.

BUT, they will make your car handle better, it is a compromise for what you want, you don't get killer handling, and a ride like a caddie, you either get great handling, and a stiff ride, or a smooth ride, and you turn like a boat, the key is to find the happy medium that makes you feel the most comfterble in your car.

 

i dont mind a stiff ride but inbetween would be perfect i might go ahead and go with the konis soon as i get the money...im gonna go ahead and it better springs to...should handle real nice then...BTW how much would a set of stock replacements run? compared to the konis

 

You can pick up plain ol' Gabriels at AutoZone for $100 (20/shock, 30/strut). Monroe Sensatracs would run you about $150 (25/shock, 50/strut). BIG price diff vs. those Konis, eh?

 

or if you are looking for a performance shock that doesn't have the koni price, alot of people like KYB's they probably won't be as stiff as konis

 

i like those KYB's adjustable..ones..expensive yes.
but they have 5 different settings! so you can adjust from a soft ride to a stiff ride...all with a adjustable ****..
i dunno if anyone installed these, but would like to hear some feed back on em...if they did..
i installed rear Monroe sensatrac shocks for my car..
i notice these do better then my stock, but then again those stock ones were well worn ....

 

definetly a BIG price difference...the konis run 535$ for a set of two struts and 2 shocks....they are probably worth it but as of right now anything is worth it because my car bottoms out when they is 3 people in it...if its just me its fine but its a ROUGH ride but in a bad way right now id say its almost violent i hit a decent size bump once and i hit my head on the t tops because it bounced so bad

 

Get a set from SLP, they are 4th gen takeoffs, last I looked they were 37 bucks for a complete set, front struts and rear shocks.

Jim Buckingham

 

I thought the front suspension setup was different on a 4th gen?

Mark

 

also if you plan on going with a stiffer spring you will need to have a stiffer shock or else it can oscilate the car up and down.

though the konis are great shocks and they can be made stiff I think you can tune the down a bit like you can with the AGX and tha way you can ride kinda nice

 

im about ready to go out and buy some cheap *** rear shocks for now the back is HORRIBLE now...i actually bottomed out earlier hard enough to dent my tailpipe i might just replace the suspension with cheap **** and sell the car im not sure yet

 

You can't put 4th gen front struts on a 3rd gen..totally different design. The rears will work, though.

 

I went with stock to KYB's and now I have Bilstein. If your looking for a shock that's inbetween then go with the KYB's, they're an improvement over stock but still not as stiff as the higher priced shocks. If your planning on selling it now, then just put the cheapest shocks you can find like gabriels and save that tax return money for your next car.

 

Speaking of the 4th gen shocks, anyone running them on the rear? SLP has the DeCarbon 4th gen takeoffs for $25 per pair. I may go with them if they're worth it. How do they feel??