Matching Torsion Bars, Leaf Springs and Shock Absorbers

Johnny Dart said

Do you ever read the full post from a member, or do you just see shocks, and scream Hotchkiss or Fox or Koni !!!!!!!
Because I don't think you do.
He stated that he "wasn't going to race the car, so that whole class of shock is out of consideration".
Did you read that part ?
I didn't think so, because suggesting a set of $600.00+ shocks is probably what he meant by, "whole class of shock".
What I get from his post is he is looking for a decent all around shock, that doesn't break the bank.
Maybe I'm wrong, and he has no problem putting $600.00+ shocks on his car. But from what I'm reading that is not what he is looking do. And for that matter, a set of KYB' or Monroe's would fit the bill just fine.

Click to expand...

He said Monroes would be better than KYBs a few posts back which I agree with. I'd lean towards Bilsteins myself for the price in that application but 0.89" t-bars are so soft. Won't hurt to be overdamped though, better than having soft shocks with stiff springs. The OP essentially has a factory suspension setup so factory-spec shocks will fit the bill.

KYB Gas-a-Justs have digressive valving where the damping rate starts high in relation to the velocity of the wheel's movement up or down and tapers off as the velocity increases. Works great on heavy vehicles with lots of unsprung weight (have a set on my '72 D200 with 33" tires and ran a set on my '93 Jeep Cherokee 4x4 and they were really nice at reducing tire bounce) but not so much on lighter vehicles with moderate unsprung weight. It just makes the ride firm but doesn't actually improve body control in fast left-right-left turns.

I'll throw this out there too... it's very very difficult for someone to know what "good handling" REALLY means until they've taken their car to the track and pushed it past its limits. Just because it has low body roll and rides firm doesn't mean it'll actually grip and go around corners well. In the OP's case it's really just about comfort which is why I'd lean towards Monroes.