KYB shocks?

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Scat Adams

Really doing it Harry
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So my 25+ year old adjustable Koni shocks finally blew on my '72 Swinger- I hopped on Rockauto.com and ordered a set of KYB gas-adjust shocks all around as I've had good luck with them on other cars. Ideally, I was hoping to replicate the smooth/slightly stiff ride of the old Koni's as the KYB's were the only ones listed under the 'Improved handling' tab.

My question is- will these shocks ride too rough? I started seeing reviews from B & C body owners that they did not like the stiff ride from the KYBs. Should I send them back before installing?

Thank you for your help,
 
Your Koni's should be rebuild-able. I would send them in.

Shock Services

Ride quality is subjective. You may love them, you may hate them. It really depends on your suspension set up, intended use and driving style.

I would consider the KYB's available for A-Bodies to be the very bottom barrel of the "performance" shocks we can get now. There are better ones out there now but you pay to play.
 
I got KyBs when I rebuilt my suspension. It's not stiff at all, rides like an old car and a little springy. I'd get something stiffer if I was replacing them again and had the cash. They work great for the price point though.
 
It's a weekend cruiser, everything else is bone stock besides the Koni's which I had set on the firmest setting.

At $200 per shock plus parts on a rebuild from Koni, Im definitely not interested in that route.

Hmm... may try the KYB's out and go from there.
 
Well sell the Konis to someone who will get them rebuilt.
Take the money and put it aside in case you decide a set of monroe or gabriels will let someone ride with you and not spill their coffee.
 
It's a weekend cruiser, everything else is bone stock besides the Koni's which I had set on the firmest setting.

Could be why they blew out. If your suspension is soft or the springs are sacked out, the firmest setting could have been compensating for that and prematurely work them out.

For a rebuild the link was just one place. I would shop them out and see.

KONI NA | Locator
 
Well sell the Konis to someone who will get them rebuilt.
Take the money and put it aside in case you decide a set of monroe or gabriels will let someone ride with you and not spill their coffee.

What Monroe or Gabriel shock would you recommend? I'm seeing Monroe part#'s 31131 & 32022. The Gabriel's they have listed on rockauto do not have the same model for the front and rear.

Really appreciate the insight and opinions on this!
 
Could be why they blew out. If your suspension is soft or the springs are sacked out, the firmest setting could have been compensating for that and prematurely work them out.

For a rebuild the link was just one place. I would shop them out and see.

KONI NA | Locator

The car has 27k original miles, the rear seems to sag a tad based on other swingers I have seen. I have thought about adding helper springs back there, what would you recommend? I'm looking to keep the ride as stock feeling as possible for the most part.

Rebuilding the Koni's is growing on me, I will call a few local shops tomorrow and get some quotes.

thanks again,
 
You'd be better off with a stock heavy duty Gabriel or Monroe shock than the KYB.
 
Not recommending either in particular. Just all my experiences with the shocks from the two big names has been that they work fine. Likewise my experience with the KYBs is exactly what I wrote above - high frequency damping is way off. High frequency is the response to small changes in pavement, bumps, potholes etc. LLow frequency is the response to going around curves or cresting hill., or even slaloms. My friend literally could not hold a coffee in the passenger seat without it spilling. He ended up holding the lid and suffering 'til I found a place to pull over so he could drink it down. The one and only person I can recall who actually tried.

I'm using Spax shocks now. But thats not going to be what you want.
 
I have thought about adding helper springs back there, what would you recommend?
I'm not Dano, but I wrecked a car in part because I installed helper springs.
What I learned the hard way was that stiffening the rear, when there is no additional weight back there, is a setup for the rear to fishtail back and forth at the worst possible time. In my case it was an off-ramp to on-ramp with a slight downhill. There's generally no recovering from that. The rear swings back and forth until the car spins around...
That's what's meant by a suspension that has a tendency to 'oversteer'

With 27 K miles, but that someone put Konis on, its hard to guess what you got there.
Nothing wrong with a fairly flat spring. That's what Chrysler wanted.
Exception is for drag racing, where arch can be made to help forward bite (with sticky enough tires).
Chrysler explains why here: Extra-Duty Options (Session 253) from the Master Technician's Service Conference

If you want to make a general improvement in handling, if it doesn't have a front sway bar, adding one is the most noticible improvement that can be made. It was a factory option and sometimes available used when people junk cars or install a larger diameter bar.
 
Like others have already said..KYB "gas adjust" shocks are stiff...but do seem to last 4 damn near ever being so stiff.
The KYB excel is a comfortable ride, not a fancy shock but an OEM styled absorber. China or mexico manufacturing iirr.
The Bilstein comes a couple ways, one "B6" softer than KYB g.a's , monoe tube , same or little more money, made in Mexico now. The other step up are the B8, twice as much, probably still made in Mexico , maybe not. The valving is a better design in that the oil doesn't ariate or bubble when flowing through at high rates. They used to have a cutaway bilstein that showed the valving and brand x to compare..you could watch the x ariate , while the bilstein didnt.
I dont know squat about koni, sorry.
 
Not recommending either in particular. Just all my experiences with the shocks from the two big names has been that they work fine. Likewise my experience with the KYBs is exactly what I wrote above - high frequency damping is way off. High frequency is the response to small changes in pavement, bumps, potholes etc. LLow frequency is the response to going around curves or cresting hill., or even slaloms. My friend literally could not hold a coffee in the passenger seat without it spilling. He ended up holding the lid and suffering 'til I found a place to pull over so he could drink it down. The one and only person I can recall who actually tried.

I'm using Spax shocks now. But thats not going to be what you want.

That sounds a little excessive? I have pst polygraphite bushings, front and rear sway bars, kyb shocks and old worn out rear leaf springs. Have this cheap cup holder and put all kinds of drinks in it and the only time I spill is when the cup holder tilted backwards and the can is brand new before I take a drink out of it. I daily drive my car 25 minutes to and from work every day, rolling hills with lots of bumps in the road...

I do think I will try some Bilsteen shocks or something more stiff in the future and my springs will be getting changed this year as well.

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Its not that the shock is stiffer or softer.

And yes maybe our crap roads make your crap roads look smooth as a sheet of ice.

I'll tell another little story. Two of us (from FABO) drove out to visit another member a couple hours west of here. It was a nice Sunday drive. When the other person was leaving, he mentioned he was going to go a different way. Apparently the ride out was rather rough and he wanted to try a biger smoother highway he could pickup by going further south. He was thinking maybe the the car would ride better if he raised front ride height. All I could do was bite my tongue because I didn't have a good way to point out that the KYBs were the major difference between his ride experience and mine.
 
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I'm not Dano, but I wrecked a car in part because I installed helper springs.
.

Oh I'm really ******* up now... I have helper springs in the rear lol:rofl:

I added these for 20 bucks to hold the cars rear suspension a touch stiffer until I could get new springs after starting to work. I didn't realize they could cause the rear end to fishtail or oversteer, learn something new every day, which is what is so great about FABO.

Missouri crap roads may be better than PA crap roads, I've heard they are really crappy there.
 
I put KYB's on the back of my 74 duster and they work great. I live in Florida though. I can also say they improved cornering lean
 
That sounds a little excessive? I have pst polygraphite bushings, front and rear sway bars, kyb shocks and old worn out rear leaf springs. Have this cheap cup holder and put all kinds of drinks in it and the only time I spill is when the cup holder tilted backwards and the can is brand new before I take a drink out of it. I daily drive my car 25 minutes to and from work every day, rolling hills with lots of bumps in the road...

I do think I will try some Bilsteen shocks or something more stiff in the future and my springs will be getting changed this year as well.

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That beverage sugar free Mr Dentist lol.
 
I run kyb's on everything. My frame guy showed me how much oil comes in some name brand domestic shocks and it was basically zero.

I've no issues with excessive stiffness in any of my cars.
 
Lots of different opinions... my gut feeling is the KYB's will be about the same as the Koni's that they are replacing...
 
I have run KYB on all of my E-bodies since 1977. 6 so far.
Fine ride and performance. Mopars have always squatted in the rear, even when new.
Don't use Band-aides. Replace the springs with a slightly higher arched spring.
The originals were designed for a bias ply tire tuned suspension. You probably are running radial tires now.
 
I have a set of KYB shocks on my completely rebuilt 83 D150 for nearly 10 years and 45,000 miles and no complaints. Rides and handles fine.
I have also had a set of KYB’s on the 68 Barracuda for the past 5 years while that car was a drag race only car. Predictable and no issues.
It cracks me up how folks like to compare KYB shocks to Koni and Bilstein shocks that cost over twice as much. To me that says a lot of good about KYB. The folks that compare KYB to Monroe shocks are only interested in a smooth-soft ride.
 
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