WHAT SHOCKS TO BUY: KYB VS Monroe VS Bilstein's

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California Dart

California Dart

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For anyone wondering what shock rides best on the older cars:
I bought my 74 Dart and it rode like crap. Had stock shocks on the back and KYB's on the front. It was driving me crazy with the lousy ride. I forgot how bad older heavier cars rode. Well, I spent the nearly $400.00 for new Bilstein's hoping it would help.
I was absolutely amazed at the complete difference a set of Bilstein's makes on this car. It was like driving a completely different car. Even cornering was good. DO NOT waste your money on KYB shocks. Bilstein's will cost you about $200.00 more and they are worth every single penny and then some.
 
Thanks for sharing that. I wondered how much better the bilstiens are. I was going to go the kyb route until now:) Thanks again.
 
A lot depends on budget and what your OK with. I have no issue with KYB's since there not performance shocks in anyway. They do perform better than the stockers or replacement shocks commonly at the store.

When it comes time to step up to the plate on a great riding cornering etc... ride for my car, then the big difference in spending on shocks will be worth it. It's a lot easier today to get these old rides riding well.
 
I figure since I invested in front and rear sway bars and frame ties, disc brakes, 15" wheels and performance tires, I shouldn't skimp on the shocks. Right now I am just running stock replacement shocks. I have been wanting to upgrade the shocks and try to find a good steering solution over the manual gear box to just make the driving experience more enjoyable. My car as it sits is 100 times better to me in the handling department compared to the way it was stock. 200$ for a "night and day difference" seems like a good investment. Now I am assuming I will get less differnce since I have already made some changes.
 
I used to sell both.Kybs have a stock replacement shock(Gr2),and a mild performance shock.(Gas adjust.).Selling Kyb,I noticed they don't really pay attention to the older cars much.They find a shock with the correct dimensions,and catalog it.Bilsteins are about as good as it gets in a bolt on shock.They spend time with valving designs,seamless tube body,and design each shock for each application.This care shows in the initial price.Damn hard shock to beat in any performance application.
 
Well said.

(Thumbs up to the bomber :thumblef: )
 
Anybody running Monroe?

I used them back in the late '70s on b-bodies but I imagine they have improved since then.
 
California Dart said:
For anyone wondering what shock rides best on the older cars:
I bought my 74 Dart and it rode like crap. Had stock shocks on the back and KYB's on the front. It was driving me crazy with the lousy ride. I forgot how bad older heavier cars rode. Well, I spent the nearly $400.00 for new Bilstein's hoping it would help.
I was absolutely amazed at the complete difference a set of Bilstein's makes on this car. It was like driving a completely different car. Even cornering was good. DO NOT waste your money on KYB shocks. Bilstein's will cost you about $200.00 more and they are worth every single penny and then some.
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I noticed the same thing on the 66 Formula S. It has all the heavy duty factory stuff. Now I need 2 more sets...
 
So were the bilstiens you bought a performance version? I've used KYB extensively and never had an issue.Then again I always bought the gas adjust and never thier bottom line gr2.

All I know is th gas adjust really helped with body roll in an otherwise stock duster.
 
needsaresto said:
So were the bilstiens you bought a performance version? I've used KYB extensively and never had an issue.Then again I always bought the gas adjust and never thier bottom line gr2.

All I know is th gas adjust really helped with body roll in an otherwise stock duster.
Click to expand...

Bilsteins give you both, believe it or not. I used KYB's gas adjust before for handling, but the ride was harsh with the Formula S heavy duty suspension. The car seems to handle better and rides noticably smoother.
 
Ahh,O.K then. You have a heavy duty suspension which the KYB gas adjust was never designed to work with. They have always been more of a "fix" shock for a regular softy suspension.
 
Before the Bilsteins were available KYB's were on all my A bodies. I'll take handling over ride any day.
 
I have KYB gas adjust's in my Duster along with front and rear sway bars. Nice improvement over stock shocks, but I'll be getting the Bilstein's next time around as mine seemed to have softened up a bit or maybe I drive harder now ( probably has more to due with the big rims I have now ) . I've pushed it pretty hard. .79 lateral g's with the iphone dyno app with 15" rims and 205/60 bfgoodrich tires. I'd like to see what it'll do with the 245/45/17 firehawks it has now ;)
 
i heard good things about the bilstiens, i have a 440ci, 1.18 t bars, just fitted front sway bar, about to order better steeringbox and if money allows front shocks, currently running new monroe which are ok but i reakon the difference is like chalk and cheese with the bilstiens!:prayer:
 
Get ahold of British American Transfer in Sarasota, Florida. They can get Spax adjustable shocks at a decent price...
 
I learned this in parts. The Monroe rep came by(2009)Babbled about cost,showed me his cutaway.Welded tube(destroys shock seals),and generic fit(by cataloging).KYB,sweet stuff.I was driving a 5.0(yeah,I know).Someone handed me a set of Bilstiens.My car started to handle so much better.If going drag racing(only on the cheap),Monroes are damn good.
 
I had gas adjust KYB's on there. I would explain it like this. Drive a stock 74 car, then drive a 2000 cadillac. It's that much of a difference. I was amazed what the extra $200.00 did to my car.
 
I talked to a guy at a local shop who rebuilds shocks. I was asking about some Rancho shocks for my truck, and he told me not to waste my money. They had Bilstiens for my truck for quite a bit cheaper than the Rancho's. He explained to me that most of the aftermarket shocks are actually Monroes with a different name on them, and the adjustable rancho's have just change the amount of fluid allowed to pass through something inside. He got too technical for me, but they KYB's are probably the same as Monroes. He said Bilstiens are the best for the money.

PS, I didn't end up replacing the shocks on my truck, I was just looking to get some RS 9000's so I could adjust them, but he talked me out of it.
 
I've blown out KYBs. Especially fronts with my old .99 T-bars. They literally spills thier guts (oil) out.

I put in some front only QA1 single adjustables, and they were a lot better. But then I went to all four Bilstiens. Very good. And at the same time I put in 70% stiffer front springs. A BIG jump. I expected a rougher ride. But the Bilsteins are almost a smooth as the much softer springs with QA1.
 
So I went digging to see if I could find some for my 65 Barracuda. Did not find them at Rock Auto or Summit. Do the early A bodies have a Bilstein number or are we left with the monroe/kyb?

I currently have the monroe and straight line driving is good but turning is like a bus ride to hell. I literally have to lean into the door. I can see my sunglasses (hanging from the mirror) tilt a solid 45 degrees from straight.
 
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