NorasHot

Hey All,
Got a set of UMI springs to lower my 02 Z/28 1" all four corners. Should I change out the O.E. shocks? If so, what are the best out there for a street driver?
Thanks,
Chuck

HCI2000SS

iTrader: (2)

So you have the stock orange DeCarbons?

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

I think you'll find that you will go down more than 1". But yes, you should. Stock shocks are terrible with stock springs. The lower you go and the stiffer you get the more out of their element they become.

Would recommend Koni STR.T. I have lots in stock too.
http://www.stranoparts.com/partdetai...D=20&ModelID=7

Lifetime warranty to the original owner. There are cheaper shocks, but not that are meant to, or can, deal with lowering springs very well.

BTC

What about Koni Sports?

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

I think Koni Sports are the best shocks, but here's the thing I have to constantly battle with email, or forum posts. What is the "best" shock for "street driver".

Simply put, the best shocks for lowering springs are absolutely the Sports, but not everyone wants to spend the money required on them, and I find that those that do tend to define themselves are maybe wanting more than what those who just say "street driver" want.

Short answer is this: If you can afford Sports, and you want the car to work the best can with the sum total of the parts installed by making sure you don't leave things on the table with the dampers, then Sports it is.

If money is a factor and the driving is more cruising around, an occasional zip up an on-ramp, and good stability then STR.T's will do that job pretty well.

AnotherWs6

iTrader: (17)

Koni sports are expensive, are also the best, most noticeable "mod" I have ever done to a car.

BTC

By the time I drove my car with Koni Sports and Sam's springs, it had been 17+ years since I had last driven it. I thought it rode and handled very nicely, but I wasn't exactly trying to hang ten through the curves, and I would be lying if I said I could remember how it rode the last time I drove it. I will say that it was a lot of fun to drive the car after having not driven it for so long. It was also the first drive post header, exhaust & new brake installation.

I could probably use an alignment and my tires are also at least 17 years old. They are surprisingly free of dry rot, but I'm sure one of my next purchases will probably be wheels & tires.

Viper

iTrader: (6)

I've owned revalved Bilsteins, Koni SA Sports and Koni SRT.T on 3 different cars, all from Sam over the last 17 years.

The Koni SRT.T are great with the stock spring. The Koni Sport is great with the stock spring but awesome with lowering springs.

The revalved Bilstein I'll put at the same level as the SRT.T

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Like I said, it's kind of a money vs. how well it works vs. how well do you WANT it to work for the price thing.

Again, Sports rock. If you buy those you won't go wrong. STR.T's are meant to be a cost effective, not really alternative as that indicates to me an equal option and they aren't equal to Sports, they are much more like Bilstein in terms of market positioning and general performance than they are Koni Sports.

HioSSilver

iTrader: (8)

After having bilsteins and koni sa's on a street car bilsteins. They are easy and reasonable priced.

But i would buy them from sam

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

And I have those too, HD and SLP versions both.

Darth_V8r

iTrader: (4)

"Best shocks" is a lot like "best camshaft". A whole lot of personal preference bound up in that.

HioSSilver

iTrader: (8)

Slp versions preferred.

handyandy

A lot of personal preference, and everyone usually likes what they have. New shocks usually out last the ownership of the car, so you won't usually find many people that have used several options to compare.

Most are biased towards what they've used or bought .

BTC

I suspect there are measurables that can be used to justify claims of performance superiority in one usage scenario vs another.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Right, and because most don't have the chance to compare and contrast different things, that is why someone like me is helpful as I have.

I have been on more combinations you can shake a stick at. The trouble is for a lot of folks who don't know what they want is figuring out the line between useful and overkill, but I help with that too, as best I can.

There are objective things to compare and contrast parts, but say a slalom speed test isn't something that most folks can relate to, unless they slalom a lot, or understand that it is a test of transitional ability. However if folks don't know what that is, the likely don't understand what they are getting for data. Much like people generally like power, but don't understand camshafts, or how they match to heads, and valve springs, and intake manifolds and headers. And how if you have the best cam in the world with crap springs, or heads that are too big or too small things aren't so good.