1999Z28

are these the koni SA shocks? that everyone seems to love and rave about...
im trying to find the cheapest price for them.
thanks

i don't think the link will copy and past right...so if you click on it go to koni shocks, and then Chevrolet Camaro Koni Shocks Yellow Adjustable (Sport)

http://www.horsepowerfreaks.com/pric...ustable_(Sport)

cedric85745

iTrader: (2)

if you want some Konis, you can get them at a very good price at
stranoparts.com
Order line: 800/729-1831
Tech line: 814/849-3417
Fax: 814/849-6305

Sam Strano has help plenty of ls1tech members, call him, he ll take the time to talk with you about the konis, nice guy, kind of surprising given that everybody on the internet will try always to sell you there crap just because that what they want to sell

anyways probably the best place to get suspensions parts, I m sure many many other ls1tech member will tell you the same

I m getting Sam' front sway bar sometime this springs !

1999Z28

i usually read all of his posts, but i didn't know if this was cheaper...i may give him a call when i get my next paycheck and tax refunds come next week.
THANKS

cedric85745

iTrader: (2)

cool , well they sell the konis on tire rack for way more if i remember correctly,
plus just talking to the dude makes it all worth it, talking about supporting real family owned companies !

I agree that Koni a bit expensive but if you can wait and find the $$, they will be the best thing considering how good they are at what they do and how they can also adapt to other springs !

1999Z28

ok, i plan on doing DMS springs, and koni's sound best for the high spring rate. but i'll definitely give him a call soon.

YellowToy/A

iTrader: (1)

That was them and 650 is a good price. Why DMS springs? I like the Ground control set-up. You can adjust ride hight and pick the spring rate. 360.00$ for the springs a WS6store.

1999Z28

i think the DMS springs sit the best, and i would get the Ground control set up but i've heard that koni's don't fit without modifications and 360 is a lot more than just 200 or so for the springs

YellowToy/A

iTrader: (1)

U r right on all counts. But you get to pick the rates and ride height. How much would it cost to buy to sets of springs to get it right? How much time? You get what you pay for. Besides it is fun to mod stuff, thats why I do it. lol

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

According to my math, they show those shocks @ $726 and change, not $650. Is the price good? Yes, quite. It also goes against Koni's mandate that product not be sold for more than 30% off of retail, and you risk losing your supply. I'm not willing to take that chance. Further, we offer sets of Koni's starting @ $705 (for "4/3's") and $800 even for "4/4's". If you check you'll find the pricing of those shocks to be *QUITE* competitive. In short, I'm not selling too high, they are running a big risk and selling too low. And Koni will I'm sure be in contact with them about that shortly.

But here's the bottom line. They can't offer you the real-world advice, the range of products, the ideas for shock setup, the explanation about how and what the shocks change and why that's important. While you can buy Koni's for "less" sometimes, you take you chances with information. And I've been more quiet publicly about setup information because I can't just give away the information that makes my business run. So, the days of folks buying elsewhere and then hitting me up for info to make the stuff work are long gone. Hated to do it, but was forced to do so.

As for the Ground Control thing.... I *KNEW* Yellow had some kind of thing going on there. I bet he gets kickbacks on references. I've said it before, and will say it now. Coil-overs on most any street car is overkill. And they do require work to install on Koni's. Work that will void the warranty on the fronts as well. While I'm not a fan of the DMS springs for a number of reasons, and would look at alternatives, I'd also not recommend coil-overs for your use.

Urban Legend

iTrader: (5)

This right here is priceless. Real time info on set up. Where else can you get it from? Nowhere.

YellowToy/A

iTrader: (1)

Sam Please call mike At the WS6store and tell him how much he should send me. I could use the money. I just like a good product that can do more than any other for not much more money. It was just what I was looking for.

Some people have lots of money to put in their car, some do not. I do not, but i like the good stuff. I paid just over 1000.00$ for my shocks, springs and upper control arms. Used koni DA on ebay 400.00 and 18,000 miles, 360.00 for the Ground control spring set up and spohn UCA 200.00. I love my setup. What would it have cost from you?

As for the warranty thing I talk to koni and they said it did not void the warranty with the GC setup. Maybe you can ask them when you tattle on the guys with cheep shocks.

I do not try to make money for advice on a public board unlike some here. If I wanted to make a living doing setups I would be on a NASCAR or F-1 team.

I also do not think that setup on f-body is rocket science. If you want to know what shock setting change, a good place to start is Konis web site. A little information is all it takes. I do not think that I am smarter that most people but it could be. It was not that hard to put the GC stuff and konis on my car but maybe I am a better mechanic that most. I don’t think so, but it could be.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

You're right, suspension are EASY!!! That's why so many folks have perfect setups. And this coming from the guy who is using rates that I've used for years. In short you have an old setup that I came up with on your car for shocks and spring rates. Of coruse you don't think it's rocket science, it wasn't that hard to copy what's been around and worked out. Amazing how you can run a copy of my setup, then tell folks how wrong I am. BTW, your setup is an old setup. We have altered rates a bit in most cases from what you have. What you have works, but with tire changes, and additional information from the customer about other parts, we run higher rates than you have.

You never hesitate to pop in and push GC's whenever you can, even when a thread has NOTHING to do with them. I agree, great prouct, I run them on my car. However they are overkill for most folks in this world. You don't seem to want to accept that, maybe because you have them and don't want to admit you didn't really need what you have. Just like the DA's you have. Again, great shocks, I own those as well. I also run SA's on the car because they work just as well for much less. I'm in business to sell parts and make a living. I also strongly believe in giving folks what *BEST SUITS THEIR NEEDS*. If I feel they need coil-overs, I tell them. Whereas you just tell them they should, no matter what).

You probably don't get a kick-back. I don't really care, you are just so adamant about this without listening it seems you there must be a reason. Maybe you are just stubborn and think you have the only answers?

If indeed you shocks are fine, you got a great deal on the shocks. However, not everyone is going to find those for $400, and if they do they will most likely be blown up. And fwiw, I've had folks running on blown shocks and not even known it, so I wouldn't even be confident in thinking yours are just fine. If you are happy, then great. Terrific! Glad for you. But your seem to want to push your situation onto others no matter what.

My name is Sam Strano. I do make a living selling parts. I also have a reputation for NOT selling many of the parts folks think they need. If I was greedy and hell-bent for money, you can bet I'd be pushing everything I could be. I'd live be the motto sell them what they want, THEN sell them what they need. But I do not believe in that. You seem to imply that I only tell folks not to buy coil-overs so I can sell them something else. Trouble is I sell the product, and it cost MORE than what they might end up on. Seems to me I'm not out for the money. Maybe I'm wrong.

I don't work for a NASCAR or F1 team. I'm not an engineer, and don't pretend to be. Even if I was, very few folks have those kinds of jobs. I'm glad you are so confident that you'd have one of them. Fact is I do make my living on parts sales and setup work. I also can back up my claims through various levels of autocrossing and road-racing cars I've work on/with/driven.

I don't have UCA's. That's $200 I didn't spend and my car handles just fine without them. But I bet there is no convincing you you could have done better with that $200.... And that's *FINE*. Everyone has an opinion. But lets get some info out here to back them up. You never do that.

When you are ready to learn and understand vs. copy and just apply parts, then I think folks will be a lot more inclinded to listen and accept you position. I know I will be.

Sorry for the rant all.....

SOMSS

iTrader: (1)

Sam is right about the coilovers for the average daily driver but I must differ with him on the difficulty of using Ground Control coilovers. They are made to work with specific types of shocks and in order to get the appropriate parts you must order the correct coilovers for your application. Ground Control make specific coilovers for various shocks like Koni's, Bilsteins or Stock.

YellowToy/A

iTrader: (1)

How many people that read this this will have an average daily driver???? not many I do not auto x much. I never said I did. I want a sunny day car that handles well and can be auto x a few times a year. I got my set up for that. It works well. If we ever raced in you would win every time. I never said anything different.

I think that the ground control set up is best for what most poeple on this board want to do with thier car. It lets people adjust ride height and pick the rates they want. It also has a constant rate spring. I just want to make sure everyone know thats that.

There are some people that want a relationship with a a vendor. They are willing to pay more for advice and help with problems. That is ur customer. I have never said that u give bad advice. U have said that about me. There are some people that do not need that advice. You like to tell every one what they need. I just want them to know what is out there.

By the way I do not think that the LCA did much if any thing for handling but they look cool. I have never told anyone to buy them. It is just want I want. Just like my STB.


I think that what u mean by learn is if every one does like u tell them. Maybe I am wrong. I hope so. Let get a handling thread started about what it take to get a car to go around a corner and not what springs to buy.

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

Just as soon as Sam starts selling used, 18,000 mile shocks on Ebay, he'll get back to you...... It's not even a remotely fair comparison. Anyone can buy questionable stuff on Ebay. Some days you get lucky, some days you get junk.

I'm the one Sam mentioned who had a damaged Koni DA and was still autocrossing on it. The car wasn't too bad, but when I had the shocks rebuilt, the compression adjuster and one piston had been smashed and sustained damage. It was really hard to tell on the car. Maybe you got good shocks, maybe you didn't. You may not really know or be able to tell either.


Hell, I'll call Koni and save Sam the blame. I don't care.... When a manufacturer says "you will not sell my product for less than X% off, it's to keep the market fair for all dealers. You can sell 1 or 1,000 pairs of shocks a year and have the same chance at making a sale. Most manufacturers are not even slightly flexible on this rule. So, when they agreed to sell their product, they agreed to live by this. If they know the rules, break them, and lose their dealership for that vendor because of it, it's their own fault. Calling Sam a "tattle tale" is a bit childish. Sam has to play by those rules, other vendors are playing by those rules, it's not fair to the dealers who follow the rules when someone "cheats".


Vendors are in business to sell parts, stuff we need. They also spend money to support boards like this one. If the sponsors didn't pay for advertising and the rights to offer products to you, these places would dry up (or not be "free public boards"). So, it's only fair that they would like you to call them for stuff. That's the benefit of being a sponsor. They pay money and hope to make enough money back to cover their costs and make a living. Bandwidth is expensive. It costs money to keep a "free board" on the internet. The bigger the board, the greater the cost. So, Sam and all the other sponsors here are paying to keep this place up and running. All that they ask is for a chance to sell you the stuff you need/want (they invest in advertising, their return on investment is the hope of a chance to get you the stuff you need). I understand that people are on a budget, and people look for deals. It happens. I got a great deal on my DA's (brand new in the box from someone), so I bought DA's (or, I'd probably be running SA's). Sam has a reputation for often not selling people stuff they think they want. He's personally talked me out of parts I didn't need when I called him (credit card in hand) to place an order. If I had told him to send them anyway, he'd have done so. He knows that if I'm determined to spend my money, he may as well take it (someone is going to), but he's not shy about telling you what you may not need and saving you money.

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

Actually, most cars here are "average daily drivers", or "average weekend/sunny day drivers". It seems that very few ever see any kind of track (maybe a drag strip). There are some autocrossers here, there are a few track cars here, but the majority of the 50,000+ members of this board are just "drivers". Some are really nice drivers, some custom cars, some show cars, some very fast cars. None of which really need coilovers/adjustable ride height. There is a thread with pictures of the majority of lowering springs at the top of this forum. It's simple to look at the pictures, ask a few questions and get the ride height you want. Ground Control stuff is not required for any of that. It's nice to have flexibility, but it's unnecessary complication for many people.

I'm not saying you can't run them, just that you can often buy springs for 1/2 the price and do the job just fine.

YellowToy/A

iTrader: (1)

Trackbird

All i ever did was tell people about my set up and recommend the ws6store who is a sponsor. Sam is a sponsor who will tell u what u need and will charge u list or close to list for it. There are other people that do not want or need the advice and can get a better price from other board sponsors. Is it wrong to suggest this???? If it is I will just not post here. Any time I point out that there is other sponsors on this board Sam jumps me hard. Once he starts it I will reply.

Look at this thread. Read my posts Did I start this???

As you say it is easy to get the ride height you want from pics but it is a lot harder to get the ride you want from the pics. You can get that from the Ground control. It will allow you to get the ride height and spring rate u want. Nothing else will do that. As far as cost they are more but not alot more. If you are willing to pay for konis I think most can pay for the GC stuff

What I said was "How many people "that read this" will have an average daily driver???? " the people who read in the handling section and buy konis "thread name" probablely dont have "average daily driver".

I aslo agree that "Calling Sam a "tattle tale" is a bit childish" sorry. If he would not jump on me I would never do that. I will be good and play nice if people do not jump me. You and Sam have helped more people that I ever will. I do not want to cause trouble.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

This is way off topic now.... But I absolutely *love* how I'm the trouble-maker when disagreements start. Always, and I know why. It's because I say what I mean and don't pull punches. If that's being a trouble-maker, then I am. I just call a spade a spade.

Anyway this has little to do with anything related to Koni's. So I'm not wasting my time on it.

May Spin

Fine that settles it. Coil overs are absolutely needed for a daily driver, Bilstein HD's are perfect for lowering springs.... Oh and Sportlines are the best.

Sorry Sam

Scott.

cedric85745

iTrader: (2)

and kyb are OEM on 911 turbos !