New shocks and struts, what brand?
05-23-2007, 10:50 PM
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New shocks and struts, what brand? no clue about the suspension department, but i need new shocks and struts, what are good brands to look at? I have 112k miles as of today, and its time to change them
also tires, the *** of the car swung out today from one tire hitting dirt from construction, caused me to avoid hitting on comming suv and went onto the curb, so time for new tires, shocks, struts.
thanks
-Rams
also tires, the *** of the car swung out today from one tire hitting dirt from construction, caused me to avoid hitting on comming suv and went onto the curb, so time for new tires, shocks, struts.
thanks
-Rams
05-23-2007, 10:58 PM
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It's actually very simple...here's the list from cheap to expensive.
Bilstein HDs
Bilstein Strano Revalves
Koni Single adjustables
That's it, don't even consider anything else. Personally, the highest i'd go is Strano's revalves. I can't imagine Koni's being enough of an improvement to warrant the price hike...Sam can valve the shocks for your particular springs. The Koni's can be adjusted continuously, however unless you change springs alot, there's really no need for that on the street.
As for springs, i'd say get just about anything besides Eibach.
I have the Bilstein HD/Hotchkis progressive combo and I am very very impressed. After all the talk about how great the revalves are I was afraid that HDs wouldnt' cut it. They more than cut it...they kickass. It's mind blowing how much of a difference they make. I can only imagine what sam's shocks must be like!
Bilstein HDs
Bilstein Strano Revalves
Koni Single adjustables
That's it, don't even consider anything else. Personally, the highest i'd go is Strano's revalves. I can't imagine Koni's being enough of an improvement to warrant the price hike...Sam can valve the shocks for your particular springs. The Koni's can be adjusted continuously, however unless you change springs alot, there's really no need for that on the street.
As for springs, i'd say get just about anything besides Eibach.
I have the Bilstein HD/Hotchkis progressive combo and I am very very impressed. After all the talk about how great the revalves are I was afraid that HDs wouldnt' cut it. They more than cut it...they kickass. It's mind blowing how much of a difference they make. I can only imagine what sam's shocks must be like!
05-23-2007, 11:04 PM
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hey BlakBird send me a PM about your Lingenfelter TA. Give me the low down on it. Im considering the 420 package on my Z28.
bmxer, get revalves and strano springs. DONE DEAL
bmxer, get revalves and strano springs. DONE DEAL
05-24-2007, 06:16 AM
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I have had Koni's and Revalves. Everytime I would go KONI's, there lot more ride there then ONLy adjusting them.
If its a daily driver, and I didnt' lower it etc, the HD's is a also a good option.
If its a daily driver, and I didnt' lower it etc, the HD's is a also a good option.
05-24-2007, 12:31 PM
#6
Originally Posted by Blakbird24
I have the Bilstein HD/Hotchkis progressive combo and I am very very impressed. After all the talk about how great the revalves are I was afraid that HDs wouldnt' cut it. They more than cut it...they kickass. It's mind blowing how much of a difference they make. I can only imagine what sam's shocks must be like!
I have the Koni SA/Hotchkis setup and I couldnt even begin to image it would be sooo much better then stock. You hear a lot of people talk about the koni SA's and all the hype is true my car also takes bumps better then it did stock and thats like unheard of with a lowered car. I also want to thank Sam for the Koni's and info and the alignments specs I absolutely love my car now. You will get that feeling like driving a new car for the first time and have a huge smile
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05-24-2007, 04:49 PM
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Originally Posted by bmxer8699
stranoparts.com?
Last edited by SpdFrk1990; 05-24-2007 at 04:56 PM.
05-24-2007, 08:04 PM
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Originally Posted by SpdFrk1990
I have the Koni SA/Hotchkis setup and I couldnt even begin to image it would be sooo much better then stock. You hear a lot of people talk about the koni SA's and all the hype is true my car also takes bumps better then it did stock and thats like unheard of with a lowered car. I also want to thank Sam for the Koni's and info and the alignments specs I absolutely love my car now. You will get that feeling like driving a new car for the first time and have a huge smile .
.I've experienced Koni's with different springs (1LE i think) and I can't say that there was any noticeable improvement. Granted, I can't say the shocks were adjusted properly either. But that's precisely my point...why pay $800+ for shocks you need to adjust yourself, when you can have a pro set them up for you (i.e. Sams Bilsteins) for a cheaper price? You get to a point in just about every area of performance where the law of diminishing return starts to take effect. I'm sure that Koni's are better than Bilstein HDs and even Sams custom shocks...but are they $300-$500 better? Not in my opinion. If I upgrade shocks, I will be calling Sam because I have no interest in ever changing springs and as such, would rather just have the guy who knows his **** set up my shocks.
I should note that I don't mean to put down anyone here who runs Koni's... I don't think you made a bad choice, you just have more free cash then me. Or you have a car that doesn't badly need brakes and a clutch (which you should be spending that shock cash on). Either way, if I had a free $800 to easily drop on the Koni's, I would have just to be done with it once and for all.
05-24-2007, 08:14 PM
#12
I wanted an adjustable shock so I could adjust it to suite me. If I got the bilsteins and I didnt like how it rode I would be SOL. The extra money was worth it to have somethin adjustable to me I always try to get the best 4 my car when I can. If I want to take it around a road coarse or autoX I can stiffen them up also. Just like some people might say kooks are a waste of money why not get pacesetters.
05-25-2007, 11:17 AM
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Originally Posted by Crash00527
i got the Konis from Sam. along with his springs. but i only want the best for my car at all times. thats just me.
05-25-2007, 12:30 PM
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Originally Posted by Crash00527
i got the Konis from Sam. along with his springs. but i only want the best for my car at all times. thats just me.
ummm yea..thast what i said. "thats just me"
BUT....on another note. i feel EXACTLY the way you do. i hate fiddling or adjusting parts. i just wanna install and drive. my original decision was sams revalved bilsteins .....(which to me are the MINIMUM type suspension you should put on our cars) but he said they would be on back order til mid june. i didnt wanna wait that long. he had the konis instock so i grabbed them before i lost those also.
Originally Posted by Crash00527
i got the Konis from Sam. along with his springs. but i only want the best for my car at all times. thats just me.
Originally Posted by Blakbird24
That's the best for YOU though. My opinion of the best would be a suspension that I don't have to play with. One that I install and it just works. No fiddling. So i'm fairly confident that after talking with Sam, i'd end up with his revalves, and that would be "the best for my car at all times". But again, i'm finding it hard to justify dishing out another $200 on top of what i've already spent because I can't imagine the difference being pronounced enough. I may try it anyway though.
ummm yea..thast what i said. "thats just me"
BUT....on another note. i feel EXACTLY the way you do. i hate fiddling or adjusting parts. i just wanna install and drive. my original decision was sams revalved bilsteins .....(which to me are the MINIMUM type suspension you should put on our cars) but he said they would be on back order til mid june. i didnt wanna wait that long. he had the konis instock so i grabbed them before i lost those also.
05-25-2007, 01:28 PM
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Originally Posted by Crash00527
BUT....on another note. i feel EXACTLY the way you do. i hate fiddling or adjusting parts. i just wanna install and drive. my original decision was sams revalved bilsteins .....(which to me are the MINIMUM type suspension you should put on our cars) but he said they would be on back order til mid june. i didnt wanna wait that long. he had the konis instock so i grabbed them before i lost those also.
05-25-2007, 02:05 PM
#17
To be completely fair, you did point out that the adjustment either wasn't known, or maybe not "right". That indicates to me you either didn't know where they were set, or messed with them much. And frankly, if they were full soft at both ends you wouldn't have noticed a HUGE difference. So you really can't be saying they weren't worth it, sine they weren't dialed in it seems in any way, shape or form....
Clearly you can see by the number of folks who've installed them and love them. Many of which have had other things like HD's, they don't suck (realizing you didn't say Koni's do). Then difference is they had help dialing them in, at least my customers do, and that helps yield better results. Case in point is the thread where someone bought Koni's and reported it riding like a "tank". Also not a common complaint. But he didn't set them at all. What kind of results would one expect when you have dampers with such a big adjustment range, and no clue about the adjustment level? I'd expect things to not work as well as they could or should.
Clearly you can see by the number of folks who've installed them and love them. Many of which have had other things like HD's, they don't suck (realizing you didn't say Koni's do). Then difference is they had help dialing them in, at least my customers do, and that helps yield better results. Case in point is the thread where someone bought Koni's and reported it riding like a "tank". Also not a common complaint. But he didn't set them at all. What kind of results would one expect when you have dampers with such a big adjustment range, and no clue about the adjustment level? I'd expect things to not work as well as they could or should.
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05-25-2007, 03:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Sam Strano
To be completely fair, you did point out that the adjustment either wasn't known, or maybe not "right". That indicates to me you either didn't know where they were set, or messed with them much. And frankly, if they were full soft at both ends you wouldn't have noticed a HUGE difference. So you really can't be saying they weren't worth it, sine they weren't dialed in it seems in any way, shape or form....
Clearly you can see by the number of folks who've installed them and love them. Many of which have had other things like HD's, they don't suck (realizing you didn't say Koni's do). Then difference is they had help dialing them in, at least my customers do, and that helps yield better results. Case in point is the thread where someone bought Koni's and reported it riding like a "tank". Also not a common complaint. But he didn't set them at all. What kind of results would one expect when you have dampers with such a big adjustment range, and no clue about the adjustment level? I'd expect things to not work as well as they could or should.
Clearly you can see by the number of folks who've installed them and love them. Many of which have had other things like HD's, they don't suck (realizing you didn't say Koni's do). Then difference is they had help dialing them in, at least my customers do, and that helps yield better results. Case in point is the thread where someone bought Koni's and reported it riding like a "tank". Also not a common complaint. But he didn't set them at all. What kind of results would one expect when you have dampers with such a big adjustment range, and no clue about the adjustment level? I'd expect things to not work as well as they could or should.
Still, seeing as I don't track my car in any way shape or form, you'd be hard pressed convincing me right now that revalves or Koni's are ENOUGH of an improvement over HD's to get me to spend the money. With that said, if I score the new job i'm currently interviewing for, you may be hearing from me in the next few months. It's all relative to the money you have to spend on what you are buying, or perhaps what you SHOULD be spending that money on instead (like regular maintenance type items).
05-25-2007, 04:09 PM
#19
While I'm flattered and all, perfection is in the eye of the beholder. I've got folks with Koni's who on otherwise identical setups, do not run the exact same damping levels. And other changes are part of the equation. Change tires to ones with stiffer sidewalls, that will effect the ride and the response and you might want to retune the dampers accordingly.
Revalves are not, nor have ever been intended as replacements for Koni's. They are a less expensive option for folks to get better rebound control than what HD's, SLP, etc. offer. That's it. I work hard trying to do the best valving I can, but I wouldn't say it's perfect for everyone all the time.
FWIW, I have Koni's on my own car.
Revalves are not, nor have ever been intended as replacements for Koni's. They are a less expensive option for folks to get better rebound control than what HD's, SLP, etc. offer. That's it. I work hard trying to do the best valving I can, but I wouldn't say it's perfect for everyone all the time.
FWIW, I have Koni's on my own car.
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18 SCCA National Championships in house, many more for our customers prove we know our stuff.Talk is cheap, results matter.
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05-25-2007, 10:18 PM
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Originally Posted by Sam Strano
While I'm flattered and all, perfection is in the eye of the beholder. I've got folks with Koni's who on otherwise identical setups, do not run the exact same damping levels. And other changes are part of the equation. Change tires to ones with stiffer sidewalls, that will effect the ride and the response and you might want to retune the dampers accordingly.
Revalves are not, nor have ever been intended as replacements for Koni's. They are a less expensive option for folks to get better rebound control than what HD's, SLP, etc. offer. That's it. I work hard trying to do the best valving I can, but I wouldn't say it's perfect for everyone all the time.
Revalves are not, nor have ever been intended as replacements for Koni's. They are a less expensive option for folks to get better rebound control than what HD's, SLP, etc. offer. That's it. I work hard trying to do the best valving I can, but I wouldn't say it's perfect for everyone all the time.
Originally Posted by Sam Strano
FWIW, I have Koni's on my own car.