I spoke with Sam and there is no telling when he should expect the bilsteins to come in. I need shocks real soon to get my suspension fixed. I plan to buy the prokit NEW or possibility going with the DSM. Don't want no cheap set so

What are some recommendations?? Not paying for Koni's...

 

Koni's are the way to go if you are planning to go that low. Other than that it looks like you are going to be waiting for the bilsteins.

 

If I don't get them revalved, are the SLP bilsteins a good shock?? ws6store will have them in Jan but I'm assuming they are for stock springs... am I correct?

 

I'm an SLP dealer too. Nobody is getting any Bilstein's of any kind until they show up from Bilstein. And just because somone says Jan doesn't mean that will happen. I've been told twice now they'd be here on X date, only to see that come and go with no shocks. Hence the reason I told you not to hold your breath.

SLP Bilstein's are not going to damp any of the springs well. They aren't valved for spring rates beyond Level 1, and they weren't all that great control shocks for those.

You "aren't paying for Koni's". I'll simply tell you that you get what you pay for. I'm sorry that what was "in between", and what you are looking at in the Bilstein's just are not available. I can't help that, much as I wish I could. Given the situation, do you step up to what we know works, and works well, or step down to mediocre shocks?

You keep asking me what to do. I can't tell you by e-mail because I have no idea what you expect or want from the car. All I can tell is you don't want to buy Koni's, and I can't and won't recommend anything with that as the criteria.

You also state you don't want no cheap springs. But what do you know about DMS's? How about Eibach's and their hugely inconsistent ride heights and spring rates? Anyway, shocks are more important than the springs in all honestly (and that comes from someone who had springs made). I'd rather drive a car on stock springs and good shocks than on great springs and so-so shocks. I'll be able to drive the car faster, more easily and it'll ride better.

Maybe you need to consider stepping up on the shocks and holding off on springs instead.

 

I have the kyb agx struts and shocks on my 02 and 85 Z28s. I love the ride better in my 02 though. It's more of a street care than the 85 is.

 

yeah "koni's are out the window"... I'll hold off for bilsteins until mid february and if I have to I'll just go with the kyb's.. $700+ is pretty ridiculous considering I have no racing plans, track plans, etc. Just a typical 400+ hp car that I want as a toy.

I don't want cheap shocks!! I read mix reviews about the kyb's so I should see for myself If I end up going that route. Many would fall in your hands since they pretty much want top speed handling, etc.

 

That's why I went with the kyb agx, they were cheaper ($450 for all 4 corners) shipped about 3-4 years ago. great for the street and if you do want to go to the track every so often, they are adjustable by a little dial that you can do with the car sitting on the ground.

 

I think you are missing a very important point. Shocks don't care if the car is a "race car" or a "toy". Your car doesn't weigh less, or have less spring rate on the street than anywhere else.

Is $700+ pretty ridiculous? What do tires cost? How long do they last? It's only ridiculous if you don't understand that shocks control the movement of the mass of the car. That is a given, and the better controlled the mass, the more stable the car is, and frankly the better is rides too.

If you opt for AGX's that's up to you. But I strongly beleive you working only on pure price and ignoring how shock actually work. Going back to the tire analogy, you might be able to buy a 275 tire from Pep Boys for $120 but will it work the same as a BFG that costs $200? No.

I sell AGX's.... They are right here: http://www.stranoparts.com/partdetai...D=20&ModelID=7

As far as a sale goes, I could sell you those.... and if I didn't care about the result, I'd be 100% fine with it. But I do care about the result, and while I will sell them for some situations where we rule out any other option, they are NEVER my first choice. See, satisfied people become return customers. A quick sale isn't what I'm interested in. Some folks hate that and just want what they want. If that's the case, ok. I'd rather put you on what works best than what's easy to sell you. And yes, cheaper parts are easier to sell because they are more appealing to the wallet. But you get what you pay for in this world, with very little exception.

 

Save the money. Buy the KONIs. It took me 8 months between the purchase of the rears and the purchase of the fronts and I have $900 in my fronts (with new mounts) and rears. I wouldn't have anything else.

 

When you think about it $700 for shocks isn't that bad.

I just take a look at all the other mods I've bought.

-$1300 for stainless headers/ypipe
-$725 for converter/tranny cooler

Other people will drop thousands into their engine and still ride on the stock crappy shocks.

When the time comes I'll be getting Koni's and Strano springs from Sam and I know I'll be getting the absolute best imo.

 

It's your car, and your choice. On my car, I would rather wait and save up the money to get the best, rather than settle for something that does not work right. Sam does know his stuff, and has a lot of experience in this area. I hate spending twice as much for what seems to be almost the same thing, but when I do I am always glad that I went the extra mile and bought the good stuff. I have bought cheap stuff before and always end up replacing it because it does not measure up.
Best of luck with your decision.

 

I am totally aware but I can use the addt'l $$ on another mod

I been looking at the warranty threads about these koni shocks.. Alot of peeps seem to purchase these b/c of the warranty and that is pretty awesome but the manufacturer can always come up with b/s not to honor the warranty. I got more researching to do but I will buy my shocks by mid February.

 

I have the AGX's with only a 1'' drop and the ride quality is pretty bad. I put up with it long enough, I'm saving up for revalved billsteins now.

Sam - any idea when those should be available?

 

[QUOTE=lubsvitek;8233610]I have the AGX's with only a 1'' drop and the ride quality is pretty bad. I put up with it long enough, I'm saving up for revalved billsteins now.

Sam - any idea when those should be available?[QUOTE]

I asked him the same question... He doesn't know +

I want the revalves but he has not had bilsteins for quite awhile now he says.

 

I see a lot more cases of other types of shocks breaking like KYBs than Konis. I think you should check out some more threads on Konis because I the main reason people get them is for their valving and ability to dampen a wide range of springs and give you more spring options in the future.

You might be happy with KYB's. Some people are happy with Sportlines on stock shocks, but most aren't. Going with KYB's is risky in that you might be dishing out cheaper money and not be satisfied with them, and end up looking for better shocks after.

700 bucks for good shocks man. Try other kinds of cars, they are like 1000-2000 for just a set of non adjustable perch shocks. I have an STI and there isn't really anything good for it under 1500 from what I've seen so far.