Strut recommendation for 92 GTC?

[thrashercharged]

I posted this under the Technical: Suspensions folder but have gotten no responses. Come 'on - someone must have some advice! What do you guys use? I gotta fix this bearing plate soon so I need to get my parts. Does anyone know if the GTC already has the "best" sway bar and springs? Figured I'd try here, maybe this area gets more traffic?

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Car is my 92 Lebaron GTC T1.

Well, it looks like my clunking sound everytime I hit a bump is probably my strut bearing plate, and since my struts/shocks look original (115K miles) now's a good time to change them.

I'm thinking KYB Gas-a-justs in the rear, but what's recommended for the front struts? Looking to improve the handling. Also, where's the best (cheapest) place to get the KYBs?

Any advice on the bearing plates? I read in a thread here to avoid the aftermarket and get some from the Mopar Parts dept? Something about the rubber being too thick on the aftermarkets?

I'm looking to keep a stock Mopar production spring rather than Eibachs. Getting old and I'm liking the factory ride vs the harshness of Eibachs although I wouldn't mind dropping maybe a 1/2" in height. Do the GTCs already have the stiffest springs and largest sway bars from factory? Are the Daytonas (maybe IROCs) any better or does the GTC have the same?

Thanks for any advice.

[grim]

my 91 tona has kyb gas adjusts on all 4 corners . it rides nice, its not a race car . if u want to race then get konis . i got my front struts from advance auto for like 60 something each .

billy

[turbovanman²]

You'd have to measure you sway bar and see what size you have.

Poly bushings are a nice upgrade.

As for shock/strut selection, Koni no longer makes them so your stuck with normal stuff. Bilstein isn't bad but expensive. I put a set of Gabriel VST's on my friends GTC and its nice, firm but not too harsh. We reused his stock springs but from what I have read, the Eibachs really need the Koni's but the Gabriels should be ok.

[thrashercharged]

Thanks for the feedback.

>my 91 tona has kyb gas adjusts on all 4 corners . it rides nice, its not a race car . if u want to race then get konis . i got my front struts from advance auto for like 60 something each .

Are the struts gas-a-just or the lesser "stock replacement" KYBs? It's my understanding that KYB still makes the Gas-a-just in the rear shocks, but not in the struts for our cars anymore. I didn't realize Advance Auto carried KYBs, I'll have to check them out.

>Gabriel VST's on my friends GTC

Do you know if these Gabriels are equivalent to the KYBs we can still get? I'll check into them too.

[turbovanman²]

They don't make a "gas-a-just" strut, not sure how they compare to KYB's but the base KYB is so so from what I've heard. The VST's are readily available.

[thrashercharged]

I posted this as a reply with my own questions in the Technical/Suspension section but it's not seeing much traffic, so I'm posting here again in hopes of getting an answer! I need to replace my worn strut bearings soon so I'm anxious to figure out what struts to get and from where!

>Shocks and struts, lowered, you don't have much choice, Bilstein then Gabriel VST and followed by KYB. Sensatracs are a no go with a lowered car.

Are Gabriel VSTs still available? If you go to Gabriel.com, the only shocks/struts listed for our cars are their Ultra line. Well, they have their cheaper line too, but no VSTs. Are the Ultras the same as the VSTs?

Do you mean Gabriel VSTs are better than the KYB Gas-a-Just or their GR2? You can still get Gas-a-Just shocks of the rear, but the only struts from KYB are GR2s. Assuming Gabriel VSTs (Ultras?) are not better than the KYB Gas-a-justs but better than the KYB GR2s, then perhaps the best reasonably priced combo would be Gabriel VST struts and KYB gas-a-just shocks? (Koni's and Bilsteins cost more than my car!)

Also, where's the cheapest you've found these? CarQuest doesn't carry Gabriels anymore. I looked online and can't find Gabriel Ultras for our cars anywhere. Cheapest place for KYBs I've found is autopartswarehouse.com at $63.30 for KYB GR2 strut and $54.40 for KYB Gas-a-just shock with free shipping. Anyone find anyplace cheaper?

[thrashercharged]

You'd have to measure you sway bar and see what size you have.

The front sway bar measures 1.15", so that's about 1 1/8", it's probably metric. So is this the largest factory sway bar for the Daytona/Lebaron?

[WickedShelby88]

I think the Gabriel's are getting harder to find because parts stores are getting cheaper shocks/struts in. People don't want to spend much money on the very thing that helps define the way their cars rides/drives. Simply put you rebuild the front end on a TM with quality struts/shocks and a name brand set of tires that have a good track record and aren't some over rated tire the store tried to shuck you with you will just be flat out impressed with the way the car drives provided its solid and not rotted out. I don't know how the Gabriel's are these days, but depending on price you may want to check on the bilsteins if you really like this car. From my experience the monroe sensatracs are very over rated. I have never gotten any kind of ride improvement save for the fact the vehicle doesn't float when it hits bumps. Monroe's will give you a good ride, but not handling. The KYB's are good for slight to moderate performance handling. If you can find the bilstein's those are more race car oriented, but some offer good day to day driving. You will pay more for them, but in the long run they will out last anything including Koni's.

[turbovanman²]

The VST's are better than the GR2's and maybe the Gas adjust. I can easily get VST's but they are not cheap, aprox $100+ a piece.

Your sway bar could be 1 1/4 which is the largest and it has 1 1/16 ends, then it goes down from there.

[WickedShelby88]

Hey Simon where are you getting these VST's? Sounds like a good strut for my old lancer.

[turbovanman²]

Hey Simon where are you getting these VST's? Sounds like a good strut for my old lancer.

Local parts store,

[thrashercharged]

Ok, are these Gabriel VSTs a Canadian only thing? I'm finding nothing on these. If you Google "Gabriel VST" I find none for sale, and if you go to Gabriel's own website Gabriel.com you'll only see them in their history as being introduced in 1996 and won't see them listed in their product line. Could someone point me to where I can get them? Does anyone have any part numbers handy?

[turbovanman²]

They must have replaced them with Ultra's. There website shows where to buy-

http://www.gabriel.com/

[TopDollar69]

You probably have the smaller 1 1/8th front bar along with the hollow rear axle. Thats how my friends 92 GTC is. That also makes me think it probably doesn't have the best springs either. Springs, front sway bar and rear axle from a Spirit or Daytona R/T would be a good upgrade if you can find them. The 87-90 1 1/4 swaybay does not work with the 91 up cast control arms. Also, I believe Chrysler changed the rear axle in 90 across the line, so that's a little easier to find than the front sway bar. The Springs should be pretty close to the same from most any performance K based car 86-92. Personally I used stock 88 CSX coils on my 89 GTC and it dropped the car about an inch with no reduction in ride quality. I believe springs from an 87-89 Lancer Shelby or Shelby Lancer would also achieve the same ride height.