KYB AGX adjustable strut install on TD!!!!

[janus]

GR2s really aren't very impressive. I have them on my wifes infiniti G20 and they just feel like stock. I am not sure they are really any better than (or even as good as) a senatrac or some other quality stock replacement.

But a GR2 is about as stiff as stock and they have a livable ride quality for daily driving. Even on low the Koni's beat you pretty hard unless on smooth payment.

imho there must be some kind of faked china-crap sensatracs out there. people seem to have all kind of different opinions about them. the one say they are stiffer and handle better than stock, others say they are sloppy and wear out very quickly. i tend to stend somewhere in between, having tried them out on two cars for about 3 years now.

[rbryant]

I can't believe what I'm hearing, clearly you have never even ran a GR2 on an L body and a Sensatrac. If you take a wasted set of GR2s, then drill holes in them and leak out all the fluid, then bolt them back on the L body. You would have a brand new Sensatrac. Those POS struts last about 6 months before they are so sloppy you have to take them off. Handling under braking, launching and turning is destroyed by those things. Sure, my Koni's are really nice, a lot stiffer than a GR2. But a GR2 is about as stiff as stock and they have a livable ride quality for daily driving. Even on low the Koni's beat you pretty hard unless on smooth payment.

Granted the GR2 isn't all that, it is a real good shock on an L body. Not a great race shock though but those racing should just step up. What would be great is a gas adjust strut and shock combo that they don't sell. But hey, a GR2 will give 70% of the handling you want from a shock. And they are compared with a shock that gives you (and this is giving them credit) 5% of the handling they should. As an example of the type of person that owns a Sensatrac car. I did a full turbo swap, larger late turbo auto trans, 4 wheel disks SLH 3 with 5 lug and SC front suspension and steering into a 82 Rampage. Customer got a set of wore GR2s with the deal, they were about 50%. The Page handled well and had a good ride but it just Jarred the 80 year old man too much. So he paid me to install the softest, weakest, sloppiest shock I knew of, the Sensatrac. Instantly the nose dropped almost an inch with the lack of support and you can hit a 4" pot hole without feeling it. Along with this it is flat scary to drive fast (in a bad way).

Maybe on some POS import they valve them different and they don't handle and support the suspension. Could be the case. On OUR CARS this statement is miles away. This again isn't talking up the GR2s as a really great performance shock, but comparing them to the Sensatrac is just total slander

On a Muscle car they are nice though, full sloppy weight transfer with just BARELY enough valving to keep them from doing the non stop bounce of a drilled shock. I like them better than my Competion Engineering adjustible 90-10s, as even they don't come up that fast. You'll swear the front tires are off the ground!

You are getting pretty sensitive here... It is almost like you work for KYB or something...

Plus as much as it pains me to admit it the Infiniti G20 suspension is superior in every way to the lbody. This attitude that everything except our cars is a POS is just silly and not productive.

Perhaps sensatracs are too lightly valved on the lbody you are right I haven't tried them specifically on an lbody. GR2s are designed to be something like 10-20% stiffer than stock so giving people the idea that they are anything more than that is misleading. Pretty much any heavy duty strut should be about the same...

I have had a Koni blow up in 50 miles before so it is also possible to get a bad set of struts.

The point is, GR2s are really not performance struts.

-Rich

[contraption22]

I put Monroe Quick-Struts with SensaTrak struts on the front of my Acclaim. I actually ordered them for an Spirit ES, as it had a different PN listed. Perhaps the springs were stiffer. Im not sure.

Anyway, aside from the raising the car a bit, I really like the way they ride and handle for a daily driver.

For the rears, I ordered Moog Cargo Coils, and KYB Gas-A-Justs. I'm actually a little dissapointed with how noisy and clunky the rear shocks are on cold mornings. By the time I get to work they have quieted down. But still.

[Vigo]

Huh? Nosiy shock? Is this something that only happens below freezing temps? Because ive never encountered noise from a rear shock, even on completely wasted ones. Disclosure: ive had gas-a-justs on the back of my dynasty since like 03 or 04. Same set. No noise to this day.

[TheCanadian007]

Okay, so being the case that this is my daily driver, is it safe to assume that KYB GR-2 struts are a fair and cost effective compromise?

[Vigo]

IF you have stock springs up to shelby, they are great. IF you have anything stiffer like mopar performance, suspension techniques, eibach, they will be bouncy and annoy you.

[turbokid]

I want to upgrade my front strut on the shelby. It is going to be a cruiser with maybe some spirited driving inbetween. Seeing if I can even find some Koni's would this be decent? What about springs? I want to drop the car about an inch.
Q

[turbovanman²]

I want to upgrade my front strut on the shelby. It is going to be a cruiser with maybe some spirited driving inbetween. Seeing if I can even find some Koni's would this be decent? What about springs? I want to drop the car about an inch.
Q

Go Gabriel, GR2's or Koni's if you can find them, then get a set of Eibach's.

Someone mentioned they can still get Bilstein's for our cars.

[TheCanadian007]

I have Shelby GLH springs so GR-2 struts should suffice.

[Reaper1]

Sensa-craps are JUNK! I had a set on my '90 Daytona back in the late '90's and it made the car handle and ride like @ss. I'll NEVER put those on a car again!

The set of GR2's I have are OK. With stiffer springs they do bounce just a little, but are infinitely better than the Sensa-Craps.

[rbryant]

Sensa-craps are JUNK! I had a set on my '90 Daytona back in the late '90's and it made the car handle and ride like @ss. I'll NEVER put those on a car again!

The set of GR2's I have are OK. With stiffer springs they do bounce just a little, but are infinitely better than the Sensa-Craps.

Ok Sensatrac was a bad choice of a comparison I forgot that while those are the premium shocks they are also the Cadillac style struts with soft ride rather than performance shocks... I should have said the matic plus instead of the sensatrac...

Their quality is probably still better than the GR2s but they are a softer strut.


-Rich

[dodgeshadowchik]

Sensa-tracks are not really designed as a "handling" shock. They were developed to give a car better ride quality for those who hate having their teeth rattled out. So yea, not a good choice for performance, but not a bad shock for daily use.

But this is a cool thread! The KYB AGX's are a great shock IMO. I have them on the dsm... still working great!

[rbryant]

Sensa-tracks are not really designed as a "handling" shock. They were developed to give a car better ride quality for those who hate having their teeth rattled out. So yea, not a good choice for performance, but not a bad shock for daily use.

But this is a cool thread! The KYB AGX's are a great shock IMO. I have them on the dsm... still working great!

AGX is good, GR2 are nothing more than stock.

The Formula GP was the Monroe that was better than the GR2 but they have been discontinued.

-Rich

[johnl]

Has anyone tried changing the oil in the Konis?

I see that Amsoil sells shock oil by the quart and it is available in multiple weights for motorcycle shocks.

If a Koni is worn and for that reason not damping as well as it should, why not try increasing the viscosity?

[rbryant]

Has anyone tried changing the oil in the Konis?

I see that Amsoil sells shock oil by the quart and it is available in multiple weights for motorcycle shocks.

If a Koni is worn and for that reason not damping as well as it should, why not try increasing the viscosity?

They are pressurized so it would be quite a task...

-Rich

[1966 dart wagon]

so is anyone running any forum of subie/custom coil overs, I was just on Ground Controls Website, and i cant remember his name but He has a blue charger in his sig and its on there. 400 bucks seems like alot to me.

So people are using 92-01 subie impressa rs(is this still awd, i assume so) do some modding then just install eibach springs, anyone using coil overs instead of those? even a somewhat cheap coilover spring/adj. 399(for ground control) seems pretty high

so these would work:
http://www.ground-control-store.com/...hp/II=80/CA=90

[135sohc]

Minigts

[TheCanadian007]

I ask the question as I don't recall reading it anywhere, do the KYB AGX front shocks fit on an L-body?

[Vigo]

These could be made to work. although i would say instead of using the k-car upper mount, use the l-body one or a neon upper mount with that third stud removed. I havent done this myself but im pretty sure it would work.

[TheCanadian007]

Hmmm....somebody get on this! I don't want to purchase struts that don't work