Anybody have strong feelings for or against a particular brand of shocks? Are they all pretty much the same? Anybody tried the edelbrock IAS or the KYB gas -adjust? I'm putting a 455 in my convertible, new tubular upper A-arms, and springs. The car will be lowered only slightly and should handle better. I'm still looking for a fairly smooth ride, however. Thoughts?... o No: Thanks, Doug
shocks i bought 4 shocks from checker auto parts when i redid my suspension. they are called Monroe Sense A-track .. They are awesome, they give a great smooth ride, good on the wallet and ive even noticed they help with the side to side body roll. great shocks for the price. $30- 35 each i belive.
I'm running the Edelbrock IAS shocks. I love them. There's nothing like chasing the Mustang GT's and Camaros around the on-ramps to the highway. They are firm, but not harsh. They will NOT let you lift the front tires on the dragstrip though. But that's what they're designed to do. They are a g-machine, or road coarse type shock. And they do cost about twice or better than the KYB's which I''ve heard are also nice.
AC Delco gas shocks went on my car this year. I had a "no-name" brand on it that were there when I bought it. Cost about $50/ea.. Car is now a different animal to drive. Much smoother. I heard they are actually manufactured by Munroe & tagged AC Delco.
Tony, I think the KYBs are probably the best bang for the buck. Are they fairly firm; similar to what Philip describes for the Edelbrock shocks? Thanks for the reply. Doug
I've used Monroe on cars as an OEM replacement shock. I'm satisfied with the ride. In October they have a promotion called "Shocktober" (brilliant, huh?) Buy three get the fourth one free. Every little bit helps. You have to mail in for the rebate. Here's the link for the rebate form. http://www.monroe.com/promo/promotions.asp
I used KYB Gas-A-Justs and loved them on my Skylark. I have them on the back of my GS now, but havent had the chance to swap out the fronts.
the kyb's are the best i have seen for the money. my brother put them on his 76 cutlass 442. what a difference! they greatly reduced body roll, nose dive, and rear end squat under acceleration. i plan on putting them on my 82 regal when i get the money. the sensa-tracs are also a great shock, for a daily driver anyway. i put a set on my 74 dodge pickup. with the brand-x cheapo shocks i would get a sore back if i drove the truck longer than a half hour on any road. have put in 12 hour days in the truck with the sensa-tracs and feel great at the end. if i remember right the sensa-tracs and kybs are similar in price.
KYBs are pretty awesome, and they last a long, long time. The thing is though, that they are very high pressure gas, and they firm up your ride - a lot. I am now considering the Edelbroch IAS (or equivalent) shock. I want to smooth the ride out a little, let the suspension move a little easier. KYB's are a little rough riding if you have a lot of other suspension mods like poly busings, heavy springs and big sway bars.
kyb... i have a 70 gs that is lowered ...the headers would hit with the monroes and now with the kybs it rides great !!
I have monroe sena trac on all 4 corners the fronts came with the car and i've had it 3 yrs. and i have new sensa trac on the rear. I also have Moog chevelle convertible springs (same as the buick skylark 4dr springs) in the rear. I added a front 1-1/4" sway bar to the front and 1" to the rear and boxed the rear arms. it REALLY tightened up the handling of the car. it corners like a Civic (flat and crisp but not jaring since the car still weighs 3700 lbs). it only has a slightly harsher ride. although I don't have a 455 in it (yet) I do need to get the front realigned from the first shop. He was able to get 3 degrees of caster at the front wheels with the stock arms and helped with high speed handling and cornering. I took it to another alignment guy after the shims fell out and he did a factory alignment on the car and i'm very unhappy with it espically after driving with the added caster.
I totally agree, I have the same mods and feel that the initial impact on the small hits with the KYB's is rough. I'm swapping tires out so that may help. I'm going IAS or Koni next time............Ward
I've had Monroe Sensitrac on my 87 Monte Carlo for a year. They're already worn. Car really bounces in the front. Never again. I've have the Edelbrock AIS's on the ragtop for 6 months now, very nice. They seem to work very well. Smooth ride. I've used the adj. KONI's for 5 years on the Special previously and they worked great. Ray
no one even mentioned bilsteins, my cousin had them on his 77 monte i thougth they were great, ill install then on my cutlass when time comes
My 2 cents... I went through same debate over shock types for my '70 GS 455 'vert, and based upon input from other members of this board, I went with the KYB's. This was a really good decision...they allow for good road feel and although others have said they are firm, I think they're perfect and I guess all of that is subjective anyway- firm to one may not be to another. One thing is for sure, they swallow up bumps really well. I'd definitely recommend them.
Thanks everyone! I've really appreciated the feedback. I don't think I can go wrong with either the KYB's or the IAS. I will try to find the best deal.
i have had the kyb gr-2 and the gas-a-just. the gr-2's rode good and handled decent. the gas-a-just were too firm, seemed to bounce a bit. this was in a camaro but the comparison should be the same between the 2. i put the edelbrock in my 65 lark conv. which were recomended by eaton detroit spring and they seem nice. they wont work on a car that has a raised ride height though. i noticed this when they sent me too stiff of a spring and the ride height was 2.5" higher in the rear. when i let the car down the shock barely compressed, not good. any way enough of my babbling. good luck.
