sweesiong78

How does the KYB GR2 ride and handle compared to OEM, and compared to lets say Tokico Blue?

Looking to replace my shocks in the next couple of months, lots of people seem to recommend KYB's, my car is not lowered or tricked and I just want a comfortable daily driver shocks for socal roads.


Also car is 97 dx and running original shocks and springs, should I replace the mounts and inner shock bushings/ bumpstops as well? Is there a way to tell they need replacement without disassembling the strut first?

mavster

Can't speak for a honda application; but I've used KYB GR2 on several vehicles with great results..

Re-use the springs; replace the shocks/struts, mounts and bushings...

You'll spend a few bucks more, but if you plan to hold onto the vehicle...a quieter ride is well worth it.

sweesiong78

yeah I plan to replace all the rubber bushings in the shocks with OEM ones and the mount plate rubber too, not sure about replacing the actual top hat itself since I think they are still good and I am DIY ing so I guess it wont be too much trouble to replace the top hats as necessary.

sweesiong78

what is the ride quality like the with GR2? comfortable or more on the performance side?

mavster

Well the GR2 is considered an OEM replacement for a few asian vehicles..so consider it more on comfort side than performance. But it's an excellent shock for everyday use; not too expensive either.

street93eg

I paired mine with eibach sportline springs and they work great. Ride quality is really smooth and corners really nice.

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

How are you people trying to quantify something as subjective as ride "quality"? Good? Smooth? I can tell you that my set can be described using those terms as well as anyone else's. That doesn't tell you anything. Both are OEM replacements. Either one is a good choice.

street93eg

Ok, so I swapped out a set of 20 year old shocks and threw in the gr2's. Ride quality greatly improved over existing conditions. Used the same setup on my previous car and enjoyed them as well. The subjective improvement felt good enough for me to talk about and recommend.

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

You still can't quantify it can you?
One would expect 20 old shocks to ride like **** so swapping out to anything would be an improvement. How does KYB compare to Tokico in terms of "good" and "smooth"? You cannot say. They are both good shocks and they are both OEM replacements. Toss a coin.

azzazel_9

im with marc on this one. They are not performance type shocks they are stock replacements so they are gonna ride close to stock shocks.

street93eg

Ok I guess to quantify the choice would come down to price. Around 60 dollars each for the kyb shocks and around 90 for the tokico shocks. The kyb provide oem or better replacement and the tokico blue is 5 to 15 increase over stock feel.

Your choice

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

Er. No. I can see you don't know what quantify means.
How do you translate "good" into a number that you can compare against other data? You cannot.

And WTF is 5 to 15 increase?

angrysmileyface

Go with whatever your pocket will afford and if you really have to have a name brand. I have the GR-2 on my car only because mine were shot and did not feel the need to pay for anything extravagant since mine is a DD and not lowered by any means.

street93eg

One in every forum,

Currency is a quantity; $240 vs $360 for price.

5% to 15% increase in the shock stiffeness vs oem.

X E Ryder

I put H&R OE sport springs with Monroe OE Spectrum struts. Also changed the bumpstops and top mounts - good price and ride on crappy roads is good.

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

Er. PRICE was NOT a criteria. The question was a comparison between the two and the responses of "good" that you cannot quantify as it pertain to ride "quality".

Now stiffness is also subjective and cannot be quantified as it pertains to the other subjective value of ride quality. What YOU say rides "good" someone else will say otherwise. Give it up. All you can say that it rides "good".

Suspension is a trial and error process. No one gets it perfect the first time out.

Again. For stock replacements, either one is sufficient.

crxaddikt

just to add my opinion , in 2003 i installed KYB GR-2 shocks with H&R SoftSport springs (which have .75" drop) on my 1990 CRX Si and over last 10 years have been a great combination, good if you want a stock replacemednt, its a pretty smooth ride over bumps and stuff, and the H&R SoftSport springs are also like a stock replacement in the way they perform, except slightly sportier, and i like how they have a small .75" drop, cause it closes the wheel/fender gap perfectly so it does'nt look jacked up or anything, but not too low either where you would have problems hitting things, cause i clear speed bumps and stuff fine.