i already have the springs but i'm lookin for some good shocks to go with em...
would this be a good combo? cause Tokico blues are pretty cheap right now

 

koni's around 150 each

 

Zulu, that would be a great combo.

 

thanx

 

i have the tokico blues on my car, theyre a great shock for the money. the HR OE's spring rate and drop is fairly mild, so the Blues will work well w/them

your ride wont be stiff so ya wont hurt ur back, kidneys.

 

I don't know what you mean by mild, but after a few weeks when my H&R OEs settled, the drop was 1". After installing Koni Yellows & racing for almost 3 seasons (yrs) on them, the drop right now is 1.3" which is fine. No doubt the springs are probably sagging a little because I 've done over 50 auto-x events on them and another 20k street mi. on them, but the ride is still good and the shock adjustability is great.
If you don't plan on doing any type of racing go with the Blues. Otherwise get Illuminas or Konis. May I also suggest Bilsteins (non/self adjustables)? They 're better than the Blues and only $100 more for all 4, but still ~$200 less than Koni. The Bilsteins will also be better for auto-x and some light track use. They 're actually the best combo for the H&R Sport OE spring (besides adjustable shocks). 3+yrs ago everyone was getting H&Rs with Bilsteins on this forum (and H/A.net). They were around $330-340 then. Then the price of the Konis dropped from $600+ to $500 and everyone started buying Konis about 2.5yrs ago including myself. In any case, buy the right stuff now, so you don't have to do it all over again down the road.

 

where can i get bilistein shocks? i looked around and i could onyl find em at modacar for $419. any cheaper places?

 

hmmm thats a good point... i'll try lookin around for these too... but if they're not cheaper than $300 then would it be better to just spend the extra $50 and get the KYB AGXs?
also, what's the specific model line for the bilstein non-adjustables?


[Modified by Zulu888, 9:33 AM 7/12/2002]

 

I think they 're just called Bilstein Sport. They go for around $320-330. They 're self-adjustable up to around 300-320lbs/in. spring rates.
There used to be groupbuys on them all the time but now for $20-30 more you can get the KYB AGX adjustable ones which is what everyone is getting. The Bilstein is actually a step above the KYBs in quality and craftsmanship and will last longer as well, BUT they 're not manually adjustable, so everyone pretty much buys the cheap AGX nowadays. You get what you pay for though, don't forget that.. I know countless people that had to return 1 or 2 (out of the set) AGX after a few months or a year because they broke. And if you can't remove them from the car yourself, you 'll be paying someone to take them off, ship them to KYB, and pay that person again to put in the one (rebuilt one usually) they send you..

 

hmmm... good point...
maybe i should go bilstein then...
how are the quality of tokico shocks?

 

The Illuminas are pretty good. They 're more heavy duty than the Blues with a stronger piston and can last relatively long. The Blues are hit or miss depending on who you talk to. I don't think I 've ever heard complaints about Bilsteins breaking or not lasting long enough. Konis also last a long time and are pretty reliable. I 've had my Konis close to 3yrs now and I mainly race the car. Konis can also be revalved unlike Tokiko, KYB & the base Bilsteins.

Try http://www.shox.com for the Bilsteins and visit http://www.groupbuycenter.com to see what vendors sell shocks so you can e-mail them to see if they carry Bilsteins. Like I said before they 're higher quality shocks than the Blues and KYB AGX. They go great with the H&R OEs.
I saw a big Bilstein ad in Motortrend July issue at a quick Lube place where I go to change the oil on my wife's car. There are many vendors that carry them. You can always do a search on Bilstein distributors or something on Yahoo, but the groupbuycenter would probably be your best bet as far as vendors go. Try http://www.coximports.com too. They offer free shipping when your order through their web site.

 

ok cool, i guess i'll look for Bilsteins now then... even if they are non-adjustable..
cause i'm pretty sure the AGXs' dials won't be able to survive a Northern Alberta winter

 

Eh, not so fast. My rear suspension is quite stiff, especially over uneven and rough roads here in Wisconsin. Sorry, my setup is H&R OEs/Tokico HPs, but the stiffness comes from the HPs. Go for adjustable Bilsteins, KYB AGXs, or Koni Yellows.

 

i dont see why you guys bag on tokico hps so much. they are good shocks, even for racing. if youre talkin about drag racing.. of course adjustables like AGXs would be better... but not a whole lot of a difference.