need a reasonable opinion on shocks for a mustang.

[hpfiend]

hey guys-

 

To pay over 500 for a set of bilstein HD struts and shocks or ~250 for a set of Tokico HP struts and shocks)????? I think the ideal would be a sit of lightly used bilsteins for 350-400 but so far that has been tough to find and you lose the lifetime warranty both types of shocks come with if you buy used.

 

Looking to put H&R Sport (not super sports) (490-575 progressive front springs and 205-250 progressive rear springs) on my fox coupe.

 

Maximum Motorsports pairs these springs with tokico hp shocks in their sport box kit.

 

However, other than the lighter springs (they use h&r race 750-850 front 260-280 rear) I plan on about everything else in the road and track kit that they supply with bilstein hds.

 

I doubt I will go to the expense of coilovers down the road but may go with a torque arm for more traction and it has some stiffer rear springs that go with it (H&R 390-430# which almost maxes out bilstein rear shocks and is too stiff for tokicos) The torque arm may be overkill though as I know nothing about suspensions and am definitely putting a panhard bar on.

 

This car is 99% street driven and I am not about to take onramps at 100 or anything anytime soon just want something with a little sportier handling- if it really shines I may take it to an autox or two for fun.

[Farkas]

Considering you're doing so much street driving, I'd go with the Tokico... especially since you're only going with the H&R springs.

 

Bilsteins are the shit, and by the shit, I mean just about as good as it gets when it comes to dampeners. I would consider the Bilsteins with a much more aggressive setup, especially if you saw more track time but the Tokicos will suit your purpose just fine and you'll be happy you bought them. I have had great experience with the Tokicos and progressive springs on my old corolla, great combination.

[Scotty2Hotty]

QA1's are nice.

[Stimmel1647545512]

Andrew, Ive been having a hard time figuring out what springs and struts i want to run, I was looking at the kyb agx and the strange adjustables jegs has both and they are only 120 each not bad im kinda leaning toards the H&R springs too

[hpfiend]

thanks guys- that will save me a bit of money short of the torque arm problem down the road....

 

Andy- I don't know about AGX's but I know the KYB GR2s absolutely are not impressive as that is what I have now with linear "c" springs and the ride is abominable at best. A lot of corner carver snobs say kybs are only good for collecting pond scum on the bottom of a river.

 

Strange I have heard to be good for drag racing but they have a unique diameter so a lot of people have strange (pun not intended) clunking sounds when used with most caster camber plates.

 

120 each or 120 a pair? 240.00 for the front end only sounds quite high to me for those... Bilsteins are not much more than that.

[Stimmel1647545512]

I guess I need to price out bilstiens and just get a set with some good springs then

[twistedfocus1647545489]

I have never been a fan of Tokicos, but I haven't used the HPs specifically (OEM Bullits). The Bullitt shock was damped much stiffer than stock, but didn't seem very progressive, just stiff. Meaning it was like the valve would just slam shut at the same rate regardless of conditions. Coupled with the Bullitt spring, they worked well but leave alot to be desired in ride quality and made for a very sharp cutoff traction-wise at the limit.

 

Switching to Koni Yellows solved both issues for me (poor ride quality and abrupt traction loss when pushed). If the Tokico HPs are anything like the OEM Bullitt (and they may not be) I would absolutely sink my money into the Bilstein's at least, but my preference will always be toward Koni. A decent SA Koni Sport is a little more than the Bilstein but likely worth the upgrade if you plan to hit some autocross events. Either way, while it's important to match your springs to your goals, the shock is likely going to make the most perceptible difference in handling and ride quality.

[hpfiend]

Thanks for the new replies-

 

twisted focus- are the koni SAs the koni yellows? A buddy of mine has those on his fox coupe and he said the lightest setting possible is still a little harsh for the street?

[twistedfocus1647545489]

Yes, the Yellows are available in Single-adjustable(SA - Rebound Only) and Double adjustable (DA - Rebound and Compression) for some cars. I'm not sure if they do a Fox strut in DA, but the SA is a good choice still, even for competition.

 

I would agree that the Yellows tend to be pretty stiff, but I never found them to ride poorly (in my opinion) in any properly matched setup. I have riden/driven in a Camaro with DAs set fairly stiff and thought it wasn't too bad either. They are purposely made a good bit stiffer than stock shocks for a given application and it's not always necessary to add any rebound (or compression in a DA) as one might think. On my last car I had SAs at about one rotation from full "soft" on both ends and it matched well with Bullitt springs (similar to Cs).

 

Honestly, "road-manners" is mostly personal preference. I probably have a higher tolerance for some things than others. Your best bet is to try driving or riding in some cars with a similar setup and some different shocks. That way you can decide pretty quickly what you can live with as far as ride quality is concerned. If they aren't too harsh for your needs, they likely are one of the best choices out there for double-duty. Some would say they're overkill for a street car - but that's what we're all about, right?

[Dave1647545494]

I'm just running take offs from a newer low mile mustang and eibach springs handles pretty good witht the edition of tubular control arms subframe connectors and s-03 pole posistions

[hpfiend]

I'm just running take offs from a newer low mile mustang and eibach springs handles pretty good witht the edition of tubular control arms subframe connectors and s-03 pole posistions

 

Which year dave? Bullit? Mach1? Cobra?

 

S03 pole positions? I am not familiar?