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gabriel vs monroe vs koni vs whatever else is out there

Started by _ohhgeee_ , Apr 04 2013 10:25 PM

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31 replies to this topic

#1 _ohhgeee_

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Posted 04 April 2013 - 10:25 PM

hi im at the stage where its time to buy some shocks and springs
springs i might go for king springs unless lovells arent much dearer..

my question to the knowledge filled torana community on this forum is..

are the gabriel and monroe shocks any good?
or should i pay extra for another brand?
ultima and kyb im not sure about..

it will be for a lh/lx sedan with some extra balls used mainly for the street

any advise will be much appreciated

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#2 dattoman

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Posted 04 April 2013 - 11:30 PM

Koni

KYB

Monroe

Gabriel

Ultima

In that order

But theres plenty of others... i.e Bilstein etc

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#3 TerrA LX

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Posted 05 April 2013 - 08:37 AM

Koni being the best and Ultima being unusable.

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#4 Redslur

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Posted 05 April 2013 - 11:46 AM

Pay the extra dollars for Konis. I recently purchased new KYB's for mine. I personally think the Monro's that were in it to start were better. So replaced them with Konis. Best shock by far of those 3!

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#5 TOERUNNER

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Posted 05 April 2013 - 11:50 AM

where do pedders rate

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#6 A9X

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Posted 05 April 2013 - 02:52 PM

They were left off for a reason :stirpot:

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#7 _LH8VD69_

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Posted 06 April 2013 - 10:39 AM

Bilstein are on the top of the list followed by Koni

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#8 orangeLJ

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Posted 06 April 2013 - 10:54 AM

Ohlins

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#9 _ohhgeee_

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Posted 06 April 2013 - 09:50 PM

thanks guys its always a good feeling knowing that no matter what advise i need i can just come to the experts here

ok i guess theres more to it then i thought
all advise is taken.
ill check how much konis are and if theyre reasonable then done deal.

bilsteins just sound expensive..

whats good value for money and isnt designed just for the track like some coilovers ive had in a skyline previously?
coilovers although were undeniably awesome, made the car feel like a teenagers car on our sydney roads which eventually caused everything to start rattling.

i want shocks that make the car feel like a sporty new car without spending millions and isnt going to bounce around.

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#10 sibhs

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Posted 06 April 2013 - 10:21 PM

Bilstein are on the top of the list followed by Koni

You beat me to it.

I'm a big fan of these shocks but Pretty sure they don't make them for my car LJ so Koni's is next best.

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#11 TerrA LX

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Posted 07 April 2013 - 01:03 AM

whats good value for money and isnt designed just for the track like some coilovers ive had in a skyline previously?
coilovers although were undeniably awesome, made the car feel like a teenagers car on our sydney roads which eventually caused everything to start rattling.

i want shocks that make the car feel like a sporty new car without spending millions and isnt going to bounce around.

Koni are adjustable.

If you can't spot for them, I have had no trouble with KYB.

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#12 _LH8VD69_

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Posted 07 April 2013 - 08:59 AM

You beat me to it.
I'm a big fan of these shocks but Pretty sure they don't make them for my car LJ so Koni's is next best.

haha yeah they only fit it the front of the LH - LX with a bit of grinding out of the control arm but well worth it IMO

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#13 _doucmyuc_

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Posted 07 April 2013 - 12:33 PM

I have recently been looking into options.

The koni system is reasonably O.K however it is very primitave.....You are quite limited in your valving range, and then your adjustment range ontop of that is only rebound! So if you are running a lowered spring with a stiff spring rate, you may need to look at getting them revalved to handle the spring rate, which then makes the ride pretty average! They are prone to wearing out as they run a small main shaft and the seal head is very primitive.

As a drop in shock (non performance) the KYB and monroe are quite good! The KYB has a bit better road holding as its rebound properties are a little more controlled and gradual, however its compression is quite soft. I would suggest using the KYB's with a big sway bar and lowered springs as a nice streeter. Plenty of grip, althought intially instincts tell you otherwise because of the soft nature of the compression valving.

Monroe is good value, firmer compression valving over the KYB but not so fantastic rebound valving.

gabriel and ultima.....havnt had experience with either in the toranas. Would suggest you can find the above brands for better value.

Bilstein.....very good! great valving rates and rebuildable. You pay a little more, but they are certianly more durable than the Konis as the run a bigger main shaft and bigger housing to help deal with the weight and energy through each corner.

It all depends how much do you want to spend? How much power will the car have? What size wheels will you be running? All these relate to grip and control, and directly how hard the shock has to work!!

Ive considered making a monotube external double adjustable (compression and rebound) shock, its easily doable, but at this stage i wont justify spedning 600+ to make a nice pair of fronts for a car that doesnt get driven so often.

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#14 TerrA LX

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Posted 07 April 2013 - 03:02 PM

You won't get a shock off the shelf to suit every combination, even bilsteins need to be re valved to suit each application.

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#15 _oldjohnno_

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Posted 07 April 2013 - 05:30 PM

Anyone had any recent experience with Boge shocks? I ran some a long time ago and found them to be very very good. I think they are original fitment on things like BMWs.

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#16 dattoman

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Posted 07 April 2013 - 05:42 PM

Boge are good... Sach's are the same shock in a different box

We sell them at work but haven't checked on Torana fitments

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#17 Ice

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Posted 07 April 2013 - 06:11 PM

Had boge shocks in a falcoon very good shock but hard ride

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#18 _ohhgeee_

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Posted 08 April 2013 - 11:47 AM

im now more confused then when i first asked the question...

like i said i just want my car to feel newy without feeling like im dropping a kidney on every bump..
also on the other hand i dont want it to feel like a dinghy in rough waters

on a side note, are king springs ok??
low or standard? im running 15" convos and have a drop tank..
are the ebay king springs the same as the king springs from the shop?

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#19 _SLEDGE_

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Posted 08 April 2013 - 12:31 PM

Hi mate.

Just buy Konis, it is that simple.

I run lower than standard King springs, Koni adjustable shocks, Whiteline swaybar and nolothane bushes with a rebuilt front end to A9X specs, and the car handles like it's on fr0cking rails.

The ride quality with the Konis is far superior to most other shocks.. even on the hardest setting, I drive my torana everyday and the ride is very compliant.

You'll be very happy you spent the extra dollars on a set.

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#20 hanra

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Posted 08 April 2013 - 01:03 PM

Anyone had any recent experience with Boge shocks? I ran some a long time ago and found them to be very very good. I think they are original fitment on things like BMWs.

Ive currently got BOGE Turbo's fitted to my SLR.

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#21 WhaleOilBeefHooked

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Posted 08 April 2013 - 02:56 PM

Good Luck in Finding New or Used but Part No for LC/LJ Bilstein 3 way (road, rally & race) Adjustable is B46-493=Rear & B46-281=Front, I purchased a new set back in the 90's @ co$t of around $800 so they were never cheap. Should be trying em out 1st time this year in 2013......

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#22 _ohhgeee_

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Posted 08 April 2013 - 11:13 PM

konis front $250 and rear $290
kyb front $130 and rear $140
monroe front $135 and rear $150
gabriel front $110 and rear $110

these ar the ebay prices... im sure it will vary slightly if i called around but the question is...
for a car that gets driven occassionally is it worth paying the extra cash for the koni's???

i guess since nobody mentioned them 'selbys' isnt advised???

also if i was to get the low king springs and have hq stubs will my car be too low?

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#23 Potta

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Posted 08 April 2013 - 11:33 PM

I just put Monroe's in the front of my LC to replace the Pedders that were in there.

Already there is a marked difference and I haven't even rolled it out of the shed yet.

This may also be related to the fact that the passenger shock wasn't attached to the top mount

Explains a few things about how she handled.

Anyway, I got them to go with my lowered King Springs which aren't in yet, but I have heard that is a great budget package, cost me just over $500 for springs and shocks all round from memory from the magical land of eBay.