More Shock & Strut ?'s
 

For Drudis,
From a previous post I noticed you recommended the Monroe GP's. I've been trying to deicde also on which to buy for my 86 GT. Its a daily driver with an occassional blast down the back roads, so handling is important. I'm using Firestone Firehawk's SZ50's 225/60 R15's tires. I'm considering the KYB Gas-a-Just that Mr.50 suggests. What is your experience with the Monroe's and what is your read as to compared with the KYB's? As for where to buy them, shox.com don't carry or recommend,they suggest Konis, too expensive for my blood, and Santa will never have under the tree. Thanks in advance.
Tim

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I personally have tried several sets of shocks. At one time, I had stock 19K mile, KYB, Formula GP, and used Koni reds.
I "scientifically" took a bathroom scale and measured preload (weight to get the shocks to compress). I threw my weight on the shock to measure compression rates (counted one one-thousand...). I test drove all the shocks based on Eibach Street 450-580 variable rate springs.
My conclusion (_MY_ opionion) is that the KYB had way too much pre-load. They are like air shocks. They actually raised the car because of the preload. They also were very stiff (before they started to move) then moved at a decent stiff rate. The GP's had little preload, moved easily, and had stiffer than stock compression. The used Reds, were too used (wasted) and the test showed them at the weakest/softest (needed a rebuild) so I got burned on those used shocks.
All in all, for $275-ish you can get a set of Formula GP's. For a street car, thats my recommendation. Thats the set I stuck with.

In the near future I will probably be going to Koni Yelows with coil overs, but that is for my roadrace car... (another story).

Drudis,

Thanks for the info. Would you say that Motorsport C's are the best springs to match the GP's?

Clay

I never tried the Motorsport springs, so I cannot say.
I have tried the Eibach springs. If the set you are looking at are about 450-580# springs rate, then yes, they should do fine.

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Darius Rudis
Home built t-arm/panhard suspension powered by an S-trimmed motor :-)
My Mustang Page