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So my question is : what would be better for spirited driving. not track days but just touring back roads.
I'd just stick with the RB springs and non adjustible KYBs or, if you can find them, Tokico Blues and spend your money on new bushings all around (which means new control rods for the rear). Stay clear of the poly bushing kits. If you are installing grippy tires (summer performance or better, ie not all seasons) and you want a little less body roll, consider the front RB sway bar, but that makes the car borderline harsh on city streets.
Have an email out to KYB to get the outside diameter of the AGX 765016 strut insert.
We know from the thread below that the KYB Excel and Tokico strut inserts are 38.25 mm in diameter and insert body length is 377 mm for the SA and 354 mm for the FB.
Whats the ID of the SA strut tube (I'll settle for FB since I know they are the same)? I know the OD is ~46mm ( I think, if anyone can verify thats great).
^^ You can always extend a FB strut tube to match the lenght of SA tube using any of the above strut cartridges and an aluminum spacer similar to Respeed. This set-up worked well for me on my RX-3's and RX-4 (requires a camber plate as FB has a different spindle angle than an old school RX).
Whats the ID of the SA strut tube (I'll settle for FB since I know they are the same)? I know the OD is ~46mm ( I think, if anyone can verify thats great).
I will let you know tonight, I have my 85 spindles off the car right now
Got the reply from KYB about the 765016 insert sizes: 43.6mm OD and 360mm long. It could be close but since its shorter I may be able to drop them in with some spacer at the bottom and use the stock gland nut to hold the insert in if it can slide into the tube. Just need that ID from freeskier.
Got the reply from KYB about the 765016 insert sizes: 43.6mm OD and 360mm long. It could be close but since its shorter I may be able to drop them in with some spacer at the bottom and use the stock gland nut to hold the insert in if it can slide into the tube. Just need that ID from freeskier.
Bad news!! From what I can tell the ID is about 40-42mm max!!
Thanks, I'll see if I can get some more measurements as well. How did you do the measurement?
May have to just go with Konis all around then.
I used a set of calipers, the problem is that there is a lip that top seal for the wet strut that protrudes in. The OD of the strut casing is 45mm and the wall thickness is like 2.8mm so the max diameter you could fit is probably 39mm. I know that people have swapped larger diameter tubing on to fit supra shocks and what not...
I used a set of calipers, the problem is that there is a lip that top seal for the wet strut that protrudes in. The OD of the strut casing is 45mm and the wall thickness is like 2.8mm so the max diameter you could fit is probably 39mm. I know that people have swapped larger diameter tubing on to fit supra shocks and what not...
That seals it then. I'm not modifying the struts if I can help it. Sounds like KONI is the best option for the fronts. I was very hopeful that the KYB AGX could work <sigh>.
So looks like KONIs on the front and AGX on the rear. The AGX is externally adjustable without removing the shock where as the KONI has to be pulled out to adjust it from what I have read. If thats not true I could get KONI all around otherwise.
Last edited by t_g_farrell; Nov 19, 2018 at 09:31 AM.
That seals it then. I'm not modifying the struts if I can help it. Sounds like KONI is the best option for the fronts. I was very hopeful that the KYB AGX could work <sigh>.
at least it is documented!! I think the AGX will work fine in the rear. Do they not make an early (AW11) AGX anymore?
So looks like KONIs on the front and AGX on the rear. The AGX is externally adjustable without removing the shock where as the KONI has to be pulled out to adjust it from what I have read. If thats not true I could get KONI all around otherwise.
My fox body konis on the rear are definitely externally adjustable. They adjust at the top of the shock, just like the fronts. I think it’s the older models that needed to be removed to adjust them.
My fox body konis on the rear are definitely externally adjustable. They adjust at the top of the shock, just like the fronts. I think it’s the older models that needed to be removed to adjust them.
Good to know. Are they easy to adjust on the car? Do you have raise to get to the adjuster?
They adjust from the top of the shock. So you have to do it through the trunk where the top of the shock is. A bit of a pain when you still have a full interior since you have to remove the plastic trunk piece in the back to get to the top of the shock. Still not nearly as bad as having to remove the shock to adjust.
I had seen a pic a while ago of someone’s car with the same shocks. They had cut a hole in the plastic cover to access the top of the shock. To cover the hole, They had used a couple front shock covers, the rounds ones that attach to the top plates at the front. Looked like a clean setup and would make it easier. I’ll see if I can find a pic.
Those look like Tokico adjusters. The AGX shocks I have on the back my FOX Mustang have a rebound adjuster on the side of the shock by the lower mount. My understanding is the the AGX line of shocks were inherited by KYB when they bought another shock company (GAB??). Also they may have changed designs over time. But I am pretty sure a new set would have the adjuster on the bottom of the shock.
Koni Single adjustable Yellows (Sports) for Fox/SN95 adjust on top. The double adjustable Sports have adjusters on top (rebound) and a second adjuster on the bottom (compression). Koni rear Reds that are adjustable had to be unbolted at the bottom, compressed fully to engage the adjuster and then twisted to change rebound settings. I had them on an SVO Mustang and they were a PITA to deal with. Don't buy them if you run across them.
There are other options for Fox/SN95 mustangs from Viking and QA1 that put the adjuster ***** on the bottom above the lower mount. These can be had in Single and Double adjustable models.
Also Tokico D-Spec Fox/SN95 rear shocks are still available and they are being clearance priced now.
A note on the single adjustable shocks. These allow you to make rebound adjustments however you can expect this to also affect compression valving. This is very noticeable on the Koni sports shocks. I have them on my RX7 race car and a S550 Mustang and it can be hard to find the sweet spot on the shocks. Koni acknowledges this on the web site. Even Tokicos were found to have compression changes as rebound was adjusted. I would expect the same experience with all single adjustable shocks.
So now more than one shock is shot (squeaky) and I can feel them not doing their job. Just did 300 mile round trip this past week and the noise is irritating plus the wheels on certain pavement are not very settled. So going to get the koni mr2 fronts and agx rears as discussed and swap them in when I get timd. Probably won't happen until March as the koni lead time on the order is a few weeks .
So looks like KONIs on the front and AGX on the rear. The AGX is externally adjustable without removing the shock where as the KONI has to be pulled out to adjust it from what I have read. If thats not true I could get KONI all around otherwise.
It may handle a little weird. I have Konis on the front of my car and they have very stiff initial damping, which makes them ride very harsh, even when adjusted full soft.
I used them to replace a pair of blown AGXs, which have a much more progressive damping curve instead of a trapdoor one. I have a new pair of AGXs on the shelf waiting to go in...
The nice (?) thing about AGX is that it appears that KYB made one strut and one shock for everything, RX-7? 240SX? Subaru Impreza? Same internals, just different ears. I think they were figuring that you could just adjust it to your liking. As a consequence, th adjustments are very coarse. There is a noticable difference between the 4 different front settings, and a more subtle difference between the 8 rear settings (although the range is still very wide). A lot of "adjustables" have barely any range at all.
My current commuter car has driver adjustable struts so I play with the buttons all the time. It feels like it's fastest and most responsive with the dampers set to full-SOFT, because the tires don't stutter over bumps. The chassis stays stable instead of bobbing, and there's no sense in having smooth driver inputs if the suspension isn't smooth to the tires in the first place.
