kyb or tokico
 

whats the differnce between the two brands they are similar in price who has installed which.

i can get the kyb for 130 for front/rear and the tokico hp for about 185

I put kyb agx shocks on my FC. They were nice. handled the bumps well. But my springs were very stiff as well.


Which type of KYB or tockiko?

Adjustability was nikce with the AGX shocks however, i had a GC coilover setup and kept them on the the lowest setting cause any more stiff would shake my teeth too much. Maybe with lighter springs I could have turned them up on the street.

So on my FB I just went with the KYB gas shocks, no adjustibility. they work good. i have RB springs and the car is'nt too rough, keeps the wheels on the ground, and handles bumps potholes and such as you find on a mountain road.

So go with whatever fits your budget!

does this help at all? :D

-=Sam=-

I think the general consensus was that the non-adjustable KYB's are pretty much oem-equivalent and so they're softer than the tokico blues. I wonder if they make the AGX ones for our cars?

i have tokico blues and absolutely love them

i was considering getting the non ajustable kyb gas shocks but if the tokico blues are stiffer then i would probably spend a little more and get them. i am going to put the rb springs on at the same time also

Go get some Koni's!
They still make Koni Red fronts for our cars. They are adjustable and imo, supperior to Tokico or KYB...

Not cheap... actually rather expensive, but with a lifetime warantee and beter design it's worth it...

Oh yeah, they're also re-buildable, so if they ever wear out, you can get them fixed instead of having to replace them...

As for the rears, they've been discontinued, but if you can find a used set, they can be re-built:D

edit:
TireRack still lists the rears...

http://www.tirerack.com/suspension/S...lar=&brand=all


edit again:

Classic Garage lists the rears too... but they have fronts CHEAP!!!
http://www.classicgarage.com/classicgarage/86-2345.html
http://www.classicgarage.com/classicgarage/26-1152.html

KYB makes 2 lines of non-adjustable shocks:
GR-2 and Gas-A-Just
GR-2s are basically OEM replacements
Gas-A-Justs are roughly equal to Tokico Blues...

The only catch is that they only make the Gas-A-Justs for the rear of 1st gens...

Get the Tokiko's, the quality and reputation is better than that of KYB. Actually Tokiko's are more comparable to Koni's than they are to KYB's which in my opinion aren't up there with those two...instead down there with the Monroe's sears sells. :rlaugh:

Get the Koni's for $50 a peice! c'mon!
That's UBER cheap...
Tokico's are nowhere near as good...

I have the tokico blues and i have no complaints

Tokicos can't handle the serious performance like Konis, but they are better than KYBs. Konis are race bred shocks and have been doing this for a very long time.

What model shocks are those Koni's? I don't see anywhere that it specifies, and I don't know why they would sell Reds for $50 a piece...

Koni only makes Reds (Special) and Yellows (Sport)... or custom race of course...
Look at the list price, they're Reds alright...

It says somthing about no factory warranty, so maybe they're rebuilt...?

Racing Beat still lists the Rears too, but according to Koni, they don't make the rears anymore... must just be excess stock...

wow. that's a great price for the koni reds!!!

now it says they ARE adjustable...how do they adjust? do they have a turn dial somewhere? or are like the illuminas???

are the koni reds softer, equal to or harder than the tokiko blues???

Koni reds are closer to Tokico Illuminas but even better, they are internally adjustable. These are single adjustable Koni red shocks, not two way adjustables like the yellow. Which also have a larger body allowing for more actual flow of the fluid inside and can sustain higher use for longer periods.

ALL Koni's are adjustable:D That way they work for ANY setup!

Reds on their softest setting are about equal to Tokico blues, but are internally adjustable.

It involves removing the strut from the car, so it's not somthing you want to do often. But you can match it to the rest of your components!

Also, if/when you get them re-built, they can modify them for you:
http://www.tripointengineering.com/Koni/koniCenter.htm

then the illuminas are better for the street since you can adjuct them without removing them

Why? Dial them in once... why keep messing with them?
Besides which the Koni is a better quality strut...


BTW, as a side note: the adjustment procedure varies fom car to car with Koni, as they design build each strut specificaly for each car.
It just happens that the 1st gen RX-7 is hard to adjust...

alright, ive been wondering so im going to just throw this in there, what about bilstein? they are more expensive than tokico illuminas but are they worth it?

Also a race-quality shock, from what I've heard, but hard to find...
But not that expensive.
I don't know anyone using them...
http://www.iscracing.net/suspension_2.htm

I read through all of the TireRack reviews and almost everything was praise for the Reds. The general consensus is that either the softest (0) or the 1 setting is where you want to be for a street ride.

That would be my reccomendation, unless you're running stiffer springs... then I'd maybe go a notch or two higher...

my dad is putting the koni reds in but he only has the fronts ill wait and see how they are on his maybe ill get them for mine

Bilsteins are also world class race standard shocks, together with Konis they are about as good as dampers can be at a reasonable price range. I haven't seen Bilsteins for the 1st gen for many years though.

G Force has there Advanced shocks at $399.00 but that seems just too much for street use.

Personally I'm going Koni, higher spring rates, upgraded bushings and camber plates. Keep an eye out, I am having Delrin bushings and aluminum spacers made, also looking into an equal length rear control arm set up and adjustable camber plates.

I have the tokico blues, eibach springs, rb front and rear swaybars and my car is stiff. If your roads are torn up where you live don't do my setup. Everynow and then I will hit a good size bump and it about pulls out my teeth. Most of my driving is smooth and highway traffic so it is ok.

If you replace the shocks you better do the springs as well if they are stock. I would go with racing beat ot intrax springs next time.

Eibachs are available in a variety of weights...?

lifetime huh i have a pair or had a pair on my SE when i bought it and the noises that came from the front suspension was enough to look into and i found out that the front left was blown apart. I have no idea of the milage can i get a new one for free from Koni?

I have kyb shocks... had my car topped out on a Dirt road and barly felt the bumps

Posibly... I think they'd be more likely to re-buikd it...

Give 'em a try...

KYB keeps yah bouncin'.

I put Tokico blues in 2 of my cars and they are exactly right for me: eliminated bump-steer and much more sure-footed around bumpy corners.

B

Bump from the grave!

IT's been a year and a half since this thread, any new thought? I'm having this same debate. The price difference is about 45 dollars between the Tokiko Blues and the KYB GR2's. I'll be using ST Springs, so I think the KYB's just won't be good enough to handle them. Any thoughts?

I got my suspension about a year ago and to be honest, I wouldn't even consider the KYB's. The KYB's aren't bad, but they aren't really a strut made for a sports car. Now, if you just want a nice comfy ride, they are good. If you want a suspension upgrade without breaking the bank, get the Tokicos.

Personally, I'd rather have KYB AGX's on the car, but they don't make them for the fronts of our cars, the bastards.

aren't they an insert? can't we use an insert from another car? thats what we did for my 86. we used the insert from an AW11 mr2 and it worked well.

so wahts up with the bilstein? still nobody uses them?

I have Bilsteins on the rear, and they are a very performance oriented shock. The ride is pretty harsh with them, harsh enough to make me miss my Illuminas I used to run on the rear. I miss being able to turn them down to a setting of 1 for that nice comfy ride on longer trips. If I had it to do again, I would have stayed with an adjustable shock on the rear.

Changing shock settings on the front doesn't make nearly the difference in ride quality as the rear shocks. So if you can only afford to get adjustables for one end of the car, I would highly recommend that you get them for the back rather than the front. I've still got Illuminas on the front, but the difference in ride between a setting of 1 or 5 does not have a drastic effect on the ride (but it does change the handling of the car).

.

agrees with kentetsu :). Also the front illumina inserts feel pretty soft even on the number 5 setting. the rears however will kill you almost as easily as the bilsteins, i'd imagine, if you leave them on 5.