1st Generation Specific (1979-1985) 1979-1985 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections

shock advice

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Old 03-09-09, 12:43 PM
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shock advice

hey guys. i put some new kyb gr-2's in my car about 8 months ago. i'm debating changing them again for 2 reasons. #1 i believe one may have blown, #2 i've been told that the gr2's are basically a stock replacement...not much of an upgrade. i've heard tokico's are a big upgrade. anyone have any insight into this?

thanks
Old 03-09-09, 03:07 PM
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What are you going to do with the car?
using it for a weekend toy , or autoxing it, time trials?
Tokicos are good for a weekend driver or just starting out autoxing.
Koni adjustables are better than the Tokicos and Advance Design shock/struts are better than the Konis. A D stocks are double adjustable for bounce and rebound right on top of the shock for quick changes if needed.
Old 03-09-09, 03:18 PM
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I've run the Tokico Illuminas for a few years now, and they perform great. I don't think you'll need to move up to Koni's unless you are going for a national championship or something.

The best thing about the Illuminas is that on the highest setting (5) you'll get an extremely firm ride and handling to match it. While on the softest setting (1) you can hit the road for an all day trip without blowing out your kidneys.

If you plan on doing any racing, then these are a good bet. If you don't plan on racing, and don't mind a fairly firm ride all the time, then the Tokico Blues are a good choice. Firmer than stock, but non adjustable.

Check out www.re-speed.com



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Old 03-09-09, 03:55 PM
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thanks guys...i daily drive the car but would definately like to hit the track a few times. looks like the illuminas will be my best bet. thanks again.

dave

and i'll check out re-speed. i was looking at their coilover kit.
Old 03-09-09, 07:10 PM
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Just for your info, I was at a major import parts place,here in Denver, and asked about Bilstiens.He called , and asked, and they told him that they are working on shocks , for our cars,(mine is a 1982 RX7 specifically), and that they should be available in the next 30 days.
IMO They are the best thing that you can do, for a streetable car.They are very comfortable, and are progressive,so really handle well.
they ate OEM on Corvette,Toyota,Porsche, Mercedes,and many others.
I put KYB GR-2s on my Audi, and was very disappointed.They are HARSH.
I am going to wait a bit, and see what happens.
Kentetsu- I thought you had Bilstiens,on the rear, on your car?
Old 03-09-09, 07:56 PM
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He does. I believe www.iscracing.net carries them. Their website currently only shows the front inserts, so I'm not sure if the rears are still available through them or if they are sold out. The site says that once the parts are gone they will not be restocking.
Old 03-09-09, 08:06 PM
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From what I understand, ISC is out of the 1st gen business. They want to concentrate on Miatas I think...

Yes, I have Bilsteins on the rear. When it comes to racing, I love them to death. However, if I had it to do again, I'd think really hard before replacing my Illuminas with the Bilsteins. The Bilsteins are really nice, but they're in full on race mode 100% of the time. With the Illuminas, I was able to turn them down for a more comfortable ride on regular roads. Sometimes I miss that. But I am willing to make sacrifices for race performance, where others might not be. Overall, unless you plan to get pretty hard core with it, I'd recommend the Illuminas simply because they give you that option and still work great for race day (which is why I still run them on the front).
Old 03-09-09, 09:47 PM
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[QUOTE=Kentetsu;9030489]From what I understand, ISC is out of the 1st gen business. They want to concentrate on Miatas I think...

ISC is still in the rx7 bizz at iscracing.net
they still carry bilstien shock, coilover kits and swaybars.
plus the fiberglass body that I use on my car.
Old 03-09-09, 10:14 PM
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Yes they do still have that stuff, however it is also stated on the first gen page that once everything is sold out they will not restock anything. So they are just selling off the old stock to finish off that section of their product line.
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