When I mention these, bear in mind I am asking about the KYB AGX and Super R, Tokico Illumina, and the Koni adjustables. Who likes which brand and why. Please mention what kind of driving you usually do (autoX, street only, circuit, etc.). Also, was price a deciding factor in your decision. I ask this because I plan on getting new shocks soon. I want to hear first hand accounts so I can weigh the pros and cons of each brand. TIA.

jerk_racer@hotmail.com

 

We've used all the brands that you mentioned and then some. I always preferred the Tokicos followed by KYBs for the money. We eventually went with a custom built remote resevoir set up. But we had sucess with the Toks and KYBs in Auto X and even some SCCA road racing. Good luck!

 

agx last, tokico illuminas second, and koni yellows adj first. also those are in order of prices as well. agx's are best bang for the buck, but are better for street. iluminas are more of the street/auto x. and konis are the utilmate

 

No, Dynamics are the ultimate, followed by Penskes

 

KYB AGX's for best performance for the price.&nbsp The KYB AGX's have "better" shock dynos versus the Tokicos for less money!&nbsp *** Import has them for $370 shipped to your door - http://www.coximport.com/

I run the Illuminas now.&nbsp My current 400/275 GC set-up can over-oscillate the Tokicos at their stiffest settings. The KYB AGX's would've gave me a little more stiffer damping to handle the higher springs rates.

The Koni's are a pain in the *** to install.&nbsp The fronts need existing MacPherson strut housings (hack your old shock up) just to mount correctly.&nbsp These give you infinite settings due to no detents, but that makes it a little harder for those just starting to play with shock settings.

My personal recommendation for shocks at this point is the KYB AGX hands down due to it's wide range of adjustment and price.




-Ted

 

cool. i knew ted would bust my *****. i was quoting from evil aviator hehe if that helps

i never though that agx's were stiffer than tokico's illuminas? so are you saying ted if i get the same rates as you have on the gc setup i should go with agx's for maxium performance etc over the illuminas?

 

are you using stock springs or aftermarket ones? if you are using stock springs you proably won't notice much difference between them. so I'd go with the KYB, which a are a good bit cheaper and still pretty good.

 

You have seen the light my son...
Yes, the KYB AGX's can adjust stiffer than the Tokico Illuminas, even though the KYB AGX fronts are 4 settings versus the Tokico Illumina front 5 settings.


-Ted

 

cool. i even get a dealer discount on em:1party:

 

www.k2rd.com had the best prices in the universe for the agx'x...

mike

 

The reason I've limited this to just the shocks is because I plan on going with the Ground Control coilover kits w/adjustable camber/caster plates. As far as springs go, I was thinking of 350#~375# in the front and 275# in the rear. I'm still not sure of which spring rate in the front to get. My '89 T2 will be my daily driver used for as many autoX and track days as I can make it to here in the Seattle area. I am expecting a relatively stiff ride so that will be no surprise. I actually like stiff riding cars as long as they are properly dampened. My present suspension is stock with about 110k miles on it. It's about time it was upgraded I figure. After almost two years of practicing my driving with this present setup, I think it's time to move on to the next level.

jerk_racer@hotmail.com

 

I'm going for the exact same setup in march. GC coil overs with camber caster plates. I havn't decided on a rate yet either but was around the same as yours, 350/275 maybe. I also don't know if I'm going to use my 3 year old tokicos, or pay up for new ones. one reason for buying new ones is to get them from GC so they can manchine them for the CC plates as I'm not sure what needs to be done.

does anyone know what shock prices from GC are like? and what the labor charge is for machining or assembly if they have one?

also do they make/sell metal tops for the rear? I want to get rid of my rubber ones.
I've tried to get the catalog from them but the order thing on their site doesn't work, they don't have a e-mail address, and I'm too lazy to phone them

 

I'm going to stick to my guns on this one. It's not so much how stiff they are, but how well they hold up to abuse. I have yet to see AGX shocks on the road track, and I think that it's for good reason. For autocross and street use, on the other hand, the AGX shocks do very well. From the people I have talked to with AGX shocks, they appear to be able to adjust to a much softer setting than the Tokicos, so it wouldn't surprise me if they could also adjust to a harder setting. However, I don't know anybody who would bother to use them under circumstances where a harder setting was necessary. All of the AGX users that I know of have street/autocross cars with progressive-rate springs, which seems to be a popular setup for that level of performance. I will agree with Ted in that the Konis are a pain to install.

Does anybody on this forum have experience racing the KYB AGX shocks on track events, such as IT or EP? All I have heard was that they couldn't take the abuse, so I would like to hear from any opposing viewpoints.

 

well, ted said

I run the Illuminas now. My current 400/275 GC set-up can over-oscillate the Tokicos at their stiffest settings. The KYB AGX's would've gave me a little more stiffer damping to handle the higher springs rates.

what does that mean? cause i want the same setup he has gc's 400/275. and i want to be able to beat the **** out of the car i want it to be stiff and handle like it's on rails. i want something that can take the endurance of abuse. and i am now down to the illuminas or agx's.

 

I have used the KYB's on the Project 86 for over a year and that has consisted of several track days. They stood up to the rigors of the track IMHO, but then again my experience is limited on a track so my opinion may be inacurate in their performance. From what I did see though I was very pleased with their handling. The car performed well even in the 112F heat of WSIR in the summer. I have since gone with a ShockTek/Bilstein coilover setup which so far is superior to anything listed so far. Then again they retail for $2K so I don't think they are in the same class. I have heard from others about the lasting effect of the KYB's on the track. Some liked them, while others didn't. I know that my buddy Brady Dohrman hated them in his 1987 Sport Rally car

I currently have the same KYB's and ST springs in my 1991 vert, and they work great. Even after a year of use and the track days, they are still VERY stiff on even a setting of 1 on the fronts! (softest) They are great on weekend club mountain runs.

my vote is for the KYBs's matched up with the ST springs, since they are linear.

 

KYB AGX's are gas and therefore cannot have height adjustable platforms welded onto them.

Get what you can for your budget, I have fully adjustable koni's with all the goodies on them, i wanted the best and was prepared to pay the $$$ for it

 

Another data point for the KYB AGX's...

I know Paul Ko @ K2RD is running a set on an NA FC for some track events.&nbsp This car isn't babied.&nbsp In fact, it lost it on one of the turns at Thunderhill in North Cali and hit a sizeable bump.&nbsp This bump was enough to noticeably bend a prototype 3/16" steel camber plate that was being tested.&nbsp The driver thought the shock was blown; we all though the shock should be leaking.&nbsp To this day, it's still working.&nbsp If that's not enough abuse, I dunno what is.&nbsp That makes the KYB AGX "good enough" in my book.



-Ted

 

hmm, when are these camber plates going to be out? (after they make them stronger of course ) are these stock spring plates or coil over plates?

just wondering as I'll be looking for some in march.

 

i have them on my car. They are badass. The bearings he uses are buff. None of the needle bearing squeezed between 2 washers crap. Im impressed. I can take some pics if you guys want.

 

ya sure, are they for "stock" springs or coil overs?

does he need anymore "testers" ?

 

When I left a couple months ago, I saw parts were coming in from suppliers; I never knew they were actually being sold. They were designed to be used with the K2RD coilovers, but it's a very flexible design, and you might be able to use them with stock springs!&nbsp Contact Paul Ko @ K2RD for more info - http://www.k2rd.com/



-Ted

 

hey seth what are you running them with?

 

hey I have a set of illumina Tockico.
Could I just send them back to the company, and they'll send me new ones??
I think the shocks are dead.

 

If your wanting the car to handle like it's on rails your going to need a complete system not just shocks. Call up a rx-7 specialty shop and ask them what they reccomend for a complete system for whatever it is your wanting the car to do. You're looking at around 2,300.00 for a complete suspension redo in parts.

 

KYB AGX's - <$400 all 4
GC coilovers - $400
ST/RB anti-sway bars - $250 front/back
Energy Suspension Master bushing kit - $150

That's only $1,200.

RB/GC rear camber adjust bar - $200
RB adjustable anti-sway bar endlinks - $150 front/back
Cusco front upper strut tower bar - $150
Cusco rear upper strut tower bar - $150
Cusco front lower strut bar - $100

That just barely breaks $2,000.

Are you talking $2,300 including labor for installation or something?



-Ted