I have Hal 12 ways all around, but one of the fronts is blown and one of the back ones is noisy as hell. Thinking about "downgrading" for a while until I can afford to rebuild them (anyone know how much that cost for all four BTW?) I want to spend as little as possible for a decent shock, I dont auto-x or drag race very regularly and a good ride is pretty important.

Thanks,
James

 

You could go the Bilstein route which will totat in the three hundred range for all four corners or you could go to the even cheaper KYBs. I dont see good ride quality and cheap price going hand and hand though. How much does it cost to rebuild the Hals? Figure by the time you take out the Hals, replace them with a different brand, then eventually rebuild the Hals and put them back in, it just isn't worth the extra money and time you have vested.

 

Ya, how much is the rebuild and how long does it take? I called QA1 and they wont rebuild them, only third party vendors rebuild them now. Any idea on cost?

 

Not quite sure, mine are relatively new so I haven't gotten to that level yet. Hopefully another board member will chime in with some third party vendor ideas.

 

Bilstein HD sounds like it would be your best choice.

 

People who run the KYBs seem to like them. My Tokikos were fine for stock springs and were $100 cheaper w/shipping than a set of Bilsteins w/out shipping.

 

I will never run KYBs again. I had the adjustable ones. They were cheap and lasted maybe 5 or 6 months. Had to run them at full stiff to keep from scraping my longtubes on dips in the road.
They might be better with stock ride height springs though.

My last set of shocks were Koni SA. They lasted me almost 3 years of road racing and autocross. And I sold them when I traded the car, so it's not like they wore out. I'm looking for another 4th gen, and when I do, I'll buy the Konis again because they'll last and perform.

Also I've heard equally good things about Bilstien if you don't want adjustable shocks.

When I traded my '99, I put Monroe shocks on it from autozone, they were ~$20/shock (rear) and put stock on the front. For the 2 days that I drove the car, I didn't see any negative issues with the shocks.

 

Ya, KYB even advises against lower than a 1" drop w/the AGX. I wouldn't run the AGX for a budget set up anyway. Wouldn't run them at all actually, but would try the Gas-a-just over Monroes. No, they're no Konis but to run until some others can be rebuilt they should be fine.