Z28luvr

Hey all, I talked to Sam Strano the other day about new shocks for the Z. He talked about the Tokicos, QA1s, Bilsteins, KYB, and Konis. In a nutshell, he said that the Konis would offer the best performance and be the most worry free of the bunch. Can anyone else other than Sam Strano give me a Koni/other shock comparison? I would like to hear from as many people as possible who have run Konis and another shocks on their cars. What do you like about the Konis/other shocks? What don't you like about Konis/other shocks? Though the Konis seem like the best shock out there, I really need to justify dropping a grand on new shocks for the car. Thanks for the input!

Z28luvr

anyone?

97pontta

I'm running Strano Springs and Koni 4/4 shocks on my car. I was totally stock before the swap so all I can compare the Koni shocks to is the stock ones. The way the car felt and handled after the koni/strano springs swap was night and day. The ride is a little harsher than stock but that is mainly because I have shocks set pretty stiff on the front. The car handles way better and is way more fun to drive than before. I really like how stable the car feels at high speed of 100+ MPH. The car feels stable and "under control". The Koni's are expensive but I think you get what you pay for. I'm sure there are other adjustable shocks on the market that would also work well but Koni's have a great reputation, not to mention that Sam was a great help to me when picking out the combo and didn't push for a certin product or for a quick sale, he recomended me products that would meet the goal I was wanting. You can catch the shocks on sale for around $860 sometimes, I got mine on Sam Strano's last Koni Sale.

Here is a link to the car after the Koni/Strano Spring install. http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/wheels...-trans-am.html

bluz28

IMO,
Even though the valving isn't set up for the higher spring rates of lowering springs Bilsteins shocks have great build quality and work surprisingly well with lowering springs, the Edelbrock IAS are also a good choice but to use their front shocks you have to get it as their spring/shock package, the only Tokico's I would look at are the 3rd gen rear Lumina adjustable shocks , and with the KYB it would be their front and rear adjustable model, adjustability is the only thing they have going for them, but the valving still doesn't come close to the Koni's. Some people really like them but others don't, so it's still a compromise. If you feel that the very best possible vehicle control/handling is a must then get the Koni SA's, and you can always get the front or rear shocks first to break up the cost. If you still can't justify the cost of the koni's then I would say go with the Strano Bilsteins. I've had Bilsteins on my car with various lowering springs and they worked really good. Can you do better YES, but that will cost you. The KYB adjustables are still a good option, but the build quality isn't as good as the Bilsteins or koni's.

ZDriver96

I went with Bilsteins. The original valving they had was different from what it is now. I added a 32mm sway bar and Bilsteins on all 4 corners.. The handling is great. Running 275/40/17's on 4 corners. I think that the rear shock valving has changed on the newer bilsteins. My 60 foot time was hurt by the bilsteins but the car handles great and the ride is fine. I got a hell of a deal on these bilsteins about 7 years ago.. 200 bucks for 4 brand new from some BMW dealership.