When renewing the stock suspension, which brand to choose?
I'm not looking into Auto-x or drag racing and I'm not into stiff/harsh suspension anymore
It's my daily driver and want some comfy ride (not like a Cadillac but still...)
What would you recommend? KYB Excel-G, Monroe sensa-trac, Delco or anything else?

 

What parts are you planning to renew - shocks, springs, bushings, ball joints, tie-rod ends, bump stops????

 

the previous owner replaced some parts already. for now looking for shocks.

 

For the 91 or the 97?

If it's for the 97, do you want a front shock that requires you to break down the stock coil-over spring/shock assembly, and replace only the shock - spring compressor required? Or would you prefer a pre-assembled spring/shock assembly? The advantage of the pre-assembled unit is that it comes with a new upper spring/shock mount. After 20+ years it's likely the stock mount is rotted and torn. Even if not torn, the upper shock shaft nut is usually rusted so badly that you have to cut the hardened shock shaft to separate the spring from the shock.

 

Yes, for the 97.
It shouldn't be that bad to take apart (hopefully) there are new springs (Eibach pro-kit) in already.

 

KYB’s on the lower range and Bilsteins on the upper end that’s the only 2 I recommend.

 

Since you already have lowering springs, you should consider a shock that is designed to compliment them:

Strano Performance Parts - Part Details

I ran the Eibach Pro-Kit setup in my Formula many years ago, and it did not provide a very “comfortable” ride. At least not with the QA1 adjustable shocks I installed at the same time.

 

I ran Koni yellow in my 91 and threw them out after a few miles. went with new stock Delcos.
Bilstein, I think is not that harsh as the Koni yellow but still very stiff, or not?

Don't know about these Koni str.t. they sound interesting but do you a any experience? are they softer than the Bilsteins?

 

I have no first-hand experience with the Koni STR.T. My experience with Koni in the past has always been good, but that experience goes back almost 50 years. In 1970 when I was working in Amsterdam, I picked up a set on Koni off-car adjustables for my 1966 GTO and another for my 1968 Firebird, and brought them back to the US with me. They were excellent. But I have never one to place comfort above handling. And my current setup is strictly for drag racing.

Strano is probably one of the most reliable sources for suspension components for these cars. He is a champion SCCA driver. I would trust his description of the Koni worthiness over a vendor with no hands-on experience, who just copies and pastes the manufacturers' literature. Also, keep in mind..... there aren’t a lot of active members here, and those that are here tend t stress attributes suited for extreme performance, rather than ride quality. Probably hard to find someone who can respond to your requirements with first-hand experience.

I would recommend that you ask Sam Strano your question, with an open mind that could allow you to purchase from him if he was able to meet your requirements. Go to his home page, and it should open with an announcement encouraging that approach. If you don’t see the announcement, click on it at the top of the page.

Strano Performance Parts - Parts Catalog

 

lol, yeah! I was aware of that. nothing wrong with that just different requirements and therefor different solutions.
I will try to contact Sam Strano. 👍

 

Hi Swisscheese, I have experience with the KYB and the Koni and (stock SS) Bilstein on my two cars and of the three I prefer Koni by a wide margin. The single adjustable yellow can be softened considerably yet still provided better control that the KYB which I would rate as the worst of the three brands. The Bilsteins on my SS were very well used by the time I drove them (200K miles) but didn't leak and worked well but they felt too stiff even after all those miles. I have use Bilsteins on two other vehicles and each felt pretty stiff (jarring over road imperfections).

In my opinion the front suspension on the fourth gen cars is pretty forgiving and each brand of shock was good up there. The rear suspension however needs a good shock to feel right on the road or the track. The KYB I used to have were an adjustable but even at the highest setting they did not control the rear end. I moved from them to the yellow Koni and it was like night and day, way better control and not a bit rougher riding. In fact I think it rode more smoothly with the koni.

I agree with Inguneer that Strano would be a great resource. See what he recommends. I can also vouch for the guys at Ground Control, they have been around for a long time and know their stuff. They sold me my second set of Koni shocks and they were set up perfectly right from the box . The first set (on my convertible) I had sourced from Tire Rack and something was weird about the mounting and I had to do some corrective machine work before they would fit my car.

Good luck!

 

thank you for the detailed write-up!
I should have mentioned that there are Bilsteins mounted actually. donˋt know how old they are but going over bumps I donˋt feel very confortable about the body of the car (it hurts me literarly)
I think that the de Carbon on the 96 WS6 where a bit better...
interesting that you are happy with the Koni yellows. but probably they are better in 4th gen application than for 3rd gen...

 

Koni Sports/Yellows are one of the more highly regarded shocks for 4th gens and perhaps even more so when combined with lowering springs.

 

I tried to contact Sam Strano by mail and fb-messenger without luck so far. Probably he was shocked by my question about a Cadillac-like ride…
In the meanwhile I did some research and someone wrote that the Koni str.t are a bit softer than the yellows on the softest setting, so probably this would be something to try.

 

Call Sam