KYB-GR2S Beating me up

[RollinonZ34]

Hi to all... I recently had the KYB-GR2 Shocks & Struts installed as well as New Michelin tires and Allignment done. These shocks and struts seem to be the prefered ones to use according to most on this site.

The problem is that now the car is Beating me to Death!!! It is litterally very uncomfortable to ride in the car now, as i can feel every little bump. Even though the handleing may be a bit better, the stiffness is killing me, as i have had neck & back surgeries in the past. The old Original ones with over 160,000 mi. on them rode smother with less beating up on me!!!

Is there anything i can do to adjust or do to make these smoother?

Thanks for any input,...Paul

[Hemet8]

It is my opinion that you can't chage them. I asked this site for advice on a great handleing set-up, with emphasis on handleing, not comfort. Everybody here pointed me to the KYB GR2's. The kyb GR2's are the best you can get without going to the "race/track" type adjustable ones. Maybe the Monroe reflex would be better, as thats what i just got rid of. They had a way smooter ride than my KYB's, but they did not have near the handleing or control either. Unfortunely, the ride/handling trade off has not been mastered by modern engineering for replacement applications......yet.

[geoffinbc]

Ha ha there is only a happy medium. You cant have both at the same time. But some peoples opinion on thoes aspects differ alot. Magnetic ride contol is the only true answer...

If you are willing to swap back to stock struts I know someone selling sone replacement Delco struts. They are used maybe 10,000KMS on them. But im sure they will go cheep.

You think you ride rough... Come drive my truck. 100% Poly bushings. 2" drop springs and Edelbrock Shocks. 255 BFG GForce tires on a 17" rim. 1.25" front sway bar and 1" rear. NO FORGIVENESS. But I can rip corners like mad.

[spacecadetz26]

KYB's suck. period.

They may be stiffer than anything else but they do not give you any type of feel either. I would only advise buying them if you dont have the money to buy something better. And yes I own cars that have Bilsteins, Koni's and KYB's.

You want a good recomendation? Go to the dealership and buy OEM replacements for your car.

Also note that it may take at least 1000 miles to break in those KYB's too.

[Lyle's GTP]

KYB's suck. period.

Do you know of something better? Besides something that has to be bastardised to fit.

Lyle

[Hemet8]

Yeah, whats up with that? For my '95 GA, these KYB's are the greatest thing since sliced bread. Since I don't have 3000.00 to spend on getting custom made coilovers, I really feel that they are just sublime, my car NEVER has felt so good. I do agree with the break- in period, as it did take about 750-900 miles for them to finally "settle" down.

[RollinonZ34]

Thanks for all of the Input!!!

I cannot afford to pull them and go with the Original OEM Replacements now that i have used all of my money to buy and install these,
so i guess i am stuck with them... Hoping for the Break-In to calm them down, as i got no choice now!!

My next Question is why would my steering wheel shake or wabble at higher speeds...70mph and up? Has New tires, alignment, shocks & Struts.
Makes no sense to me and really has me bummed after putting all this cash into it...Good news is that i have done all of the motor work..necessary maintenance, and is running like a Top.

Paul

[napatiger]

Wabble at 70, me too. Rotate your tires, uneven wear from incorroct pressure? balanced?

You may need to adjust the pressure in your tires

I just got Kybs and eibach I have yet to install.

If you want a smoother ride, you could put alot of weight in the trunk, I used to do that with my Dodge, ruff as hell until I had about a ton of grapes in the truck bed.

[EspanolaGuitarista]

From everthing that I have seen...

Shocks only need to be firm enough to handle rebound and that is it. This fad of hard shocks is crap. I use Gabriels, they work great. They are a little firmer than stock and keep the spring in check. Monroe Sensatrac should handle better than a hard shock. Like I have always said,' For road handling the equation is stock springs, good shocks and fat sway bars!' Don't buy lowering springs, have the ones on the car cut by a half a coil, that will put the spring stiffness up by 20-30%. The less coils the stiffer the spring. Your old springs have already settled.That is my 2 cents

[SappySE107]

RE: From everthing that I have seen...

Fad? I guess you have never ran konis or any other adjustable strut then. As for cutting the springs, where are you going to cut them and is it going to have the same geometry to seat properly? If you want a tuned suspension, cutting the springs is not the answer. You may as well just heat them up on the car and weaken them some compared to cutting them. I wouldn't be guessing on either though as I don't want one spring weaker than the other.

[EspanolaGuitarista]

Maybe it isn't a fad but....

I am going to check mine to see if they will seat properly and then cut them by 1/2 from the top of the spring. I'm not a fan of lowering a car, but 1 inch is ok.