New struts?

[akeel92ex]

Are kyb gr2s good struts, ive heard good things about them, anything else i should know

[kelton]

I had them on my rx7 for a while and never had a problem with them, but i never heard anything bad

[Flatline]

i just lowered my car on them with arospeed springs and the ride is great.
A very much needed upgrade from my blown stocks.

if you ask me.

[johnl]

Despite a lot of people seeming to think they are some kind of budget priced high performance damper, my understanding is that GR2s are only a little bit stiffer than the stock dampers. Perfectly OK for use with the stock springs or a slightly stiffer than stock spring, but nothing more. Don't expect a significant handling improvement over stock dampers beyond what you would expect to get by replacing worn out or blown dampers with servicable stock units.

If you want a performance upgrade then; Bilstein, Koni Sports ('yellow'), Koni Special ('red'), KYB AGX, Tokico Illumina. Bilstein would be the best of these products, Koni next best (with yellows being 'sportier' than the reds). KYB and Tokico aren't in the same league as Bilstein and Koni, but they are cheaper.

[akeel92ex]

yea i just want replacements for my drop, but yea my struts have blown horriblly lol and right now my ride is terrible

[Flatline]

Despite a lot of people seeming to think they are some kind of budget priced high performance damper, my understanding is that GR2s are only a little bit stiffer than the stock dampers. Perfectly OK for use with the stock springs or a slightly stiffer than stock spring, but nothing more. Don't expect a significant handling improvement over stock dampers beyond what you would expect to get by replacing worn out or blown dampers with servicable stock units.

If you want a performance upgrade then; Bilstein, Koni Sports ('yellow'), Koni Special ('red'), KYB AGX, Tokico Illumina. Bilstein would be the best of these products, Koni next best (with yellows being 'sportier' than the reds). KYB and Tokico aren't in the same league as Bilstein and Koni, but they are cheaper.

Understandable. But they would be better than tokico blues which many people use. those are basically just a stock replacement. And i felt a noticeable improvement in handling.

yea i just want replacements for my drop, but yea my struts have blown horriblly lol and right now my ride is terrible

If you plan on upgrading more then they will be fine for you to use for a fair amount of time. I plan on upgrading to F&F coilovers with Koni Yellows for their lifetime warranty.

[ilovemycb7]

If you want a performance upgrade then; Bilstein, Koni Sports ('yellow'), Koni Special ('red'), KYB AGX, Tokico Illumina. Bilstein would be the best of these products, Koni next best (with yellows being 'sportier' than the reds). KYB and Tokico aren't in the same league as Bilstein and Koni, but they are cheaper.

Bilsteins are a linear mono valved strut which makes them feel stiffer than the progressive design of the Koni's. On this board I think Koni's are preferred.

Arguable which is better than the other, they are both a good product.

For koni red vs koni yellow last I remember reading they were the same valving but yellows are adjustable on of the car while reds are adjustable but have to be taken out of the car. Thus making them = in "sportiness"

[akeel92ex]

much appreciated guys thanks for the imput

[johnl]

Bilsteins are a linear mono valved strut which makes them feel stiffer than the progressive design of the Koni's. On this board I think Koni's are preferred.

My understanding is that both Koni and Bilstein typically have a 'digressive' force curve, i.e. the valving is effectively stiffer at slower shaft input velocities and softer at faster input velocities. This makes the damper effectively stiffer in 'slow' events such as body roll, and softer in 'fast' events such as when encountering a substantial bump.

I think Konis are preffered here (possibly) because relatively few people have actually tried Bilstein compared to Koni. This might be because Konis are known to be very good but somewhat cheaper, though I suspect it's mostly because Konis have an adjustment knob and Bilsteins don't. There is something very seductive about having adjustment, even if it's not really needed if the base valving is correctly calibrated.

Note that (all else being equal) even a good adjustable valve (being more complex) will tend to be less well calibrated than a good non-adjustable valve, and more prone to wear and damage. Bilstein do not use adjustable valves for this reason (I hear).

Arguable which is better than the other, they are both a good product.

They are both very good. However, I don't think there is all that much doubt as to which is generally considered the superior product among damper specialists. Bilstein is the dog's dangly bits in the damper world, next step up being Penske (some or all? models of which use Bilstein valves and some other internal components).

For koni red vs koni yellow last I remember reading they were the same valving but yellows are adjustable on of the car while reds are adjustable but have to be taken out of the car. Thus making them = in "sportiness"

No, the yellows are more stiffly valved than the reds.

Some particular yellows are not externally adjustable (like the rear ones on my CB7), but they are still different to the equivalent red (only in valving though, other than that a non externally adjustable yellow is identical to a red).

Have you seen this page?

http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets.html

[deevergote]

You have yellows that aren't adjustable, John? I thought they all were! All 4 on my car are adjustable.


Anyway, GR2s are really just stock replacement. They're a fantastic idea if you absolutely MUST lower your car on a budget. They're probably the best stock replacements that you're going to get for the money, and they have a good reputation for not blowing out on a lowered vehicle... at least not too quickly. They aren't performance oriented in any way, but they are the minimum requirement for a lowered car... The stock parts are old and tired, and if they aren't already blown, they will be very soon. It increases performance over tired stock stuff.

Bilstein is less commonly used on our cars than Koni, and they seem to be less available. Honestly, up until previous discussions with johnl about Bilstein, I didn't realize how good they were! I don't know of anyone with a full Bilstein setup, so I'd be curious to learn how it compares to a Koni setup.



Koni Sports (yellows) are the best for our cars in my eyes, though. The price, availibility, adjustability, performance, and warranty make them a very smart purchase. For a street car, I wouldn't have anything else.

[jhoff]

i rock gr-2s and progress lowering springs

[johnl]

You have yellows that aren't adjustable, John? I thought they all were! All 4 on my car are adjustable.

They're all adjustable, just that the rear ones are only adjustable by removing the coilover from the car, taking the spring off the damper, compressing the damper fully to engage the adjuster mechanism, rotating the damper body relative to the damper rod etc. Same as for Koni reds, pain the arse. They are still yellows though, stiffer than otherwise identical reds.

Anyway, GR2s are really just stock replacement. They're a fantastic idea if you absolutely MUST lower your car on a budget........

A better idea is to keep the stock springs, put the money saved toward proper high performance dampers (Koni or Bilstein), and then start saving up for your preferred springs.

[deevergote]

A better idea is to keep the stock springs, put the money saved toward proper high performance dampers (Koni or Bilstein), and then start saving up for your preferred springs.

Agreed. But for most people, the important thing is the "low look"... which is why cheap garbage products are often what people choose to buy. If someone just wants to be low, and doesn't care about performance, the best thing they can do is get the most inexpensive strut that will survive, and maintain some degree of safety (as blown stock struts can be VERY dangerous).

[akeel92ex]

Agreed. (as blown stock struts can be VERY dangerous).

how dangerous?, cause i believe that my rear struts are blown to hell you can hear that shit

[StinkinLincoln]

I got the Tokico HP (Blue) and Love them with my Max Speed Springs and Polly Sway Bar Bushings!!!

Highly Recomended!!!!