I'd like to get a recommendation for a replacement shock for my 24kmi '96 LT4 coupe, non-Z51, non-FX3(sorry if I'm wrong on that RPO). I live in Queens, NY, where the roads are far from perfect. Car has the original shocks, they don't seem to be leaking, and even though the car has low mileage, we're talking about 19 year old shocks, they're probably past due to be replaced. I'm not looking for Bilsteins, especially with these roads. It's not a daily driver, and if I put 3k on her a year it'll be a miracle. I actually want it to be comfortable to drive (I know, if I wanted comfort I should have gotten a Cadillac). I don't plan on taking the car to a road course track, it might see Englishtown once in 5 years. I've seen Monroe has a replacement shock, and on RockAuto, I saw two different AC Delco models. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

 

I am happy with my KYB shocks. I drive less than you do and do not race the car. I have a stock 95 vert

 

I have no experience with them but I've herd good things about ride tech shocks.

 

I have the same shocks & couldn't be happier

 

Another vote here for the KYBs on a casual driver. Just put some on my car and they work fine and are relatively inexpensive. If you shop around they can be had for around $35 a piece.

 

Mine came with kyb's on it and I like the ride it has.

 

If you shop around you can get all four KYB's for about $120. Compared to about $360 for Bilstein.

 

Hey folks, wanted to revive this one. I was looking at my shocks on my car the other day, they are yellow, and have one sticker that says Bilstein, and an other that says Delco. I don't have the Z51, or the adjustable suspension RPO codes. Did Bilstein make the standard shocks for Chevy? Or did someone put Bilsteins on there somewhere along the line? The car is a '96, with what I'm almost certain is just under 25k original miles. They look like they've been on there for a while. This will also help in me deciding which way to go for the replacements. Thanks in advance

 

The ones that say Bilstein and Delco are the originals. Aftermarket Bilstein only say Bilstein.

I put Bilstein on my '95 and I bought a '96 with KYB. The KYB are OK, but a softer ride. On my '94 and my '95 I went with the Z51 Bilstein shocks on the base suspension. For me it is what I like the best. They are a little firmer than the stock or KYB, but still not harsh.

When I was looking for my '95 shocks I found some info on the Bilstein HD (non Z51) and SP (Z51) for comparison.

I searched for my '95 Corvette and found length and damping values by part number for these shocks.

**The only length difference between the HD or SP is the compressed length of the front shocks. The Z51 has more travel and can go slightly lower.

**The damping rates are quite different. The Z51 rates are about twice as firm in both jounce and rebound.

For me the choice was easy. I went with the Z51 shocks on my '95. I liked them on my '94 and was investigating it to see the differences. I like a firmer ride.

HD (B6) Front (non Z51) 24-020534
Length Min/Max 10.18" / 13.56"
Damping Jounce/Rebound 106 Nm/ 76 Nm

SP (B8) Front (Z51) 24-184861
Length Min/Max 9.43" / 13.56"
Damping Jounce/Rebound 228 Nm/ 261 Nm



HD (B6) Rear (non Z51) 24-020541
Length Min/Max 9.61" / 14.69"
Damping Jounce/Rebound 134 Nm/ 114 Nm

SP (B8) Rear (Z51) 24-184878
Length Min/Max 9.61" / 14.69"
Damping Jounce/Rebound 222 Nm/ 222 Nm

Good luck with your choices.

 

Thank you very much for replying! Just wanted to clear this up though, did Bilstein make the shocks for the base(standard) suspension as well?

 

Yes.

That is what I had on my '95. They said Delco and Bilstein. I am not sure but some years they used other brands.

 

Thank you very much for clarifying.

 

OK. First off, I am going to say the shocks should have been replaced probably 15 years ago. Not sure why you don't want Bilstein seeing as how they have a lifetime warranty. I had routed blowby in my truck (long story) wrongly and it blasted the fumes onto the shock which caused it to leak. Bilstein cheerfully gave me another shock for my mistake, no questions asked.

So what is the reason you don't like Bilstein? I have used Tokiko and they haven't been bad. Give Bilstein a call and see if they would rebuild them with different valving for you.

Edit: Delco's Bilstein do not have a lifetime warranty. Only Bilstein aftermarket do. The PO had cheaped out and gotten KYB and they sucked. Found that the original ones went bad and to cheap out, he took off the control motors and put on cheap crap 2 years before selling it to me. I had to buy the motors again and this time, got Bilstein adjustable shocks and they seemed to ride better than the worn out cheap crap I took off.

 

I don't know if I agree with your 5yr interval for shock replacement. This is an almost 20yr old car, w/ just under 25k original miles. Yes the shocks should have been replaced a while ago, probably when she was 10 yrs old, considering how little this car's been driven. Then again, I've owned it less than a yr, and have put less than 600mi on it. So now it's my turn to try to take care of it. Anyway, the reason I don't want the Bilsteins is because I've heard even though they are great for handling, they're a little rough on the ride. The streets here in NYC, shall we say, SUCK! So, I'd prefer something that will give me a ride that won't be rough on me, or the car. Lastly, I honestly can't see spending almost $400 in shocks, but that's just me. Thanks though for your thoughts

 

I am a die hard Bilstein advocate, I put them on all of my personal vehicles. However, I just changed the shocks on my girlfriends Rav4 with KYB Gas-Adjust and they are a great shock for the money. Not quite there with Bilstein but the overall ride quality and all the mounting hardware were pretty close to what you would get with Bilstein. The KYB's are a budget shock but they are good quality, unlike Monroe Sensatrac, Gabriel Ultra, etc...

If you decide to go the KYB route make sure you get the Gas-Adjust series not the cheaper GR-2 series. There is a difference between the two.

Bilstein is still the gold standard in my opinion. Obviously there are better Koni, QA1 (maybe), and others. But Bilstein is always consistent in what you buy, and they last.

 

Bilstein, Koni, Ridetech. In that order. I would only do cheap shocks on something I don't drive much like my 91 Nissan truck. Why put $$$ parts on a $2000 truck?

 

For a stock shock, I'd say 5 years is about all they are good for. Took them off and they are very slow to stretch out again.

I'm not sure that mileage alone will wear it out. I don't know how long the seals are going to last.

I would get a set of used Bistein if ride quality is the issue. Send them in for revalving and see where it goes but I haven't found that issue. I have them on both my MBs and they ride decent for a street shock. On my truck too. I had a steering dampner and they replaced it with no questions asked as to how it got wore out from the oil leak.