I just finished the rear dampers and thought Id debrief KYB dampers. I would have of course preferred Bilstein but it is what it is..

1. Why am I replacing?
I have very light 3 piece CCW wheels and as in all that is performance things get more difficult as performance increases (light wheels are harder to control). I have oscillations over 55 mph.. they come and go as I hit bumps which from my experience means loss of control.
2. How difficult were the rears?
Pretty simple and all I used was a 2x4 approx 4 ft long, a floor jack and I did have the luxury of battery impact to pull the inward nut off the bottom of the shock. I would have used a jack stand if it werent for the impact (mine are in storage now). I used the 2x4 leaned over a tire to hold the bottom of the suspension but a jack stand might have been better.. 2 upper bolts were easy though long and when I see a battery socket wrench go on sale Im buying.
3. How did the Bilsteins seem after removed?
After this many years they were still pressurized.. I sure as heck hope I find a dead one in the front.
4. Was ride height affected?
1/2" higher before settling.
5. How much did all 4 cost?
Rockauto $125 shipped to my door.. that is ridiculous.

I'll debrief on the fronts and then a drive..

Im hoping that some loss of pressure was just enough to lose control. With no velocity (important) the KYBs seem to have about 50% more compression pressure. I hope I dont need a mouthguard when Im done.

I will say this about the KYB.. the rubber bushing do not fit properly, I ended up reusing my bushing which looked to be a little hard but no cracking. Kinda let down by that.. the middle portion of the bottom bushing did not fit through the hole in the upper mount. So if I used them I may have had some horizontal movement in the upper position. Not a call I wanted to make but I made it.

 

Update: I dont know why but the front was much more difficult for me than the rear. Probably because I needed a 2nd jack and didnt have one. Both fronts had pressure in them but showed some oil leakage. When I test drive (its raining and I dont drive in the rain) I will update.

Its amazing that these shocks all had pressure in them and are 25 years old with 74k miles on them.

 

Test drive:
Fixed a nasty rattle in the rear and the oscillation is gone.

They are a little "floaty" so Id probably be happier with sport bilsteins or better yet an adjustable. That, unfortunately, is going to have to wait until I get my financial situation taken care of. For $125 I am happy with the KYB's. They essentially do the job, I just dont consider them a performance damper.
Interesting note: Just because their is still positive gas pressure does not mean they are good dampers. I had some oil on the tops of all of them. Up on a shelf they go just in case the car needs to go back to original 40 years from now when they finally start to have value.

I hope this helps someone considering this economy alternative.

 

I'm going to be pedantic here. Lighter wheels and tires are not harder to control - they are easier. That's almost the entire reason they are so desirable. In general, the higher the ration between sprung and unsprung weight, the better the ride and motion control can be. Heavier unsprung weight, like wheels and tires, generally results in oscillations that are higher in amplitude and lower in frequency - but it doesn't eliminate them. To address them, you have to focus on balance, slop in joints and bearings, and damping. I agree with post #3 in all aspects.

 

ok.

After another drive I will say I am very satisfied.. maybe my 14lb dog took care of the floating problem.. or the shocks broke in a little or the temperature change made a difference. I may not like these at all come 90f summer heat.