-they ride great.
Shocks, need advise
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2006
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From: One day you're a Comet...the next day you're dust... Arkansas
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2003
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From: Overland Park Kansas
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (appearance mods)
C4 of Year Winner (appearance mods) 2019
I replaced mine a year/two ago and everyone (here) said to choose one of the above -- with the overwhelming opinion to stick with Bilsteins.
I also read an article explaining why their (Bilstein's) monotube design is really better. The really sound like "the" shock for a sports car.
Gregg
BTW, I don't know if Gabriel makes shocks for the vette, but I tried their LT shocks on my Jeep, then their best monotube shock -- after being unhappy with the LTs. (Of course thinking ALL monotube shocks were superior). Crap, pure crap. Don't put Gabriel's on ANY of your cars guys. They make perform adequately, but they're squeaky and I don't think they customize the valve rates for each vehicle. I hate em!
Oh yeah, 3 of the Gabriel shocks were misboxed (i.e., they were the wrong config for my vehicle). I think this says something about their QC as well.
Last edited by GREGGPENN; Jan 12, 2007 at 10:30 PM.
Race Director
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From: Bergen County, NJ
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Race Director
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From: SCMR Rat Pack'r Charter Member..Great Bend KS
If you want a low-cost shock on your C4, go KYB.
If you want a good shock on your C4, go Bilstein.
If you want the best looking shock on your C4, go Edelbrock.
If you want the best performance shock on your C4, go Koni.
If you want a great looking, great performing shock, go QA-1.
I wouldn't consider anything else.
Larry
code5coupe
If you want a good shock on your C4, go Bilstein.
If you want the best looking shock on your C4, go Edelbrock.
If you want the best performance shock on your C4, go Koni.
If you want a great looking, great performing shock, go QA-1.
I wouldn't consider anything else.
Larry
code5coupe
Le Mans Master
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From: One day you're a Comet...the next day you're dust... Arkansas
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
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From: Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.
St. Jude '03 thru '24
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2000
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From: 63.8% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
St. Jude Donor '08-'10
I believe that the factory Bilstiens had never been replaced on my 90. The car had 115K on it when I bought it so I replaced them early on with KYBs. Since my Bilstiens were worn out I can not compare the ride of new KYB to new Bilstien but I am happy with the ride. It's much better than it was with the worn out shocks. If I keep it long enough to wear these out I might go back with Bilstiens to give them a try.
Racer
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 373
Likes: 0
From: Lenexa Kansas
I replaced my origional Bilstiens with TPIS shocks. They felt good on track days and around town, but I do have limited mileage with them. My Bilstiens after removal still had some life in them, after 100K.
Pro
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 503
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From: Oxford Pa
Why cetainly!
The konis were not leaking but I was getting too much movment from them. They would not hold the tires down like they should so I was getting the hop skip and jump from the front end. Could not find a replacement Koni at the time so I bought the Bilstiens after reading posts on CF. It made all the difference in the world! The car stopped hopping over bumps in the road and the side to side jerkyness was reduced tremendously. I still have to replace the priginal bushings up front so I'm looking forward to the car handling even better in the near future.
The konis were not leaking but I was getting too much movment from them. They would not hold the tires down like they should so I was getting the hop skip and jump from the front end. Could not find a replacement Koni at the time so I bought the Bilstiens after reading posts on CF. It made all the difference in the world! The car stopped hopping over bumps in the road and the side to side jerkyness was reduced tremendously. I still have to replace the priginal bushings up front so I'm looking forward to the car handling even better in the near future.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 20,172
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From: Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.
St. Jude '03 thru '24
My point is that if your looking or deciding for a brand to buy, be careful when reading threads like these. Most owners will replace their shocks far after the useful life. So the comparison between brands is very subjective.
Bottom line for most is price. For others its the ride.
And yet others realize the need for high performance parts
for a high performance car.
Bottom line for most is price. For others its the ride.
And yet others realize the need for high performance parts
for a high performance car.