Other than QA1's what shocks?

[V8killR4U]

I was looking to put some new shocks on the car over the winter. I have done some searching and was looking for some good shocks less expensive than the QA1's. I have KYB's on the car now and looking to upgrade. Didn't know if there were any new shocks out that work or others that are proven. Im looking to better my 60ft. My car is mostly stret driven and street raced. Any suggesions? Yes, I have done a search but most seem to mention QA1's and some thread are a little dated, so any input is appreciated. Cost, 60ft times, handling etc?

Merry Christmas !

 

[SGRIM]

Most use the QA-1's or the competition engineering. I am not sure the cost on the ce's. Maybe worth looking into though!

 

[vintageracer]

Have a look at Chris Alston's "Vari-shocks". They get reasonable reviews on other sites that are generally better than the reviews of QA1's. This is consistant between road race and drag racers. The "double adjustable" Vari-shocks are the way to go. They are expensive!

Biggest gripe I continue to hear about QA1's is the amount of customers who have leaking shocks. Many also report that QA1 is not very receptive to replacing leaky shocks.

My experience with the KYB's your currently have is that they are just what they are sold as, cheap gas shocks! Lot's of compression and very little rebound. The increased compression is why so many folks "think" they are great shocks.

Koni's are pricey and most models are rebuildable. I currently use a 1966 dated set of Koni's on my vintage race 66 GT350. They have been rebuilt several times by Koni due to changes in suspension setup on my car and Koni shock abosorber technology. Koni is more known for road racing than drag racing however they do have shocks for that application. I use Carrerra shocks/struts for my racing Datsun 510. I like these shocks better than Koni's.

The brand/type of shock your purchase should be dicatated on the type of driving you do with your car. What's good at a drag race track is not good for excellent street handling and certainly not for a road course.

I have Competition Engineering drag shocks on the rear of a 95 Z28 convertible with a modified torque arm and CE traction arms. Not that big a difference to me over the stock stuff however I am a road racer and a terrible drag racer so my input here is probably worth zero concerning how good or bad the CE shocks really are. I think the air bag in the right rear spring makes the biggest difference at the drag strip and that's cheap and easy to install.

In road racing teams spend hundreds of thousand of dollars on shocks, damper engineers and shock dyno's. This should tell you how important shocks absorbers really are. In most cases your wallet is the deciding factor.

Almost anything will be an improvement over your KYB's!

 

[Way2QWK]

My opinion for a street car that likes the stock ride quality is just use some cheap replacements from Autozone or other parts store. My car had KYB shocks when I bought it. car road like a truck. If you want good ride AND better handling, than an adjustable shock might be better. I personally prefer a nice ride for the buick so Im happy with Monroe or Gabriel shocks from Autozone. Im sure you can have both worlds with a fancy high dollar shock. Im fine with spending $15 a shock

 

[madhat]

My front end if you push on the bumper, it does the buick float, but the rear, you press and it comes back up to its original position and stops. I assume that the fronts are dead, but the rears seem to be fine. I am jsut trying to get the float out of the car, will the Autozone ones do that, or do I need to get a better shock?

 

[nero]

Edelbrock IAS performer shocks here!!! AMAZING!! Have them up front and KYBs out back. When I go over a bump I hear nothing up front and more bodyrattle in the back (trunk is empty).

Pricey, but well worth it!!!

 

[ITSNOTAGN]

for the cash, there are only 2 shocks i would put on my car. Bilsteins and Edelbrocks. the bilsteins are a really great street shock, and the edelbrocks are kinda on both sides of them. they are a little softer than bilstiens normally and a little stiffer toward the limits of travel. ive had bilsteins but am going with the edelbrocks this time.
Gary

 

[TURBOELKY]

huh,and I thought i was the only one with edelbrock shocks. They are great. only 65 or 70 a peice compared to the double priced bilstein ones. The edelbrock shocks are designed to be hard on sudden bumps/launches, but soft on highways. I love them.

 

[RAMAIR1]

I was able to "dial in" my ride so it was just right with Koni's due to their adjustablity. I dumped a lot of money into my front suspension 1.5 years ago and I have to say the Konis were money well spent. They are definitely worth the price. Oh and about 1/2 the price of QA1 single adjustables.

 

[Gary Wells]

I had Bilsteins installed on my '87 turbo-T about a year ago and I am quite happy with them. How they compare with edelbrock, I can't say, as I have never tried Edelbrock. Shox.com has Bilsteins for $239.80 for the set of 4, free shipping, Ca residents unfortunately charged the appropriate amount of state tax. So, about $60 outside of Calif, about $65 with tax in Ca. I received mine about 2 days after receipt of order, fwiw. I have heard that Summit has them priced somewhat similiar.

 

[chrisgarrett]

huh,and I thought i was the only one with edelbrock shocks. They are great. only 65 or 70 a peice compared to the double priced bilstein ones. The edelbrock shocks are designed to be hard on sudden bumps/launches, but soft on highways. I love them.

I'm in the Edelbrock club too.