KYB vs Monroe vs Bilstein?

[cubanmoparnut54]

Working on that 71 satellite Roadrunner clone. Bilstein's were out of my budget and I wanted it to handle as nicely as possible so I ordered 4 gas-a-just shocks from kyb. I ran Monroe shocks on some of my other cars which made them ride nice but float a bit. I hear good things about the handling but it seems they really ruin the ride quality. What is your guys's experience with these on some of the b bodies?

 

[threewood]

I had KYBs in my 69 GTX, ride was a bit harsh. I spent up to get the Bilsteins and they ride better, seems to corner better.

 

[Paul73]

I had KYBs on the front of my Roadrunner. They leaked all of the shock fluid out as soon as I set the car on the ground. Now I have a pair from a company called Sachs. They only make them for the front though. You can get them from eBay for $90 a pair and the ride quality is great.

 

[bolson6333]

used KYBs for years and no problems or complaints. Put a set of Monroes on a customers car a few years ago and they rode worse than his wore out ones.

 

[furious70]

Kyb on my fury with bigger than OEM t bars, not harsh to me.
I have Bilsteins for my charger but haven't got them on yet. REALLY looking forward to getting the Monroe Mush gone off that car.

 

[Purepony]

AutoZone has a black shock i can’t remember the brand but it’s not a dura last name but is probably better than the KYB’s because at least those come with the lifetime warranty. I put these on my Plymouth and so far so good no issues and car rides pretty decent.

I had the KYB on my challenger and I didn’t like them. I feel like they were a little too harsh and started leaking.



The bilstein will probably be the best way to go. I have them on a few other cars and I love them, definitely felt the difference.

 

[Belvedere408]

I had KYBs on the front of my Roadrunner. They leaked all of the shock fluid out as soon as I set the car on the ground. Now I have a pair from a company called Sachs. They only make them for the front though. You can get them from eBay for $90 a pair and the ride quality is great.

Sachs shocks are pretty good they came on Volvos from the factory.

 

[Kern Dog]

KYBs are the worst.
If you have stock torsion bars and leaf springs, they are okay but still stiff. If you step up to larger torsion bars and leafs, they feel terrible.
They are a LOT cheaper because they are inferior.

 

[Geoff 2]

There is a reason that you pay more $$$ for good quality shocks. Save up for a quality brand. Koni are also very good.

 

[#41]

For the cost, KYB seems to be a decent shock. Nice ride, not soft, not hard, no failures. I have them on 2 cars. One set is quite old and they still work fine.

 

[66 Sat]

There is a reason that you pay more $$$ for good quality shocks. Save up for a quality brand. Koni are also very good.

I've got Konis on my car - agree that they are very good.

They are red and you could see them from the rear so I sprayed them black.

 

[moparedtn]

I'll be "that guy" here - I like the cars to actually feel like they did back in the day, so I'm led towards
Gabriels (yes, more so than Monroes). To my arse-ometer, Gabriels feel very much like the originals.

 

[cubanmoparnut54]

For the cost, KYB seems to be a decent shock. Nice ride, not soft, not hard, no failures. I have them on 2 cars. One set is quite old and they still work fine.

Yeah, it seems interesting, I hear a lot of guys talk about how much they hate kyb's and some guys talk about how well the car handles with the Kyb's. Everyone seems to prefer Bilstein though. I'm about to buy a rear sway bar, get my rear seat reupholstered, and get a Borgeson 14:1 power steering box so I want to save some money on a college budget lol. Will be very glad to see the manual steering go.

 

[71RRHI]

When I rebuilt the front and rear suspension of my 71 RR. I put Bilsteins on. Rides great. When came time to rebuild the front and rear suspension on my 67 Coronet. I decided to try a set of KYB's to see if I could tell the difference in ride quality. For the type of driving I do (mostly just cruising), I can't tell the difference. But the improvement from old bushings/shocks to new was very noticeable.

 

[lewtot184]

I have Monroe gas shocks on both cars. Kinda harsh on my 69 r/t. Wish they still made the old Monroe 1 3/8 piston hydraulics. Not in love with gas shocks on these old cars.

 

[Rennkafer]

Buy once, cry once... if you want the car to handle and ride well, the Bilsteins are the way to go. Konis would be my second choice, followed by the Sachs (although I don't like mixing brands, and they apparently don't make rears).

 

[Kern Dog]

Years back, a shock absorber engineer posted about the difference in designs of the various shocks.
The best shocks were built with a progressive design where they get firmer toward the end of their range of travel. The first 1/3 of their movement, they are soft but then firm up as they reach the end. Bilstein shocks are built this way. This means that on small bumps, they will deliver a good ride but as the car leans, dives, compresses and extends, they firm up.
The worst shocks were digressive. That means that they are initially harsh on the first part of their travel but get softer toward the end of travel. KYBs "Gas-A-Just" were supposed to be made with that design. It explained why they feel so harsh on rough roads.
For cars that are equipped with soft springs, the KYBs are a crutch to make the car feel like the springs are stiffer.

 

[furious70]

That theory is right and why they make progressive fork springs for bikes. I upgraded mine many years ago.

 

[Dennis H]

Bilsteins. Everything I own. No experience with others.

 

[Rusty knuckles]

I have kyb. I'd prefer to go bilstein but they just weren't in the budget when I needed them. They don't ride harsh for me as some say but my springs are soft and my sway bars big.