Ok, so I have been browsing through shocks for my Fiero. I have narrowed it down to KYB and KONI for the rear. I am going to worry about the front end in about a month or so once I have the car running and engine / cradle in. I have been trying to get more information on both but from what I am collecting, the Koni seem to be a little more geared towards performance than the KYB adjust a shock. The cheapest I could find the KONIs were $180 for the rear pair and the KYBs for about $100 for the pair. Is there anyone that might be able to give me a little more insight on the matter and their applications?
Also, is there any particular rear tie rods that are suggested for the Fiero. I have not seen any particular brand that Fiero heads seem to favor over another. Thanks a lot for the help in advance!
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07:22 PM
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katore8105 Member
Posts: 1519 From: Upstate NY US Registered: Dec 2009
Ok, I have decided to go with the KYBs for this car. since it is just the DUKe DD lol. I will save the Koni's for my next build. I do however still need some advice on the tie rods. Thanks!
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08:01 PM
Black Lotus Member
Posts: 340 From: Washington State USA Registered: Jan 2010
The KYB vs KONI debate comes down to what you want to do with the car. Club members told me to go cheep (Monroe, etc) or KONI, but nothing in the middle. I did not want to spend the money on the KONI's at the time and got the KYBs. To tell the truth, I cannot tell the difference between the KYBs and the Monroes. When I increased the spring rate, the KYBs then would out of tune and they no longer could dampen the wheels. Hind sight being what it is, if I had to choose again, I would have saved up and got the KONIs.
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11:03 AM
Formula88 Member
Posts: 53788 From: Raleigh NC Registered: Jan 2001
KYB is good. I have them on my Formula. No complaints. KONI is better. Much better.
It's like saying a VW is good. A Ferrari is better. Nothing wrong with the VW, but it's not a Ferrari. And if all you're doing is daily driving, the VW might be a better use for your money.
My next purchase will be KONI.
[This message has been edited by Formula88 (edited 03-17-2010).]
I wish I went with Koni's in the first place. My KYBs worked good for a year and then slow started to fail. Now after 2.5 years, they are blown. The sad part about struts is that most people do not know when their struts go bad. The just think that the car is normal. I now have a pair of Koni's on order.
..The best all around Strut shock for the rear of the Fiero is Delco ,,YES Delco it gives long excellent all around good service ,only the Konis are better,, the price is right at ROCK auto for delco struts screw the KYB, tonico,borge,QA1, or other expensive crap none of them will ride any better than a set of Delco Struts & they are made in the land you may or may not care for.. the front?? yea use some sort of shock,,I got a set of monroe lowest price really cheap they work great not sure how long they will last ,just wanted to see how they work
..It is natural to want to install some reputation ,name brand ,go fast or special product ,,but Delco is the best all around ,,after an expensive trip to dominaxtrix Cruella whiphard,or an allniter at the gay leather bar you will want your battered ,raw, sore butt to ride in comfort..
[This message has been edited by uhlanstan (edited 03-01-2011).]
I just went with the KYB's because I didn't want to spend the money on Koni's. Having used Koni's on the street and in racing in the past, I know they make a great shock, but I didn't feel that it would be worth the money to me at this point in time. That said, I think that KYB Gas-A-Justs would work reasonably well if we could actually get a set for the rear. I got the Gas-A-Justs for the front and could only get GR-2's for the rear. Riding on Fiero Store 1" lowering springs, it was immediately apparent that the rear was very under-damped.
..The best all around Strut shock for the rear of the Fiero is Delco ,,YES Delco it gives long excellent all around good service ,only the Konis are better,,
The stock OEM shocks would be calibrated specifically for the Fiero, which is a big plus. And I'm sure the guys at Pontiac know (knew) their business when it comes to handling, but..... The only problem is that they don't last very long. Which is reasonable because they were probably built to a price. The two front shocks on the front of my Formula were whupped at 30K miles when I bought it. One shock shaft was bent. One had no damping in rebound. Needless to say, I didn't feel like putting more Delcos on it.
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10:09 PM
Mar 2nd, 2011
zkhennings Member
Posts: 1931 From: Massachusetts, USA Registered: Oct 2010
Ive driven fast in a fiero with Koni shocks, and they are absolutely awesome, the cornering limits are crazy compared to stock. I would save up to get them if I were you, and in fact that is what I am doing. Sometimes they are on ebay for cheap
Iv got KYB's No complaints here.. Car handles and drives great. Of course i dont race my car either, so im not very abusive too it. If you want to improve your handling (by quite alot) for a daily driver, then the KYB's are a good choice. If you plan to race/autox the Koni's might be a better choice. Iv never had koni's or ridden in a fiero with them, so i dont know how much of a difference there is between the two.
[This message has been edited by Jonesy (edited 03-02-2011).]
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11:50 AM
Marvin McInnis Member
Posts: 11599 From: ~ Kansas City, USA Registered: Apr 2002
KYB is good. I have them on my Formula. No complaints. KONI is better. Much better.
Well said. If you have the cash available, KONI is the best money can buy for virtually any application. On the other hand, KONI is probably overkill, and thus not very cost effective, for most street-driven Fieros. I had KONIs on my old Porsche 911S, but I have KYBs on my '88 Fiero.
FWIW, both KONIs and KYBs come with a "lifetime" warranty, including wear-out, that they will actually honor.
[This message has been edited by Marvin McInnis (edited 03-02-2011).]
Originally posted by Marvin McInnis:I have KYBs on my '88 Fiero.
Do you have the Gas-A-Justs in front and GR-2's in the rear, or did you figure something else out? As I mentioned above, the GR-2's are just way under-damped in the rear, especially when paired with the Fiero Store 1" lowering springs.
The delco struts are long life ,,I never seem to get good milage out of any front shock ,,I have a tendancy to install cheapest that WORKS on front for street use
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09:12 PM
katore8105 Member
Posts: 1519 From: Upstate NY US Registered: Dec 2009
Wow, this thread is back from the dead. I ended up going with the KYBs last year with great results. Corners great, a bit stiff on bumpy roads but to be expected. I can't compare them to KONIs but I am quite pleased with them.
Edit to add: I feel they go well with Eibachs.
[This message has been edited by katore8105 (edited 03-02-2011).]
Originally posted by Z3SpdDmn: Do you have the Gas-A-Justs in front and GR-2's in the rear, or did you figure something else out? As I mentioned above, the GR-2's are just way under-damped in the rear, especially when paired with the Fiero Store 1" lowering springs.
I have KYBs on my 87 GT, but have ST springs, rather than the TFS or Eibachs. Don't know if the springs really make a difference though. And my car rides great. Only real issue is the squeaky poly bushings when going over bumps and taking off.
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10:23 PM
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Marvin McInnis Member
Posts: 11599 From: ~ Kansas City, USA Registered: Apr 2002
Do you have the Gas-A-Justs in front and GR-2's in the rear, or did you figure something else out? As I mentioned above, the GR-2's are just way under-damped in the rear, especially when paired with the Fiero Store 1" lowering springs.
Thanks
I have GR-2s front and rear on my ('88) Formula. Even with stock low-rate '88 rear springs, I agree that it's underdamped back there. That's actually counterintuitive, since the GR-2 is actually speced for the higher-rate '84-'87 rear springs.
I forgot to mention that I have coil overs. With the stock spring I found the KYBs to be good. I could not tell a difference between the Monroes to the KYBs though. When I switch to coil overs with 350lb springs, the KYBs became useless till they popped. For a stock set up, I do not know if I would go with the KYBs over the Delco or Manroes. For a modified suspension, I would not use anything but Konis.
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12:58 PM
Bruce Member
Posts: 2189 From: Ventura, California, USA Registered: May 99
I have the Monroe Sensa-a-Tracks on my Fiero, and I had the KYBs on my former daily driver. They are both excellent shocks, but the ride characteristics of the pre-88 Fieros probably require more than shocks to soften the ride. However, as I said, either of the above are excellent choices.
I ditched the KYBs and installed Koni's. Wow what a difference. I have been a KYB fan for years until I put them in a Fiero. The difference between them is huge. I will never have any other strut in my Fieros again.
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07:34 PM
lateFormula Member
Posts: 1048 From: Detroit Rock City Registered: Jul 2002
If only Bilstein made shocks/struts for our cars...
I have an 88 and AC Delco now only offers one type of shock, and one type of strut for the 88's. In the summer of 2000 I rebuilt my entire suspension and when I purchased the (Delco) shocks and struts, they offered three lines of shocks and struts then.
I ditched the KYBs and installed Koni's. Wow what a difference. I have been a KYB fan for years until I put them in a Fiero. The difference between them is huge. I will never have any other strut in my Fieros again.
When did you do this? I've been talking with Chris at west coast fiero and Koni's are not being manufactured right now. Maybe some day but not now.
Less than a year after installing the base line KYB fronts the front felt flabby again, mushier than the OEM shocks did with over 250K miles on them. I was less than impressed. I'd kill for a set of OEM fronts with less than 100K miles on them.
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06:19 PM
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Jul 9th, 2011
War Hammer Member
Posts: 377 From: Myrtle Beach, SC USA Registered: Jan 2008
With my driving style Konis are the only way. I feel sorry for my little car when it hits the streets again. I only wish Tein made a setup for it.
I never seem to get more than 40k out of a set of anything though.
On my T/A ('87) I had to replace tires and brakes every 12k miles (not just the rears), shocks every 25K, and Suspension every 50k. I drive very hard. The car was completely worn out at 100k, Tranny, motor, suspension, etc.
Even on the luxury cars I have had you can only double it.
If you drive a sports car like it is meant to they wear out quickly.
Buy the best parts you can for your purpose bu to me the Fiero was and is a sports car and needs the sports shocks.
