Shocks

If you look around/search there has been a lot of talk about shocks lately on this forum and other Mustang forums. I don't have either but most the info I've read is positive about Koni's, Bilstein's AND Edelbrock'

 

Did you do a search? You'll find many opinions. It's really just a personal choice. Myself, I can't see over $400 for shocks on a car that sees limited use. Others will say they're worth every penny. Thing is, we're both right....

 

New to vintage Mustang performance however, on later models most feel the Koni's are worth every penny if you want improved performance. There is a Sam Strano, who, is on other boards and does autoX at the national level who uses nothing else on his mustang. He has a site and will talk shocks and suspension with anyone. He swares by the Koni's and even Ford has contacted him about how he does his sways. Anyhow, not sure about vintage vs late model but for what its worth, Koni's are very good and used at even the highest level of handling and performance. I am sure there are other good shocks as well but none of the experts I have talked to say anything bad about the Koni's. If I do my build on a '66, I will go the extra and use them.

 

I agree Koni's have a great rep! The problem is all about the intended use and their handling characteristics. Their adjustability is of more value to those, who's cars share double duty, in autot-X'ng, or vintage road racing. For the street, unless you can tolerate the more harsh ride, you might want to do more research. I too, see that Tirerack has a sale going on, and my car is setup for track use, however, it doesn't spend it's life there. So, ever so tempted, I am to purchase them, I'm remembered of my road racing days and how harsh the ride was off the track returning to the pits.
So, look inward, for the intended use. Good Luck!

 

are the gr-2's a noticeable handling upgrade over stock?

 

The GR2 is an improvement over the stock GT shock. The Koni is a hard-core performance item, much too stiff for daily use on the rough roads around here. I got rid of my Koni's and went with KYB Gas-A-Just. Good compromise. You decide.

 

In my humble opinion I would state yes!

 

First off, let me say I'm not a fan of the stock 65-73 Mustang suspension. In my opinion,
it's just "ok"- there is a vast difference between "ok" and having the "correct" setup.
Koni's are part of the equation of having a "correct" setup.
1) If you're stock, Koni may not be your cup of tea.
2) If your roads are rough, you may not be happy with Koni.
3) If you run Koni shocks, try them out of the box unadjusted first.

Roller spring perches, upper arms with real bushings/bearings, lower arms with real
bushings/bearings, etc. dramatically speed the reaction on the front suspension and
actually improve the ride. This is when you will want the Konis.

 

Are the konis really worth all the extra $ for a street car...Planning on doing roller perches, shelby drop, and lowering springs in the front while Im at it.

Seems like the GR2's would suit you fine. I currently have GR2's on the rear of mine and Monroe's on the front (have a set of GR2's to go on the front as well, but not installed yet) My car rides pretty nice and handles OK for a car with 4" wide wheels and 165/15's on the front. irate: If you do go with a full roller suspension like GT289 mentioned or go autocrossing/opentracking later on you could always upgrade to the Koni's then. I seem to remember John of Opentracker Racing saying that GR2 on the rear and Gas-a-just on the front make for a good, cheap combination. Why don't you get in touch with him and see what he thinks. BTW, John is offering a discount on his roller perches for VMF members, that's how I got mine. :thumbsup:

Let us know how it goes.

 

I have no direct experience with Konis (or any premium shock on a vintage Mustang), but my advice is to buy the best shock you can afford. Very few items directly affect the ride, handling, and "feel" of a premium shock.

A good friend of mine removed KYB gas-a-justs from a 68 because the car not only rode like crap, the rear end wouldn't stay planted. He put on Bilsteins and it transformed the car in every way according to him. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to ride in his car this summer.

My futile wish is that someone like MM will do a comparison on premium shocks on a well setup stock suspension, but I understand the reasons they won't.


John

 

I went from the Mustang Plus Grab a trak shocks to Bilstein Sport shocks from SHaun at street or track. They were pretty spendy at 400 bucks but wll worth it IMO, as the previous poster said, it completely transformed the character of my car. One of the best upgrades I have done.

 

I have gas adjust on front and GR2's on the rear. The front is very harsh and I believe it is the front they needs to be soft for sake of your hands and parts feeling the bumps (tracks are usually pretty bump free) I will go Koni some day but my budget is spent for now on the Mustang and honey do's are past do.

 

If the pricing is that close, to me it's no contest. Koni all the way.
I'd do what GT289 said at comment #3 and just leave them unadjusted first.
Probably straight out of the box is how the do best for a street car.

 

Pricing really isn't close, 400 compared to 100 total. Still worth it IMO. Shocks are one area that it pays to get the best

 

Koni's are worth every penny, my 67 rides like a dream even with cut 620's, not harsh at all, gas adjusts are way rougher riding, gr-2's are great for the money though but not a performance shock.

 

Has anyone tried the "Doestch Tech" adjustable shocks? kind of remind me of the old Adjustable Ez.....

 

I've had Konis, Bilsteins, Gas-a-justs and GR2s.

On my 73 vert (stock suspension) I had Gas-a-justs front and rear. When the back end hit a bump or a wave in the road it would snap your neck. Speed bumps were downright scary. I replaced the rears with GR2s and now I am very happy with the ride. So if you want a decent ride with decent handling it is a great combo.

I also had Gas-a-justs all the way around on my 67 GT350 (lowered just a little, otherwise stock). Again the ride was killing me. I replaced them with Konis set towards the soft side. Handling has not suffered AT ALL and the ride is so much better. It completely changed the character of the car.

I also have Bilsteins on my 68 vert. They are great shocks in terms of handling and ride BUT if I had it to do over again I would have spent the extra money for the Konis because of the adjustability.

IMO the strongest advantage in upscale shocks is that you can run a fairly soft suspension (stock ride height or slightly lowered) and still have great handling. Best of both worlds - ride and handling.

 

So John, You are currently running GR2s on the rear, and the Gas adjusts on the front? And liking this?
I have the GR2s all all around and am contemplating a little front end work with adding the roller perches and some other work. I might look into changing the shocks, as well.

 

Yea I did search but just wanted some opinions I can just go back to in a month or 2 when Im ready to dive into the front end. I will probally go with the gr-2's so I will have the extra $ for perches and springs. Since I will have to pull the springs out, what else should I replace whilel Im in there? Bushings or any kind of bearings?

 

Actually, it sounds like you're covering the big stuff There are pads on top of the springs. So, the only thing left are the ball joints and wheel bearings, maybe the sway bar bushes, tie rod ends, strut rod bushings? It depends on how deep you plan to go.
Good Luck!

 

I just ordered some Koni's but it's a tuff call when half the people who own the gas-a-just think they are too hard and replace them or want to. On the flip side I didn't find any negative reviews on the Koni's, but they cost a fortune. I didn't want to spend the time and money on the gas-a-just to replace them a year down the road and the timing was right with the wife to spend some money on the mustang. If the Koni's were not 25% I probably would have gone with the Edelbrock classics.

 

Personally, I've owned (5) cars with the Gas Adjust, (1) with the Edelbrocks, (1) with the Bilstiens, (2) with the Konis. In my experience with the variables found in a conventional style ford suspension, it seems to me, adjustability is the easiest route to tuning your shocks, for proper performance, with your springs. That being said, I am not a big fan of the H.P gas shocks, unless you have 40 year old springs, that have lost some of their tension, and want a relatively cheap band-aid, I feel they just add, to your "Spring Rate". The next pair of Shocks I'll try, will be the "Doetch Tech" adjustables, to see if they perform as a viable economic solution, in comparison to the more expensive adjustables, out there.......