Time for new suspension...

[Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B]

Cross posting because there are people in each group who might be able to
help with this one.

I think it's known I have a number of cars, and as such I try to stay on
the "cheap" side of parts.

The subject this time is my '88 Supra. ~215,000 miles, tired springs, dry
rotting strut mounts, and worn bushings.

I have a set of springs from an '88 that had Eibachs installed at 20,000
miles, so they should be good. They sure *look* new!

I got Energy Suspension bushings from AutoZone ( I was surprised to see
them because in the past two years, NO ONE had them!) They are black, I
believe they are polyurethane. I'll know tomorrow...

Now, shocks. I believe Toyotas come with Tokico shocks OEM.

I can get Koni adjustables from Tire Rack for ~$100 each. A lot of Supra
owners say these are the BEST for all around driving. I find the price a
bit much...

KYBs, which I used to think were a good strut are ~$50, but I don't think
they're as good as they used to be. They do come with a Lifetime warranty.

Tokicos run ~$58-100, with "Performance"~$78

Bilsteins for this car are ~$110

Gabriels ~$50

So, I want a good strut, moderate performance, and won't break down after
a couple years. ANy techs/performance guys have an idea which would be a
good all-around strut (Other than the Koni yellows, of course!

 

[johninky]

Cross posting because there are people in each group who might be able to
help with this one.

I think it's known I have a number of cars, and as such I try to stay on
the "cheap" side of parts.

The subject this time is my '88 Supra. ~215,000 miles, tired springs, dry
rotting strut mounts, and worn bushings.

I have a set of springs from an '88 that had Eibachs installed at 20,000
miles, so they should be good. They sure *look* new!

I got Energy Suspension bushings from AutoZone ( I was surprised to see
them because in the past two years, NO ONE had them!) They are black, I
believe they are polyurethane. I'll know tomorrow...

Now, shocks. I believe Toyotas come with Tokico shocks OEM.

I can get Koni adjustables from Tire Rack for ~$100 each. A lot of Supra
owners say these are the BEST for all around driving. I find the price a
bit much...

KYBs, which I used to think were a good strut are ~$50, but I don't think
they're as good as they used to be. They do come with a Lifetime warranty.

Tokicos run ~$58-100, with "Performance"~$78

Bilsteins for this car are ~$110

Gabriels ~$50

So, I want a good strut, moderate performance, and won't break down after
a couple years. ANy techs/performance guys have an idea which would be a
good all-around strut (Other than the Koni yellows, of course!

Don't know anything about this car but did buy a set of Gabriel struts
about 10 years ago. Never again. The damn threaded stud at the top
twisted off when I installed them. Just pure crap.

 

[Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B]

Don't know anything about this car but did buy a set of Gabriel struts
about 10 years ago. Never again. The damn threaded stud at the top
twisted off when I installed them. Just pure crap.

Yeah. They were last on my list for a reason!

However, I did have a good go with regular Gabe *shocks* on a Grand
Voyager. They came off and went on perfect.

 

[Nate Nagel]

Cross posting because there are people in each group who might be able to
help with this one.

I think it's known I have a number of cars, and as such I try to stay on
the "cheap" side of parts.

The subject this time is my '88 Supra. ~215,000 miles, tired springs, dry
rotting strut mounts, and worn bushings.

I have a set of springs from an '88 that had Eibachs installed at 20,000
miles, so they should be good. They sure *look* new!

I got Energy Suspension bushings from AutoZone ( I was surprised to see
them because in the past two years, NO ONE had them!) They are black, I
believe they are polyurethane. I'll know tomorrow...

Now, shocks. I believe Toyotas come with Tokico shocks OEM.

I can get Koni adjustables from Tire Rack for ~$100 each. A lot of Supra
owners say these are the BEST for all around driving. I find the price a
bit much...

KYBs, which I used to think were a good strut are ~$50, but I don't think
they're as good as they used to be. They do come with a Lifetime warranty.

Tokicos run ~$58-100, with "Performance"~$78

Bilsteins for this car are ~$110

Gabriels ~$50

So, I want a good strut, moderate performance, and won't break down after
a couple years. ANy techs/performance guys have an idea which would be a
good all-around strut (Other than the Koni yellows, of course!

Personally, I would go with the Konis or Bilsteins. I have not had good
luck with KYBs. I have no experience with Tokico. Probably not
applicable to a Supra but the Gabriels on my Studebaker feel a little
underdamped.

I've had Konis on both my Scirocco and 944 and love 'em... Also
Bilsteins on the rear of the 944 to replace some almost-new KYBs which
were rattling badly.

Let's put it this way... I love Konis so much I am trying to figure out
how to fit them to my Studebaker and have gone so far as to buy a pair
of rear shocks for a 70's Camaro which I believe can be modded to fit.

nate

 

[FatterDumber& Happier Moe]

Cross posting because there are people in each group who might be able to
help with this one.

I think it's known I have a number of cars, and as such I try to stay on
the "cheap" side of parts.

The subject this time is my '88 Supra. ~215,000 miles, tired springs, dry
rotting strut mounts, and worn bushings.

I have a set of springs from an '88 that had Eibachs installed at 20,000
miles, so they should be good. They sure *look* new!

I got Energy Suspension bushings from AutoZone ( I was surprised to see
them because in the past two years, NO ONE had them!) They are black, I
believe they are polyurethane. I'll know tomorrow...

Now, shocks. I believe Toyotas come with Tokico shocks OEM.

I can get Koni adjustables from Tire Rack for ~$100 each. A lot of Supra
owners say these are the BEST for all around driving. I find the price a
bit much...

KYBs, which I used to think were a good strut are ~$50, but I don't think
they're as good as they used to be. They do come with a Lifetime warranty.

Tokicos run ~$58-100, with "Performance"~$78

Bilsteins for this car are ~$110

Gabriels ~$50

So, I want a good strut, moderate performance, and won't break down after
a couple years. ANy techs/performance guys have an idea which would be a
good all-around strut (Other than the Koni yellows, of course!

I need rear struts for my old Camry, just getting something like the
factory struts would be plenty good enough for the kind of driving I do.
What I'm wondering is, the car bottoms out now on big bumps and I'm
wondering if I need stronger springs or is new struts will take care of
that problem. I'd kind of planned on just getting them at autozone
since they have a spring compressor to use when installing the struts.

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

Cross posting because there are people in each group who might be able to
help with this one.

I think it's known I have a number of cars, and as such I try to stay on
the "cheap" side of parts.

The subject this time is my '88 Supra. ~215,000 miles, tired springs, dry
rotting strut mounts, and worn bushings.

I have a set of springs from an '88 that had Eibachs installed at 20,000
miles, so they should be good. They sure *look* new!

I got Energy Suspension bushings from AutoZone ( I was surprised to see
them because in the past two years, NO ONE had them!) They are black, I
believe they are polyurethane. I'll know tomorrow...

Now, shocks. I believe Toyotas come with Tokico shocks OEM.

I can get Koni adjustables from Tire Rack for ~$100 each. A lot of Supra
owners say these are the BEST for all around driving. I find the price a
bit much...

KYBs, which I used to think were a good strut are ~$50, but I don't think
they're as good as they used to be. They do come with a Lifetime warranty.

Tokicos run ~$58-100, with "Performance"~$78

Bilsteins for this car are ~$110

Gabriels ~$50

So, I want a good strut, moderate performance, and won't break down after
a couple years. ANy techs/performance guys have an idea which would be a
good all-around strut (Other than the Koni yellows, of course!

I know nothing about Toy struts, but folks were reworking Soob struts
with Koni Yellows. maybe there's a DIY for your Toy struts out there
that shows how to do that?

anyway, good luck.

 

[S]

Hi Hachiroku!

So, I want a good strut, moderate performance, and won't break down after
a couple years. ANy techs/performance guys have an idea which would be a
good all-around strut (Other than the Koni yellows, of course!

I've been very happy with the Tokico Illuminas on my 1st gen MR2,
running TRD "track" springs. I've also had the non-adjustible Tokico's
installed on a different MR2 (my daughters car before she left for
college) using the stock springs, and they were also good; a bit
firmer than stock, and well damped.
The Illuminas have lasted a long time, several autocross seasons
(CSP), and lately, a bunch of commuter time. I can't say re. lifetime
of the non-adjustible ones, but they were fine when we sold the car
after two years under a teen driver, with a few autocross events (ESL)
thrown in as well.
I run Koni's on my current autoX car, a '91 Miata (CSP), with very
stiff springs (like 500/350). They work very well, but I can't comment
on longevity, as they have only been in use for one season plus a
couple events, and have never really seen any street time.
I'd go with the Tokico non-adjustibles; look for a good deal on ebay,
or perhaps one of the Toyota club classified forums.
Supra. Mmmmm.
I just scored a '91 Celica convertible in absolutely beautiful
condition, short of the front end having been wrapped around a
smallish Aspen tree in a snowstorm over the winter. You wouldn't
believe what the ~2 inch tree did to the front of the car. Anyway,
I've already found a matching hood and bumper, and hopefully I can
beat the radiator supports back into position. Once I get it back on
the road, I'll be looking to upgrade the boingers as well, so let me
know what you end up with.

ByeBye! S.

Steve Jernigan KG0MB
Laboratory Manager
Microelectronics Research
University of Colorado
(719) 262-3101

 

[Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B]

I need rear struts for my old Camry, just getting something like the
factory struts would be plenty good enough for the kind of driving I do.
What I'm wondering is, the car bottoms out now on big bumps and I'm
wondering if I need stronger springs or is new struts will take care of
that problem.

How old/how many miles? Springs are usually good for the "life" of the
car, but after 21 years of almost 4100 lbs on them...

The bottoming is most likely caused by the springs and/or worn bushings.
It took me a LONG time to find aftermarket bushings for the Supra (I got a
whole set of front bushings for what Toyota wanted for TWO bushings!) but
your car is just a bit more common, so it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B]

Personally, I would go with the Konis or Bilsteins. I have not had good
luck with KYBs. I have no experience with Tokico. Probably not
applicable to a Supra but the Gabriels on my Studebaker feel a little
underdamped.

I've had Konis on both my Scirocco and 944 and love 'em... Also Bilsteins
on the rear of the 944 to replace some almost-new KYBs which were rattling
badly.

Let's put it this way... I love Konis so much I am trying to figure out
how to fit them to my Studebaker and have gone so far as to buy a pair of
rear shocks for a 70's Camaro which I believe can be modded to fit.

nate

I can get Gabriels and Monroes just about anywhere for this car. KYB are
the next most common. The Konis and the Tokicos are the tough ones. Ebay
has whole sets of Tokicos for this car for ~$240.

 

[N8N]

I run Koni's on my current autoX car, a '91 Miata (CSP), with very
stiff springs (like 500/350). They work very well, but I can't comment
on longevity

I believe Koni still has a lifetime warranty (for the original
purchaser only, and only for the car on which they were originally
installed)

nate

 

[weelliott]

Cross posting because there are people in each group who might be able to
help with this one.

I think it's known I have a number of cars, and as such I try to stay on
the "cheap" side of parts.

The subject this time is my '88 Supra. ~215,000 miles, tired springs, dry
rotting strut mounts, and worn bushings.

I have a set of springs from an '88 that had Eibachs installed at 20,000
miles, so they should be good. They sure *look* new!

I got Energy Suspension bushings from AutoZone ( I was surprised to see
them because in the past two years, NO ONE had them!) They are black, I
believe they are polyurethane. I'll know tomorrow...

Now, shocks. I believe Toyotas come with Tokico shocks OEM.

I can get Koni adjustables from Tire Rack for ~$100 each. A lot of Supra
owners say these are the BEST for all around driving. I find the price a
bit much...

KYBs, which I used to think were a good strut are ~$50, but I don't think
they're as good as they used to be. They do come with a Lifetime warranty.

Tokicos run ~$58-100, with "Performance"~$78

Bilsteins for this car are ~$110

Gabriels ~$50

So, I want a good strut, moderate performance, and won't break down after
a couple years. ANy techs/performance guys have an idea which would be a
good all-around strut (Other than the Koni yellows, of course!

I had the delimna of what shocks to get for my miata and was able to
drive many other owner's cars before I settled on what to get. I was
looking into the Konis, Tokicos, and Bilstein HDs. I had had Konis on
my MR2 and liked the adjustability of them even though it took a whil
to figure it out since it isn't really linear. The Tokicos were
cheaper, so they made the list. The Bilsteins were not adjustable, and
people said they were too stiff in stock form. I called up a friend
who knows more abotu spring damper systems than I woudl ever care to
know. He worked as an engineer on Sarah Fisher's team(IRL).

He pointed out that Konis only adjust the rebound, so they give good
performance in some band-aid sort of ways. For instance if you crank
the rebound damping way up it will effectively cause the car to get
sucked down as you go through a slalom since the side that is
unloading doesn't have time to fully unload. This helps in some cars
and not in others depending on where your roll centers are and how you
are aligned. They are not adjustable in bump though. He pointed out
that a good non-adjustable shock optimized to the spring rates will
usually outperform an adjustable shock unless you have a support team
of engineers, and sometimes that won't even help you. He suggested
going with a custom valved Bilstein HD. It uses a different type of
valve that is apparently far superior to the Koni valves. I contacted
a guy named John Stimola in NY and got a quiote for four shocks at
nearly 200 a pop, but they were cusomized to the springs.

I hesitated on ordering them since that was a lot of money. I then got
to drive a car with custom valved HDs, although valved by someone
other that Stimola, and I was sold. The car was a dream. It handled
beautifully, but soaked up bumps as well as a stock miata. I was ready
to pull the trigger on the order when some idiot aggressive driver in
a 300zx crashed into my miata. Once the judge granted me the money for
that I realized that since my car was now considered a crashed car its
value wouldn't be more than 1500 bucks, and it didn't really make
sense to put 1500 bucks worth of springs, coilover perches, bump stops
and shocks on it. But I am still convinced that custom valved Bilstein
HDs are the way to go.

I don't have John's info any more, but if you search around I'm sure
you can find him. His name comes up on SCCA forums. He's pretty well
known on the east coast and goes ot most of the big SCCA autocrossing
events.

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

I had the delimna of what shocks to get for my miata and was able to
drive many other owner's cars before I settled on what to get. I was
looking into the Konis, Tokicos, and Bilstein HDs. I had had Konis on
my MR2 and liked the adjustability of them even though it took a whil
to figure it out since it isn't really linear. The Tokicos were
cheaper, so they made the list. The Bilsteins were not adjustable, and
people said they were too stiff in stock form. I called up a friend
who knows more abotu spring damper systems than I woudl ever care to
know. He worked as an engineer on Sarah Fisher's team(IRL).

He pointed out that Konis only adjust the rebound, so they give good
performance in some band-aid sort of ways. For instance if you crank
the rebound damping way up it will effectively cause the car to get
sucked down as you go through a slalom since the side that is
unloading doesn't have time to fully unload. This helps in some cars
and not in others depending on where your roll centers are and how you
are aligned. They are not adjustable in bump though. He pointed out
that a good non-adjustable shock optimized to the spring rates will
usually outperform an adjustable shock unless you have a support team
of engineers, and sometimes that won't even help you. He suggested
going with a custom valved Bilstein HD. It uses a different type of
valve that is apparently far superior to the Koni valves. I contacted
a guy named John Stimola in NY and got a quiote for four shocks at
nearly 200 a pop, but they were cusomized to the springs.

I hesitated on ordering them since that was a lot of money. I then got
to drive a car with custom valved HDs, although valved by someone
other that Stimola, and I was sold. The car was a dream. It handled
beautifully, but soaked up bumps as well as a stock miata. I was ready
to pull the trigger on the order when some idiot aggressive driver in
a 300zx crashed into my miata. Once the judge granted me the money for
that I realized that since my car was now considered a crashed car its
value wouldn't be more than 1500 bucks, and it didn't really make
sense to put 1500 bucks worth of springs, coilover perches, bump stops
and shocks on it. But I am still convinced that custom valved Bilstein
HDs are the way to go.

I don't have John's info any more, but if you search around I'm sure
you can find him. His name comes up on SCCA forums. He's pretty well
known on the east coast and goes ot most of the big SCCA autocrossing
events.

awesome post, I learned stuff today!

 

[Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B]

I had the delimna of what shocks to get for my miata and was able to drive
many other owner's cars before I settled on what to get. I was looking
into the Konis, Tokicos, and Bilstein HDs. I had had Konis on my MR2 and
liked the adjustability of them even though it took a whil to figure it
out since it isn't really linear. The Tokicos were cheaper, so they made
the list. The Bilsteins were not adjustable, and people said they were too
stiff in stock form. I called up a friend who knows more abotu spring
damper systems than I woudl ever care to know. He worked as an engineer on
Sarah Fisher's team(IRL).

Works for me!

But, I only paid $600 for the car and have a fair amount more work to do,
esp with the trans (Autmatic that needs to be manually shifted...)

Thanks for the info on the Konis. A lot of Supra owners rave about them.
And the stock springs are already non-linear from the factory!

The Konis and the Bilsteins are similar in price. It ha come down between
these two unless I get a real good deal on Tokicos...