What guys and gals,

I am switching form coilovers to a strut/spring combo and was looking at Maxspeeds (nice and progressive spring rate) and KYB AXG shocks. Since I know next to nothing about KYB's I wanted to hear some experiences of Org'ers who have/had them. Longevity, quality of the ride, comparisons to other struts. Thanks

 

Having experience with them, i have nothing but good things to say about them. They handle very well (prob not as good as ur coilovers) and are adjustable to any situation (same as your coilovers). When i bought them they had 20k on them. My front ones blew out because i was dropped on Sprints at one time which was 2" all around, too much for them i guess. Back's are still fine. With the right drop (such as your Maxspeeds) you'll enjoy them.
I'm also local to you. What coilovers did you have? Are you selling them? How much? Let me know. Thanx

 

KYB struts are very firm. Couple them with a progressive lower sport spring and the ride is kind of harsh but the handling is excellent.

If ride quality is a concern, go with the Tokico Illumina adjustable struts. Ride quality is much better and they handle excellent as well.

 

KYB's were great, wasnt too harsh, butter on smooth roads, was on 2F-4R, and was pretty close to OEM . . . to me (thank you 15's and a whole lot of side wall).

 

Thanks for all the feedback.

I have Ksports but they already been promised to another org'er. If it falls through I'll let u know.

 

why do you want to go from coilovers to strut/springs?

 

The ride on the coilovers is a little to firm/stiff for my taste. I have a 6yr old and a wife who don't care for the bumpyness that comes with a stiff suspension. I still want a nice lowered look so I'm going to go with some thing more pratical.....i.e.progressive springs with some soft riding struts which seem to be Tokico Illuminas.

 

I have the KYB AGX's on my 96 GLE with stock springs. This is the worst mistake I ever made. Where I come from in Connecticut the roads are well kept, and the car's ride is reasonable, but where I live in Boston, all the roads
s**k, and even though I have the front and rears at the softest setting, I get constant jarring on local roads and feel all expansion bumps every 30 feet on the highway. Things get worse in the winter when it is cold. I'm using Bridgestone RE750's as tires.

So if you have great smooth roads, the AGX's should be ok, but otherwise
I wouldn't use them. My mechanic and my tire dealer recommended Monroe
sensitrac's. Granted these are not sport struts, but I would rather have these then feeling like I have concrete Flinstone tires.

 

Monroe are the cheapest struts/shocks you can buy for our cars. Advanced auto parts sells them, there a little softer than the stock SE struts, but softer doesnt mean better.

 

I'm not so worried about price as I am regrets. I am looking for the best riding struts I can get. KYB doen't seem to be what I am looking for from most of your stories, Monroe or Tokico????

Are there any quality struts that aren't "sport" struts??? Something built for comfort but that can support a drop?????

 

I think Monroe makes many grades of struts, the sensitracks may be the best. BTW, my stock Nissan struts went at 50K and the car was previously owned by one woman who drove it mildly and sold it to me at 41k. So Nissan stock s**ks probably worse than cheap Monroe's. The tokico's may indeed be a good choice. The ideal thing is to do a search on this site in the 4th generation for struts/shocks. I'm sure you will get zillions of hits. The reason I bought the AGX's is that I did a search and apparently got zillions of hits from testosteroned 20 year olds raving about AGX's. Well if you're a testosteroned 20 year old and buying german lowered springs and you have nice roads, get the AGX's!

Search and go to some of these posts, and contact the people who posted their opinions and filter the opinions through their mindset and then filter them through yours, as well as your hindquarter calibration.

 

If you happen to be an engineer, and I happen to be one, albeit an electrical engineer, you would know from your training that an ideal shock produces a force proportional to the velocity of the movement of the wheel/strut. This is called damping. Damping can be underdamped, overdamped, or critically damped. You actually don't want something that is way to stiff or overdamped, but I'm sure if you do a google search for "shock absorber" damping or "shock absorber" theory or something like that you can find some useful information. The notion that anything less than a very stiff shock produces bad handling is a poor theory.

 

KYB AGX or Illuminas. It also depends on the springs you match with them.

 

I hear you dude, I just picked up a set of Tein S-Techs and Illuminas off a fellow orger to replace my D2's. I love the way my car looks on the D2's and it handles like it's on rails, but my body can only take so much and most of my passengers agree that here in Houston coilovers are much too stiff for a daily driver, especially in a car as light as ours. Let me know how you find your new setup compared to the coilovers, and also if anyone is interested I will be getting rid of my D2's as soon as I get the onther setup on, which should be in a few weeks.

 

Gotcha, I definitely understand. IMO your best bet by far is to go with Tokico Illuminas and H&R or Tein H-Tech Springs. I had KYB's and they can be rough especially in the cold. Good luck man.

 

ill trade u my s-tech/agx for ur coilovers.......and some cash...

 

I'm thinking illuminas and Maxspeeds.

 

My friend had KYBs, and although there supposed to be a good strut, he kept blowing them out, (although in Pa. our "roads" are so bad I don't think it matters who makes them, they'll still blow-out) and as mentioned before, they don't like the cold.
I have Illuminas and H&Rs (off for the winter), the car handles great, and the ride is firmer, but still nice enough to make a 200 mile trip, and not want to rip them out (again on Pa. roads)

 

sweetness...mine were used for 4 months

 

Guys, thanks for all the feedback, it has really helped, U gotta love this forum!!!!!!!!!!

 

This is good info...I was looking into KYB's too but I think I'll go with Illumina's since they have a softer ride which will be much appreciated on the country roads around my house!

 

Go with the Illimunas man - especially up there in the cold. The AGXs were just to harsh for me in the cold (and im sure its nothin like canada weather) Good luck

 

i've had the AGX for a long time and just recently switched to illuminas because i wanted a change and went with less aggressive springs (from sprint and AGX to maxspeed and illuminas). i have nothing but good things to say about the AGX's. they handle very well and the adjustability is a great feature... even if 90% of people that have them run 2fr 4re

the AGX's do ride harsher in the cold, that's the only minor complaint i have. some people have managed to blow them, but i don't see how. unless i got super lucky. i had them with sprints, the lowest spring out there, on an auto max (so the front was lower than on a stick) on ****-poor Chicago roads and they rode just as great the day i took them off as they did the day i put them on.

both the AGX or the Illuminas are a great choice and will stand up very well. i've yet to hear of someone destroying their illuminas, but i think that's just because the AGX's have been out for a few years longer than the Tokico's.