KYB Shocks?

[TopsailBeach]

It's time to replace the shocks on my ride....anyone have experience with KYB? The price is certainly right, but I'm afraid I'll be suffering from a severe case of "you get what you pay for."

Wisdom from the board???

[old 911]

excellant shock for the price the rears will take the gas adjust the front the gr-2. the only down fall when i putt the gas adjust on the rear it raised the rear end 2 inches!!

[atlporsche]

the ones I have in my 912 are pretty cool...

they're so stiff, I'm convinced that I get more flex in my sidewalls.

I've gone for a ride...they feel great...don't know what all those other guys are talking about with them being overdamped.

sjd

[masraum]

I have no personal experience, but I've had lots of people tell me that they suck. I can tell you that the miata crowd uses them a bunch.

[aigel]

I have no experience with them in a 911. I'd go with bilstein. You own a porsche dude, better get used to spending money!

I would hate to waste my time by putting something that some folks already warn you about.

Are there KYB strut inserts???

George

[73911guy]

Run as quickly away from KYB's as you can.

The previous owner of my '73 911 had installed a set.

They lasted less than 5,000 miles before the fronts blew out all their oil and gas, leaving me with a terrible ride and the expense of doing the job again. I've also from a reputable engine rebuilder that he has seen the warranty returns being prepped and painted for resale.

I see them on the assembly line at the local Toyota Tundra / Sequoya / minivan factory, and wonder how long they last in those vehicles.

You get what you pay for - spend the money and get what you want that will last.

Jim

[sammyg2]

KYB stands for "kill your back".
They are overly harsh and in some cases can make your suspension less predictable at the limit.
I do have personal experience with them, never again.

[KTL]

Maybe things have changed @ KYB over the years and quality has degraded?

Usually an OEM supplier is a good quality product. KYB is OEM on my 92 Laser/Eclipse. The struts have lasted 87K miles without failure. Worn out a bit, but still holding together.

I have no experience with KYB on 911. All I can add is that "you get what you pay for" seems to be the rule of thumb for most anything you buy these days. Sure Bilsteins are twice the price, but they are always a quality product.

Maybe consider Boge shocks if you're looking to save some $. I believe Boge shocks are now made (or called?) by ZF Sachs. Both ZF and Sachs have made high quality parts for many years.

[sammyg2]

A shock that comes as standard equipment is completely different than an aftermarket shock.

For an OEM application the manufacturers of the shock and the vehicle work together to obtain the derired characteristics.
In an aftermartket application (like a 911) a shock manufacturer picks what they think will work and puts it out there.
Roll of the dice whether it will work as well as something that was specifically designed for a vehicle.
This is the case with KYB vs. boge or bilstein or Koni.

[TallyRich]

I have a New Beetle that I just put new Boge's on. Performs well and rides like new. My 85 Vanagon has new KYB's they are ok (I bought it that way) but ALL of the Vanagon forums really dismiss KYB as junk. Now, my 911 has bilsteins - that sold me. I will put bilsteins on ALL of my cars in the future. Worth the extra dollars all the way.

[Mrdi]

I have Bilstein on the BMW and KYB on the Westy, Boge original on the 88 911, 50,000mi.
The KYB are a little harsh but have lasted a goo 80'000, many of those miles on gravel, dirt and unimproved in Baja and B.C.
I'm thinking of changing out the KYB's to Bilstein as well.
For the Westy the Bils come in HD and regular.
Any comments

[MFAFF]

No idea on quality but the KYBs on my 72 were far harsher than the stock Bils, much less fun to drive.

For that reason alone not an experience I'd really want ot repeat.

[vesnyder]

Just purchased some KYB's and put them on my daily drive - a Toyota Avalon. Much better that the ones I took off (they were shot?) but it has only been about 3,000 miles.

[TallyRich]

Here's my take. On the KYB you either hear "I hate them" or "They are OK' With the Bilsteins you either hear "I love them" or "They cost too much" When you drive a Porsche it's all about the ride and handling - when you look at the extra cost over the course of 50,000 miles isn't the additional ride and control worth .004 cents per mile?

[RallyJon]

KYB is not a bad company. Like Bilstein, they'll make any shock you want with any specs you want and with as much quality as you're willing to pay for. The large diameter, single tube inverted struts they made for Subaru for the STI are exceptional. Truly the only OEM shocks I've not felt the need to replace.

My '71 has them on the back when I got it. Very stiff. Awful ride. Dumped them as soon as I could.

[jmz]

I drove a very nicely prepped 77 coupe that had them once. It had very large gun-drilled t-bars ...like 22 or 23 and 30 w/ KYB gas shocks. It was one of the best riding/handling 911s I had driven. ...Everything else was done right too. i.e. new bushings put on properly after being treated to the lathe etc.