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Decent Shockers for Lowered Falcons

5K views 35 replies 16 participants last post by  AUGhiaV8 
#1 ·
Hey all after about 6 months of hard work the Gabrials in the back of my car are stuffed and I don't like the bumps on hard take off....
Anyway.
What Shockers would you recommend for a superlow EB Falcon.
I want names and I want approx prices!
The front is still perfect and nice and hard so I just want to change the back over to something decent when I swap to LSD in Jan (was suposed to be last week but my mech was to busy)
Koni? Prices?
Pedders? Prices?
KYB (if they make them for falcons) prices?
Any other brands that can take punishment?
I'd rather spend some cash on these because that back end will be seeing some real power in the comming months.
Cheers all.
 
#2 ·
geez , those gabriell shocks dont seem to last to long ..... ive just had mine for 6 months now and that seems to be all everyone gets out of them...

dont know prices but im putting koni reds in next.....

james
 
#4 · (Edited)
I just had the same problem with Gabriel VST in the front of my XH.
The first set I bought, 1 unit had no rebound damping, so it was changed.
The second set I only hot a month out of, in fact they knocked a little from the start, and the knock just got worse. I didn't change them initially as I didn't think a new shock would knock.
Anyway, I now have Monroe GT gas and they are quiet. They feel very similar to the Gabriels, perhaps a little better on small undulations.

I wouldn't consider the Gabriels again.

For your application (superlow), you might be best off going for a Koni.

Rick.
 
#7 ·
carazy and carsik, the Gabriel/Monroe product are mostly made for standard applications. They do have some part numbers for lowered but most spare parts guys don't use catalogs correctly. These brands are made to a price for the volume market which is standard height and in fairness to the brands do very well in that department.
I am told Gabriel do have a rear short shock for E Series part #658002 Big Bore. Also short stroke fronts part # 638458 EA EB ED,638459 EF EL.
Or someone mentioned above buy Konis and rid your troubles buy be prepared to pay $$$

Cheers
 
#9 ·
I got my koni reds for my EB for I think $350 for the front an $250 for the rear, not too sure on that though, they were somethign around that mark. I highly recomend them though, definatly worth it!
 
#10 ·
TURBO 6 - are the koni reds externally adjustable or is that the yellows?

also whats the ride like?

thanks
james
 
#13 ·
There is $80 difference at trade price.
The reds infact handle heaps better on a everyday road surface but the yellows are the way to go if you intend in alot of track work.
I got reds in mine and they piss!
The thing with externaly adj shocks is there is more to go wrong with them and more spots to leak from, not forgeting the wank factor of externally adj shocks, you would adj them prob once every 4-5 years.
My 2c
 
#14 ·
8041-1067Sport (externally adjustable) $266rrp (koni yellows) per shocker!
Still waiting for a price on the Koni reds.
KYB KG4758A (non adjustable) $99rrp, each.

Accoring to my contact The KYB's are good but a big step down from the Koni's.
I think I'll go Koni reds should be close to my $250 budget.
I'll also be fitting a rear trailing arm upper conversion kit.
so once this is done my total suspension mods will be.
Superlows front and rear.
Castor kit
strut bar on the front.
ED discs and XR calipers. all round.
3.27 LSD.
Gabrials at the front (till they die then I'll get more koni's)
Koni reds at the back with the rear trailing arm upper conversion kit.

Next step for suspension will be some fat whiteline ajustable sway bars front and back.

Once I have my suspension sorted I'll move on to getting the body ready for the respray then move on to saving for the ECU to control my turbo! (picking up my T04b for $250 next week!)
 
#15 ·
i am running k-mac big bore short travel shocks in the back of my ea with 2.75 inch lowred coils, they are bloody stiff in the arse,

from memory they were 200 a pair.

i am also running k-mac front springs and shocks with a 32mm front sway bar and a 27mm rear swaybar, k-mac camber kit and poly-urethane rubbers all round.

cheers.joe.

cheers.joe.
 
#16 ·
carazy said:
Gabrials at the front (till they die then I'll get more koni's)
hehe dont think you will have to wait too much longer for that mate! :angel:

james
 
#17 ·
I have Koni reds in my EL at the front, VERY VERY nice. They too are adjustable, just not externally. I took mine to a suspension joint and had them set to the softest setting, and im finding that with the king lows, its the best compromise-firm yet not harsh

will be getting matchingg reds for the rear soon, although the Monroe GT in there now arent doing too bad, still a little soft for my liking.
 
#18 ·
i have koni reds in mine, they absolutely rip!

they have about 2-3 turns of adjustment from memory, and i put them in at one turn from softest, as per the suspension shop reccomendations.

so far i have adjusted the front ones twice and the rears 3 times, (stiffer each time)trying to get it 'just right'

the rear is perfect now, but the fronts need a tiny bit more of a tweek stiffer - i like a firm ride - i hate going over undulations in the road (like when another road intersects with the one you are on) and it feels like its all floaty and stuff, hard to explain, but i know what i like and im nearly there.

imagine if i had to buy new shocks each time i wanted them stiffer :AAHHH:
 
#19 ·
Personally I don't see the point in getting Koni's unless you do lots of track work. They are just too expensive for what they do and instead I would opt for good KYBs. Koni's aren't bad shocks but the money you save in getting KYBs can be used to save up for some Whiteline/Selbys swaybars which will make more of a difference to the handling of your car than any shock can!

Good Luck.
 
#20 ·
i would have to dissagree with that last statement.

correctly tuned shocks ensure that your tyres are in maximum contact with the road at all times, whereas swaybars just help in adjusting the relative weight transfer of the front and rear of the vehicle during cornering - swaybars are for tuning the handling, really (like, tendancy to understeer or oversteer etc) but shocks are for overall grip.

maybe if every road you drive on is billiard table smooth then shocks dont make a difference, but i dont belive that any council worker in australia has the ability to make a smooth road...

the stiffness of your shocks makes a MASSIVE difference in the ride and handling of your car, how it feels around corners and over bumps/dips etc - i think its well documented in a few threads how much i am against people cutting their springs, but i would rather they cut springs and get a proper set of high quality shocks then get proper lowered springs and stock or even pov aftermarket shocks.

i wish i could have taken you for a drive with my standard rebuilt stiffer shocks, then after i put the konis in - they are worth their weight in gold, make no mistake!

when i had the other shocks i considered getting a stiffer front swaybar to help with the handling, but now i dont think i will - the konis and my lovely new 17s have pretty much transformed my car...I Cant Get Enough Of This!!!!!
 
#21 ·
I'm with Rollin on this.
Shocks definitely improve the roadholding and overall 'feel' more than sway bars do.
Bigger sway bars on there own can still leave a car 'wallowing', it may sit flatter doing it, but it will still feel like crap when the going gets tough.

Rick.
 
#22 ·
What I'm saying is that you don't need to pay that much for good shocks! I am saying that you should get the shocks first but save up the money not spent on Koni's and use it on sway bars. Sway bars and shocks complement eachother and in reality, no one thing can make a massive difference...
 
#23 ·
yeah I appreciate your comments but I'll be going Koni.
After being passanger in one Vr4 with KYB's and another with Koni's I'd have to say the koni's are worth the extra cash for sure.
I already have the biggest swaybars you can get anyway (next step is white line ajustables) but for now I'll be fitting koni reds and a trailing arm conversion kit so my diff doesn't hit the floor pan on hard launches.
Car handles like magic as it is but gets unsettled over bumps so I can't wait for the koni's!

Was gonna get the mech to do it and fit my 3.27 LSD at the same time but bugger it I'll just do it myself and save the cash for my near baulding tyres!
 
#24 ·
what do you mean "trailing arm conversion kit"?

i fitted a set of new upper trailing arms from repco (they are tube steel with nolathane bushes in them) they were like $130 for the pair, and the diff never hits - is that what you mean?
 
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