KYB shocks?

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Scat Adams said:
The car has 27k original miles, the rear seems to sag a tad based on other swingers I have seen. I have thought about adding helper springs back there, what would you recommend?
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Call ESPO Springs and Things and buy a new set of 6 leaf springs for your car (what 340 cars came with from the factory). They aren't that expensive and they aren't that hard to put on and they will solve a world of suspension problems that patches will just make worse. In my opinion you want the back wheel wells to show 1-2 inches of tire above the rim itself.
 
my68barracuda said:
The folks that compare KYB to Monroe shocks are only interested in a smooth-soft ride.
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Since you claim to know what I like, let me illustrate some of what I like for my driving.
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So let me be clear., I did not make my suggestion based on what I wanted.
I made my suggestion based on what the OP has, what his stated need was, and the basic
purpose of shocks. The basic purpose of shocks is to dampen out motion in one cycle and maintain the most stable wheel force with the surface. The actual outcome is going to vary based on the mass at both ends of the shock, the spring rate, the input rate and the tires.

One reason people may compare KYBs to Bilstiens or even Konis is that KYB markets their shocks as a performance shock. The old Koni reds are specialty performance shock. They could be orderd (or revalved) for road race/autocross or drag racing and then adjusted by the end user to more finely tune the suspension for the situation. For some tracks or conditions, its best to change the damping a little - so that's another advantage for a serious racer. And yes, those are relatively expensive shocks. But the price to fix one, rather than replace all 4 is certainly something the OP could consider. The idea of selling the Konis to help fund his projects or incase he is unhappy with the decision also should be weighed. All seemed to be reasonable suggstions.

The fact is some people who have bought and installed KYBs are perfectly satisfied with how they work in their cars. Notice I did not disagree with anyone who claims that. I think they have inherently poor high frequency damping. Those who think otherwise are welcome to say so, and some have. There are enough variables in play that in some situations they may work fairly well and in other situations they do not. My experience and observations has led me to the recommendation not to buy.

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Mattax said:
I'm not Dano, but I wrecked a car in part because I installed helper springs.
What I learned the hard way was that stiffening the rear, when there is no additional weight back there, is a setup for the rear to fishtail back and forth at the worst possible time. In my case it was an off-ramp to on-ramp with a slight downhill. There's generally no recovering from that. The rear swings back and forth until the car spins around...
That's what's meant by a suspension that has a tendency to 'oversteer'

With 27 K miles, but that someone put Konis on, its hard to guess what you got there.
Nothing wrong with a fairly flat spring. That's what Chrysler wanted.
Exception is for drag racing, where arch can be made to help forward bite (with sticky enough tires).
Chrysler explains why here: Extra-Duty Options (Session 253) from the Master Technician's Service Conference

If you want to make a general improvement in handling, if it doesn't have a front sway bar, adding one is the most noticible improvement that can be made. It was a factory option and sometimes available used when people junk cars or install a larger diameter bar.
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Larry Shephard covers this in his Chassis Manual.
i.e. Over/under steer principles and why things are like they are.
When someone asks a rear spring question, I have to resist explaining what they should be and what effect changing that will have on their car.
Why bother? People want to look like a drag car or drag race, fine.
That's a different animal.
Everyone has their knowledge and opinions.
The same for sway bar front end changes, but that question really doesn't come up.
Your experience is priceless.
"The world is plagued by inexperience."

TO DROP OR NOT TO DROP
 
Whenever I talk bad about KYB shocks, I'm silently comparing them to way beck in the late 70s and early 80s when they were actually a decent shock. Now, they are hit and miss at best. Some people get good ones. But most I know don't like them. I even sold a few sets at my last stint at the parts store and they all came back complaining about the ride. So that oughtta tell you something.

On mine, Vixen is a simple daily driver that I just want to ride good and really not even think about it. I just put some heavy duty gas charged Monroes on her and she rides just fine. I don't really give a **** what anybody else thinks.

Now, when I build the front end and put the disc brakes on her and add the rear sway bar, I might look at some Bilsteins. I might not.
 
I like the firm ride of KYB's. The car to me, feels planted. I have 3 Darts, and have them on every one. Is there better shocks out there ? Absolutely. But for the money, its a tough shock to beat. I bought a new set of Monroe's for the Scamp, to do a comparison. Rusty says the engine bay is ugly, so the comparison will take a while. :)
 
Johnny Dart said:
I like the firm ride of KYB's. The car to me, feels planted. I have 3 Darts, and have them on every one. Is there better shocks out there ? Absolutely. But for the money, its a tough shock to beat. I bought a new set of Monroe's for the Scamp, to do a comparison. Rusty says the engine bay is ugly, so the comparison will take a while. :)
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But a better shock "for what"? If you're happy with KBYs what difference does it make?

...and when you showin up to detail my engine bay?
 
RustyRatRod said:
But a better shock "for what"? If you're happy with KBYs what difference does it make?

...and when you showin up to detail my engine bay?
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Better shocks for sword fighting. You know, the guys with the bilsteins and konis.

I should be there around spring 2025 :rolleyes:

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I liked my KYB shocks on my 65 and 69 Dart. I did upgrade to bilsteins which are great. Sold the KYB to my friend with a 79 Dart GT and he likes them also. Dustin
 
I put KYB's on my Charger, even after reading all the negative reviews. They did exactly what I wanted, and gave me a much firmer more stable feeling on the highway. I can live with a little roughness over tar strips and the like. I am sure there are better more expensive shocks out there, but they worked for me.
 
Appreciate all the feedback, I'll post an update once I get the KYB's on.

Not sure yet what I'll do with the blown Koni's but more than likely I will get them rebuilt and reinstall down the road.
 
str12-340 said:
Call ESPO Springs and Things and buy a new set of 6 leaf springs for your car (what 340 cars came with from the factory). They aren't that expensive and they aren't that hard to put on and they will solve a world of suspension problems that patches will just make worse. In my opinion you want the back wheel wells to show 1-2 inches of tire above the rim itself.
Click to expand...

Just added these to the future parts list, I like this option way more that anything else mentioned for rear springs.

Cheers,
 
Could the differences in opinion on KYB's be somewhat related to the size of the torsion bar used?

I always heard that if you put a larger (e.g. .99+) bar in the car, KYB can't control them and make for a harsh ride. But maybe with a stock TB, they are fine?

Just a question, never run them myself.
 
DionR said:
Could the differences in opinion on KYB's be somewhat related to the size of the torsion bar used?

I always heard that if you put a larger (e.g. .99+) bar in the car, KYB can't control them and make for a harsh ride. But maybe with a stock TB, they are fine?

Just a question, never run them myself.
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Could be, but I think some people get caught up trying to quantify something that is subjective in nature. One person's "harsh" is another's "firm."
 
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