damper confusion

[LimeyMk1]

Can the standard stuff be bught easily and at a fair price, as if I had that along with the polybush kit then that might be all I need.

Koni was my 1st choice for a modified set up.

I seen it on larkspeed.com, part num 2617234

is that correct?

It seems awfully pricey

Standard shocks now come in a sealed unit from Toyota, I believe they're about £65 each. Can't comment on what they're like though.

£500 for the set's about right for Koni's. They will come with springs though.

[yellowmitch]

Rang Toyota, £240 for the full car worth of shocks.

They can't however get springs so, I would maybe get the lesjofors

Would that work ok, or would the standard shocks not be suited to those springs?

Alan

[triplecustard]

Personally, I'd do standard dampers with lower springs & superflex bushes for road use.

[jnoiles]

Finally is the bush kit hard to fit?

My mechanic asked me not to come around and see the progress because he'll be swearing a lot. At me and the car. And everything else. The answer appears to be yes, it's a xxxxxx of a job.

[cartledge_uk]

Finally is the bush kit hard to fit?

My mechanic asked me not to come around and see the progress because he'll be swearing a lot. At me and the car. And everything else. The answer appears to be yes, it's a xxxxxx of a job.

If I were to get it done again, I would pay someone, make sure you get a fixed price quote first too.

[kaiowas]

Finally is the bush kit hard to fit?

My mechanic asked me not to come around and see the progress because he'll be swearing a lot. At me and the car. And everything else. The answer appears to be yes, it's a xxxxxx of a job.

If I were to get it done again, I would pay someone, make sure you get a fixed price quote first too.

It's a sod of a job if you don't have the right tools. It's pretty straightforward with a hydraulic press.

[cartledge_uk]

It's a sod of a job if you don't have the right tools. It's pretty straightforward with a hydraulic press.

I broke a 10 ton press removing some of my old bushes (burning out FTW)

The prothanes dont need a press to put them in. Its just a really crappy job, and if I need a new set, i'd pay someone.

[Fab4MR2]

I'd say that the combination of the springs and poly bushes are your problem. I've rarely heard of anyone saying that KYB's are too harsh, firm maybe, but not harsh. Your best bet would have been to just replace the struts and springs before doing the bushes, to see if you really needed to replace them or not. Personally, I've never been a fan of the poly's, but then I'm a bit old fashioned in that sense perhaps. Polys can actually stiffen up as they age, and the material dries out. Rubber bushings tend to dry out as well, but will get a bit sloppier, as the material breaks down. Many people have switched to polys simply because the harder rubber bushing solutions are few and quite expensive, not because they are better. I'll take the TRD rubber bushings, or Cusco 'hyper rubber' bushings over poly any day. The stiffness difference is very small (movement wise), and the rubber bushings will absorb shock significantly better.

From posts I have seen elsewhere, I believe the KYB GR2's and Excel-G's are the same strut. They are just marketed under different names in the US and in Europe. I have also seen that they are shortly to all be consolidated under one name (I forget which one though).

Edit: I forgot to mention that you should give your new struts about 100-200 miles (200-300 kms) to break in before really judging them, as all struts I have ever used felt especially stiff until broken in a bit.

[triplecustard]

job done, these replacement KYB's are noticeably softer, much better ride. Comparing them on the bench the new ones have much less rebound damping.