About a yr. ago replaced the rear shocks on the wife's 05' 60k mi. Ford Focus ZX5 w/KYB GR2's. The car rode very stiff and felt every imperfection in the road w/the GR2's. Jarring ride over larger/deeper bumps. (I will say the shocks did settle down a bit from new but after 1yr. no where near acceptable for a comfortable/ subtle ride.) So, they really are 20% are stiffer as per the manufacturer. I don't buy into the need for this extra stiffness because the the other suspension components are wore and shock extra stiffness is needed. I replaced them w/Gabriel "Guardian" shocks which are OEM replacement equavalent. MUCH, much better. I learned a lesson. Just a heads up to anyone else considering buying new rear shocks for a light rear-ended car.
Replaced the KYB GR2's w/Gabriel Guardian's
- Thread starter sparky123
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Great story. You are so right that you must be very careful as the aftermarket is a wildly different place than OEM.
No fan of KYB's here as we have had them fail completely on our service fleet vehicles and got ZERO warranty. Big fan of Gabriel as the best bang for the buck, and they last good too.
No fan of KYB's here as we have had them fail completely on our service fleet vehicles and got ZERO warranty. Big fan of Gabriel as the best bang for the buck, and they last good too.
I personally like the ride of the GR2 but they are definitely on the firm side.
The one nice thing about them is when you replace your old tired shocks, the stiffness of the dampers makes the car feel and drive like new, drastic difference.
I prefer it, but it's not for everyone.
The one nice thing about them is when you replace your old tired shocks, the stiffness of the dampers makes the car feel and drive like new, drastic difference.
I prefer it, but it's not for everyone.
Not a big fan of Gabriel myself anymore.
I installed a set of Gabriel Ultra-Strut's on my RX300 in March. The passenger side strut has already failed, with only 3k miles.
I pulled that junk out yesterday and replaced with a low mileage strut from a salvage yard which is 10x better than the Gabriel.
Gabriel won't warranty it either.
I won't lie, the ride quality was soft and comfortable. Not as good as OEM, but still better than what KYB would have been like. However, I don't want to replace struts every 3k miles along with an oil change.
Once I find another low mileage strut for the driver's side, I'll swap that out too. Don't want one failing during a road trip.
I installed a set of Gabriel Ultra-Strut's on my RX300 in March. The passenger side strut has already failed, with only 3k miles.
I pulled that junk out yesterday and replaced with a low mileage strut from a salvage yard which is 10x better than the Gabriel.
Gabriel won't warranty it either.
I won't lie, the ride quality was soft and comfortable. Not as good as OEM, but still better than what KYB would have been like. However, I don't want to replace struts every 3k miles along with an oil change.
Once I find another low mileage strut for the driver's side, I'll swap that out too. Don't want one failing during a road trip.
Originally Posted By: sparky123
I don't buy into the need for this extra stiffness
On Hyundai forums many Sonata owner's prefer the extra stiffness of the KYB shocks/struts, since they believe the ride is too compliant to begin with.
But I recently replaced all four on my Sonata with Monroe OESpectrum, because a rebate and Advance Auto discount codes made them super affordable. I was worried they would be too soft, but they aren't. They were a significant improvement over my OE shocks with 100k miles on them.
It also appeared the Monroes for my app were sourced from the OE supplier. They were made in Korea like the OE shocks/struts and were visually identical down to the smallest detail.
I don't buy into the need for this extra stiffness
On Hyundai forums many Sonata owner's prefer the extra stiffness of the KYB shocks/struts, since they believe the ride is too compliant to begin with.
But I recently replaced all four on my Sonata with Monroe OESpectrum, because a rebate and Advance Auto discount codes made them super affordable. I was worried they would be too soft, but they aren't. They were a significant improvement over my OE shocks with 100k miles on them.
It also appeared the Monroes for my app were sourced from the OE supplier. They were made in Korea like the OE shocks/struts and were visually identical down to the smallest detail.
Originally Posted By: stephen9666
It also appeared the Monroes for my app were sourced from the OE supplier. They were made in Korea like the OE shocks/struts and were visually identical down to the smallest detail.
I found out the same when I put the OE Spectrums on my Audi. They were Sachs from Belguim without the stickers and price markup. They rode identical to the originals from what I can remember back when the car was purchased.
It also appeared the Monroes for my app were sourced from the OE supplier. They were made in Korea like the OE shocks/struts and were visually identical down to the smallest detail.
I found out the same when I put the OE Spectrums on my Audi. They were Sachs from Belguim without the stickers and price markup. They rode identical to the originals from what I can remember back when the car was purchased.
Originally Posted By: sparky123
I don't buy into the need for this extra stiffness
It's not really a need, more of a preference.
After installing new Monroe struts in my wife's Corolla and having them feel like they were never replaced, I'd kill for a set of 'stiff' GR2 struts but I'm stuck with them now.
I don't buy into the need for this extra stiffness
It's not really a need, more of a preference.
After installing new Monroe struts in my wife's Corolla and having them feel like they were never replaced, I'd kill for a set of 'stiff' GR2 struts but I'm stuck with them now.
Just installed the Loaded KYB GR-2's struts in the front and Monroe OE Spectrum shocks in the rear of my daughters '06 Mazda3. Feels nice all'round really. Firm w/o being harsh.
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I have used KYB many times in the past. I recall them offering different models of shocks. IIRC the Gr-2 was more of an HD shock.
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