Didn’t Gabriel buy KYB? Long ago.
just to add my experiences: I put Gabriel’s on an old Dodge van: sucked right off the bat…got dealer to exchange for KYB’s. I don’t remember model. Much better. My next van (GMC G1500) got KYB Gs-a-Justs, lasted 11 yrs until I sold the van. I liked them, yeah kinda stiff. Next van, Ford Transit, got Bilstein B6 after 5 years of OEM wallow. Rears seem good (Monotube), fronts are not Monotube, despite being “B6”…the fronts are OK, but not as firm as I had expected/wanted.
meanwhile, ask anyone with a 2005-2009 Subaru Outback, and you’ll get wildly divergent opinions about KYB (who made the OEM shocks). But IMHO KYB sucked big time for those model years; no Monotubes, only GR2 crap. I now have Bilsteins, but it wasn’t easy finding rears for the “raised” Outback wagon…had to look at JDM options…plenty of JDM Legacy sedan options, very few for Outback’s, despite what eBay sellers claim…unless you are looking to “slam” the car. There is a VERY pricey JDM Bilstein BTS5056 spring/shock/strut kit….which Bilstein USA refuses to talk about…or at least did a few years ago.