hemants

Speaking to a suspension shop yesterday he said that Tokico are basically OEM replacements and are "designed' for use with the stock springs.

So if lowering springs (CT, HR) cause premature wear of the stock shocks because they are constantly in a compressed state, what confidence do we have that Tokico's will last?

What would make me more comfortable would be if shock manufacturers specified what spring height the are designed for.

You know what I mean?

The guy also said that the difference between Koni and Tokico was fairly substantial in terms of build quality. He recommended either Tokico Blue or Koni Yellow (said that Illumina were almost the same as Koni but not nearly as good).

hemants

bumpification!

r3mix3r

bump

just a reader

interested also, someone please shed sum light on this!!

hemants

Bump again!!!

mattg

i think you're reading to far into this. get konis, be happy.


btw, honda shocks are supposed to be some of the worst. i doubt you will have any problems w/ the tokico shocks, and i know personally that the konis are awesome.

mattg

let me break it down for you like this ~


oem honda shock = geo metro

tokico = corvette

koni = enzo

97Cl22

Summed up pretty well. You have to remember most aftermarket shocks you would buy are a completely different type of shocks. They are usually gas shocks, as well as very much better built.

Chaptorial

I concur the Koni's are awesome.

NiteQwill

Do the Koni's fit on 03 CL-S? I was looking at autocarparts.com and shox.com and they seem to contradict each other.

Chaptorial

Yeah the Koni Yellow's absolutely fit on an 03. Got them through Dean BTW.

http://www.autocarparts.com/part/242/11

And i see what your saying with that link above. ^

They just didn't update, they fit.

t-rd

It has to do with different valving inside the shocks, also wether it's gas/oil filled. Aftermarket performance shocks have a higher and faster rebound rate, making it more suitable for stiffer shorter springs. This in term, gives you less chance on bottoming out your car, less spring compression and faster shock response/rebound around corners, etc. Stock spring/shock combos are designed for comfort with a slow and softer rebounds. The stock springs are also extra long to provide extra travel for absorbing large shocks along the roads. It's all physics. Same amount of shock experienced on a stock suspension equals long spring compression + long spring rebound, hence the "boaty" feeling; equal amount of shock, if must be absorbed by shorter springs and firmer shocks equals more bumpy ride due to long series of small/shorter spring compressions + shock rebounds.

hemants

"It has to do with different valving inside the shocks, also wether it's gas/oil filled. "

Yes, I could see how shock construction could affect shock life.

"Aftermarket performance shocks have a higher and faster rebound rate, making it more suitable for stiffer shorter springs. This in term, gives you less chance on bottoming out your car, less spring compression and faster shock response/rebound around corners, etc. Stock spring/shock combos are designed for comfort with a slow and softer rebounds."

I see what you are saying. So in theory, aftermarket shocks with stock springs would result in a shorter travel and hence you would be "wasting" the extra spring height because it would never get used?

"The stock springs are also extra long to provide extra travel for absorbing large shocks along the roads. It's all physics. Same amount of shock experienced on a stock suspension equals long spring compression + long spring rebound, hence the "boaty" feeling; equal amount of shock, if must be absorbed by shorter springs and firmer shocks equals more bumpy ride due to long series of small/shorter spring compressions + shock rebounds."

Yes, it's kind of like matching a bungy chord to the height of a bridge right? But here's the thing, if a shock is an OEM replacement, then it is going to be "neutral" at stock height right?

ie. shocks are designed to resist both compression and expansion of the springs to dampen their oscillation.

So wouldn't Koni's or Tokico's be in a compressed state with lowering springs???

R1Performance

Increased spring rates (aftermarket) kill the oem shocks for the most part, in conjunction with the dampners not working within the operating range they were designed for obviously. On the other hand, Koni shocks are designed (valved, and sometimes custom stroked) to be better suited for higher spring rates, which is probably the biggest killer of compromise (oem) shocks. Granted the koni still won't be matched to the spring rates and height of the spring (unless custom valved/stroked), it has the ability to stand up to them. Whereas the Koni's valving can handle the extra stress called upon by significantly higher aftermarket spring rates, the oem struggles to maintain control of the spring, resulting in accelerated wear.

blader

Your reading way to much into this dude. I have CT springs with tokico blue HP's. Definetly noticed a difference from stock. less "floaty" feeling, much less bounce, feels much more planted at speed on the highway. If you have the money buy the koni's, it you want to save like 200$ get the Tokico's, I am happy with mine

ChadT

I thought my stock shocks felt like they were blown when they were brand new. The stockers are too weak for the stock springs already so adding a stiffer spring just makes them worse. Konis are awesome. Bilstien also makes great shocks. If you want a shorter shock you can get the Neuspeed Konis or Bilstien sports.