Looking for best price on NA KYB AGX

[JuanoTejano]

Hey guys I am looking for some shocks to go with my Tein s-techs on my NA and am pretty sure that the KYB AGX is the way I want to go and was wondering if anyone knew where to find them new for any less than $99 at TDR. I'm also open to suggestions for other shocks that may work better with my Teins.

Thanks for any help guys.

[creek]

Did you buy that R pack? Your sig looks like it. I have a 94R also and I just replaced the factory Bilsteins with new Bilsteins and fat cat motorsports bumpstops. It rides like new and is not as harsh as I had heard. Factory springs BTW. I have seen AGX for good prices on E bay.

[MadMonkey]

I bought mine off Ebay and I believe they were about $275 for the set...

[sxk122]

I bought mine off Ebay and I believe they were about $275 for the set...

Thats a pretty good price.... Sign me up....

I had the KYB's on my zx2 and quite liked them.

[JuanoTejano]

Yea I am picking up the 94R that I missed out on last month, tomorrow. Looks like ebay it is for the AGX.

Monkey I was told by Bo that you have the AGX on S-techs, how do you like them? My main concern with the car right now is how stiff and crashy or violent the ebay coilovers that are on it are. Are you happy with the balance of performance and ride quality that the S-Techs and AGX provide?

[creek]

I bought mine off Ebay and I believe they were about $275 for the set...

Wow, it looks like they went up since then.

[JuanoTejano]

EDIT: Creek if your looking for some too then I'll let you know if I find a better price on them if you'll do the same.

Just looked on ebay and didn't see anything less than $392 for a set. I guess I will just have to keep checking back there but if anyone sees them anywhere for less than $390 for a set please let me know.

I noticed however that one description said that the shocks wouldn't work on a R pkg, I assume this means on the stock springs and that the KYB AGXs will work on my R pkg with Tein S-Techs, correct?

[creek]

I am not looking at AGXs at the moment. I just put on $400 worth of Bilsteins and am very happy with them. I have seen similar notices that some shock or other will not fit on R packs but I don't know what that's about. The shocks are the same length and fitment as the other models. It may be the stiffer R pack springs but there is not that much difference so I don't know why they say that. With the lowered Tein springs, bumpstops will be very critical. Your car is probably riding on the bumpstops now, mine was. Give Shaik at fat cat motorsports a call. Also, consider going back to Bilstein, I have been very pleased. I went with 36mm front and 46mm rear bumps but that was with the Billies, you may need something else for the AGXs.
If you would like to get together and drive my car sometime, let me know.

[JuanoTejano]

Well I know that I have FM rear shock mounts and I believe Bo mentioned that he did have bumpstops in there of some sort, but if he didn't then for $64 I might as well. Thanks for the info creek and I may take you up on your offer to try out your set up.

[MadMonkey]

Monkey I was told by Bo that you have the AGX on S-techs, how do you like them? My main concern with the car right now is how stiff and crashy or violent the ebay coilovers that are on it are. Are you happy with the balance of performance and ride quality that the S-Techs and AGX provide?

I love the combination (I also have the FCM bumpstops). I was actually using Ebay coilovers originally with the AGX's and they were unbelievably awful (my back hurt after only a test drive).

After putting the S-Tech's on (courtesy of Bo ) it felt like driving a Bentley. Much, much smoother. You'll love it

[sammm]

If you're going to spend $400 on AGX's, spring for another $100 and get Koni Sports.

[cone-cerned]

I have a set of used KYB AGX's with about 23,000 miles on them, great shape no leaks. I'll take $200 for the set, $250 with four pristine OEM boots.

[icepenguin66]

If you're going to spend $400 on AGX's, spring for another $100 and get Koni Sports.

Been a while since I've changed suspension set ups; you have to drill out the hole for the shock mount for the Koni's right? Awe hell, I'd have to get new bearings from FM for my rear mounts too in order to switch to the Koni's.

[sammm]

Been a while since I've changed suspension set ups; you have to drill out the hole for the shock mount for the Koni's right? Awe hell, I'd have to get new bearings from FM for my rear mounts too in order to switch to the Koni's.

Yes, you do have to drill the OEM tops out with the Koni's.

[JuanoTejano]

Yea well seeing as I have the FM rear shock mounts as well then Koni's are definitely out.

New question is without factoring any price differences that there may be, Blistein or KYB AGX?

This would be on a 94R with Tein S-techs for someone that daily drives the car, so it would need to iron out some of the bumps, who hasn't done any auto-x or track stuff but who may in the future. If I do get into auto-x or track stuff I wouldn't be concerned with tweaking every tenth of a second out of my car so the adjustability of the KYB isn't neccesary but might be nice. The most important thing would be a fun drive over many different surfaces of varying bumpiness and roughness and them not beating the shit outta me on the highway or other daily drive situations.

[MadMonkey]

The most important thing would be a fun drive over many different surfaces of varying bumpiness and roughness and them not beating the shit outta me on the highway or other daily drive situations.

That's what got me when I pulled away from Bo's house after installing the S-Techs. There was a sharp dip in the road that had nearly gotten me airborne on the way in (because of the stiff springs)... I drove over it at 20mph and didn't even feel it

As for autocross use, if you run in Novice like I do (did?) you'll be fine

Seriously though, they're great

[POS Racing]

Fat Cat Motorsports offers the following review:

KYB AGX - aftermarket, Japanese-made, twin-tube digressive shock with a single double-acting (rebound/compression) low-speed bleed knob
Background: rebound is 3x stronger than compression throughout the shocks operating range. This causes jacking down and a rough ride over bumpy roads, though not as much as Bilstein R-pkg or HD.
Usage: The damping is not very strong and our calculations indicate a maximum front spring of ~230 lb/in. These paired with stock springs or Tein S-tech would be the best compromise. Note that ride quality will be less than Koni Sport (on softer settings), Tokico Illumina (also on softer settings), or an FCM-valved Bilstein.
Revalve/rebuild? Not serviceable.

Koni Sport (also Koni Yellow) - aftermarket, Dutch-made, twin-tube digressive shock with a single double-acting (rebound/compression) low-speed bleed knob
Background: designed as a stock-replacement, this shock works quite well with a stock spring except for having insufficient mid- and high-speed compression to prevent jacking. On stiffer rebound settings the shock is often used to 'control' stiffer springs. However, the control being exerted is only in the rebound direction so the result is jacking down, creating a loss of grip, unpredictable handling in the wet and reduced ride comfort. We used these shocks for 10 years and they served us well until we discovered monotube technology via Bilsteins and haven't looked back.
Usage: For touring and sporty driving, we find 300 lb/in front, 220 lb/in rear springs is a good complement to the Koni damping. Higher rates are typically used for STS2, CSP and more dedicated track cars.
Revalve/rebuild? At an authorized Koni center (no, we do not revalve Konis).

[JuanoTejano]

Well I said above that I have the FM rear shock mounts and would not be willing to drill them out for Koni's so they are out of the question.

I would still like some opinions regarding KYB vs BILSTEINS. I think right now that I am leaning toward Bilstein HD just because everything I have read or heard about the two shocks is that KYB is a good value if you can find them for less than $400 but that the Bilstein are a more premium shock and seem to be held in higher regard, but I was kinda confused by the info posted from FCM because they say that the KYB jack down less and ride rough over bumps better than the bilsteins but then they say that once they found the monotube bilsteins they never looked back.

See my post 3 posts above to see what I want out of the shocks and please give your opinion and reasoning as to why you recomend one over the other.

[creek]

If you have FM rear mounts and Tein lowering springs and stock bump stops you are probably riding on the bump stops all the time. Your shock is not getting a chance. I know low is cool but it requires shorter bump stops and secure dental work. Do you still have the factory Bilsteins on the car? If so your bump stops should not exceed 46mm in length. Factory is 62mm and is made in one piece with the boot.
I struggled all winter to get the suspension on my car right. (pulled everything off 3 times.) I finally figured out that I needed to install the shocks without the springs or bump stops and with the wheels installed, then jack up the suspension until the tire rubbed and determine the minimum bump stop length. NA mounts, Bilstein HD shocks and 205/50/15 equals 42mm front and 46mm rear. I bought the 36mm fronts from FCM and added a 6mm spacer. Shaik has now changed his website to recommend this setup on '93 LEs and '94-97 R packs with stock springs. The only experience I have with AGXs was on a 300ZX and they "squished" all the time and wore out fast on this heavier car.
"Jacking down" has not been an issue since I changed the shocks unless I am on a REALLY bad washboard road. It's not a rally car after all. I just slow down and everything is fine.

[JuanoTejano]

I was told by both Bo and the guy who I bought the car from that the car has bumpstops on there, not sure what type but ther are not attached to the boot so it's not he stock ones. But I will verify with Bo what type are on there and if they might need replacing because $64 isn't a big deal.

Regarding KYB vs BILSTEIN I think I have convinced myself that bilstein is the way I want to go unless someone can give me a good reason why I would not want to go with them.

Thanks again for all the info creek. I sent you another PM.