Hey all. I'm considering purchasing four (KYB?) gas shocks for my 73 std beetle from Aircooled.net. These are the low pressure ones I'm looking at. Who here has experience with these? I am willing to sacrafice a cushy ride for better handling, allthough I don't want it to rattle my spine apart! Aircooled.net claims this is the shock I'm looking for. Yay or nay? Thanks for any replies; the help I'm gaining from all your experience is invaluable! ~Anthony
I have KYB gas shocks (forget the model, the white ones) in the back of my
73 SB and GR-2s in the front. Personally, I think my fronts are too stiff unless the bonnet is full of groceries, then it feels good. With them, a tire pressure of around 35psi seems best. Any less, and small bumps are more harsh not the other way, go figure. The first year they felt good, but are starting to get stiffer for the small bumps. Maybe I'm imagining it... They do great on the big bumps, but you feel the small ones rather harshly. Oddly, I think (maybe I'm wrong) that they wear in and get stiffer over time, not the other way.
I don't mean to dissuade you, but that's what I think of GR-2s. I don't know if mine are high pressure or what.. Maybe they come in different compression/rebound rates? Though, KYB gas shocks in a heavy 70s muscle is sweet, I guess due to the weight. They felt great in my 70 LeMans that had ElCamino (BB, B body) front springs (much stiffer than the SB, A body ones).
If my motor was up to it (but it isn't), I'd love to put 150lbs of lead weights in the front so I don't feel like i'm driving a motorboat down the highway when it's windy.
They are ok for the back, use the cheap Cofab's for the front, works great! In adition I would consider "Flop Stop"'s for the rear and Caster shims for the front, cheap and easy mods which realy makes a difference..
..................That's right. The oil filled shocks are perfect for the front. Anything stiffer is too much for the the front of a bug because it's so light. 3/4" sway bars front and back will improve handling without ruining your spine. I've heard that GR-2's are OK on the back but I'm pretty happy with the oil filled ones back there as well.
Hmmm...I was planning on running the GR2's on the front of my 67 after I lower it, since they offer a lowered version. Anyone have a suggestion for a shorter bodied shock that woun't ride too rough?
The best solution to mantain ride comfort and a somewhat standard front geometry would be to use lowered spindles, doing that you retain your stock length front shocks. To the best of my knowledge there are no "shortened" shocks available with the correct dampening ratios. The one who have been sold for a while came off an front engined Opel...(you figure out the rest......).
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.