N8N wrote:
>
> jjjsan wrote:
>
>>also check out KYB brand. They make shock and struts. Might be better
>>quality than Monroe and Gabs.
>>They have the standard GR-2 and Performance grade shocks. Search around
>>for best price, like tirerack.com
>
>
> I'm not a big fan of KYBs. The PO of my 944 replaced all four shocks
> before I bought it; the rears he did himself with KYBs and the fronts
> he paid a shop to do, they used Gabriel. The rears started clunking
> and rattling within a year; I didn't think it could possibly be the
> shocks and I had visions of bad trailing arm bushings or similar.
> Since this is my daily driver I just took it to an independent Porsche
> specialty shop rather than try to fix it myself. Good thing I did; the
> shop owner put it up on the lift and immediately condemned the shocks.
> He replaced them with a pair of (pricey) Bilsteins and I haven't had a
> problem since. He called me up and basically told me never, ever,
> under any circumstances to use KYBs ever again - apparently this is not
> an isolated incident. I had to explain to him that they were on the
> car when I bought it until he regained any respect for me
>
> Similarly, my landlady has an old POS Nissan pickup truck. She just
> had four new shocks put on it and unfortunately they are KYBs. I
> didn't know what work was done on the truck, I just drove it home from
> the shop for her as a favor. When I got home she asked me "so how did
> it drive?" My response was "fine, but I think you need new front
> shocks, the LF is blown and rattling." That's when I found out about
> the new KYBs... deja vu all over again...
>
> I have also used Boge Turbo Gas on an old VW; they worked OK when new
> but quickly lost their damping within 30K miles. I replaced them with
> a set of used Koni Yellows which were still on the car when I sold it.
>
> The Gabriels on my 944 are still fine, although they don't feel as
> stiff as the Bilsteins. I've also used Gabriels on several old
> Studebakers mainly because Gabriel is the only company that still makes
> direct fit shocks for them; I haven't had any issues with them.
>
> So my advice to the OP is, buy the Gabriels unless you are looking for
> a sportier feel, in which case see if Bilstein or Koni makes a shock
> for your app.
>
> nate

Nate
You are right on the money.
If the choice is Gabriel or Monroe, I'd go Gabriel every time.
Back when we sold Gabriel, I used to carry a sample of each, cut apart.
The Gabriel was obviously better constructed internally. The last set
of Monroes I bought was in 1976.
If you want something better yet, Bilstein, Tokico, Koni.