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Understanding the difference between progressive, digressive, and linear valving combined with road conditions and the ever present "driver capability" variable goes a long way in understanding why some shocks feel overly soft while others feel too stiff. Suffice it to say there are so many variables at play that, like a broken clock is correct twice a day, so too can even a piece of junk like a KYB can work well on some combinations, in some environments, with some drivers.

In any case, to understand appplication of shock dynamics and capability is a big reason why so many Cup cars are so fast while others are also ran. Two decades ago there was no such things as a shock engineer and nobody bothered to dyno their shocks. These days, if you want to be a front runner, these are important things to have if you ever want to win. The understanding and capability of a shock is of paramount importance to the overall suspension operation.

Lets put it in these terms; shock absorbers are to a suspension what a camshaft is to an engine. Much like a cam will determine an engines useful range, power levels, ranges of power, and curve of power, so too will a shock operation within a suspension system to determine operating characteristics, manners, and feel. Matching shocks to suspensions achieves results similar to matching cams to engines. Sure any old thing thrown in there will work, but when you seek to achieve optimal results, the cheapest shocks with the most pressure are not going to be any better than using the cam with biggest lift and longest duration.

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To me....they suck. They're way too harsh for my liking. I had a set just recently (that were still good) on a police package Diplomat and the car rode like absolute crap. I could fell every bump in the road like the car was going to fall apart. The handling was worse than it should have been as well. Because if I took a corner at higher speed than the speed limit and I happened to hit a "bump" the car would literally "skip" in the turn. I'm amazed I haven't wrecked it. I went to the Monroe Sensa-Track or whatever they're called and the car is 10X's better.

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To me....they suck. They're way too harsh for my liking. I had a set just recently (that were still good) on a police package Diplomat and the car rode like absolute crap. I could fell every bump in the road like the car was going to fall apart. The handling was worse than it should have been as well. Because if I took a corner at higher speed than the speed limit and I happened to hit a "bump" the car would literally "skip" in the turn. I'm amazed I haven't wrecked it. I went to the Monroe Sensa-Track or whatever they're called and the car is 10X's better.

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my experiences with my hot rodded 5th ave that has police spec rear springs and sway bars...were very harsh on minor road imperfections, also felt a little underdamped with my heavy wheel/tire combo (17x8 mustang rims and 255/50R17's)....switched to monroe sensa tracks and lost none of the handling ability, but ride improved substantially.

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Back in the early 90's when I was setting up my frist A body I called KYB and got the shock rate info from an engineer there. He wanted to know why I wanted it and when I explained what I was doing he had no problem helping me out.

Your shock rate has to be compatible with your wheel rate. Since I could not afford expensive shocks I was stuck with KYB's. So I built my suspension around the shock rate available to me. I have no complaints with how it rides or how it handles. If I had the money I would probably got about it differently, maybe.

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You gotta run what you can afford.

Do you remember what rates and specs he gave you for those KYB's.

I ran them for years on my Barracuda with .99" T-bars and I blew a few out. To the point when I jacked the car they just bled shock oil out. I think I was at the limit of the spring rate for those shocks.

I know people that have ran KYB with 1.06 or higher T-bars and the ride is real wacky. They are overcome by the spring rate.

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The best shock absorbers are made by Bilstein and Koni..
Not cheap but they work great and last 100K miles..

Just my $0.02..

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I second that emotion. Funny thing, I read all of the above, and my complaint with KYBs is the exact opposite: Not nearly firm / stuff enough!

I've used Konis (eventually) on every car I've ever raced. Always like "yeah, now we're talkin'" when I finally bite the bullet. And the almost infinite adjustability is awesome.

Used Bilsteins on a 1G Dak recently, quite impressive, too.

Rick