KYB shocks, any good?

Thinking of replacing my old shocks with a new set of KYB shocks. Are they any good? Let me have your opinion. It's a Dart 383. Thanks.

They are the wrong choice if you have big torsion bars. They might work okay if you have a really soft suspension.

Really stiff. I didn’t care for them on a car that had hard bushings, big bars, etc. was so bad I never bought another set as I just couldn’t see anything riding good with them.

I have them on a 70 big block Cuda, and have run them on 318 Volare too.. for awhile they were the go to shock….but they are stiff. Depends on your roads, your driving style, your butt. I wouldn’t buy them again, but I’m also not taking them off my Cuda.

Thanks for that info guys. So what brand shocks would you recommend? Sound off.

I had them on my car and could not wait to get them off. Way too stiff for my liking. I ended up using Monroes.

I have them on my 69 B'cuda BB. I see no problem with them.

I have used KYB's almost exclusively on my own as well as customer's cars for over 40 year (20+ customer wise). During that time I had one customer that said they were too stiff so we swapped them for Gabriel's. Monroe's IMO are total cr-p and may as wel l stay with a 100,000 mile shock or strut.

I run bilsteins these days whenever I need a set. For everyday use, somewhat spirited driving of classics. On diesel pickups. Whatever I need them for. Before that I ran edelbrock so and have yet to find a better setup than those had. Somebody on here said they were a copy of a 50s or so mopar shock valve that instantly changed from stiff to soft basically. Not made anymore. Bummer.

Oriflow shocks is what they were called. My 51 had them originally. If they worked new anything like they did when I replaced them earlier this year, they suck. I found a set of Doetsch shocks that can be made to fit, much much much better than the originals. I will give the originals the benefit of the doubt right now, as they were 70 years old when I replaced them. I think the Edelbrock shocks used the same concept with a lot of updating since then, like being gas charged,

Check out Bilsteins or Konis...

Just my $0.02...

They are the worst shock I have ever used

They have rightfully earned their nickname....
Kill
Your
Butt.
They are a crutch for a softly sprung car. The way that they function is that for the first part of travel, they are stiff....then they soften up as the suspension compresses..
This is exactly backwards of a decent shock that is initially soft but firms up through the range of travel.
As Andy wrote, in a car with soft springs, they will firm up the ride but in a stiffer sprung car, they are terrible.
I had KYBs in my car with 1.0 torsion bars and 440/Hemi leaf springs. It rode rough but I lived with it. Later, I swapped in 1.15" torsion bars but switched to Bilstein RCD shocks and the car actually rode better.Bigger torsion bars and better shocks but it actually rode much better.

I have them on the front my Savoy but it still has the slant six bars on it. It doesn't ride terrible but I am going to a new set of Koni shocks up front.

Gus

I have KYBs on the front and rear of my '67 Barracuda Fastback. 440/727/S-60 combo. I have thick T-bars (1+ inch versions) + SS springs in the rear.
The shocks do not stand out to me as being soft,or harsh.
Maybe the ride sensor in my butt has gone out of calibration?

Installed a rear set on a 71 cuda. You could push down on the rear bumper and the rear end would not move. No give at all. Very stiff ride. Removed them and installed some Monroe shocks. Ride is much better.

I installed QA1 single adjustable for my street driven 71 Barracuda.
Really like them. Just dial up or down the firmness.

I wasn't expecting to see people citing the KYB is being too stiff. I put a set on my dad's 63 corvair last fall because the shocks on it were so worn out. After installing the new KYB gas adjust shocks, there is no difference between the KYBs and the old worn out shocks. If I bounced on the bumper, it would continue oscillating up and down about five times, almost as if there was no shock absorber on it at all. So in my experience they were not too stiff, they were way too soft.

Got a set on the front of my '66 Charger and that old tank drives pretty good. SS springs on the back with the matching MP shocks and I can't complain about the launch with Drag Radials or just driving around. Weighed 4150 with me in it last time I took it across the scales. I would buy another set for a heavy car like this one.