I'd like the most comfortable ride possible.. does anyone know, personally, which one would suit me best?

 

Monroe 72245 part number is the exact relacement for the xB/xA. We no longer have to use the Echo part #s.

 

I actually want to have front Echo Sensatracs because they "lower your xA/xB" according to all the guys here. In the back I will get the xA specific struts. But do you like the Sensatracs or the KYB's?

 

If you want a comfortable ride def go Monroes FTW. The KYBs are basically OEM replacement ones.
For the rear the shock number I gave you, 5601 is correct for the xA according to Monroe. Let us know how it rides after you get it smoothed out please?

 

For sure.. my goal is to get a smooth ride that handles turns nicely.. tell you how it goes when I'm done.

 

For turning nice and flat you will want to upgrade your front bar endlinks with Energy bushings and 4 inch bolts. For the rear just add the TRD or Progress bar to finish it off.

 

Koni's you can adjust the ride.....

 

 

I just replaced the front crappy factory bushings with some polyurethane bushings. I test drove it on the downhill curvy mountain hills where I live. The difference is unbelievable! Don't know how the Gov't let them put @*!$ like that on cars.

I test drove it on the highway and it handled VERY nice except when I got past 75-80 mph. I started to feel a vibration in the steering wheel. The faster I went, the vibration increased. I let the wheel go and it did not veer off the center of the road for a good distance. Could it be that I need a wheel alignment? By changing the bushings, is it possible that I could have threw it out of alignment? After all the factory bushings were shot to hell and the new bushings (4- 3/4" for each side) was like putting some bushings in when there were none.

Should I get a wheel alignment to solve this problem?

Would it get rid of the vibration?

 

Well I got all four Monroe Sensatracs installed and it drives great. I don't hear every crack in the road no more and it is definately less bouncy, most noticable going over sped bumps. On top of the comfort, my car now has a slight rake. I got Tein S Tech springs that lower the car 1.7" - front/back. It looked great but the front wheel gap was just a lil bit bigger than the back. After installing the Monroes, the front wheel gap is slightly less, but noticeable. Great upgrade.

 

That sounds great. I am a bit worried about upgrading the springs to shirter ones for fear of making hte ride harsh, however also worried about the car bottoming out if its loaded to or over its 900 lb capacity. I am a fat guy as is, so a third of that is removed with me in the car.

Abracy, sounds like tire issues. Did you hit a pot hole hard? Is it wearing unevenly? Has it been balanced lately or has a wheel weight flew off? I think the tightness of the system just made it more noticable, but the vibration has existed.

 

Changing springs won't affect the ride quality but losing the stock shocks/struts will improve the ride no matter what springs you go with.
Abracy, def sounds like a wheel/tire issue. You just couldn't tell before because the endlinks were masking the symptoms. The endlinks have ZERO affect on the alignment.

 

Koni's for the win!

I do have front KYB G2's for sale if your interested let me know

 

Koni??? It's not even in the race.
As much as the adjustable Konis' cost you might as well just move up to coil overs.

 

Just went to Konis from KYB's Trust me worth the money!

Not only that but coilovers are not half as comfortable

 

If you haven't tried the Monroes, how do you know the Konis ride nicer and worth the extra cost?

 

I read, and ALOT! all of the reviews that I have seen read that the kyb's ride nicer then the monroes. That is why I purchased them in the first place. Once I found Konis for the right price however I went for them and noticed a drastic difference.

So coming to my conclusion reviews read that kybs out ride the Monroes and from personal preference I saw a drastic change from KYB's to Konis'

Would you like me to draw it on a board for you?

 

Drawing, what is that? Practically anything other than the KYB stockers will ride nicer. I'm wondering if the Konis ride is worth the cost difference over the Monroes cause I still need front struts to complement my rear Monroes. How much do the Koni front struts run for a pair and what part number are they?

 

Koni front struts run over 300, I do have a pair of my KYB g2s that worked fine, If you dont want the ability to change the stiffness they would be just fine.

Shoot me an offer

 

I found a pair of Monroe 72245s for 168 shipped. Can't wait to get em on when I go back to the stock springs.