- Joined
- Oct 7, 2007
- Messages
- 720
- Location
- Amherst, NY
- Corvette
- 1996 Torch Red Coupe (Prior 1988 and 1989)
Prior owner had installed KYB gas-a-adjust shocks. I'm not sure how they drove when new, but I was tired of feeling every road imperfection. My 1989 has the base FE1 suspension. Gabriel Ultras were recommended by several local C4 owners, and I was impressed how they drove on a 1984 (darn stiff suspension to begin with). The difference was noticeable in the first mile. Gone was that stiff initial road shock caused by road imperfections and they rebounded quickly when hitting hard bumps when exiting and entering thruway ramps. Not sure how long these low cost shocks will last, but I'm enjoying the new ride. I'm sure there are better shocks for optimal performance like the Blistins, but roads in my area are far from perfect. Regardless of the shocks you install, replacing them did not take that long at all. First shock took a little over an hour as I collected all the right tools. The remaining three consumed two hours. That included cleaning inside the wheel rims and greasing the front end. Top shock stud nuts were torqued to 19 foot pounds as per FSM which collapses the rubber bushings properly and locks the nut to the stud.