How to pick aftermarket shocks and struts? (Page 1/2)
robmox MAY 27, 02:04 PM
I'm interested in buying after market shocks and struts for my '88 Pontiac Fiero. There are essentially only 2 parts available, both OEM replacements. The parts I'm interested in are QA1, which one of their reps said that they could make shocks and struts to fit any car. I wanted to email one of their reps, but there's no option to contact them with questions through their website. But, the options for their custom parts don't line up perfectly with the minimum and maximum for the OEM replacement parts.

The OEM replacement parts are: KYB Gas-a-just Front, min 8.5", max 13.0". Monroe Struts Rear, min 9 3/8", max 16 1/8".

The QA1 shocks come in the following sizes: 8 5/8"-11 3/8", 10 1/8"-14 3/8", 11 1/8"-16 3/8".

If that's the case, is it better to pick for a correct minimum or correct maximum height? I have no intention of lowering the car, so a higher than OEM minimum isn't a problem for me personally. Pushing the wheel down should effect camber a bit, but by an amount that can be corrected with an alignment. Anything I haven't thought of?

Links:

https://www.summitracing.co...odel/fiero/year/1988

https://www.summitracing.co...odel/fiero/year/1988

https://www.qa1.net/automot...unt-coil-over-shocks
Patrick MAY 27, 05:39 PM

What is your goal with this car? Grocery-getter, trailer queen, cruising, autocross, track?

The relatively low cost aftermarket struts and shocks offered by Monroe and KYB are so superior to the factory units (especially after all these years) that you'd probably be absolutely delighted with them.
robmox MAY 27, 06:06 PM

quote
Originally posted by Patrick:


What is your goal with this car? Grocery-getter, trailer queen, cruising, autocross, track?

The relatively low cost aftermarket struts and shocks offered by Monroe and KYB are so superior to the factory units (especially after all these years) that you'd probably be absolutely delighted with them.



The car is my daily driver, and the poor suspension played some part in my currently broken tailbone (the other part is my relative lack of flexibility in my butt and hamstrings). So, I’m looking to make the ride quality hold up to Nashville’s shitty roads. I have no intention of taking it on a track, and I believe even with a newer stock suspension, it’ll be sporty enough for me. The main incentive for coilovers to me would be to improve my options for wheels. I enjoy my GT wheels now, but I might want to change it up in a few years.
RWDPLZ MAY 27, 06:59 PM
I liked the comfort of the Monroe Sensatracs but they leaked out pretty quickly.
The KYB's rode too rough.
The Koni's on the softest setting were JUST right. Do they still sell those?
theogre MAY 27, 07:47 PM
Gabriel are good too if still make units for 88.
See my Cave, Strut & Shock

They and maybe others offer only Premium Gas units now for many old cars including Fiero.

⚠️ "Best" shocks and struts often make "the ride" Harder on crap roads.
Because most use different valves etc in them that get harder to compress and expand on crap roads.
The different valving etc Is for giving a "soft ride" on most roads but get hard to very hard crossing RR Tracks, worse Angle Crossings, and hitting larger holes to make near impossible to "Bottom out" the car.

"Custom" and "Race" units are often even worse for this then "Best" Gas Monroe or Gabriel because M and G are made for street use w/ iffy roads. (Many NAPA and other units are made by Monroe under whatever specs and painted/labels per contract.)

Then add 88 don't have Steering Stabilizer that "eat" a lot of impact when doing same and you feel thru Steering Wheel. (S-stabilizers does nothing 99% of time but valving stops SW pulling hard for same. If 84-87 is hard to turn while driving then this part is likely bad assuming alignment etc are good. You can't turn by hand fast enough to activate the valves.)
GM deleted this for 88 mainly because going to have PS then dropped that option too. PS would stop nearly all S-wheel feel hitting most except big crap.

Even changing tires from (84 w/ 13" rims) 14" rims to 15" rims and meet total OE time diameter affect ride quality.

And that's ignoring people can have lowered cars, "rubber band" tires, and more that make a ride harder.

------------------
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)

The Ogre's Fiero Cave

Spadesluck MAY 27, 10:56 PM

quote
Originally posted by RWDPLZ:

I liked the comfort of the Monroe Sensatracs but they leaked out pretty quickly.
The KYB's rode too rough.
The Koni's on the softest setting were JUST right. Do they still sell those?



Unfortunately, no. Got to find them used if you want them
fieroguru MAY 28, 12:17 PM
Front shocks for the 88 are 7.84" compressed and 11.7" extended. KYBs and many aftermarket brands run a little long - as they are trying to adapt other existing shock bodies to a low volume application.

The issue with longer shocks is that when you start lowering the front of the 88, you trim the bump stop to maximize travel while leaving a finger gap between the tire and fender at full suspension compression (remove shock, spring and sway bar link and raise wheel with a jack). After you dial the bump stop height in, then you will find you sometimes bottom out the shock before hitting the bump stop (depends on the shock, overall tire OD, and finger thickness).

The fix is to shim the shock flange from the bottom of the lower a-arm to ensure the shock does not bottom out.

More details here:
http://fieroguruperformance.com/?page_id=1157

The rear struts are more of a challenge as the knuckle flange used in the Fiero was only shared with other GM FWD sedans/vans (nothing really sporty) and most aftermarket support has dried up.
Koni discontinued them when their EU metal stamping vendor went bankrupt and stopped making these flanges. The Fiero was the only application in Koni's product line with this flange and the retooling costs for the flange were too high to start over.
QA1 has never offered a strut with the right flange for the Fiero, it would be new R&D for them and a limited market = excessively high cost of entry and low opportunity to recoup R&D costs.

Several have played around with reusing an old fiero strut body and installing an aftermarket strut insert into it.
robmox MAY 28, 05:43 PM

quote
Originally posted by fieroguru:

Front shocks for the 88 are 7.84" compressed and 11.7" extended. KYBs and many aftermarket brands run a little long - as they are trying to adapt other existing shock bodies to a low volume application.

The issue with longer shocks is that when you start lowering the front of the 88, you trim the bump stop to maximize travel while leaving a finger gap between the tire and fender at full suspension compression (remove shock, spring and sway bar link and raise wheel with a jack). After you dial the bump stop height in, then you will find you sometimes bottom out the shock before hitting the bump stop (depends on the shock, overall tire OD, and finger thickness).

The fix is to shim the shock flange from the bottom of the lower a-arm to ensure the shock does not bottom out.

More details here:
http://fieroguruperformance.com/?page_id=1157

The rear struts are more of a challenge as the knuckle flange used in the Fiero was only shared with other GM FWD sedans/vans (nothing really sporty) and most aftermarket support has dried up.
Koni discontinued them when their EU metal stamping vendor went bankrupt and stopped making these flanges. The Fiero was the only application in Koni's product line with this flange and the retooling costs for the flange were too high to start over.
QA1 has never offered a strut with the right flange for the Fiero, it would be new R&D for them and a limited market = excessively high cost of entry and low opportunity to recoup R&D costs.

Several have played around with reusing an old fiero strut body and installing an aftermarket strut insert into it.



I noticed that QA1’s “weld in” coilovers had parts that look like they’d match the bracket on the ‘88. I’m a little surprised nobody here has tried them.
Patrick MAY 28, 06:56 PM

quote
Originally posted by robmox:

I’m a little surprised nobody here has tried them.



With QA1 mentioned in 417 threads here, that's doubtful.
robmox MAY 28, 10:32 PM

quote
Originally posted by Patrick:

With QA1 mentioned in 417 threads here, that's doubtful.



I skimmed about 50 of those, every one of them is about QA1 springs, not their coilovers kits.