so i've been searching for 2 hours now; with no avail. info on them. are teh tokico HP shocks and struts an "upgrade" or simply a "factory replacement" ? running with the FRPP springs...and these are about $100 cheaper than FRPP shocks/struts; but if they are not what i need for a lowered car; then it's wasted money...

and please no "get spec-d's" comments; please. i know they are the greatest thing since sliced bread. but i need new shocks/struts now; and can't afford "the best"...

thanks in advance

 

The best would be Koni's IMHO, with D-specs a fairly close second.

As for HP's... As far as I'm concerned better than the FRPP dampers, but not a good long term solution. The Ford stuff rides harder. The Tokico's are softer, which makes them borderline on damping and as they wear they can't do what they should in terms of controlling the movement.

They are a ok solution for now, that's the best I can say. They aren't a long term answer, and I'd hate to see you spend money twice. In all honesty I'd say wait a few more weeks and get some shocks that can do the job for you over the long run.

 

sam;
thanks for the reply.

and koni's are def. outta my ballpark as far as price is concerned....

d-spec's worth almost twice the money for a DD? i've rode in a buddy's vehicle with FRPP and stock dampers and didn't mind the ride in it....BTW. it's not a track car; not a drag car; just a car i take to work everyday...

 

I think if you ask anyone who's had good shocks if they are worth it, you'll get 99.5% yes answers.

The fact you don't race has, in all honesty, little bearing on buying good dampers. You might be wondering why, and this is the reason: The car has mass and shocks control that mass. The car doesn't weigh less on the road vs. on an autox course or road course. Control is control in any situation. The shocks certainly don't say to themselves "hey, I'm racing, I need to work harder". And while it's true that those that do compete want a lot of damping control, that doens't mean a street guy doesn't. In fact, the reason so many German cars drive so well, and feel like they do is because of good, firm, damping. And most that buy BMW's, Porsche's and the like aren't racing either and are mostly daily drivers.

Being a daily driver doesn't mean you have to give up handling and control. And in my mind, I don't think most folks buy Mustangs to use simply as commuters cars. Otherwise you could have bought a Focus or any number of other cars.

You might not have minded the ride in your friends car on the lowering springs and stock shocks. My bet is over the long term you wouldn't like it at all. How many times have you gotten a quick example, only to find down the road what you thought wasn't the end result. And as the shocks wear the ride will only degrade.

You certainly can do whatever you like. And folks do a lot of odd things in a lot of aspects of car building and tuning and claim it's the cat's ***. There are those that put on bigger wheels, and crappy tires. Change brake rotors, but not pads when searching for better braking. The list goes on and on. The stock dampers aren't great, though they could be worse. However they are not meant for lowering springs and down the road you'll find out that's not a good combo. The FRPP dampers have more control, which is good... but they offer no flexibility, and we changed them out in short order for first D-specs and then Koni's, and don't regret for a moment doing that as the car not only is easier to drive fast (more stable) but also rides better.

 

they are an upgrade, call brenspeed they offer them

 

Based on? I'm not saying they aren't an "upgrade", but it how good of an upgrade certainly depends on what you expect and know about dampers.

I think it's like spending money on 89 octane gasoline when you really could use 93. Yeah, the car might run a little better than on 87, but it's all relative. And in this case you can use the damping control that better shocks get you, because it also effects ride.

 

exactly [sm=closed.gif]

 

HP´s may be a mild upgrade for use with the OE V6 and GT springs, but I don´t think I´d make that same claim relative to FRPP springs. Being better with FRPP springs than worn OE dampers doesn´t say much for them either.

You need to drive your buddy´s car, not just ride in it if you want any sense of the whole picture. You should be basing this decision on more than ahalf-hearted "didn't mind the ride in it" kind of thought.


Norm

 

Best save your money for the proper dampeners......either Koni or Dspecs, I have had my dspecs on now for a good year and 30k miles and still everyday am glad they are there. I drive in the mountain turns here from santa cruz to san jose everyday and it makes ALL the difference in the world to have good dampeners. I keep my fronts at 1 1/2 and the back at 2 1/2 and often want to make them even firmer. As long as your other parts are complimenting then you will only enjoy the difference even more.