[Will]

One of the first mods I ever did to my Formula was a set of Koni shocks. The red gas ones. Had them on that car for several years then put them on my Nova. Loved the way they rode and really firmed up the handling without being harsh or bouncy. They are adjustable for rebound stiffness and I found that lets the suspension absorb impacts (fairly soft on compression) while keeping the ride really well controlled and reducing body lean. I adjusted the fronts to 1/2 turn from full stiff and the rears to 1 turn and never felt the need to readjust. I also had HO Racing front springs and '79 WS6 4 speed spec rear springs.

At one point the bushing in one of the front shocks failed. The other one was looking a little worn, so I sent them back to Koni for repair. I got a call from them and they said both shocks had failed their tests and they sent me a brand new pair. This was after several years of service, so they definitely stand behind their warranty and have excellent customer service.

I've never run Bilstein but I've only heard good things about them.

I tried a set of KYBs on my Nova and discovered they're terrible with stiff springs. Made the ride really bouncy and truck-like. I swapped them out for the Konis and all was well.

My '73 esprit had stock springs and KYBs on it when I bought it and it rode okay. I think the idea behind KYBs is that they are a stiff 50-50 shock designed to firm up soft, stock suspensions. They're just too much/too stiff on compression for use with stiff aftermarket springs.

I don't know how relevant it is but I put a set of the Koni STR.8s on my Honda Accord and they worked really well. Gave the suspension a nice controlled but compliant feel. I didn't know they made those for old cars...?