KE70 Shocks

[Tham]

What shock absorbers are you KE70 owners over
there using ?

Over here in Malaysia we have few choices, as
far as conventional oil-filled types are concerned.
Two of them are locally made - APM (license-built
Tokico) and Kayaba. Their QC is virtually nonexistent
compared to the original Japanese products of the 80s.
I installed APM in my front MacPherson struts and they
the right one has given way after just about a year.

Monroe shocks here these days are coming from Thailand,
I think. Pretty poor QC too. Gabriels are hard to come
by, and they make only gas-charged or full gas types.
Paraut makes good shocks, but they don't have a model
for the KE70 here.

I drove an Isuzu Gemini in the 80s, and the adjustable
oil-filled Gabriels which I fitted on top of the front
double-wishbone type suspension were still going strong
when I sold the car in 1993. I set them at the lowest
"soft" ride. Even if they lost their damping later, I
could always set them to the next "medium" ride. By
the time that came to the "hard" setting, they would
have outlasted the car ! It's a pity Gabriel doesn't
make them anymore.

Talking about Macpherson struts, I never did quite like
the design. They are expensive and difficult to replace
- you must have a spring compressor. Over here in
Malaysia no car owner can replace these shocks - you
need a mechanic. It appears only the Japanese favoured
them since the 60s - virtually all American and European
rear-drive cars stuck with the double wishbone. On
the later frontdrive Japanese cars, I guess they didn't
have a choice due to lack of space.

The Isuzu Gemini used a double wishbone front suspension
with the shocker placed on top of the upper wishbone.
I just needed an extra jack and half an hour to replace
it. These conventional shocks are quite cheap too.
The adjustable US-made Gabriel cost me M$40 then, about
A$14. Standared Belgian or US-made Monroes were $25 then,
or A$9 each.

A locally made APM Macpherson cartridge for the KE70
costs M$70 each (A$27), and those which come with the mounts
for cars like the local Proton Saga costs at least M$150
(A$55).

[love ke70]

get KONI
they make adjustables for the front and rear, theyre awesome.
and double wishbone handle like shit, thats why the macpherson strut is prefered.

[blacktop]

i use Koni and have been very happy with there performance so far. i believe KYB make shocks for the beast as well. if you just want to replace OEM shocks then i would just get medium quality cheapish shocks as the car is so light that it would be hard to wear them out over a year.