Twilight Fenrir

Hello,
I'm working on my '66 Toronado, and was thinking about putting on some Edelbrock IAS shocks on the front and rear. Wish they had the rear horizontal shocks as well :P

Has anyone used these before? Are they worth the 3-4 times the cost of regular sensa-traks?

My442

I have had them on my 442 for about 4 years now.

They work extremely well, and are much better than SensaTracs.

firefrost gold

I have had them on a f 150 and a trail blazer . Hold up well ,work good and you get Kool sticker with them

oldzy

I hear they are decent... similar to Bilstein.

MDchanic

I put a set on a '97 Blazer.

Didn't like them.

I could feel their "variable valving" or whatever the heck it is kicking on and off - on some bumps it would be smooth, on others hard. It wasn't terrible, but it was a bit weird.
After that, no more "compromise" "best of both worlds" shocks - it's either a performance shock or a smooth ride shock.

I've got Bilsteins on my BMW and I love 'em.

- Eric

Twilight Fenrir

Oooh, a sticker! Well then, that makes it all worth it!

Heh, I like the K&N sticker I got with my filter... but I'd never put a sticker on my car :P

I'm planning on using my Toro for a daily driver in the summer. So it'll be getting alot of road under it. And, in Minnesota, we have 2 seasons, winter, and road repair. So there's usually alot of minor bumps. Occasionally, on certain roads, some significant ones. I'm leaning heavily towards picking them up. And now I'm leaning a little more, Thanks.

oldzy

Sticker... bah. When you go Bilstein, you get purty bright blue and yellow shocks!

BlackGold

I don't see "performance" and "smooth ride" as opposites. And I offer as proof your love of your Bilsteins.

I've got orange Koni's on my '70 W-30 and absolutely love how controlled and smooth the ride is. Not harsh, not loose. Just perfect. I'm guessing I'd like Bilsteins equally well. I think that people's experience with so-called "performance" shocks like KYB have made them think that "performance" means "harsh."

MDchanic

Sure, but the marketing for the IAS shocks, at least when I bought them, was that they had a valve that was actuated by driving demands, that allowed the ride to be smooth when you were driving calmly, but tight when you were driving aggressively. I could actually feel the valve kick in and out - the shocks had two settings: pillow-soft and rock-hard, and sometimes they would go into a bump on one setting and come out of it on the other.

The feel of the shock can best be described as "annoying," which is why I never bought another set.

- Eric

getawaycar

I like the Koni FSD shocks over all the other shocks I have ever used. They have made a huge difference on almost every vehicle and has even eliminated the majority of pops and creaks in the cab. They don't come with a sticker though. They will be going on my 68 442 when I get to my suspension.

Chris

Twilight Fenrir

Well, neither Bilstein, nor Koni list shocks for the Toronado.... The koni's look like they're exactly the same thing. The Bilsteins would be nice, they're $30 cheaper :P But, again, none built to fit my Toro.

Lady72nRob71

Yea - I has to scuff sand mine and paint them "GM shock grey"...

getawaycar

Instead of searching by application, try getting a known part number for another manufacturers shock and asking a shock supplier to cross the numbers. It is possible their application list is just not complete. I don’t know what other GM vehicles share the same chassis/ platform as the Fork but you may try to search one of those cars too.

Chris

Twilight Fenrir

Heh, the Edelbrocks are already a nice gunmetal gray. No need to be so ostentatious as blue and yellow, or firetruck red.

lol, The Fork? For its fender-fins?

The Toro shares it's platform with the '67 Cadilac ElDorado, and the Buick Riviera. Neither of which are listed for either brand.

The Bilsteins at least say they are specifically tuned to the weight distribution and geometry's of each compatible vehicle... Weather that's true of course is arguable, but the Toro has much different characteristics than any other Oldsmobile.

The Koni's sound like they are exactly the same thing as the Edelbrock, by the description of how they operate. Unless they're much cheaper, I don't see any reason to pick them over the Edelbrocks.

Any other favorites?

getawaycar

What the fork? My phone auto corrects spelling so sometimes it changes words with out me catching it. I meant Toro.

If the edelbrock shocks have the same description as the koni shocks I say go for it. The koni shocks have an amazing ride at least in the heavy duity side of things. Bilstein in my experience gives a much stiffer ride and the koni is much more fluid in it's dampening.

Chris

ziff396

I changed out my almost new KYB's (to stiff) for the Edelbrocks and have nothing but good to say about them. Ran them a last summer and really like the handeling and ride. No problems.