I am going to be putting new Shocks on my car. Its a 1988 N/A and I have 17" wheels on it (not sure if the wheel size would be relevent or not). The car is my weekend fun car that is only used on the street (So some spirited driving but I try to keep it safe).

What are your opinions on the Shocks I should get? I am thinking of going with either Konis or Bilsteins. What are your experiances with the 2 brands?

Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

 

Unless you have, or intend to change the spring rate it's best to stay with stock. The car's suspension was designed for the spring rate and so would valving of the shock. What is mileage on the current shocks?

 

I am currently replacing mine with Koni Yellows. I did a lot of research and it seemed like the best choice for me. The shock struts have over 130K miles on them so they are bound to be worn out. I just couldn't see paying so much for the stock struts, purely from a cost perspective.

 

Koni yellows.

 

For a street car, the KYB Gas-Ajusts do fine, a step up from the stock Sachs and cheaper than Konis.

 

Paragon has Konis on sale.

 

I ran Koni fronts with Bilstein rears for a while - nice setup. You can't adjust Koni rears in situ.

 

Bilstein HD for the rear.
Koni's w/300# springs front.

 

What I really want to do is reduce body roll. Would thicker swaybars be the best solution to this?

 

I have Kyb Gas adjusts and they're an upgrade from the stock suspension. There is still some roll, but less. On my old car, I ran Koni yellows and I really liked them, definitely better than the kyb.

 

The Car has 54,000 miles on it but the shocks seem soft. I am looking for a little performance upgrade as well as long as it is still streetable with the upgrade.

 

+1. Don't drop the ride height too much.

 

How much improvement can be had by replacing 155k-mile suspension components with new OEM (non-M030) springs and shocks?

My next project may be to restore my suspension.

 

Big improvement in precision and feel. Worthwhile, IMHO - these cars were built to be maintained. Get updated parts (eg 968) wherever possible.

 

Geez, yeah. At 155k I'd guess you'll really feel the difference.