shocks info for ALL

James Kanteraki

Registered User
i don't know how many times a day people ask about different shocks and lowering kits and whatever else, but here is one piece of info i have never read on this board.

SUPER COUPE OE SHOCKS ARE MADE BY TOKICO


www.tokicogasshocks.com


just thought that that would really help some people with their decisions.

on the site they say that even though they made the shocks that come standard on some cars, the tokico's you purchase in the after market will not be exactly the same.

just some info i thought should be known

jim
 
Good one Jim.

I knew the Tokico's were the stock shock, but was under the impression they offered a performance upgrade. Interesting. :rolleyes:

Lee
 
Tokico makes the OE shocks, and they also offer the Illumina 2 upgrade shocks, which are supposed to be approx. 25% firmer than the OE units. Some people, including myself, have found the Illumina 2 shocks seem to go soft prematurely ... we recently swapped mine out for Konis.


cheers
Ed Nicholson
SCCoO
 
fast Ed N said:
Some people, including myself, have found the Illumina 2 shocks seem to go soft prematurely ... we recently swapped mine out for Konis.

cheers
Ed Nicholson
SCCoO
I will include myself in this one, I found the exact same thing. Ride was very impressive once they were new, Now that I have roughly 10k on them.....I'm getting the spongy syndrome again. Next time, I will do what Ed did, Koni's!

Calvin
 
So if the Tokico's suck...

And say I want to have the ARC still functional, than I am out of luck? I can go to Ford, but there estimate is about $1300.00 to replace all four, and needless to say, I am not prepared to pay all that cash to have my shocks replaced.

You say that they went "soft". Do you mean that they went bad? Or are they just a little less stiff then they used to be? My factory shocks have 233K miles on them and are very bouncy and bad, have to use them on Firm all the time now, so I need new ones and want to keep the ARC.

So if after 10K miles of installing the new Tokico's they are going bad, what about a warranty? Do they warrant the shocks againt stuff like this?

Thanks

Phil
 
I was always under the impression that in general shocks only last for 15,000 to 30,000 miles. That is a pretty accepted standard, even printed on many aftermarket boxes.
 
I haven't talked to any shock people about these yet, but Ed are you saying i can get an electronically adjustable shock from Tokico that is not the Illumina II. Or is the Illumina II the only one they offer, and it is 25% firmer.

here's part of their warranty info from the website

TOKICO Limited Warranty. TOKICO (USA) Inc. warrants its performance suspension products to the original retail purchaser against defects in material and workmanship and wear-out when used on private passenger cars and light trucks under normal operating conditions for as long as such purchaser owns the vehicle on which it was originally installed, except for electronic components, which are warranted for 1 year from date of purchase.

Hmm ... except for electronic components; does that mean electronic controlled shocks or actually electric stuff they sell, i'll be calling them this week, i'll find out and post.

jim
 
These particular shocks have no electronic components. They are mechanical, it's the SC that has the electrical components to move the mechanical parts of the shock.
 
Tokico shocks are lifetime warranty, so are many others, like Bilstein for example. I went through two sets of Tokicos before I decided I couldn't stand the terrible ride quality anymore and got Bilsteins, which don't need ARC to give good ride and handling in all conditions.

Tokico somehow managed to include all the worst possible characteristics of a shock in the Illumina II. It is floaty and loose, but at the same time so harsh you feel every pebble. I'm not sure how they accomplished this engineering paradox, but kudos to them.
 
James Kanteraki said:
I haven't talked to any shock people about these yet, but Ed are you saying i can get an electronically adjustable shock from Tokico that is not the Illumina II. Or is the Illumina II the only one they offer, and it is 25% firmer.
jim


If you buy aftermarket Tokico shocks, they will be the Illumina II model that have a questionable life span ... if you buy shocks from a Ford dealer, or other OE Ford parts supplier, they will be the factory replacement shocks, which seem to stand up pretty well.


cheers
Ed N.
 
i pretty much had my shocks set to firm since 91 so when it came time for new shocks i just removed the arc motors and went with koni
 
Autozone Shocks

Those are made by Gabriel are they not? Do they have the ARC function built into them? If so, what is the part number?

thanks

Phil
 
Yes they are. The Fronts are #130SP
I can't find the number for the rears online so you will have to check at your local Autozone. My store listed them but they are not listed online.
 
Great thread!

Gabriele or Koni? I have just bought a 95 with 100K that rides horribly compared to my 93 with 160K.
First, how can you determine if the ARC is actually working properly? If I find out the shocks are N/G, I probably won't wan't either the aftermarket Illumina 2 or the Ford oem shocks. I'm looking at a complete upgrade for the 95 starting with new tires (Dunlop SP 5000 or maybe something better) After that, I'm thinking about gutting the ARC and installing good aftermarket shocks. So what's the difference between the Konis and the Gabrieles or is there a better shock I should be considering?
I am pretty happy with the stock look and handling so lowering isn't in the future but new bushings might be. What is a good after-market bushing set? Also, both of my Upper front supension arm bushing joints have cracked boots. Is this a major problem or nothing to worry about like my mechanic told me?
 
Gabriel or Koni is a pretty funny choice! It's like saying should I buy a Yugo or a Viper? If you're looking for good handling and ride quality, stick with the well known high performance shocks. For the SC that means Koni or Bilstein. These are both high pressure monotube shocks, a superior design to twin-tube shocks like Tokico.

The Koni's are manually adjustable to fine tune the handling, but they require fabrication to fit the SC. The Bilsteins aren't adjustable, but they bolt right in.
 
But at the same time you can't ignore nationwide lifetime warranty free replacement of the Gabriel.
 
you have remove the arc motors if you have auto ride. the rear shocks are just a un-bolt and bolt in the new ones. the fronts reuse your existing struts. you have the remove the existing cartridge guts and re-install the koni cartridges. instructions come with the shocks, not really alot of work - just a pain in the hind end.
 
The instructions for the Koni install are also available on the www.supercoupeperformance.com website. If you want to see what you might be getting yourself into. All you need is a hacksaw to do the mod, so it's not a real big deal on the front shocks. Just a little extra work.
 
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