KYB AGX Shocks, You want them right

[floydiancomplex]

I put this in another post but thought it deserved its own thread

about a year ago I ask a tech at KYB why they don't make an AGX for
the festiva. His response was that ROI (recent orders in) determines what
they make. The problem here is demand, they don't know there is one.
So I'm suggesting we start an email campaign to let them know just how
many of us would be willing to shell out the cash for a set. This site has
2000 + members that is a pretty big demand. If they made them I would
buy 2 sets.

This needs to be organized though. I was thinking around the beginning of May this gives use time to get the word out. Then everyone just start mailing with request. I figure a few hundred oughta do it. and whats the worst that could happen, they say no and we all get a polite little email. Alot of us have more than one festiva and tell me you wouldn't pay $400 to put 5 way adjustable shocks on your car(s)

I was thinking something like a standard form letter that we all use and put
our names on.

Example:

Hello, my name is XXXXX XXXXXXX and I am a member of Ford Festiva.com. An online forum for 87-93 year model Festivas. I am writing to inform you of our community and our need for an affordable adjustable damper. We all love our GR2s but long for the next step up. We are a large group with more members joining each month and have a large collective buying power. At over 2000 plus members we can and will give your company the demand required for production. Ford sold millions of Festivas, a great little car of which many are still on the road today. We hope you will consider our request and thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
XXXXX XXXXXXX


so please respond let me know if you have any ideas and tell everyone you talk to. we can do this.

[Silv3rBull3t]

Sounds like a plan, I am willing to partake. -Kyle

[festivaWES]

IMO the AGX's are junk from past experiences...i've never had a problem with gr2's though.

[floydiancomplex]

I will agree that the AGX is somewhat limited with only one adjustment for both compression
and rebound but wouldn't you like to have the option? My buddy has a set on a 240sx he just
bought and after I cream him in the AutoX on the 22nd I will see what he thinks. What have
you run them on before FestivaWES, all of these mags using them on project cars seem to
rave over them aside from above limitation. I'm not trying to start an argument or anything,
I'd just like to know where your opinion is based.

Either way I would pay the money to take the chance. Call it a calculated gamble; because
basically they take our much loved GR2 shock, add a valve on the piston and an adjuster
on the top of the shaft and paint it red.

Kyle is onboard so thats 2 now about 500 more. - Chris

[niklid05]

has anyone tried talking to tokico, koni, bilstein etc etc. ? I would rather have them as a choice over kyb. Most car people I have talked to say KYB is the bottom of the barrel for performance shocks. Any shock from the three names i listed would be much more expensive though too....

[festivaWES]

EG civic and 1st gen eclipse.....both AGX's both had crappy rebound rates and blew within 6 months. I've heard nothing but good things about koni yellow's and tokico illuminas

[Safety Guy]

Don't forget the Aspires!! I'd prefer that extra 3/4" or so of rear spring perch height! The difference in weights between Festivas and Aspire rear ends should be negligible, so lets go with "Aspire spec" okay?

Also, I was thinking if we at least had adjustable rear shocks, that would give some variability and keep costs down. One part number for both Aspires and Festivas on the rear. Would that work okay?

On the other hand, some people have stated that the FMS sport springs and the GR2s are not a very good match.

Karl

[floydiancomplex]

perhaps tokico would be a good alternative I hear great things about the illumina lines but they currently offer
nothing for the festiva or aspire it would require much more development and cost as opposed to KYB who
already knows how to make a shock for the festy. Bilstein is the same with no current offering for us they
would need much more development. Koni is another story if you can afford 200- 300 per damper they
sell the parts to adapt yellows or reds to almost any strut setup. go to their web site and download the PDF
catalog. So other than the KONI ($ouch) way, KYB is the only manufacturer who has the current capability.
Like them or not they will be the most likely company to embrace our pleas.

As for specs I would say setting 1 stock festiva damper, setting 2 current GR2 ratings,
since GR2s are about 25% stiffer I would add 25% for each additional adjustment so at setting 5
it would be 100% stiffer than stock. Many of us are running spring rates double or even triple over
stock so this seems logical. But I'm not a chassis engineer so what do I know.

side note: I am currently researching what it would cost to adapt koni yellows and perhaps a GC coilover
kit with camber plates and spherical bearings. will update.

[floydiancomplex]

If I don't update this thread it will simply become buried under the avalanche of new post.

So I ask seriously if this is something I should pursue (does it interest anyone here (except Kyle))
or should I let it fall by the wayside, forgotten for all time. - Chris

[Silv3rBull3t]

[Arnie]

Sure, I'd be interested in a set. A set of koni's would preferable but since KYB already has the specs for our struts, it would be much easier for them. As long as they have more than a 4 position damper I'd be happy. They all we'd need are some real springs!

[Silv3rBull3t]

Sure, I'd be interested in a set. A set of koni's would preferable but since KYB already has the specs for our struts, it would be much easier for them. As long as they have more than a 4 position damper I'd be happy. They all we'd need are some real springs!

I already have those, as does Chris... -Kyle

[muscle_Car1]

^ adjustable dampining? Really?

[Silv3rBull3t]

No, real springs... Actually semi-stiff NON progressive springs... But what we DO need is struts. -Kyle

[solatare]

this is a tough area since the work involved in making a festiva competitive for most racing is so labor intensive due to the lack of off-shelf performance parts and weak stock drivetrain. for me, if i decide to build one to this level id be shelling the cash for custom double adjustables. progress group, kw, and koni all have service for these, and at that level 2k for a set of rebuildable coilovers is pocket change. koni also makes 2 way inserts, jes have to chop up a set of stock shocks to make them work.