KYB shocks - decent, tolerable, or...?

Looking at shocks for the Saab C900 project. The plan was Bilstein B4s on all four corners, but RockAuto has a rebate on KYBs right now that make them a lot cheaper: $170 for the Bilsteins vs. $80 for the KYB Gas-A-Just or $50 for the GR-2/Excel-G after rebate. I don't recall ever having KYBs in anything. Certainly they'll be better than the blown-out ancient units in the car right now, but what's the deal with them? Are they going to blow up within a year? How's the damping and ride quality? Will they survive rallyx (should I choose to use the car that way)? Is the Gas-A-Just notably better than the GR-2/Excel-G? Or should I just pony up the cash for the Bilsteins?

I always thought that they generally have to stiff on compression and tpo soft on rebound, making them feel unduly harsh. This is on muscle cars. Dunno about other applications. 

Stagg from ebay, in my experience with subaru and mazda, live long and feel RIGHT. very similar to a bilstein street/oe shock

I have used GR2’s as OEM Honda replacement shock for many years on multiple different cars.  No issues with short life, and ride was always improved greatly vs the worn out dampers that were being replaced (as one would expect).  Latest use was in February to refresh a 155k old Civic with good results.

I had the excel G on my 280zx. Wasn’t horrible. Lived well with the lowering springs it had.

I have used a lot of GR2 and GasAJust over the years. I like them a lot . I use GasAJust for lowered vehicles and GR2s for basic street use. That said, I just build drivers and don't know dick about proper sports car handling. Just what feels good commuting to work and such. 

Sounds like I may well be going for some flavor of KYBs. I checked for the Stagg brand on eBay, but I couldn't find them for this application; there were some off-brands that looked quite really sketchy, and not cheaper than the KYBs. I'll probably pop for the Gas-A-Justs, barring a dramatic negative turn in further reviews.

Put me on the side of duster in saying I have found them to be really harsh. I have put them on two of my personal cars and hated them and have had to install them for customers and did not like the results there either. 

When I replaced the kyb's on the falcon with full race valved Bilsteins the wife commented on how much nicer the car rode.

They sit in a price bracket that makes them seem very appealing from a cost/performance perspective. A bit more than the atomically crappy tuned for grandma and grandpa spec soft monroes and gabriels but a lot cheaper than the bilstien and Koni offerings. 

I wish there was a stronger presence of companies like spax and apex here in the states to occupy the massive gap between the echelons of dampers.

I had GasAJusts on all four corners of my Mini, but shock choices for classic Minis were slim. They were stiff, but it was a go-kart with doors, so it was to be expected. 

On my Bravada, I put in, and shortly after took out, another pair of GasAJusts in the rear. They were too harsh. 

I have used a lot of them on Volvo 240s with reasonable success, but Bilsteins are better. KYBs seemed to fail after about 100k miles. Bilsteins on rear of my current 240 now are over 150k and still just right. 

Excel-G/GR-2 are considered OEM equivalent replacements on many Japanese cars. KYB makes OEM struts and shocks for Subaru for sure. I have ordered quite a few and been happy with them. 

I never tried the Gas-A-Justs

In reply to TurnerX19 :

You honestly expect shocks to last beyond 100,000 miles? 

I ran the KYBs on the 190 I had. It transformed the car. I think KYBs work better with heavy cars has been my experience. 

I probably should have mentioned that I do have many years of experience with Bilsteins in my various BMWs (my 2002, E39, and E82 all have or had them), but these were HDs or Sports, not the Touring B4 units, the latter of which I believe are twin-tube rather than monotube. I'm accustomed to the firmness of the Bilsteins, which certainly can be a bit crashy over rough roads. While I could get HDs for the Saab, they would close to double the cost of the car, so that's not happening; the idea of the B4 was always as a compromise. The KYBs would certainly be a compromise as well - I know they're not Bilsteins or Konis - but cost is much more a consideration with this car.

As noted, I suspect I'll go for the monotube Gas-A-Just over the twin-tube Excel/GR-2. Adding a bit of stiffness (and possibly ride height, from what I've read) is not a bad thing in the car, I think - the springs are soft, and hauling heavy stuff, rough roads, and possibly even rallyx are all in this car's future. I prefer a bit more firmness in the suspension than the average driver, and I'm willing to put up with some degree of harshness that may result. I certainly don't want to ruin the ride quality, which is a risk I suppose given some of the experiences above, but if I want to stay cheap on the parts it's a risk I'll have to take.

GR2s are good for stock-spec replacements, I once had a set on the AE92 and I've recommended them for use on other people's DDs. Durability seems to be decent.

GR-2's were an upgrade on the XD Elantra for lowered springs

GR-2 and Excel-G are twin-tube. Gas-A-Just is monotube. Expect harshness and poor control. I only have 10K miles on my KYB's on the 5 and I've never been happy with them so I'm taking them out.

The excel-G  seem ok on the 2002 civic I put them on, but the rear end sits a lot higher than the front and over the original stock shocks. Not sure what occurred, but it is a pet peeve of mine

In reply to Appleseed :

I do not necessarily expect them to go more than 100k, but it sure is nice when they do

I'm currently down to just two C900s. One has the expensive Bilsteins and Kilen (sp?) springs, and the other has KYB GR2s and SPG springs. For the price difference on anything that won't see serious track use, I'd go with the KYBs. The Bilsteins/Kilens are honestly too aggressive for the way I use the car they're on.

KYB GR-2's are always OE equivalent.  They tend to be gas-charged which makes them seem more firm at first.  This is especially true after replacing the worn out parts.

The Gas-A-Justs are a bit more performance oriented.

GR-2's on the front of my Olds Intrigue were quite stiff, just like duster and others have mentioned.  Impact harshness was really bad.  Recently I put GR-2's on the front of my Suzuki SX4 as there's no other bolt-in aftermarket alternative.  I'm happy with those.  So, it depends?  I think the Gas-Adjusts were a better shock but it doesn't seem like they've created new fitments for that line for a while now.  

I have gas-a-just on the rear of my challenge Firebird, still seems fine 5 years later. They are the cheapest monotubes out there. Gabriel monomax would be interesting to try if you have something that fits your car.