trying to get some KYB SR Special dampers from Japan - anyone else?

[pc18]

im trying to get some of these from japan i wondered if anyone else would show any interest to make this more likely it would happen and hopefully reduce the cost.

I would like it to be clear i am not starting a group buy i just wondered if anyone else is after a set to see how much interest there is.

 

[nistarbo]

What sort of price are they at? What about import taxes and all that nonsense and are they with springs etc.

 

[pc18]

it would be just the shocks. I haven't got info on how much they would be yet. i just wanted to see if anyone is after a set as if the price isnt daft it would be easier to ship a handful of sets over instead of just mine. It might be that its going to cost a bomb and in that case its obviously a no go but worth a shot i guess.

 

[Jay]

Great shocks. Tried to get a set of them years ago but they were steep to bring in. If you can investigate costs let me know what sort of dollar it's working out at please.

 

[Jay]

Just had a shifty whilst I was browsing the auctions, in order to give you something to compare your pricing to mate.

They look to be just under 40,000 yen (£220-ish) for a set of four, part numbers are here:

Manufacturer
KYB


Product Name
KYB NEW SR SPECIAL

Commodity content
Shock absorber : One minute (set of four)

Upper Mount : None (re-use the original)

Part number
NST5056R.NST5056L / NSG9063


List price
69 120 Circle (tax included)


Shipping inside Japan is included in that price by the looks of it so that helps matters slightly. The agent's fee would be around 5,000 yen (£30-ish) to cover the handling and storage of the items.

The killer will be the big question mark as I've never shipped suspension in from Japan. I'd imagine £100 via surface wouldn't be too far off the mark (hopefully).

The total so far is around £350 so add your import tax on top of that and you aren't a kick in the arse off £450. This may not be 100% accurate but at least you'll have an idea of the dollar involved.

Jay

 

[pc18]

cheers for that Jay. They wont be cheap thats for sure. But as you say there good bits of kit. Why there not available in europe i dont know as theres hardly any options for uprated dampers. I wont have coilovers though they ruin cars unless its for track.

my car is a 92 and i believe these are the part numbers for my GT, i believe there is different part numbers for the jdm na starlets and turbo models.

Front
NST5056R
NST5056L

Rear x2
NSG9041

i got these from going through the KYB.jp site and translating the part finder thing. also they are listed on the jap amazon, i registered on there but they wont ship them. grr.

Hopefully have an update next week.

 

[Jay]

Yeah, looks like there are at least one other version of the part numbers.. I've two cars running them on site here so I'll inspect and confirm the marking on them to be 100% for ya.

Worth mentioning the ones on my daily are very harsh - certainly a lot harder to live with compared to the last few sets of coilovers I've had. Could just be knackered though!

 

[rosso321]

Had theses for years in mine. Had a choice off 2 sets I went for the cheaper and still got 3 years out off them. Best shock imo next best thing to coil overs. Japanse performance might be able to help you out. When I'm back in the scene I will have theses for spares.

 

[5e colin]

wow thats pricey you can get those koni adjustable dampers for that price

 

[pc18]

ive had a look for those koni adjustable shocks and they seem to be priced between 500-600 quid colin, have you seen them cheaper anywhere. ive never known anyone run the konis before.

 

[5e colin]

will have a surf tonight again cant remember where i saw them think it was 350 or 450 hope it was for 4

 

[gorganl2000]

i'll give you my take on it...just something for you to consider
note my roads are on the bad side apart from the highways (which are not in great condition now either..lol)...so i need something comfortable as well
i was in your position a few years ago...i had trd shocks (and trd springs) on the car that were worn and needed a suitable replacement both cost and performance wise. so i analysed my option
- Koni...they came up to be around US$1200 locally and i recall hearing i would need to cut the front shock and reuse the bottom piece as the koni fronts were inserts. and would have to pay maybe a machine shop to properly cut the old front shocks which was an additional cost. i didnt like that idea and the price was rather high. good point is the koni were adjustable and locals had used them in the past and rated them highly
- KYB gr2 or sr...would have to import which would drive the price around the price of konis, with less adjustability....i'd have to add shipping and import/custom duties to maybe US$500 for both
- new TRD shocks...from dealer that's maybe US$1100/1200 for all four, but would have to special order which is an additional cost
- Meister coilovers... around gbp650/700 i think (US$1200 at past exchange rates, its much cheaper now), i know they were a bit cheaper at that time with ttgt discount...plus shipping and duties maybe around another US$500 for both
- D2, trd, etc coilovers...all a bit too harsh for my likings based on my research

i decided to go with meister as it worked out to be the best bang for buck and i have not regretted it since...the ride quality is great, even my dad has driven the car on the odd occasion with no complaints

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr1myQqgExc
that vid of the local starlet racing shows a little how our local roads are...hard suspension is not an option..lol

 

[pc18]

thanks for that gorgan, i had meisters on my ep85 and i wasnt that impressed tbh. maybe they could have been setup a little better but i wouldnt have another set anyway. Ive had trd coilovers again too stiff and there ancient now all the jap coilovers which are knocking about. its just a shame its not easy to get hold of some decent uprated shocks.

 

[gorganl2000]

no problem pc18...the real issue with uprated shocks and lowering spring combination is that they tend to end up costing nearly the same as some coilovers, so lots of people just get the coilovers one time

for comfort and reasonable performance i guess its usually tein or meister for our cars

maybe that's the difference, my car is an ep91, not sure how the suspension differs between the two models at the rear end

 

[artmull]

I had good results with KYB GR struts and Tein springs or you could try Stagg struts and Tein springs. A few guys here in the States who autocross use them with good results