Hi all
I want to replace my rear shocks.
What make would you guys reccomend.
Gabriel,KYB or Monroe.
What type would you also reccomend.
Gas or oil filled.
Please keep in mind that this car is driven on the street and ocassionally will see the track somewhere in the future.

Hi boet.

How u been??

Anyway, i would recommend Gabriel or armstrong.... they been around a while and are reputable...also affordable.

If u wanna have better cornering, stiffness at speeds etc, go for Gas Riders, adjustomatics, ortherwise, if u just want it for normal driving around town etc, i would recommend oil/hydraulic shocks, as they give a much more smoother and softer ride....

Oh, and remember, for track, cornering etc, leave/spring type is also very important, shocks only dont count,,,,

Im worried where you got that information Reeves??

Gas are a no-no in a light datsun 1200. Cheap mass produced items like gabriel and monroe are universal fitment ie. only dimensional fit, so valving is all wrong as they could also 'fit' a camero or something huge and boatlike so you'll be bouncing around all over the place as they have no real dampening only large amounts of rebound.

Get a quality item like KYB, in Australia they do not cost anymore than the above mentioned garbage, I bought KYB's for my partners 1200 for $180 front and $155 for the rear. Or if you want to spend some more $$$ go for koni or bilstein and they can be rebuilt too and be re'valved if you start some circuit work.

Hi whitesedan

The thing is that, we kind of lucky, Here in South Africa.... Gas Riders are easily available for smaller cars(weight Ratio).
Remember, the UTE in SA in still produced, and is one of the most loved commercial vehicles used....
So, gas Riders for the UTE is easily available, U can even purchase these from Nissan Agents as well.

Easy to purchase doesn't make them any good. Maybe good for a Utility.

Datsun 1200 sedans and coupes came with either tokico hyd or kyb hydraulics, datsun competition alternative was koni.

""""Gas are a no-no in a light datsun 1200""""

Ok,,, I hear u WhiteSedan....
But i didnt say ""Easy to purchase, makes them any good or bad"""

And as for weight ratios,,, UTE a14 gas riders are much closer to weight ratios to a GX Datsun....But totally differents from your big fords, comaros/boat likes.

I had purchased the a14 gas riders for my previous Datsun 1200 Delux,,,and it worked much better.......didnt mind the loss of smoothness, but really enjoyed the cornering

Like i said,,,, Just my 2 cents,,,,,My suggestions

The specific brand "Gas Ryders", aside -- in general I agree with White Sedan: Gas shocks are a no-no in a 1200. They make the car "bounce" on bumps It's like fitting stiffer leafs, not a great idea for a sedan that's already too stiff in the backside. You need to control the suspension in the 1200, not just make it stiffer.

Gabriel is also available in USA, and while considered "reputable", it is not considered a high quality brand...

All the shocks currently available here "for Datsun 1200 sedan" are actually same part number as for B210 sedans, for a car that weighs 25% more than a B110. See the problem?

I disagree. there is nothing wrong in principle with gas shocks on a 1200. There may be a particualr brand or model which feels a bit "too stiff" to some members, but I've used gas shocks in 1200's numerous times and found them OK.

Well yes, I see your point and have to modify my comments. Yes, gas shocks are "OK", I actually am running them on my sedan but plan to put the original KYBs back on "one of these days" as they had a better ride yet handled just as well in corners (this is a street 1200, never raced). On a stocker 1200 sedan, with no passengers and no weight in the boot, the back leafs are pretty stiff to start with. The gassers are fine if I carry a lot of stuff in the boot.

Your 1200s have had custom springs and suspension, right? The total package is what is more important than one single component. The right gas shocks are better than the wrong gas shocks ??? Maybe the coupes have a better setup since the shocks are angled.

most of them had stock rear leaf springs. It was only the last coupe track car that I started really looking at proper suspension sorting. earlier ones were just road cars. I've had a sedan, ute, and coupes before that last car. Some had gas shocks, some had lowering blocks, I remember buying a set of KYB oil shocks once - mainly because it was all I coulfd find a listing for on the coupe. They were OK too.