# Tokico blues vs. KYB GR2s on B12



## nickthegenius (May 29, 2002)

First, can B13 struts be used on a B12? Is there any advantage or disadvantage to doing this? 

Also, for a set of springs that are rated at 1.25" to 1.5" drop, will the GR2s hold up or should I go with the Tokico blues? I have Tokicos on my GT and they are great, but with the Sentra being my beater I just want to drop it a little and do it cheaply.


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## Red_Coupe (Mar 20, 2003)

nickthegenius said:


> First, can B13 struts be used on a B12? Is there any advantage or disadvantage to doing this?
> 
> Also, for a set of springs that are rated at 1.25" to 1.5" drop, will the GR2s hold up or should I go with the Tokico blues? I have Tokicos on my GT and they are great, but with the Sentra being my beater I just want to drop it a little and do it cheaply.


well I see no harm in it thay are both good . and the b13 is the same as the b12 in the front.


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

nickthegenius said:


> Also, for a set of springs that are rated at 1.25" to 1.5" drop, will the GR2s hold up or should I go with the Tokico blues? I have Tokicos on my GT and they are great, but with the Sentra being my beater I just want to drop it a little and do it cheaply.


What you should really be concerned with is the spring rate of the springs rather than the drop it offers. If the drop causes you to lose so much travel that it starts causing problems, no aftermarket damper that isn't shortened (normally replacement dampers are not shortened) will help you.

The capacity of GR2 dampers depends on what car you have, but it's pretty safe to say that you shouldn't expect it to handle any more than 5% over stock spring rate. We've tried Pro-kits/GR2's on a B14 and a EK series civic and the cars were incredibly underdamped (it hurt like hell, slid around a lot, and bottomed out like crazy). Anything higher than Pro-Kits and they'll see accelerated wear. If Tokico Blues are more of the same, you may want to reconsider your options (especially if you drive in a snowy or rainy climate).


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## nickthegenius (May 29, 2002)

ReVerm said:


> What you should really be concerned with is the spring rate of the springs rather than the drop it offers. If the drop causes you to lose so much travel that it starts causing problems, no aftermarket damper that isn't shortened (normally replacement dampers are not shortened) will help you.
> 
> The capacity of GR2 dampers depends on what car you have, but it's pretty safe to say that you shouldn't expect it to handle any more than 5% over stock spring rate. We've tried Pro-kits/GR2's on a B14 and a EK series civic and the cars were incredibly underdamped (it hurt like hell, slid around a lot, and bottomed out like crazy). Anything higher than Pro-Kits and they'll see accelerated wear. If Tokico Blues are more of the same, you may want to reconsider your options (especially if you drive in a snowy or rainy climate).


The Tokico blues are high-performance valved struts and are non-adjustable. They also have Illuminas that are adjustable, but those aren't available for the B12. If the GR2s are underdampened, then the Tokicos are probably the best way to go.


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## astreamk1 (Apr 16, 2004)

The B13 struts will bolt up to the B12, the only difference from what I have read here is that the bracket for the brake hose at a different height. 

I am using Tokicko Blues on my B12 with a 2 inch drop using Sprint Performance springs. So far so good. The car handles great and I have had no problems with bottoming out. The roads in PA are probably about the worst and the car is stable even under the worst conditions. 

you can pick up the sprint springs fairly cheap from ptuning.com . Look on Ebay for the struts "jdmwerks" I believe ? saved me about $100 buying through them.


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## nickthegenius (May 29, 2002)

astreamk1 said:


> The B13 struts will bolt up to the B12, the only difference from what I have read here is that the bracket for the brake hose at a different height.
> 
> I am using Tokicko Blues on my B12 with a 2 inch drop using Sprint Performance springs. So far so good. The car handles great and I have had no problems with bottoming out. The roads in PA are probably about the worst and the car is stable even under the worst conditions.
> 
> you can pick up the sprint springs fairly cheap from ptuning.com . Look on Ebay for the struts "jdmwerks" I believe ? saved me about $100 buying through them.


Yeah, thats actually the exact seller I was looking at on Ebay. They have them for $325-shipped which is a really good price. Even Shox.com couldn't even touch it when I got my quote from them. I think I might go with them.


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## chimmike (Oct 17, 2002)

http://www.nissanforums.com/showthread.php?t=51254


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## livelyjay (May 7, 2004)

The GR-2s are OEM replacements. That is why they are cheaper. Tokico Blues are built more towards higher performance, but they still do not compare to the KYB AGX or Tokico Illuminas. The Blues are supposed to last a decent amount of time for lowered vehicles. My buddy has a MAZDASPEED Protege and they mated Tokico Blues to the high performance RacingBeat suspension setup. That made me respect those struts.


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## BII (May 13, 2004)

Does any1 have part numbers for the rear AGXs?


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## nickthegenius (May 29, 2002)

livelyjay said:


> The GR-2s are OEM replacements. That is why they are cheaper. Tokico Blues are built more towards higher performance, but they still do not compare to the KYB AGX or Tokico Illuminas. The Blues are supposed to last a decent amount of time for lowered vehicles. My buddy has a MAZDASPEED Protege and they mated Tokico Blues to the high performance RacingBeat suspension setup. That made me respect those struts.


I just got a set of 4 Tokico HP (blues) for $325-shipped to my door. I have Tokicos on my Mustang with H&R springs and they work really well for the money. Hopefully these do too!


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## astreamk1 (Apr 16, 2004)

nickthegenius said:


> I just got a set of 4 Tokico HP (blues) for $325-shipped to my door. I have Tokicos on my Mustang with H&R springs and they work really well for the money. Hopefully these do too!


I don't think you'll be disappointed with the Tokicos. What springs are you using with them ?


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## Popkorn (Nov 16, 2003)

Going from shot-to-hell struts to GR-2's was a 250% improvment in handleing and safety. At 40$ a shot for them I was thrilled as hell. For a daily driver they were more than adaquate. Not everyone builds their car for the track. But if you are, I'm glad to see a healthy investment in suspension cuz safety should be numero uno.


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## livelyjay (May 7, 2004)

^^^ Well put. I remember when my roommate went from shot struts to some new ones it was night and day. I don't remember what kind he got put in, but they weren't high performance.


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