I have SHO springs on my 2000 with the KYB struts. I went with the SHO springs for the handling as I used my car for work and could not get in and out of the places I went if it was lowered.
I added bigger rear sway bar, Front Strut tower brace and Poly urethane bushings. I love the way it handles now. Other people have went further with aluminum sub frame bushings and even bigger bars but the ride quality suffers more than I wanted.
Anyway to answer your question the KYB's are stiffer than other brands.
Mike
