Lawnboy

iTrader: (54)

I am about to but a Koni adjustable shock set.

OK the front end is getting the Koni S/A for sure.

and my rear is a stock 10 bolt , but i might have to up grade to a 12 bolt down the road if the 10 bolt breaks,

Question is the D/A Koni's shocks can handle the extra mass/weight of a 12 bolt rear, but cost a lot more money.

is anyone using Koni S/A shocks on a heaver after market rear end ?
and how does the car feel and work with them?

please let me know
and thank you for your help

John98LS1

iTrader: (6)

i would like to know the same thing, as i would like to avoid having to go with DA's out back not so much for the money but the complexity of adjustment for some one who wont use them to there full potential such as auto-cross

MeentSS02

iTrader: (11)

No complaints out of Koni SAs (4th gen) with my Strange 12-bolt. I can only compare it to the Bilsteins that were on there before them, and they seem to keep better control of the extra mass, although I never had any complaints about the Bilsteins with the 12-bolt. It does feel much more stable over bumps now though.

Giddswat

iTrader: (13)

I have a MWC Fab 9" and run Koni SA and Strano springs with no issues at all. I do not auto-x or road course race, but on the street I could not tell a difference between the 10 bolt and the 9" rear with the Koni `s.

LilJayV10

iTrader: (39)

I am sure Sam will chime in soon. If I remember correctly with the heavier rear ends he suggests using the 3rd gen rear koni. I "think" it is a little bigger and can handle the added weight better.

JamRWS6

This situation is one of the few situations to use the DA Konis. The compression damping adjustment allows you to better keep the extra mass under control. As always, the SA Konis already have rebound adjustment.

MeentSS02

iTrader: (11)

There's more to the story than that (and I'll let him tell it), but in the end, he ended up recommending either the 3rd or 4th gen for my situation, and I went with the 4s for the on-car adjustability.

The SA Konis work great for me, and I doubt I'd ever change them. They were an improvement over the Bilsteins (3rd gen that he spec'd for me a long time ago when I was running a Ground Control adjustable setup), which I was NOT expecting at all.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

This is one of those thing that varies. MeentSS02 saw what the addition of more unsprung weight did to his car, and the Koni's helped that by just having more compression damping than the Bilstein's that were there before. Guys with fabbed 9's generally lug around less unsprung weight than a cast 9, or a 12-bolt, let alone an S60, so they don't have issues.

Can you run SA's with a heavier rear? Sure you can. But compression damping is what damps unsprung weight. The compression damping in SA's was meant for stock axles. Add more weight, you might well get the "heavy footed" feel that only more compression damping can help with.

I've got folks that are happy with heavy rears and SA's, some that aren't. Then again, some think the stock shocks work just fine too. As you can see individual people have very different opinions.

Yes, DA's are a lot more than SA's. But if you spend the sort of money on the car that causes you to put in a rear that costs thousands of dollars, the shocks are a relatively smaller cost. The heavier things get the more you want DA's. If you run an S60 with knock-off 11" wheels and big tires, you should definitely have DA's.

John98LS1

iTrader: (6)

what about if you use a lsx motor setup..do you have to go DA's on the front as well??

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Axles are unsprung, engine weight is sprung weight. You can run DA's if you like but compression damping is not what deals with sprung mass. Spring rate and rebound damping do. Doesn't hurt those that can't find appropriate springs (because none of the springs were designed for such a creature, let alone with even more weight like a supercharged added on as well).

John98LS1

iTrader: (6)

this is a great thread so far, should be made into a sticky as this topic is not touched on very much if at all.

Lawnboy

iTrader: (54)

Yeah figures i started it, very good info tho, i went with S/A all around, i am still rolling on a stock rear , and if i break it ill upgrade to a strange true track 12 bolt rear, from there ill see how the S/A feel , if i have to ill up grade to D/A also

thank you Sam for your help

Engine_HP

iTrader: (1)

should i care off sprung mass (like adding turbos, SC, heavy block) when using SA,s in front,

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Sprung mass is damped by rebound, which is what the SA's adjust. That additional weight does not require DA's, because it's not unsprung. But I can't say it would hurt you to have the option given the amount of weight you have and that no springs were meant to deal with that. Oddly this is one place where DA's might just offer a benefit even though there is no additional (as far as I can tell) unsprung weight.

John98LS1

iTrader: (6)

can you get koni to re-valve the rear SA's to meet ur needs??

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

By the time you do that, assuming you don't already have a set of SA's, the cost is damned near DA's anyway.... And you have no adjustment of the bump like you would with DA's. So not worth it. In fact if you have SA's, I say it's more cost effective, and is certainly more time-effective to sell SA's for a set of DA's *IF* you need the DA's range of adjustment.