QA1's vs Koni
#1
QA1's vs Koni
I am under the understanding that KONI's outperform Bilsteins - but how do the Koni's compare to the QA1's?
I have attempted a search - but the search is having some technical issues.
I have attempted a search - but the search is having some technical issues.
#3
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (21)
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Greater Chattanooga
Posts: 1,029
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Apples VS oranges.
QA1's are not your autocross. Look nobody that I have seen for a handling application run them. I have seen them for drag only cars to adjust weight transfer.
Always goes back to the first question. what are your goals with your car? Blisteins (revavles espeically) are NOT bad they can be a very good dampner. I have used them and konis But Koni's still get my vote.
Hope that helps.
QA1's are not your autocross. Look nobody that I have seen for a handling application run them. I have seen them for drag only cars to adjust weight transfer.
Always goes back to the first question. what are your goals with your car? Blisteins (revavles espeically) are NOT bad they can be a very good dampner. I have used them and konis But Koni's still get my vote.
Hope that helps.
#4
Well i got the explanation from some QA1 guys from the power tour when it stopped into memphis, The QA1's are totally adjustable for street,road course,and drag race, The spring rate can be adjusted right there on the spot. I have been looking at the dual adjustable QA1's for a while now. I'm still waiting on my car since i was in an accident. as i was walking off and thanking them for their time, and then i ran smack into the Air Ride tent and "wow". He showed me their 72 camaro with the air system and i was very impressed. but for $5k i may just stick to the QA1's for now. Plus the QA1's are totally rebuild able and not expensive to rebuild. ($100) I plan on, when i have the car done, a legit 10 second car and a fun road car. plus something fun for the street. (gotta keep the new Cobra in check) And from what i've come across so far it goes QA1 than Bilistein than Koni's. But that is just my opinion on what i've found.
#5
Originally Posted by blackcars
Well i got the explanation from some QA1 guys from the power tour when it stopped into memphis, The QA1's are totally adjustable for street,road course,and drag race, The spring rate can be adjusted right there on the spot. I have been looking at the dual adjustable QA1's for a while now. I'm still waiting on my car since i was in an accident. as i was walking off and thanking them for their time, and then i ran smack into the Air Ride tent and "wow". He showed me their 72 camaro with the air system and i was very impressed. but for $5k i may just stick to the QA1's for now. Plus the QA1's are totally rebuild able and not expensive to rebuild. ($100) I plan on, when i have the car done, a legit 10 second car and a fun road car. plus something fun for the street. (gotta keep the new Cobra in check) And from what i've come across so far it goes QA1 than Bilistein than Koni's. But that is just my opinion on what i've found.
Interesting..
#6
LS1TECH Sponsor
iTrader: (41)
QA1's are just junk. They break a lot. Even if they didn't there are other issues that are quite large. They are prone to shock fade, being pure hydraulic dampers without a gas-charge to help keep oil foaming at bay. They use a very cheap, simplistic valve that does make the shock stiffer and softer, but does so without regard to piston speed, you can firm them up then they crash much too hard into the sharper bumps. They are drag shocks and as such not capable of controlling high rate springs. Just look @ the rates that you can get. 275, 300, 325.... and 325 is the "handling rate". Funny, because stock is about 300, and you need at least a 10% change to notice any difference. Further, because they are coil-overs you need a lot more rate to support the car when it's lowered.
The list goes on, and on, and on. There are folks here who've had QA1's and Koni's both. Hopefully they will chime in. But the bottom line is I wouldn't touch a QA1 with a 10-foot pole myself.
Spring rate is not adjustable, damping rate is. And that's fine, but there's more to it. You can adjust timing too. But there is a difference in messing with the base timing and the timing advance curve, same with shock damping. You can change the base damping, or the damping curve. QA1's change the base, and not really all that well for handling apps either.
FWIW, Koni makes drag shocks too. Lots of ProStock cars and such use them. And they tell you they aren't to be driven on public roads, serious injury could result, etc, etc. I find it odd that a company like Koni can't build a damper that "can do it all" in a sense, but they can build things like the dampers on McLaren Formula 1 cars.
I'll finish by telling you that I have a customer who took of a QA1/Afco shock combo and put on Koni's. And he ended up cutting his best 60's ever, and the car drives markedly better on the road too. There was actually a thread here on LS1tech about it not so long ago.
The list goes on, and on, and on. There are folks here who've had QA1's and Koni's both. Hopefully they will chime in. But the bottom line is I wouldn't touch a QA1 with a 10-foot pole myself.
Spring rate is not adjustable, damping rate is. And that's fine, but there's more to it. You can adjust timing too. But there is a difference in messing with the base timing and the timing advance curve, same with shock damping. You can change the base damping, or the damping curve. QA1's change the base, and not really all that well for handling apps either.
FWIW, Koni makes drag shocks too. Lots of ProStock cars and such use them. And they tell you they aren't to be driven on public roads, serious injury could result, etc, etc. I find it odd that a company like Koni can't build a damper that "can do it all" in a sense, but they can build things like the dampers on McLaren Formula 1 cars.
I'll finish by telling you that I have a customer who took of a QA1/Afco shock combo and put on Koni's. And he ended up cutting his best 60's ever, and the car drives markedly better on the road too. There was actually a thread here on LS1tech about it not so long ago.
__________________
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
18 SCCA National Championships in house, many more for our customers prove we know our stuff.Talk is cheap, results matter.
Check out our KONI prices, our Master Cylinder Brace, and new Xtracker Hub/wheel bearing upgrade kits!
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
18 SCCA National Championships in house, many more for our customers prove we know our stuff.Talk is cheap, results matter.
Check out our KONI prices, our Master Cylinder Brace, and new Xtracker Hub/wheel bearing upgrade kits!
#7
9 Second Club
iTrader: (8)
Originally Posted by Sam Strano
I'll finish by telling you that I have a customer who took of a QA1/Afco shock combo and put on Koni's. And he ended up cutting his best 60's ever, and the car drives markedly better on the road too. There was actually a thread here on LS1tech about it not so long ago.
Trending Topics
#8
LS1TECH Sponsor
iTrader: (41)
Jesus... 914rwhp? Yikes---and on pump gas!
Anyway thank you for chiming in John, always appreciated. Mind letting the folks know if and how the car drives differently on the road in terms of ride and control? I know the answer, but it's kind makes more impact if someone who doesn't sell parts tells 'em.
Anyway thank you for chiming in John, always appreciated. Mind letting the folks know if and how the car drives differently on the road in terms of ride and control? I know the answer, but it's kind makes more impact if someone who doesn't sell parts tells 'em.
__________________
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
18 SCCA National Championships in house, many more for our customers prove we know our stuff.Talk is cheap, results matter.
Check out our KONI prices, our Master Cylinder Brace, and new Xtracker Hub/wheel bearing upgrade kits!
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
18 SCCA National Championships in house, many more for our customers prove we know our stuff.Talk is cheap, results matter.
Check out our KONI prices, our Master Cylinder Brace, and new Xtracker Hub/wheel bearing upgrade kits!
#9
9 Second Club
iTrader: (8)
Well I thought the car drove and rode pretty good when I was NA. When I was NA, I basically had a drag suspension with no front sway bar and I drove the car around alot with no issues. But when I went with the supercharger the car accelerates so fast that I needed the car to handle much better. It is night and day difference in the way the car handles now than before, but that should be expected since I had drag shocks, anti-roll bar in the rear and no front sway bar.
#10
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Northern WV just south of MD
Posts: 1,016
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
His new set-up has the strano wonder bars for sway bars. I am sure that did more than anything else for Johns set-up. I was fun beating him arount curves until he got the new set-up. 914 HP is to much for me.
#11
TECH Addict
iTrader: (13)
From my experience and Sam's advice:
Konis are the best, heavily biased towards "handling" well.
Bilsteins are good bang for the buck and do it all reasonably well.
QA1s are drag shocks. The only ones I see running those are drag guys and old guys who don't know any better, thinking adjustable is automatically good.
Konis are the best, heavily biased towards "handling" well.
Bilsteins are good bang for the buck and do it all reasonably well.
QA1s are drag shocks. The only ones I see running those are drag guys and old guys who don't know any better, thinking adjustable is automatically good.
#12
TECH Apprentice
iTrader: (12)
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Lafayette, LA
Posts: 380
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by jmilz28
From my experience and Sam's advice:
Konis are the best, heavily biased towards "handling" well.
Bilsteins are good bang for the buck and do it all reasonably well.
QA1s are drag shocks. The only ones I see running those are drag guys and old guys who don't know any better, thinking adjustable is automatically good.
Konis are the best, heavily biased towards "handling" well.
Bilsteins are good bang for the buck and do it all reasonably well.
QA1s are drag shocks. The only ones I see running those are drag guys and old guys who don't know any better, thinking adjustable is automatically good.
i did notice they seem to be rebuilt often. They were damned expensive, hope I get some use out of them!
#13
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Bremerton, WA
Posts: 524
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
So after finally finding the right information, but already buying front and rear QA1 double adjustable coil over kits, what is the better full coil over kit? I just haven't seen many options for coil overs front and rear for the Fbodys. I probably would have just run the koni's with Strano's springs, but I already cut the spring perches off my Moser 9" so now I am limited to a complete coil over kit that mounts in the stock shock location on the rear.
#14
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (21)
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Greater Chattanooga
Posts: 1,029
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sam has several options for coil over just get ready to pay to play there pretty expensvie when compared to the "cheap" KONIS.
I have my konis and wouldn't trade them for nothing
I have my konis and wouldn't trade them for nothing
#15
TECH Apprentice
iTrader: (12)
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Lafayette, LA
Posts: 380
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hey I finally got around to installing my QA1s all around, I have the 300lb springs which I think are a little soft and I have BMR rear springs, I love the look and the ride. I have them set on the soft side. Three clicks in the back and two on the fronts! I also had poly control arm bushings and al new chassis parts so all around it's a new feel that is maybe partly symbiotic with the new shocks and springs. I don't really know yet but I'll start a thread with some pictures soon! - Cullen
#18
Launching!
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: San Luis Obispo, CA
Posts: 255
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I bought QA1s for the front, about 20k miles ago. I bought them for the ride height adjustability to get the needed clearance for the STS kit. They were definately not very good for handling. I just put koni's and ground control adj coilovers in with nearly the same spring rate as before. WOW what a HUGE improvement!
#20
LS1TECH Sponsor
iTrader: (41)
Worn out shocks work for weight transfer too...... I mean that's what we want is the nose to shoot skyward, but it's not what you want every other time you drive the car. That's what generates body roll too quickly and lets the car boing down the road.
I'll simply point out here that you've heard from folks who've had both. I don't put a lot of stock in opinions that are based solely on what someone is running when they haven't seen the other side. You can if you like, that's a personal decision.
I'll simply point out here that you've heard from folks who've had both. I don't put a lot of stock in opinions that are based solely on what someone is running when they haven't seen the other side. You can if you like, that's a personal decision.
__________________
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
18 SCCA National Championships in house, many more for our customers prove we know our stuff.Talk is cheap, results matter.
Check out our KONI prices, our Master Cylinder Brace, and new Xtracker Hub/wheel bearing upgrade kits!
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
18 SCCA National Championships in house, many more for our customers prove we know our stuff.Talk is cheap, results matter.
Check out our KONI prices, our Master Cylinder Brace, and new Xtracker Hub/wheel bearing upgrade kits!