transsam

iTrader: (5)

I am rebuilding my car to become an all around machine rather than a 9 sec. straight line toy. Currently, my car has QA1 shocks, and if I adjust them to full soft, they ride like an Oldsmobile or Buick of 15 years ago. Comfortable enough to take on a 14 hour ride.

The setup I am ordering right now will be Koni single adjustable with Strano springs, Strano sway bars, and a Watts link.

My wife would like to be able to drive the car up the coast from San Diego up hwy 1 to Napa with something similar to the kind of ride it can have now. I would like that option too.

So...On full soft on the Konis, but with the Strano springs, how comfortable can the ride get?

TheBlueKnight

iTrader: (4)

It's a little stiff, even on full soft it's a sporty feeling ride. It isn't going to be like a caddy by a long shot. I still love the ride and have taken it on 4 hours hwy trips with no complaints from me or my wife. Here is a review I did on the ride after the install...

http://www.streetfire.net/video/koni...iew_689705.htm

transsam

iTrader: (5)

Thanks for the info. I'm certainly not looking for the floating couch feeling of my mom's DTS, but Chevy Impala would be nice. Is that type of a ride achievable on full soft?

TheBlueKnight

iTrader: (4)

I'm going to say no. Even on full soft it is still a stiffer, sportier feeling ride.

xXxSilveradoxXx

iTrader: (5)

Chevy Impala isn't going to happen, hell, stock F-Body feel isn't going to happen. Since Strano springs lower the car they have to be stiffer to combat bottoming out. With that said, the ride won't be better than what you have now.

Here is something to think about though; I'm 26 and my spine is fused pretty much from my shoulder blades to my hips. My Strano/Koni setup on my car doesn't hurt my back at all where some cars (w/ aftermarket suspensions)have hurt my back.

transsam

iTrader: (5)

EDIT:
My mom's back problems make it so she can only ride in certain cars. You just sold me...kind of. I already ordered the shocks, but you still sold me.

I addition, I am massively sorry to hear about back problems like that. I wish you the best and respect the hell out of you!

hiltsy855

iTrader: (35)

I don't think you can get to the Impala ride but I'd say if you want to get closer to that you'd have to go with double adjustable Konis. Especially if you have wheels bigger than 17".

WS6sleeper

iTrader: (1)

Awesome vid, couldn't have asked for a better review of this setup. It was direct, blunt, and straight to the point. Looks like it is handling like an awd car! Just wanted to ask how it feels on the highway going 70mph and up?

And the stance looks perfect. Is the ground clearance an issue with headers etc.?

JD_AMG

Glued to the road, yet still smooth and very responsive/sporty.
No different than any other 1.2" lowering spring, so it depends on the exhaust setup and how well the headers tuck up. I have SW headers and ORY and the ground clearance is excellent, I couldn't ask for better clearance from a header setup.

JD_AMG

From my experience with them, even on full soft most bumps are jarring, yet the car still feel very loose and will float/bounce around after hitting the bumps. Does yours feel similar?

The "best" ride quality will come from stock springs and good shocks (like konis), but with that being said the strano springs with konis still ride great (just not as good as compared to konis/stock springs ofcourse).
And from my experience setting the front konis on full soft with the lowering springs will make the ride worse.

xXxSilveradoxXx

iTrader: (5)

No need to be sorry, I had scoliosis so bad that a brace didn't help. That's just life. I don't let it slow me down though!

I'm sure you know but just because it doesn't bother me doesn't mean it won't bother your mother!

TheBlueKnight

iTrader: (4)

Thank you! The car is just stable and smooth past 70mph. With the stock suspension I remember trapping 111mph and feeling like the car was pretty floaty at that speed. When I did the konis/ stranos and headers/ ls6 intake/ tune and trapped 114mph the car was so stable I could barely tell I was going so fast.

Ground clearance isn't to much of a problem. As mentioned above, no worse than any other spring that drops the car that much.

speed_demon24

iTrader: (6)

With the shocks on full soft it rides worse than with them properly adjusted since it's a lot bouncier. That and the fact that you can only adjust rebound not compression.

transsam

iTrader: (5)

Thats kind of the impression that I am getting. I couldn't swallow the idea of double adjustable's price point. I am not really terribly concerned, particularly with the responses I have read. My QA1s are single adjustable on the front (full loose is a 90/10 drag setup), so I do have that experience. I don't really want to be getting out to change them, so this is more of a "will the wife approve thread."

Thanks for the replies guys. Keep any insights coming, they are appreciated!

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Doubles will only help if there is a lot more unsprung weight to control than a on a normal car. Adding more compression damping with little to no additional unsprung weight to control won't help the ride, it will hurt it.

Best way I can sum this up. Firm, but much less harsh (even then stock with miles). I'm not going to jerk your chain and tell you how it give a stock ride, etc..... having lowering springs means you have both stiffer, and shorter springs on the car and those are not things you do to make the ride more cushy.

The reason many find the ride to be "better than stock" is that while it's firm, it's a lot less slam/bam, impact harshness is greatly reduced. Yes, you feel the bumps, but they don't want to knock your teeth out, bruise kidneys, and make the car quiver and shake like a wet dog.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

The result vs. what you have will be 50 times better. The car will ride better, it will drive better because it will be more planted and not wander around too. It will also change direction better, roll and dive more slowly and generally feel like a smaller car (just because it will more responsive and nimble).

Das Nic

May I ask why you're switching from the QA1 setup to Konis? I just purchased the QA1 rear coilover kit and QA1 fronts w/ springs from Spohn and am waiting for them to come in the mail.

Are you just looking for comfort or what?

I know the QA1s are fully height adjustable and have 12 settings for rebound/compression, so why switch?

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

My guess is because they ride and handle pretty poorly. They hit bumps hard, they don't offer great control so they often get turned up which makes them even worse over the sharper bumps....

They are drag shocks, and drag shocks don't have to do much very well--in fact you want them to be on the poor side because that's what promotes weight transfer. 12 settings on anything is only good if the basic setup is valved well. QA1's use a really poor piston, an even worse adjuster, and aren't even gas-charged which makes them more prone to fade as the oil gets hot and tried to cavitate.

transsam

iTrader: (5)

All of that explains it really well. Let me throw one thing in to the explanation. A lot of people using QA1s (including myself for a time) actually pull off the front sway bar at the track to give extra lift on the front end. People will leave it off to help plant it on the street too. I doubt you'll find anyone justifying running with no front sway bar on the Konis and justifying it by saying, "it still handles pretty well." I was in that game for a while. Now I want an all around machine and thanks to Sam, I'm on my way!

transsam

iTrader: (5)

I don't want to make any suggestions because I don't know anywhere near as much as some other people *cough cough - Sam - cough cough.* However, I think I would be okay in saying that in my experience, you may decide later on that you want the car to be able to beat the **** out of other cars in directions other than a straight line. I've seen posts of ~ 1.5 60' times with the Konis. If it is possible, at the very least I would consider doing some research into the Konis, particularly with Sam's setup, before you installing the QA1s. You may change your mind. I did.