EDIT: So it looks like they are "almost" here anyway, finally...

Koni STR.T's are listed as *NEW but still "special order" on one sponsor's site so far

some of their description of the str.t series, pronounced "street" for those not familiar (also known as oranges), on other platforms they are popular for a performance oriented replacement for stock or mild lowering springs, probably going to be similar to a bilstein but hopefully they'll be another small step up since they are marketed as suitable for some lowering springs:

...


*If these are indeed available I will be ordering a set soon, perhaps this thread could be used for reviews of different spring/sway combos with these shocks in the future so we don't have 100,000,000 scattered threads like bilstein/koni/kyb and still get people posting the same questions every day

 

hmm , we need some more info on these

 

Interesting - wonder how well these work. FWIW, I got Bilsteins for basically the same price - I paid $400 shipped for SLP Bilsteins. You're looking at $390 for the Konis plus whatever shipping and handling fees may apply.

http://www.coloradospeed.com/slp-bil...4ajjj41e7h5rs6

 

hmm interesting, i'm sure these would perform better than Belsteins for sure. been waiting decades for these lol.

 

I'll be looking into a set soon, I already have Koni SA's in the back but wasn't sure if I wanted to just go bilstein and stay on stock springs up front or just hold off and do Koni SA with nice springs. I'm commuting to a crappy area so I didn't want a big drop (bad speed bumps in the parking garage) but maybe these would work okay with something mild.

 

And you are still are... because they aren't actually available. The part number has been around for a while now. I have it in my internal system.

Trust me, I'm a Koni fan. I sell a LOT of them and use them myself. When they are available, you guys will the be the first folks I tell.

 

Rears are supposedly in transit now. Fronts are not, and will take at least 1 month once they are on the way.

If there is demand I'll up my order for them, please let me know.

Please note that I'll be under the TR price even once the Koni sale ends. I think I'll be around $375/set but I can't set it in stone until stock arrives.

 

Wonder what is taking them so long? If they are better than the Bilsteins (and have a lower perch, would be nice, I'd love to drop the nose of my car a tad more) I could see Koni grabbing some business from them.

I suppose there is the possibility they are just taunting us and won't ever actually release them...

 

How will these compare to the Bilstein option for standard ride height 4th gens?

 

I can tell you that on cars where both Bilstein and STR.T's are available I like how the STR.T's work better. This is mostly on SN95 and S197 Mustangs. These are NOT a replacement for the Koni Sports, just keep that in mind.

That said, I will also mention that the STR.T's havent' been quite as durable as Bilstein's or Koni Sports. They are made for Koni by another company on another continent. Koni does the valving and the warranty, so they work well for their intended purpose. It's not like they all break and they have been much better in terms of durability than say... KYB. But the honest answer is based on experience with the brands you will get better damping from STR.T's, better durability with Bilstein. It will likely come down to details of how the car is used which I recommend.

 

And no, I don't believe they will have the lower perch position like the Sports. No mention of it.

 

Maybe if these do eventually become available and some people start using them I'll revisit this when my Bilsteins are due for replacement (how long do Bilsteins usually last with your springs anyway before they start getting questionable? Ballpark, 50k or something?)

Guess in order to drop the nose I'll either need to add a little weight... front-mount turbo setup or drop in an LS3

 

I'm sure they will... after all this time I've got confirmation rears are in transit, so I'm sure they'll build fronts too. Just a matter of time now.

How long to Bilstein's last? How do I answer that? It depends. :/ Really it's a matter of the feel and the control you get. I think the stock shocks had terrible control even when they had 10 miles on them, they weren't 'worn out' but sure felt sloppy and didn't drive nice. Well, sort of the same thing here. The Bilstein's will likely never flat out fail, spring leaks, or fall apart. But they will give up control since they didn't start out super firm to start with. So it's really a matter of what you are feeling as to when you need to replace them. 50k miles isn't the same on all cars. Live in a place with smooth roads and the shocks work much less hard than a place like where I live in Western PA where the shocks get worked a lot (and why I like a lot of shock control). I guess the short answer truly would have been "your mileage may vary".

 

It sure is nice to see new parts for this 11 year plus discontinued platform.

 

I updated the original post with pertinent information, now that we know more. I'll be saving my pennies!

BTW Sparky, if you look at bilstein's rebuild services they list "External snap ring grooves for spring seats" as an option for $10 each. If you ever need to have yours rebuilt I'm assuming this means they can add a groove in the body if you tell them where? I don't know for sure but worth asking them, would probably make a whole lot of people happy if it works out

 

Bear in mind we are seeing less expensive, a bit more downmarket (vs. Koni Sport) parts for this discontinued car. I think they look at it like 'hey it's old enough we need cheaper options'. Plus having been close to Koni for years, they know just how many Bilstein's I've sold (because they've asked) for these things because they had nothing to offer to do battle. Finally they look to be fixing that.

 

These are going to be a GREAT option for the majority of F-body drivers. Had these been available in the past, I probably would have gotten them over my Koni Sport SA's and save some cash.

 

thanks for the great information as usual Sam, would be nice if the fronts came w/ the lower perch. i'd like my front to lower some more, so i think i'm just gunna opt for the adjustable front and rear when i get the money.

 

you're welcome, I do try.

 

I'm very interested. My Monore shocks of unknown age and questionable condition should be replaced, especially considering how I love me some curvy roads!

I just couldn't quite spring for the Koni SA, even on sale, but these I can probably afford, if they stay at the $375 price point on Stranos.

Waiting for a review, I want an decent improvement handling with good compliance on my crappy Michigan backroads so the rear end isn't bouncing all over the road. Long term durability isn't a huge concern, since I only drive the Z28 for fun on the weekends.

Keep us posted Sam, if I give anyone my money, it'll be you.