SStolen

iTrader: (22)

I have read on here over 100 times about how terrible the stock monotube decarbon shocks are and that we do not know what we are missing as far as our cars not feeling like cheap American steel heaps. I know that my ride is bumpy and harsh as hell. What I am wondering is how many people did the shock and spring setup (the RIGHT way) and did NOT notice the big difference? Or how many people did it and thought it helped but not nearly as much as others advertised? I think my ride is harsh but I just don't see it driving like a new GTO. It is bumpy and that ride is locked in my head as how an Fbody should feel. Will it feel like $800 worth of new suspension or am I better off investing that into that 9"rear-end that I BADLY need more than a "little" increase in ride quality? If you haven't done the swap and can't speak from experience please do not reply. Thanks- Mike.

Urban Legend

iTrader: (5)

My only regret with the Koni SA shocks was that I did not do the shock swap earlier. The shocks transformed my car and my wifes Honda Accord. Got the Konis on both cars. Would not have it any other way.

SStolen

iTrader: (22)

What things exactly was it that changed so much that made the car better to drive? What are the benefit of the Koni SA's over something like Bilstein HD's or revalved bilstein HD's for lowering springs? Aren't those shocks more set-up for autoX or are they good for daily driving as well?

BlackHawk T/A

iTrader: (3)

The answer is betting spring damping, and you will feel the benefits of better control when driving aggressive, and less "harshness" when driving on the streets.

Urban Legend

iTrader: (5)

The feeling of being in a boat suddenly disappears.

Chaotic Firebird

I know when I had my stock decarbons with only 30k on them, my body [mainly kidneys] would feel every bump in the road. I then installed bilstein hd's, and the ride is NO WHERE near as harsh, and the shocks take the shock instead of my kidney's. My kidney's thank me. And I did notice an improvement in turning ability, less body roll.

BAD99TA

SStolen: You are doing the right thing with your post. Seems like you are trying to get a feel whether you really should upgrade or not. IMO the best thing you could do would be to post here and see if anyone lives close enought to you that has Koni's, Bilstein's, etc and would be willing to let you take their car or take you for a ride so you can see how aftermarket shocks ride/perform. There's gotta be someone in Louisville, KY that can help you out. I know if you lived near me I'd let you drive my car so you could put the Koni's to the test (as long as you let me drive your car I'd consider it a fair trade) . Anyway since that might not be possible the next best piece of advise I can give you is that Koni's flat out are simply amazing, I feel your getting your $800 worth with these shocks (Koni SA's). There is beyond a night/day difference from stock. I can push my car at least 15-20 mph faster on every on/off ramp on the thruway for starters. As other's have stated the floaty boat feeling of the car is gone and if feels much safer and much more stable, especially at high speeds there is much more control. Don't forget that sway bars really help you in the corners.
Also, you asked what benefit the Koni SA's offer over Bilstein HD's and revalves. Well to put it simply Koni's are the top of the line. The revalves are a cheaper alternative when going with lowering springs because the HD's can't handle the increased spring rate. After installing the Koni's I noticed that my car actually rides better than stock, until you hit a bump of course. One thing to note is that hitting a bump is definitely liveable and in no means do your teeth chatter or does it kill your kidneys IMO. It's noticably stiffer, but what do you expect, it's a sports car. Drive any car that is lowered w/ good shocks and you'll find the same thing applies. Koni's, Bilstein revalves and the HD's are all meant for street/Auto X and are geared towards better handling rather than for the drag strip so make sure you take that into consideration as well. Hope this helps!

Viper

iTrader: (6)

WELL put BAD99TA!

chupr0kabra

iTrader: (10)

Here are my experiences.

Stock suspension: The car always felt a little floaty, but it was a daily driven commuter car, and I didn't have the time or the inclincation to mess with it.

Added 1LE swaybars: Significant reduction in body roll. Car felt much more planted when cornering. Big improvement.

Added Hotchkis springs, KYB GasAJust shocks, BADZ adjustable panhard bar: At first, everything was great. Over time, I came to realize that the shocks weren't up to the task. The more I drove it, and the more I pushed it, the more floaty it got.

Added BMR LCA relocation brackets: Helped keep the rearend more planted.

Added UMI subframe connectors: Can't say I felt much of a difference. Slightly less body roll in turns, but the swaybars already made a bigger impact there.

Added 17x9.5/17x11 wheels: Looked great, had to get used to trammeling. Rearend was now VERY planted, but the shocks REALLY showed their weakness. The rear tires kept hitting the fender wells, no matter how much I hammered, and the biggest reason was that the rear shocks couldn't control the axle.

Added Koni SA shocks: Initially, the rearend was very floaty again, but increasing the rate by half a turn fixed that. Front end was a little bouncy, so I adjusted that out (one shock was set for full firm and the other was at about 3 sweeps from full firm...oops). Set the fronts 4 sweeps from full firm. The car is now very predictable. Small bumps are felt at the tires only, larger bumps are only felt once and then they're gone. I set the rear shocks pretty firm (1.5 turns from full soft) and the suspension doesn't bottom out any more. Huge improvement.

The only thing I might do at this point is go with Sam's Addco swaybars, but I'm not totally sure I need to. The car handles great and rides very comfortably.


-Mike

LS69TA

iTrader: (30)

I'm still on my stock shocks, but the ride isn't as bad as I had imagined it would be. I should have just saved up for Konis, but I was sick of seeing the car at stock ride height.

MOE_TAWS6

iTrader: (16)

How much is a set of KONI SA's anyways??

Viper

iTrader: (6)

Depends.

You can get Koni SA 4th gen fronts with 3rd gen rears, or 4th gens on all 4 corners.

The difference is 3rd gen rears can only be adjusted OFF the car. Not a problem for many as usually with the rear you don't change the setting that often. The 4th gen rear has a dial so you can adjust it IN car.

www.stranoparts.com can get you the pricing and answers to questions you may have.

DuronClocker

iTrader: (25)

I think I paid $845 shipped for Strano's 4/4 package. That includes the in-car adjustable rear shocks. Haven't driven the car yet as my transmission should be going back in this weekend, but I can't wait. I have the fronts set to 4 sweeps from full hard, and I haven't messed with the rears yet as they are still off the car.

I figured if I was going to spend that kind of money on shocks, I might as well get the extra little option for the easier adjustability. This way I can set them to full firm for the strip and then lighten them up for street driving and such. I think there was a $100 price difference for that option, but these things should be essentially a one-time purchase with how long they should last on my car.

BAD99TA

When I was pricing out Koni SA's I found they range between $825-$850 shipped depending on where you look. I got luckey and got my front shocks brand new on eBay for $308 shipped and I bought the rears from Strano which cost me $337 shipped. I'm running the 4/4 setup and I can tell you that they are definitely worth the cash if your going for handling.