DarkLoneWolf666

Well not too long ago i jad my Koni's SA installed all round like 3 months ago. Now i notice when i went over a speed bump i felt something on the front driver side like it hit hard. . . then i we taking it for a test drive. . then i notice my driver side koni's wernt absorbing the impact like it should (both sides are max to stiffness).
I dont hear any noise like if the struts are bad. . so i decided to push down on the passanger side down onthe struts. . they are stiff/firm like they should be. . but on the driver side is all loose and bouncy.. . i was like WTF!~?. . took it to Big O's ( where i got them first). . they claim that the adjustment moved by it self ( dont know how) saying maybe didn't move it all the way. . like it was stuck on between a click or something. So the mechanics push it all the way to max. . but it stills feels the same. . does this mean it's Broken???? Please help me. . the owner of big o's is calling for tech. . im calling for help here. . has anyone exp this??? Will the koni's send me a replacement???

Greggy

I recently installed an advance replacement front koni for the same issue you have. The shock was only two months old. Koni has a lifetime warranty, but I'm not sure if the shock will be covered, as I have not heard back yet on the old part I shipped back to them.

The problem seems to be the the koni installed bump stop, under the black plastic cover, may not be long/hard enough to keep the shock from internally bottoming.

Koni slightly changed the original design of the shock which caused it to have a 1/8" less travel. This is not good, so I'm hoping they stand behind their product. I'm not sure why they don't put a 1/8" spacer in along with the bumpstop to prevent internal bottoming? I would do this myself, but pulling the top hat or removing the plastic cover will void the warranty.

DarkLoneWolf666

Did you have to pay for your advance replacement????

Greggy

Yes I paid. They will refund after ispection proves that user error or modification is not the cause of the failure. (50% of list price is the charge for a replacement.. about $180)

DarkLoneWolf666

oh ok. . .who should i call??? Because the guy from big o's order it from some aftermarket. . should i call koni's directly or somebody else?

Greggy

I called koni direct.. ask for warranty help. You need a receipt for proof of purchase.

http://www.koni-na.com/index.cfm?

PHONE # AT BOTTOM OF PAGE

gun5l1ng3r

So are you saying that my new Koni's from January are going to eventually destroy themselves because the bumpstop is too small??????

Can Sam confirm this?

ZodiacZ28

iTrader: (3)

This isnt good. Just installed my konis a month ago. Anybody else having similar issues?

Krab

iTrader: (28)

Interesting topic. Waiting to see what arises...

DarkLoneWolf666

its prolly depends how is your driving condition. . I think i hit a pit hole hard once in teh freeway. . If i remember right. . i know it hit my driver side hard. . .(front)

SIK02SS

iTrader: (11)

when you have the rebound set to maximum stiffness you are making the shock work very hard and in result putting a lot of pressure on the parts and shock itself. the fact that you had it full stiff and hit a bump (my guess is too hard?), that impact can hurt the shock and possibly blow it

if Sam chimes in hopefully he can confirm/elaboarte on this.

why do you have it at full stiff anyways? what springs are you running?

SIK02SS

iTrader: (11)

just read you have sportlines in your other thread..that doesn't help either

2 things worked against you:

1) your car was too low and was putting a lot of un-do stress on the shock as-is
2) the set at stiffest as previously mentioned

DarkLoneWolf666

well im running on Sportlines. . i just order the Hotchkis springs. . so i can replace these sportline. . i install these in WA but then when i moved to Cali. . roads are rougher here. . so yea. .

gun5l1ng3r

Back to the top to see if the Koni SA 4th gen front bumpostops are too small, allowing the shocks to bottom...

On stock springs by the way, on the upper Koni perch...

Greggy

I will talk to koni tech support about my claim at some point and chime in.

If the bumpstop is not sufficiant, a good size bump or pothole at highway speeds will kill the shock with any spring or shock setting. Although you should not be at full stiffness with any aftermarket spring kits I know of.

After 90k miles on stock shocks and bilstein HD's, both of which use the stock bumpstop, without a failure, I am a bit concerned as well. This car is my daily and winter car, and the potholes around Boston are everywhere late winter into spring.

greg

NHRAMAN

iTrader: (1)

Had a friend with KONI SA's ....destroyed in 3 months..all four..were properly installed...sorry. These were with Pro-kit----NOT that it should MATTER at all.

gun5l1ng3r

Wouldn't a lowering spring cause the shock piston to move further down in the bore of the shock body since the spring is now shorter than stock?

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Sorry, I don't buy it. Might have busted all 4, but no way were they properly installed. And bumpstops cannot stop 4000 pounds of mass all by themselves. If you have springs that don't coil-bind and/or don't have enough rate to support the mass, you'll break shocks. The Pro-kits for the LS1 are not stiff enough for how low them make the car. While any spring set for this car will get to the bumpstops at some point you get to them less often and a lot slower when you have more appropriate rates. While it's easy to blame the Koni's, what are the chances of having 4 shocks on one car all be junk when there are so many (the majority) that have no issue at all. Seems to me that indicates something with the car. The installation, the springs, the combination of the springs and the use, etc.

I'm not going to tell you Koni's don't break. I have a broken one myself, but the car was slammed over a curb so hard the LF tire left a black mark on inner fender just behind the shock location. That bottomed the shock. While Koni could but on a short and hard, hockey-puck like bumpstop, that causes havoc with the way the car works over bumps. And we take the SS/WS6 style rear stops that are blunt off and replace them with Z28 ones that are more progressive--they are doing the same on the front shocks.

Greggy

By the way, I just got a letter from koni saying they are refunding my advanced replacement cost and honorring the warranty in my case. I wish they explained what the problem was. I may call tech. support to get more info.