Intro: I got a set of Bilstein HD's two years ago after I'd installed SFC's and the SFC's made my ride stiff and harsh. I was pleased by the handling improvements the Bilsteins made, and they made the ride much more comfortable. Some time later, I did the heater hose mod, and while that greatly improved the rear stance, the front looked too high. So after looking at the options, I decided to get a pair of Koni SA's on the front and set the spring cup on the lower mount. Here are my impressions:

Stance: The lower setting on the Konis complements the heater hose mod in the rear perfectly. Nice drop in the front. The car has a slightly raked stance as it should. This is one of the least expensive ways to lower the car. It is very noticeable and looks great.

Handling: The Konis are much tighter than the Bilsteins. I adjusted them medium - 4 1/2 sweeps from soft. They are more responsive and rebound is much quicker. There's a spot on a local highway that ramps up and levels out quickly. The OE DeCarbons would float badly over it. I thought the Bilsteins handled it really well. But the Konis go over it like it wasn't even there. Amazing. I could feel the Bilstein rear shocks "hang up" because they couldn't keep up with the quick rebound rate of the Konis.

Ride: Impact harshness has greatly increased with the Konis. The Bilsteins were much more forgiving. The Konis slam hard into raised strips and generally transmit road imperfections much more strongly into the cabin. My cruise control switch on the turn signal level rattles on big impacts. It's rattling much more often now with the Konis. Admittedly, the KDWS I run in winter are horrible and have a very stiff sidewall. But the Bilsteins did a much better job of cushioning the impact.

The Verdict: I was thinking of keeping my Bilsteins and cutting a half coil to get the drop I wanted, but decided to sport the big bucks on the Konis because I didn't want to degrade my ride. I'm sure now that my ride would have been much better doing that than with the Konis. Everyone has commented on how much their ride improved with the Konis. Well, maybe after DeCarbons, I don't know. So, in my experience: Konis = great stance, improved handling, worsened ride, and much lighter wallet.

 

Your the only person I've heard of who has complained about the ride... especially with the stock springs. Do you regret getting them, or does the handling / stance make up for your decreased ride quality? For what its worth, I found that the Konis provided the best improvement in ride quality of any component I've installed.

 

Well, that's what everyone says, and what I was expecting, and so I was pretty surprised by this result. A buddy has Konis and Prokit, and his ride is like this, but I always assumed it was the springs. My car feels like his now.

I do regret the expenditure if I could have lowered my front end and preserved my ride by just cutting the coils a bit. But I'm going to give it some time, and try some other tires before I draw a final conclusion. If the harshness is too much for me, I'll go back to Plan A, pull 'em, and sell 'em.

 

What tire pressure are you running?

 

Tire pressure makes a big difference, and you can play with the adj. on the Koni`s to help with the ride.

 

How many turns from full hard is that? Try going 4 sweeps from full hard. I got my turn signal stick to "rattle" a little when I went 2 sweeps from full hard, doesn't do it on 3 or 4 sweeps from full hard though.

 

Well if you have the reciept where you bought them and decide to sell them PM me

 

And it does sound like you need to work a bit with the adjustment; there's a LOT of room to soften those up from where you are.

Email me if you decide to sell, too. paul@obsessionwithperfection.com.

 

Tire pressure is 30lbs. Same as when the Bilsteins were on.

On adjustment, I understood from on here that there's a total of 9 full sweeps from full soft to full hard. So went full soft and then 4 1/2 sweeps + from there.

But I understand that only the rebound is adjustable. I'm happy with the quick rebound it has. It's the stiff compression rating that causes the impact harshness. And that isn't adustable, as I understand it.

Am I misunderstanding anything?

 

No you got it. I did notice that right out of the box they seemed firmer than they do now. Give them a week or two to "break in" and for you to get used to them. If you do end up selling them, Ill be very surprised.

 

Right - I've had that experience with shocks before (KYBs). They seem to break in after a few weeks of driving. Or maybe you just get used to them. I'm definitely giving them time. I really like the upsides to these shocks. And I may play with the adjustment some.

 

Yet another example of how the internet somehow becomes "the word". You have adjustable shocks, try adjusting the. Also realize you lowered the car vs. the Bilstein's, and Bilsteins' are more tuned for ride than control (and you can see that). You aren't exactly comparing apples to apples, especially since no tweaking has been done on damping and you are giving the stock spring rate and working travel to support the weight. Another example showing that every action has a re-action.

 

Your tire pressures should be taken at room temp. If you are taking your 30psi reading at 20F like it is here outside, then they will be like 35psi at 70F, which IMO is too high with Koni's. So check your pressures.

Also, I installed my koni's in the cold weather and they were stiff on joints and such under jouce or compression stroke w/ Strano springs. This winter they are perfect. I smake the switch witch to sport snows in the winter as well. Summer tires get way too hard and stiff in the cold. Also shock oil thickens in the cold. So in the end these factors can add up. I also run 5 sweeps up from soft on my snows and 6 up on my summers. 1/4 turn up on the rear koni's in the winter and 1/2 up from soft in the summer. The ride and handling are perfect.

Once you dial it in and they break in, the ride is very good. If you want the best, you have to tune the parts, as well as buy & install them.

 

Interesting. I'm riding the old HDBs in an F-body and I'm looking for a different feel.

Have you ever driven a VW Golf or a performance ricer? This is what I prefer. To me, the chassis on these rides is VERY solid (stiff) and the ride is such that every pebble is felt by the driver. The cornering is very good - like it is on rails.

Is this similar to what you are felling in the F-body with SA Konis and Sub-Frames?

Did you ever consider dual adjustible Konis?

 

I haven't had this problem with mine. You probably have to adjust them and get used to it. Mine rode excellent from the time it came off the lift. The only problem I had was my new phb rattling but that is fixed and sam's srpings with koni's work great.

 

By-the-way; I'm I the only person here who is TOTALLY confused about the terms (i) ride, and (ii) handling?

In this post, the writer equates:

1. Ride: with how the car responds to hitting road imperfections like bumps,and
2. Handling: with how the car is able to respond to cornering, braking and acceleration changes.

Are these terms being used correctly?

 

German cars in particular have much more rebound damping control, which is what gives you a more solid feel. Your HD's aren't particularly high in rebound damping, which is why they aren't very suitable for lowering springs either. I find them lacking damping for the stock springs, and I think if you ever were to get into a Koni car (depending on the setting), you'd feel the same way.

 

Sam:
German cars in particular have much more rebound damping control, which is what gives you a more solid feel. Your HD's aren't particularly high in rebound damping, which is why they aren't very suitable for lowering springs either. I find them lacking damping for the stock springs, and I think if you ever were to get into a Koni car (depending on the setting), you'd feel the same way.

Sorry, I'm confused. So, if I got into a Koni car I would feel the same as (1) a german car with high rebound shocks, or (2) a Koni F-body would also feel to me like it is lacking in spring damping similar to the Beilstein car Vs. the German car?

 

Hes saying compared to a fbody with konis, the HDs will feel lacking.

 

The Konis have much higher rebound damping control than the bilsteins. They are more suitable for lowering springs than the bilsteins and will give you a solid. tighter feel from the chassis.

My car in particular is a very solid feeling car. My setup is as follows:

Front - Koni D/A's set 2 clicks softer than dead middle on both compression and rebound, 650# coilovers, 1LE bar

Rear - Koni D/A's set dead middle on compression and rebound, Hotchkis lowering springs, 1LE bar, Adj. Panhard bar.

The car is very tight and the ride is definatly firm but rarely uncomfortable. That could be solved with more shock tuning, but Im compromising for the better handling characteristics for the mountain and canyon roads I like to drive. The car used to be almost unbearibly stiff, until I brought down the settings on the shocks, now its fairly comfortable most all of the time.