I just happened to run across my order with Koni from several years ago.

Packers 15.34.62.0000 $0.72 ea.
Bumpstops $11.22 ea.
Koni stickers for shock $0.50 ea.

Koni phone number:
(859)586-4100

 

Geez...I went through TrueChoice and bought my stuff 2 months ago:

Packers - $2.65 ea.
Bump Stop $21.90 ea.

Rippped off!! They could have at least given me a free Koni sticker after they finished sticking me.

 

I'm going a bit further with the shock mounts. You can find the new thread here: Making New Front Shock Mount

It will be simpler to drop the shock out, maybe adjust the shock from under the hood, instead of the dirty wheelwell. It'll be different.

 

I did the mod this afternoon -wasn't nearly as difficult as I had imagined

I used a brand new hardened steel hacksaw blade from Home Depot ($2), sprayed some WD-40 every few strokes, and managed to cut through both mounts in less than 10 minutes. Both cutoff pieces were exactly .75". Instead of melting the cutoff pieces to get the steel spacer out, I just heated with a heat gun and they both slid out without any mess.
I installed Intrax 2" lowering springs on some SLP Bilstein take-offs - I discovered finding the right spot for the spring compressor was the most difficult part. 3 coils simply wasn't enough and 4 coils would either put one 'hook' too low so it would bind or another hook too high where it would hit the gold spring cup. I had to loosen/tighten like 8-9 times before I found just the right spot. Once I found the sweet spot, it took maybe 10 minutes to assemble both sides


...now just waiting for LCAs and I'll be able to do a complete suspension swap


OH, if anyone wants to send me the dimensions of the 'packers', I can cut some out of plexiglass and send them out for quite a bit less than Koni wants

 

For packers I just used a rubber maid box lid and cut out i believe 1 1/2 inch round spacers, then cut a notch out to slide it around the shock rod. Working good so far.

 

Has anyone done this with cut front coils?

It seems that it could be a good way to go, keeping the cost down, and having a good end result.

 

Yes I have...and am extremely happy. But I only cut 1/3 of a full coil becuz did not want to overshoot. And sure enuff it was perfect...dropped me a full inch.

Outback I was not so lucky I cut half a coil becuz the back is always so much more jacked up. Well it came down too much...was close to being leveled with front or slightly lower than. Any extra weight in the car and it seemed slammed. So I took the springs out and put in 150K plus 93 rear springs. This worked fuggin perfect as well. I'm lowered and it feels like as if I wasn't. I do have some noises in the rear tho.

How springs work is the less coils the stiffer they are and higher their ratings go.... So ideally you want springs with as minimum coiling but with the rating you desire as well. I have to admit i probably could use stiffer springs. And the small amount I clipped up front did not change the stiffness level by much if any at all. But I acheived the stance I was looking for...And I gained the lower center of gravity. For the price of the work involved in this mod. It was well worth it. I look at this mod as something that works for any future tru upgrades with coil replacments...its a win win.

Expect to replace the front shocks if they are stock...they will likely be rotted at the very tops.

Also with a lot of the hoopla about not cutting springs...its all nonsense...cut them and be quick about it when doing so. This will prevent heating up and warping. The springs used here in these cars are not the special kind of springs that when you cut you lose their seating and change their ratings in doing so and operability. The front ones fall back in their seats almost perfectly as if they were like factory finish after cutting. The rears do lose a little bit of what seems like the factory warmed them up a little to create a seat to fit inside the rear seat of the car. But the springs themselves are not altered in their function by cutting them it is safe.

 

The guys who recently did the mod, how is the cars behaving over the bumps now?
The reason I ask as you have a fresh perspective on the mod.
Thanks

 

I curious about that.^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

It alters nothing but the travel. So there would be NO changes to the way your car takes a bump. He explains all that if u read closely.

If you were not to shorten your springs....it would allot for your shock to absorb with an extra inch of travel...so only in the case where you do not change anything but just do this mod....will u actually see an enhancement...but its likely the car will not necessitate that travel commonly.

This returns about an inch(or more,,i forgot) of travel if your dropped your front end an inch...placing you right back to where u were stock. So its as if you werent dropped an inch and lost the travel. Your dropped but the car doesn't know it...and neither will your ****.

 

Do the revalved Bilsteins need this washer? I understand everything else but I'm not understanding how this washer helps. If the washer is there how does that help with the movement. Seems like having a washer will prevent movement...can anyone explain? Thanks.

 

I went from stock cut springs on decarbons to Intrax springs on bilsteins with this mod - installed them today
MUCH better! I purposely drove all around town hitting every dip, bump, and imperfection that I normally would bottom out on and I have yet to hit the front bump stop. This is how these cars should have come from the factory

ChrisRZ28, the washer spaces the upper mount from the top of the shock so they can wabble and not hit each other, if that makes sense...just do it

 

Chris what it does exactly is prevent binding. If it was not there in the case of the top of the shock in the picture above then the shocks body would not be able to rock back and forth. All its edges would be flush to that surface. And it would be still. The reason the Koni's dont need it is becuz it has a similar shape at its top that serves the same as if having the washer. So if the bilsteins have that same shape...thus not allowing binding....then no....but if it's like the top of the stock units and would sit flush...then u do need the washer.

 

Thanks for the input on how it drives after the mod.

 

Just got done with this mod. My poor POS Powerbuilt spring compressor may not ever compress another spring after this. Bent a couple of the 'L' shaped brackets where the u-bolts attach. And galled up the threads on one of the big bolts... Hopefully, this is the last time I have to pull apart the front suspension. At this point, I must say, portable ban saws FTW! Took less then a minute to cut through each one. After I put everything back together, I went for a drive. I wasn't sure at first, that this mod was worth the effort. But after I had gone over some big bumps/humps on this one street, I realized what a great mod this is. When I got back to the garage, I looked in the wheelwell to check on the bumpstop and it was about an inch from bottoming out. Overall, this a must do mod for anyone who's lowered. And I didn't forget the washer! Thanks JasonWW!

 

Can some of you guys post some "after" pictures of your cars with this mod?

Thanks!

 

 

I'm not usually the one to say this, but...

SICK!!!!

 

I would but I can't find my damn digi camera. This mod doesn't lower the car at all or is a mod you can see. Just gives the shock more room for movement.

 

DAMN your car is low! You must scrape on everything!