Suspension Travel Question

[.RJ]

Search corner-carvers then.

Cant find anything other than operator error, and one guy rebuilding after 40,000 miles of use... hrug: Certainly better than those bilsteins you were using.

[white_2kgt]

Search corner-carvers then.

Cant find anything other than operator error, and one guy rebuilding after 40,000 miles of use... hrug: Certainly better than those bilsteins you were using.

you need to search more. My bils were custom valved mono shock's so no, not 'certainly' better.

[.RJ]

you need to search more. My bils were custom valved mono shock's so no, not 'certainly' better.

I was referring to their reliability.

Personally, if they were mine, and still NIB, I'd ask for a refund and get Koni's, but that's just me.

I'm looking for a Koni coilover kit and not going to hyperfest next week at Summit Point.

[PDenbigh]

I guess this really brings up the question, what affordable real race shocks are there? Is advance design still around? Any other brands for $1k-$1.5k ?

I've been asking myself the same question...

I've found the following:

Pro Shocks
AFCO
and
QA1

Heard anything good/bad about any of those? They're note Bilstein or Penske but they're also not $1000+ each.

[white_2kgt]

you need to search more. My bils were custom valved mono shock's so no, not 'certainly' better.

I was referring to their reliability.

Yea, the mounting ears were bent? That's got nothing to do with the seals that blow on the Koni's. Yea I looked into getting Koni's but after adding up the cost of off the shelf Koni DA's and getting the rebuilt every year I was better off sticking with the Bils. Also those were off the shelf HD's, not the custom ones I have. MM now offers a custom lower mount.

QA1's, RUN RUN RUN!!!! NOOOOOO.

[.RJ]

Heard anything good/bad about any of those? They're note Bilstein or Penske but they're also not $1000+ each.

Well, you get what you pay for usually See if you can find other people running them, what their experiences have been and most importantly what the support is after the sale - are they rebuildable, can the valving be changed? If not, I'd pass on that basis alone.

That's got nothing to do with the seals that blow on the Koni's.

I found *one* thread talking about seal failure, and lots of threads of people happy with them.

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Can you find more? If you dont like them, thats fine.

[white_2kgt]

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I have had terrible luck with Koni DAs and 350 and 425 front coilovers on my 96 Cobra with Griggs frontend. Various things bust in the struts (not from bottoming out) and Koni takes 6-8 weeks to fix them, more at certain times, and charge a LOT more than Bilstein rebuilds seem to cost. Often, the rebuild costs more than a new one. The first DA strut I busted was when the car was still stock other than the struts and R compunds. Two more incidents since switching to coilovers. A local national level prepared class autocrosser (4th in 05, 2nd in 04, won the Pro-Solo IIRC) has left Koni because of the need to have two sets at all times, one on the vehicle and one in the shop.

On edit, Koni has indicated to me numerous times that DAs do not carry a warranty. If anybody has had luck with getting DAs rebuilt under original purchaser warranty I would like to hear about it. I've still got two busted DAs sitting around the shop.

I switched from Konis to MM Race Bilsteins, and have been VERY happy with them. Don't get me wrong - they're not the absolute best out there. If you have $5-$6k to spend, you can certainly pick up a better full-race adjustable shock, and if you know how to use them, they'll be significantly quicker. But so far, my budget has never been able to support that.

The biggest single reason that we usually recommend Bilsteins over Konis is that the Bilsteins are literally 50 times more reliable. When a Koni does fail, the warranty experience is so painful, you wished you never bought them. Even if you are getting them fixed out of warranty, expect to wait 2-3 months. The Bilstein is a superior product in every way, except that they are not adjustable. I think this is the only thing keeping Bilstein from putting Koni out of business. Once Bilstein comes out with adjustable models, it will be all over.

Kind of off topic, but am I the only one that has/had a problem with repeatability on Koni's off the shelf Mustang shocks? When I had them on my car, it seemed like the way the car would act one day at a 1/2 turn of compression wasn't the same the next day with all other settings the same. When I switched to a different brand (AFCO) adjustable shock, it is more consistent.

That is why I stopped using Koni's.

DaveW

That's one thread, should I keep going?

[.RJ]

That's one thread, should I keep going?

When you can find better info than that, yes.

2-3 months for a rebuild? Thats complete BS. I had a warranty issue with one of my shocks and they were turned around in less than a week. Rebuilds can take 6-8 weeks during the race season, yes, thats true. They tell you this ahead of time so you dont have to send it in if you dont want to wait. If you want it faster, send it to truechoice - they have a shorter turnaround time.

The 'race' valved or DA shocks do not carry a warranty, but if something fails that isnt due to operator error (improper installation, bottoming out, etc) they will almost always fix them if you call and dont make an ass out of yourself.

[white_2kgt]

You are clearly a KONI fan, good for you. I based my decision on the years of experience MaximumMotorsports has with dealing with both Koni and Bilstein when it comes to aftermarket shocks for mustangs. Maybe your little honda's are OK on koni's but for some reason they just don't hold up well on mustangs. They have seen, sold and serviced literally thousands of shocks and to me, that means something. When they advise their customers not to spend MORE money on an inferior product that speaks for itself.

[Jeff]

What is the difference between Koni "Reds" and Koni "Yellows"? I have reds for my Daytona, but they only cost me $300. So I'm sure they are not super special, the best I can get though.

[Mike]

What is the difference between Koni "Reds" and Koni "Yellows"? I have reds for my Daytona, but they only cost me $300. So I'm sure they are not super special, the best I can get though.

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