fighting fish

just replaced my stock shocks with Koni Yellows today. i figured it was time to replace stock shocks since ive had HR Sports Springs on it for about a year now.

MOD FEEDBACK:
turning and lane changes feel more solid ie. less sway and body roll.
however, on straightaways, it feels like im riding a horse drawn cart on a gravelly road. too much jiggling going on, like all road imperfections are magnified through the chassis. (if this is what "stiff" means, then give me soft anyday). i guess i was expecting more a BMW feel, solid, sporty, confident, semi-stiff, connected, etc...).

is this normal with new shocks, cuz i heard that there is a break in period for the Konis. ill give it about 10 days on the "softest setting" and hopefully they will settle to something better. but for now, i wouldnt recommend this set-up.

any advice? thanks.

hemants

how long have you had them?

my illumina's settled down after a few days
also, turn the front to the softest settings and turn the rears a bit stiffer
and finally, check your tire pressure

fsttyms1

are they adjustable?

Darkshear

iTrader: (1)

yeah the yellows are adjustible

im gettin the neuspeed/koni yellows, i plan to increase the stiffness cause im looking for a little more bounce. but no one has complained as far as i know... make sure your setting those shocks right, they are easy to confuse and you could be setting them opposite of what you want...

Tatewaki

I don't bother with the adjustables and now riding on Tokico blues. Thus far they seem fine. They are stiffer than stock, but not as much. I have not pushed the car in turns yet as I want to slowly break them in. In a few weeks I'll post how I like them

patrick

Tokico blues are a good choice! Yeah, I've had my HP Blues installed on Dec 2003, and they are still riding good. A good suspension setup makes high speed turns that can be taken with ease and confidence.

fighting fish: sorry to hear about your shock problems. Yeah, as others suggested, adjust your settings till you find the right combination.

optiq

[QUOTE= it feels like im riding a horse drawn cart on a gravelly road.
[/QUOTE]


lol

fighting fish

yes, the Konis dampening properties is infinitely adjustable.
the height settings however have only 2 perches. the standard perch does not change the height at all, its exactly as i had it originally.

my question is: is this overly bouncy, bumpy feeling normal for a new set of shocks?? if thats the case then ill just ride it out and look forward to the settling.

DUECE_DXJ

I have the neuspeed/koni shocks with H&R springs and I love them,my car rides better than stock.the neuspeed/koni shocks have a shorter shaft,so it's better for lowered cars.

typeR

the koni sp1 's are as you describe however there are more than one koni yellow and another mentioned the neuspeed /koni sp3 these have shorter travel already stiffer on the softest setting and ,two perch postions up and two down from the stock ride height for a total fo 5 i have these and they arent that stiff on less then full but mine are well broken in...

hemants

Actually another question. Are they installed on the upper perch? If not then that could be the problem as well.

fighting fish

hemants: im not sure if its on the upper perch, but its on the perch that did not change the height of my car (ie. the gap between wheel and fender is still at 2 fingers). as far as i can tell, its on the REGULAR/NORMAL perch setting, and on the SOFTEST dampening setting (recommended for break in)

how would the perch setting affect the car ride?

ive ridden on cars that have super low profile tires, and the ride is harsh but still livable. but this Koni feeling right now just makes my head and body jiggle and bob too much. feels like theres a DELAYED extra few bounces coming from the rear after going through semi rough roads.

goldendragon576

let them break in, my coilovers were stiff as hell when I first got them, now I think they are too soft. You might be setting it wrong, check to make sure you have them set to soft and not stiff.

hemants

Normal perch is good. I had heard that the softest setting on Koni's is more like the middle setting on Illumina's which is why I went for Illumina's.

But don't give up yet:

1. wait a few days
2. dial your rear stiffer
3. lower your front tire pressure a bit
4. drive on smoother roads!

patrick

Another possibility: the Koni yellows could be defective. Get the speed shop that installed the Konis for you to check them out.

SlyTLS

I called Koni when I first installed my yellows b/c I didn't know how stiff they'd be and didn't want to kill my suspension with the drop in the coilovers. They recommended 1.5-2 turns back from their stiffest setting. That's where I have them and I'm not getting beaten up over bumps. What are you set at?

nick79

i got koni and i feel it harsh but i live with it...

fighting fish

thanks for the input gentlemen.

850EX

Im thinking about Koni's too. Where did you get them installed?

sportious

Everyone!!!! Pay attention here!!!!

Please, for your future reference, KONI ("yellows") ARE suppose to be stiff. In fact, stiffer than stock! It's an adjustable shock for racing applications!

In comparison, these shocks are more expensive, due to their adjustability. More customizable = more money!

my suggestion is to leave your air pressures the same as always. Adjust your damper settings to the lowest. Then work your way back to the "normal setting" (or halfway point). This way, you will have time to get used to them, while they will have time to settle.

furthermore, if you change the tire pressures, you will experience an abnormal driving feel, if you know what I mean.

have fun!

fighting fish

got them installed at a&j racing, its right behind the IKEA in bridgeport.
customer service sucks but they supposedly know what they are doing (???)

$120.00 CND for install (before taxes)
$780.00 CND for Konis (MOPAC in kingsway)

not sure if this was a deal but its done.

*** btw, buyer beware on Konis. make sure you know what your getting into. listen to "sportious" (post above) i had a different impression on the meaning of "stiff" (as pertaining to shocks)

nick79

yeah i wish i had got the cheaper ones. my konis are a bit to stiff then i like them. oh wells. i learn as i go.

hemants

ahem that's why i love illumina's

they range from softer than stock to much much stiffer and everything in between

patrick

Yes, I had some of my mods done by A&J Racing as well. They have been modding lots of Hondas/Acuras, so they know what they are doing you can be sure of that.

As for customer service being sucky, that's the first time I've heard it. They've provided good service to me.

And that price you've paid for parts/labour, it's pretty good. Koni yellows usually don't go that low for the price you picked it up for. And if you think your local Acura dealer can install new shocks for $120 or less, you're dreaming. So you got a great deal IMHO.

dark inspire

they are cheaper too arent they? hmm i might have to look into that if i plan on gettin new shocks.

fighting fish

hey patrick.
good to hear that AJ knows their stuff. they are actually good guys over there, Ben even asked me back over to help me tweak the suspension after the break in period.

i was just being a biatch cuz i was so excited to get my car back with a preconceived awesome ride feeling but ended up with a car that can read braille rivaling helen keller.

patrick

Yeah Ben's a good guy. Take up on his offer to tweak your suspension, as I'm sure you will want to change the settings.

Good luck on your Konis, hope it gets better for ya. Let's meet up sometimes and talk shop.

850EX

Fighting Fish: Pretty good deal on your Koni's.

fighting fish

from the diagrams in the box, there is a drawing where the silver part of the shock is attached to a vise clamp and the yellow sleeve is pulled from side to side. what is the importance of this step????

joseph_99tl

doesn't that release the shock from it's boxed shipping position?.

PDX3.2TL

two cents: get illuminas. The adjustability on these shocks is amazing. you'll love um. I have illuminas set on "2" with ground control coilovers and the car feels stock rolling down a straight road, but hit a corner that you want to plow through and the car is very neutral and stable. There is definatly a difference in terms of body roll... (understeer).