quantum13

I have a 2004 TL A-Spec with 130K miles... the suspension was feeling a bit worn and I wanted to replace the shocks. Decided on some Koni Yellows and had them put in yesterday while keeping the A-Spec springs.

While I was at it, I went ahead and bought a Progress RSB; the installer put it on for free given that I had already dropped some coin on the suspension install. Ron over at Dallas Alignment Suspension and Frame Co put it all on for $325 so I'm definitely happy about that.

The purpose of my post here is get some ideas on how I should set everything. i've read some previous posts and saw some different ideas but since the A-Spec spring and Koni combination is probably not the most common setup, I thought I'd ask.

Anyway, I left everything on soft - the Koni's were put in as they came out of the box, and I had Ron put the RSB in on the softer setting.

Right away I noticed that I felt a bit more of the road, but it wasn't jarring. The first improvement I noticed was that when hitting potholes the suspension didnt seem to be bottoming out anymore, and later on that night I had a fun time driving around the country roads near my place.

The car corners much flatter and when turning in intersections with elevation changes, the car no longer feels like it's tossing around - so overall the situation is MUCH improved. I don't know how much to attribute to the Konis and how much to attribute to the RSB but either way, it's been a really nice upgrade.

As far as the firmness settings on the Konis and RSB - like I said before, everything is full soft right now and I do like the way the car drives but I wonder if I can do better. Any thoughts anyone has are appreciated, but keep in mind that I commute in this car and the roads in Denton are terrible so I don't need it running like a go-kart.

Thanks in advance for the input!

forgot to mention - thanks to Excelerate for helping me with the Koni and RSB purchase!

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

i have the same exact set up.

what kind of tires do you have!?

the ride that you are feeling is attributed to the RSB.
since you left the koni's at full soft, its going to ride like your old setup. aspec shocks with aspec springs.

Only when i increased the damping, is when the koni's got fun!!

EVERY one is different. SO every one will have a different damping setting.
you're going to have to play around with the settings.

there is no one answer.

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

You're welcome and thank you!!!

quantum13

I have Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus right now, but they are down to 4/32".

I'll be switching back to Bridgestone Potenza's - I had the RE960's and they have RE970's now. Loved them and the warranty was good. Michelin's warranty requires me to run them down to 2/32", which I believe is unsafe.

the old setup (when it was in its prime) certainly isn't a bad thing. I have really enjoyed the car but they were just so worn out. I like it as is - but I do want to play around with the damping to see what that's all about.

When tuning yours, how did you decide what to do/how to tune it? kind of want there to be a method to the madness

shenrie

^^^ its all personal preference and how much ride comfort your willing to give up vs how well you want it to rail.

i usually stiffen mine up till I think the ride is to harsh and go back just a touch. for a longer canyon carve, Ill bump them up more.

front to back ratio is also going to be a personal preference. the stiffer you go with the rears the easier it will be to achieve oversteer. Same with rsb. more stiffer with rear shocks = easier to initiate oversteer. If you arent familiar with the back of your car coming around like a rwd, id suggest you ease into it gradually.

a really good way to tune them in is at an autox. that way you can find the extremes in a safe enviroment.

quantum13

This is a great idea; I would LOVE to do that!

In any case, I have heard about stiffening up the rear - I wouldn't complain about a little bit more oversteer given how prone the car is to horrible UNDERsteer, so I might give that a shot.

Not sure if I want to firm up the RSB all the way, i'm thinking that the progress RSB on the softer setting might be an OK compromise.

I'm going to mess with this tonight/tomorrow.

Was thinking about stiffening all four corners 1/2 turn to see what happens.

Still need to drill a hole in my strut tower brace so I can adjust the fronts w/o having to the take the darn braces off.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^you got the right idea!!

keep playing with the settings! until you like one!

quantum13

so i understand what to look for - what sort of thing should i expect when firming up the fronts? it sort of made sense to me to firm up the front a bit given how heavy the car is up front but maybe that's not really how it works.

anyway - just wondering what i should expect with a real firm FRONT end

lowgrowl

I have the aspec suspension with a comptech rear swaybar. I also changed out the wheels for 18's. I was actually thinking about replacing the shocks with the Konis when the stock ones wear out. The reason being is that I still feel a little bit of body roll that I would like to remove. Will putting a stiffer adjustable shock like the konis accomplish this.

Bearcat94

I'm not sure you're understanding (or maybe not describing) the warranty correctly. Besides, if you can run your tires down to a minimum acceptable tread with no probkems, why would you worry about the warranty anyhow?

Ahhh, wait. Mileage. You have to get to 2/32nds (assuming all normal/even wear) to get mileage credit on the warranty. Ok. Got it.



I've heard - and maybe Justin or IHC can confirm or deny - that in the beginning running the Koni's softer is part of the 'break in' for them. True or not???

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^ive heard from several people that you're supposed to run the koni's at least a thousand miles before stiffening them.

but, IHC said no.

I did it anyways, i was just too lazy to adjust them.

after I did adjust, this was my feelings:

quantum13

Yep, that's the deal. Discount won't touch them until they're down to 2/32" because apparently Michelin is really picky about it. Bridgestone isnt as anal about it, so even though the $$/mile was the same on both tires, the fact that I have to run down the Michelins further actually makes them a poorer value. Since i'm lucky to get 20K out of my tires (usually 17K or so), I take advantage of the warranty EVERY time, and have to really watch it.

So back to the Bridgestones it is. Honestly, i'm already a bit squidgy in the rain with the tread I have, I can't believe they actually WANT people driving on tires with no tread on them. Makes the mileage warranty pretty garbage.

The Bridgestones were excellent anyway, and now the new version is out so it'll be a great tire im sure. I won't ever buy Michelin again b/c of this issue.

as far as the Konis go - i'm about to turn them a full turn (so half way to full firm) and see how that is; I'll probably end up with something like a half turn on the front and a full turn on the back. will post later w/ what i found

so...a full turn is unbearable! WAY too stiff. With the way the roads are where I drive, it was just punishing.

I tried a half-turn and that was pretty nice. It's firm but do-able...you definitely still feel everything in the road. Only on full soft does it really feel like the suspension is really 'hiding' the road at all.

I just set it to 1/4 turn on all corners; im curious if that will give me some more 'sharpness' with a somewhat compliant ride feel.

i'm thinking i might also try 1/4 turn up front and 1/2 turn in the back. i'll post here later; maybe it will benefit someone

Fatfrii

try adjusting it a little at a time and adjusting only the front or back by an 8th of a turn. just and 8th makes a very noticeable difference. its hard to find that balance between comfort and handling. u cant have it all u know, it sucks.

take a look at my thread about settings here and contribute to it to if u can
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-tires-wheels-suspension-97/koni-settings-comments-854704/

quantum13

just an update - I set mine to 1/4 turn all the way around and thats where i'm going to leave it. i have to be able to commute in this car and i felt like that was a good tradeoff. honestly, the car handles great even on full soft. so i went ahead and put my rear seats back in - so now I get to live with it

i can always adjust the fronts if i want to very easily...but i'm happy with the way it rides. 1/4 turn all the way around with the progress RSB on soft has REALLY improved the car from the a-spec springs, but it's still comfortable enough