Koni's on my AU - which ones though??

[Dave_Obsession]

OK so went down to this suspension place that I've been trading emails with for a while now - regarding getting some Koni's on my Futura....

Long story short, I got two quotes out of it...

$560 for Koni Reds front / Koni Yellows rear
(they don't have any rear reds in stock at the moment)

$700 for Koni Yellows all round

Both quotes are for cash (not an issue) - also been quoted $280 for fitting shocks & springs (I'm going to get those Eibach Pro-Kit ones direct from manufacturer for $265 delivered - have been told by the suspension guy that this is cheaper than cost price for retailers!!)

Should I spend the extra $140 for yellows all around, or should I just stick with the reds in the front?

Is it worth it, considering the car is a daily driver, will most likely never see the track, only a bit of spirited driving here and there....on the flip side, it's only $140, and they're Koni Yellows!!!

He said that in terms of lifespan, both will last around the 150,000km+ mark before needing to be rebuilt - both reds and yellows are fully rebuildable.

They come with a lifetime warranty for me as long as I have the car - if the car is sold, the warranty is not transferred.

The reds (and yellows in the rear) need to be removed from the vehicle to be adjusted for firmness; the front yellows can be adjusted by simply lifting the bonnet and rotating the knob on the top of the shock.

Your thoughts???

[Sox]

Geez, not much of a decision, $140 more and Koni yellows. Pretty easy choice.

BTW, pass on the mob you're getting them from, as that is a very good price.
Last quote I got was over $600 for front alone.

[THR347]

Originally Posted by Sox

BTW, pass on the mob you're getting them from, as that is a very good price.
Last quote I got was over $600 for front alone.

I was thinking the exact same thing Sox! Care to share who the retailer is? I'm sure a few of us would be glad to give them some business at those prices!

[THR347]

I forgot to ask, is this for IRS? Your other option could be a tickford set up if you're not looking to spend a heap or if you don't want back-breaking stiffness, oh and also if you're not interested in lowering the ride height too much. Just a suggestion.

[Sox]

Originally Posted by ayeyou

I forgot to ask, is this for IRS? Your other option could be a tickford set up if you're not looking to spend a heap or if you don't want back-breaking stiffness, oh and also if you're not interested in lowering the ride height too much. Just a suggestion.

The Konis will ride better than the Tickford setup.
Good shocks ride well AND handle well.

[crakrz]

Go the Yellows. I got mine for $720 for the full set. My car is also a daily driver but sits 15mm lower than a std XR. Transformed the ride. Hard to explain why, but it just rides over bumps and small dips without the harshness that it used to have. I have mine set on the softest setting but through the corners it stands up nice and straight and grips better than before. And if you hit a bump mid corner, it just sticks. Very happy with the result. Just keep in mind that they don't have the brake line retainers on the side like the standard ones do.

-craig

[Dave_Obsession]

Originally Posted by crakrz

Just keep in mind that they don't have the brake line retainers on the side like the standard ones do.

I've been told by members on here that a cable tie to hold the brake line to the shock is sufficient - this was confirmed by the suspension bloke - said it's perfectly fine.

[Boss 302]

Originally Posted by dave93761

I've been told by members on here that a cable tie to hold the brake line to the shock is sufficient - this was confirmed by the suspension bloke - said it's perfectly fine.

Hi Dave, I have Koni yellows on the front of my XLS ute. They have a bracket spot welded to the spring seat, for the brake hose, hope this helps.

[SLO AU XR8]

you cant get Yellow rears for IRS AFAIK

[Ride]

Originally Posted by SLO AU XR8

you cant get Yellow rears for IRS AFAIK

They do, I have a set fitted to my car at the moment (AUII Ghia w/ IRS). I'd also love to know where you're getting the Koni Yellows brand new for $700 all up, I paid $1250 and I was screwing the distributor pretty hard to start off with.

[SLO AU XR8]

Originally Posted by Ride

They do, I have a set fitted to my car at the moment (AUII Ghia w/ IRS). I'd also love to know where you're getting the Koni Yellows brand new for $700 all up, I paid $1250 and I was screwing the distributor pretty hard to start off with.

How long ago did you get these? as from what i have been told by a distributor, they are NLA

[Ride]

Originally Posted by SLO AU XR8

How long ago did you get these? as from what i have been told by a distributor, they are NLA

Was around 2 months ago, towards the end of May. When I rang up a few places I was told only reds for IRS rear but the distributor I spoke to last said he had no trouble in getting them.

[crakrz]

Originally Posted by Ride

......I'd also love to know where you're getting the Koni Yellows brand new for $700 all up, I paid $1250 and I was screwing the distributor pretty hard to start off with.

The price that I paid was a bit of a contra deal. I did an engine rebuild for a guy who is in the spare parts game.

[Dave_Obsession]

Non-IRS (AU series 3 Futura)

Even though it would be $700, the Koni's appeal because I'd be getting them at around half the usual price, plus they have the lifetime warranty, plus they're fully rebuildable, plus they're supposed to be better than pretty much everything except Bilsteins.......

[private9]

I can't actually see any choice!! Yellows for sure!

At that price, care to pass on the retailer's details as I'm sure there's plenty, myself included that would get some at that price.

[THR347]

Fair enough guys. I personally really like the ride quality of the tickford setup but i'd love to lower my AU - looks way better! Sorry for hijacking the thread, but does Koni make reds for IRS? Not willing to share the provider Dave?

[SLO AU XR8]

Originally Posted by ayeyou

Fair enough guys. I personally really like the ride quality of the tickford setup but i'd love to lower my AU - looks way better! Sorry for hijacking the thread, but does Koni make reds for IRS? Not willing to share the provider Dave?

Yes, Koni do make the Reds for IRS Rears, factory fitted to the T2 TS50 IIRC

[Cam]

For the extra dosh, do it! Go Yellows!

If I didn't go Bilsteins I would've gone yellows for sure

[Dave_Obsession]

Hehe - well I won't be telling until I pick them up on Wednesday, otherwise you blokes will all get in there and there'll be nothing left for me!!!

I'll see if he wants to do some sort of group buy discount, maybe he can give an even better price, though saying that, $700 is pretty damn reasonable!!!

Is there anybody who has had both the reds and the yellows? Is there any discernable difference between the two - or is it just the fact the yellows can be adjusted without having to remove them???

[Sox]

Originally Posted by dave93761

Hehe - well I won't be telling until I pick them up on Wednesday, otherwise you blokes will all get in there and there'll be nothing left for me!!!

I'll see if he wants to do some sort of group buy discount, maybe he can give an even better price, though saying that, $700 is pretty damn reasonable!!!

Is there anybody who has had both the reds and the yellows? Is there any discernable difference between the two - or is it just the fact the yellows can be adjusted without having to remove them???

I'd be in on a group buy too, spill the beans after Wedensday.

I've used both reds and yellows. I could live with reds, easy enough.

The main difference is the yellows have superior small bump damping. They ride better over small bumps, with the reds being a little more harsh, closer to the standard Tickford shocks.
Both have incredible control over large undulations.

I've also used Bilsteins, which are very close to the yellows. Very difficult to pick any difference between them. I wouldn't say one is better than the other.

[BIGJB]

Oh and I should also add that if ya going to the trouble of
putting Koni's in get a bigger front sway bar at the same time hey.\
It is well worth the money for the extra stability it gives the front end.

[Dave_Obsession]

Originally Posted by 99GHIA

Oh and I should also add that if ya going to the trouble of
putting Koni's in get a bigger front sway bar at the same time hey.\
It is well worth the money for the extra stability it gives the front end.

Yeah have thought about that, one step at a time though, the finances will only go so far at the moment!!!

I know that Whiteline seems to be the way to go with sway bars - 27mm IIRC is the size I should be looking at? Is this right? What is standard OE size? Are there any other manufacturers out there worth condsidering?

[Sox]

Originally Posted by dave93761

Yeah have thought about that, one step at a time though, the finances will only go so far at the moment!!!

I know that Whiteline seems to be the way to go with sway bars - 27mm IIRC is the size I should be looking at? Is this right? What is standard OE size? Are there any other manufacturers out there worth condsidering?

Sway bars are sway bars are sway bars.
They are all much the same except of course for the adjustable ones, which are largely a waste of money for road use anyway.

If the car will see a lot of track use, then an adjustable is a good idea so you can dial in understeer/oversteer etc, depending on the type of track and the characteristics you want.

For road use, there are much simpler ways to fine tune over/understeer.

All that said, you may not need anything more than the shocks/springs, as that is what makes the greatest improvement for road use.

Sway bars remove a little body roll, nothing more.

Shock/springs already improve this anyhow, by way of lowering the center of gravity, and much better body control because of better damping.

Sway bars only make a difference if you're pushing a car hard.
Shocks/springs make a difference all the time.

It all depends on what you want to do with the car.

EDIT : Yes, a 27mm bar is plenty for road use. 30mm for track use. 24mm is standard.

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by dave93761

Yeah have thought about that, one step at a time though, the finances will only go so far at the moment!!!

I know that Whiteline seems to be the way to go with sway bars - 27mm IIRC is the size I should be looking at? Is this right? What is standard OE size? Are there any other manufacturers out there worth condsidering?

Dave - Whiteline FTMFW my friend. Its a choice for balance unless you are wantng to throw the car into corners then 30mm is the next option. Other sways to think about are Kmac or pedders.

But the consensus here is to do for the Koni Yellows at that price. You cant go wrong. No point mixing and matching considering your getting the Eibach's at less than cost price. Use the money you saved there to pay for the full set of Yellows. You'll love it.

You give us a full write of how the car feels and handles once they are all fitted, plus a write of the place you bought your gear from.

How low are you going by the way? If its 40mm lowered or there abouts, you might want to consider some castor/camber kits for when you do an alignment. For me personally, Im running about 1-1.5 deg negative camber on the front of my car. Its a personal choice, and it gives me better cornering and tighter steering. PLus there is no extra wear on the tires that Im noticing immediately. But thats just me.

[mik]

another vote for yellows!

[bloggs24]

group buy would be great, best prices i could find were reds $650, and yellows $900 for IRS btw.

[THR347]

A group buy for yellows or even reds would be awesome, I'd snap up a set in a blink of an eye at those prices. Let us know how you go after Wednesday Dave, if it is possible we should propose this in the group buy section

[BlacklistedXR]

I will also be interested in a group buy for koni yellows. That is a very good price and im sure a few people would be interested in getting in on it. Maybe we can get prices for IRS and Non-IRS if there is a group buy.
BTW i would spend the extra money on getting the koni yellows. You dont want to think to yourself later on that you should have gone for the yellows. Both are still a very high quality shock.

[BIGJB]

Go the yellows.
No question there really.
As for IRS you can only get red.
The price you have been given is fantastic mate.
If a group buy is arranged I want in please.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by 99GHIA

As for IRS you can only get red.

Not according to 'Ride' in post 13.