Koni stock update...

[Sam Strano]

A number of you have Koni Sports on backorder with me (and I in turn with Koni). Original ETA...streesing the *E* there was mid-November. I just checked and that has changed. They were waiting for some parts (spring perches) which just arrived and the run of shocks is now slated for production week 49 which is the 1st week of December and scheduled for sea freight.

I am trying to get Koni to ship a number of them via air freight instead so I can get those of you with pending backorders filled ASAP. I imagine that we'll get some that way, but only backordered sets---they won't air ship the lot it would cost way too much for shocks that aren't already sold.

So the bad news it, it'll be a while longer. And I can tell you pretty much that nobody else has any. Koni NA is out, and the majority of the shipment are headed my way via the WD's I buy from. The good news is that I'm trying to speed it up as much as possible, and pre-paid backorders will arrive/ship first.

That's the deal on Koni Sports....

Now, Koni STR.T's. We have plenty.

 

[Mr. Q]

the str.t's have a lower spring rate? i went on your website and saw that they were cheaper, im assuming because they don't have the adjust-ability as the sport dampers?

 

[Sam Strano]

Shocks don't have spring rate, they have valving which effects the damping they give. STR.T's are non-adjustable, Sport damping is adjustable, STR.T are not.

The STR.T is a great choice for someone not looking for the adjustability and just wants a damned good control shock that is a upgrade from stock and capable of controlling moderate lowering springs. STR.T's should not be used on stiff springs like say H&R Race, but work well for the street on things like Eibach Pro-kits, FRPP, Steeda Sport/Ultralite, H&R Sport, etc.

 

[Mr. Q]

thanks for the follow up...yeah, i think i'll wait until you have the koni sports in stock to buy them.
my first purchase from you will be the watts link, haha. then the rest of the suspension parts....slooowly b/c im broke

 

[Sam Strano]

Under the heading "For Your Information" the hitch with the Koni's is they tend to not bring enough to the US to really and truly cover all the backorders with good stock left over. This is why I recommend and take backorders---those orders get filled first, and if you have some on backorder you are assured of getting a set (well at least at this time you are).

You can certainly wait it out... but what happens is so many get backordered that few tend to be left in stock, and many miss out again, and end up waiting for the NEXT shipment. It's a vicious cycle....

 

[ClassJ]

Have you done any testing on the Koni SRT or Sport vs the Bilstein HD?

I would love to improve the ride quality yet keep my car handling well. I only have the 1" drop street H&R springs.

Spending another xxx on shocks plus a day or two messing with them to have the car handle no differently would suck.

Gripes my ass getting in an E46 M3, knowing it handles better more than likely, and does not beat me up as bad.

 

[Sam Strano]

I have... Frankly I think the STR.T's work as well as the HD's do for a lot less money. I sell Bilstein too, I just shipped a set the other day in fact. If it were me, I'd definitely pick STR.T over HD, I think they are better value.

STR.T vs. Sport.... If you were to run Sports pretty soft, then you'd have very similar damping. I personally like a bit more rebound damping for my tastes. Having said that I do not find the SRT.T damping too weak--and I hate a car that is just not taut and tied down. The ride quality will improve with any of them as the stock dampers just aren't very good and the two things that suffer most are impact harshness and stability (the car kind of wanders around a bit instead of tracking well).

For me based on Performance:
1. Koni Sport
2. Tokico D-spec only because they are adjustable
3. Koni STR.T (and I rate these almost as a tie with the D-specs just with the set damping
4. Bilstein HD (which don't suck but just don't offer the bang for the buck IMHO).

Bear in mind that Tokico's warranty service blows, which is why we do so many Koni's of both type above the others.

 

[ClassJ]

Thanks. I actually have the Bilstein HD's on the car for over 2 years now before Koni had anything available. I had to replace the rear shocks under warranty this past spring due to harshness and clunking.

The car handles fine, the mods were a gigantic improvement over stock.

But if I had to nit-pick I just think it is harsh for the level of handling it offers. I guess it they ever annoy me enough I will throw in a set of the koni sports and cough up another $750. One of those things where you wish you could change them in a blink of an eye rather than killing a weekend and $.

 

[ArizonaGT]

Sam breakin it all down... :bowdown:

 

[Sam Strano]

I try.... I hope that's what keeps you guys calling, or gets you guys I don't have as customers to call!!!

 

[ArizonaGT]

I try.... I hope that's what keeps you guys calling, or gets you guys I don't have as customers to call!!!

Sam does KW make a Variant 2 system for the Mustang? Pretty sure this would be equivalent to the Roush Track Pack system from what I can infer about other Variant 2 systems.

Just interested to see if a Variant 2 from KW would be any less than the Roush Track Pack kit (retails for $1580 via my local vendor), and what would be included in a Variant 2 kit for a Mustang.

 

[Sam Strano]

KW does not have a V2 for the car.... As for the equivilent, not so much.

There are a few things that bother me with regard to the Roush setup. One of which is that the rear spring rides on the rear shock and the rear shock is mounted with rubber bushings. That's fine when it's just a shock, but when the spring is there the bushings become springs too, and guess what collapses first?

Also, what are the shocks? We don't really know, they kind of look like Tokico's to me. There are not many adjustable for this car either, I highly doubt they are something engineered only for Roush, and if so why don't they sell them seperately? That's part of the trouble with not knowing details. And fwiw, if they are Tokico they are rebound adjustable--but that rebound is linked to the compression.

Finally what are the spring rates? There are just a lot of unknowns and things I don't like about that setup. Frankly for about the same money I could put you on a Steeda kit, which is a known and be able to pick our spring rates... The rear spring being on top of the shock gains you nothing in actual function.

 

[Cone Sweeper]

Ahh i'll have to keep an eye on when they'll be back in stock. Are the rears still available or are those on hold too?

 

[Sam Strano]

There are some rears in stock... and if you order a full set I will get the rears to you ASAP (both so you can install them, and so that there are no snafu's that leave you without those when the fronts arrive).

It is suggested that at some point you do place them on backorder if you want to make sure you get them. The backorders pile up, and often equal or exceed the actual number arriving, leaving few if any for general sale.

 

[Cone Sweeper]

I gotcha. Im gonna peak at your site again and get the price and will be ordering those middle of next week when a check comes in. Eat, slee, work, pay for mods.

 

[Sam Strano]

Sports? Currently $750/set shipped.

 

[Cone Sweeper]

Yep. Last we talked I was going to get out of the tokico's and move into the Koni's Yellow Sports. Thanks again for your help on the phone ..def opened my eyes to a lot of things.

 

[ArizonaGT]

KW does not have a V2 for the car.... As for the equivilent, not so much.

There are a few things that bother me with regard to the Roush setup. One of which is that the rear spring rides on the rear shock and the rear shock is mounted with rubber bushings. That's fine when it's just a shock, but when the spring is there the bushings become springs too, and guess what collapses first?

Also, what are the shocks? We don't really know, they kind of look like Tokico's to me. There are not many adjustable for this car either, I highly doubt they are something engineered only for Roush, and if so why don't they sell them seperately? That's part of the trouble with not knowing details. And fwiw, if they are Tokico they are rebound adjustable--but that rebound is linked to the compression.

Finally what are the spring rates? There are just a lot of unknowns and things I don't like about that setup. Frankly for about the same money I could put you on a Steeda kit, which is a known and be able to pick our spring rates... The rear spring being on top of the shock gains you nothing in actual function.

Hi Sam:

Thanks for the follow-up re: No V2 manufactured.
Regarding the Roush kit--the uninstalled pictures are misleading, the springs are mounted in the stock location on the axle w/ height-adjust perches, they're not rear coilovers like the packaging photo would lead you to believe.
And I'm about 99.999% confident that Roush simply rebadges a KW single-adjustable setup.

 

[Sam Strano]

Hi Sam:

Thanks for the follow-up re: No V2 manufactured.
Regarding the Roush kit--the uninstalled pictures are misleading, the springs are mounted in the stock location on the axle w/ height-adjust perches, they're not rear coilovers like the packaging photo would lead you to believe.
And I'm about 99.999% confident that Roush simply rebadges a KW single-adjustable setup.

V1's are non-adjustable, V3's are Double-adjustable. V2's would be single adjustable but KW does not seem to make those (or they do and Roush brands them... who knows?)

As for the spring location. I'm just looking at the picture and those dampers are clearly S197 parts. So what's with the coils over the rear shocks? Again, lots of unanswered "maybe" kind of things. I know KW tends to use 400 pound front springs, but they don't say what the rears are. But at least that's more than we know than with the Roush stuff.