rear coil over kits. KLA vs Koni ?
02-24-2006 | 06:00 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Rennlist Member
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 428
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From: France
rear coil over kits. KLA vs Koni ?
Hi,
A friend of mine considers to upgrade the rear suspension on his '86 951. In the front, he already gets M030 units.
He currently runs M474 rear shocks in the rear and is interested in the KLA rear coil over kit (http://www.klaindustries.net/rearcoil/rearcoil.htm )
or the paragon/koni rear coil over kit ( http://www.paragon-products.com/prod...rearcupkit.htm ) for a track and street use. He plans to keep torsion bars and upgrade to 968 M030 sway bars.
Any ideas about the best set (building qualities, longevity, performances...) ?
I've searched in the archives and couldn't find any comparison...
TIA.
Marc
A friend of mine considers to upgrade the rear suspension on his '86 951. In the front, he already gets M030 units.
He currently runs M474 rear shocks in the rear and is interested in the KLA rear coil over kit (http://www.klaindustries.net/rearcoil/rearcoil.htm )
or the paragon/koni rear coil over kit ( http://www.paragon-products.com/prod...rearcupkit.htm ) for a track and street use. He plans to keep torsion bars and upgrade to 968 M030 sway bars.
Any ideas about the best set (building qualities, longevity, performances...) ?
I've searched in the archives and couldn't find any comparison...
TIA.
Marc
02-24-2006 | 07:52 AM
#2
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 906
Likes: 1
Not an easy call, but there is some user history out there, IIRC. KLA stuff is cleverly sourced and a good value, in my direct experience. I use their front strut brace on my NA race car and their adjustable rear sway bar drop links and front sway bar mount bracket on both the racer and my driver Turbo S.
I remember reading, however, that some owners have some issues with the rear coil overs...clanking of the helper spring when it is unloaded and increased ride height. That said, though, I noticed they now sell a small extra helper spring, so the spring fix maybe already in place.
Paragon is the gold standard of 944 parts houses in my opinion and you can't go wrong with them, especially when you need value added advice for fitments, etc. Their rear coil over Koni rig is similar, but apparently not identical to the factory 968 M030 rear coil over shock. I believe these are - or are related to - Jason's rumored "Dutch warehouse" find. Ask Skip or Jason and I'm sure they'll tell you the straight story. IIRC, you will have to adjust rear indexing if you go with anything stiffer than 80# helpers.
The difference in cost between the KLA and the Paragon Koni's is not quite as great as it first appears once you buy all the stuff on the KLA page, but still a bit less for the KLA system, I think.
As our 944's age it gets a little interesting as to determining the value of various upgrades. Owners really have to throw logic to the wind at some point on recovering their investments in things like full Cup Bilsteins or cockpit adustables, etc. These systems only make sense, IMO, if you're building a full track car and measure your enjoyment by your lap times and/or competition results.
Sometimes, I think my M030 968 upgraded Turbo S with rear coil overs is sorta "half-in, half-out" offering the max in factory available handling...but coming up too bouncy for relaxed daily driving and not stiff enough to run with full race 951/968 car.
I remember reading, however, that some owners have some issues with the rear coil overs...clanking of the helper spring when it is unloaded and increased ride height. That said, though, I noticed they now sell a small extra helper spring, so the spring fix maybe already in place.
Paragon is the gold standard of 944 parts houses in my opinion and you can't go wrong with them, especially when you need value added advice for fitments, etc. Their rear coil over Koni rig is similar, but apparently not identical to the factory 968 M030 rear coil over shock. I believe these are - or are related to - Jason's rumored "Dutch warehouse" find. Ask Skip or Jason and I'm sure they'll tell you the straight story. IIRC, you will have to adjust rear indexing if you go with anything stiffer than 80# helpers.
The difference in cost between the KLA and the Paragon Koni's is not quite as great as it first appears once you buy all the stuff on the KLA page, but still a bit less for the KLA system, I think.
As our 944's age it gets a little interesting as to determining the value of various upgrades. Owners really have to throw logic to the wind at some point on recovering their investments in things like full Cup Bilsteins or cockpit adustables, etc. These systems only make sense, IMO, if you're building a full track car and measure your enjoyment by your lap times and/or competition results.
Sometimes, I think my M030 968 upgraded Turbo S with rear coil overs is sorta "half-in, half-out" offering the max in factory available handling...but coming up too bouncy for relaxed daily driving and not stiff enough to run with full race 951/968 car.
