Izzy

The recipts show all 4 shocks/struts were replaced with adjustables, externally in the front. But the fronts aren't externally adjustables, they also aren't the part number on the recipt, evidentally the PO had a crooked mechanic who charged more for less. Since I've owned the car though, its always had a rough ride, and while its pretty nicely responsive and holds to the road like butter (only analogy I can think of), driving through the city everyday is absolute hell to the driver. Every little bump or manhole cover makes it feel like the car is driving on solid metal bars instead of shocks. You can just feel and hear the car jolt whenever something is driven over. A friend of mine claims the suspension is shot and the handling is horrible, but I have the feeling it might just be set full stiff in the rear.

So, to get to the point, is it possible these Koni's could go bad? I assumed when shocks go bad they don't stiffen up but the friend tells me I'm wrong. if I push down on the car as hard as I can, it refuses to rebound, it won't even go up past the normal ride height for that matter... no matter how hard I push. Or am I on too stiff of a setting.

Eyal 951

shocks do not stiffen up when they go bad, they loosen. You would have a bouncy ride. You just have stiff suspension. If those are konis, and you do not want them, I would trade you my full factory 944 turbo suspension setup for em. (a bit stiffer then NA, but very comfy, to comfy for me, I need stiff!)
Eyal

Izzy

If I can't adjust them to my liking, I'll bite on that offer. For me, the handling is amazing on the track, but the roads here are a 15 year project that hasn't yet started.

109er

Izzy, I just switched over to Koni Yellows and Weltmeister 200lb springs on my 87 S, and it's made a world of difference in roadholding... absolutely fantastic. Derek at Eurosport set them at the middle stiffness level, and onramps/offramps are now my private playground. The other difference I've noted is that I feel like my friggin' fillings are going to vibrate out when I go over some of the ****-poor roadwork down here in Norfolk. I was up in your neck of the woods Saturday, out on Laburnum, and it wasn't QUITE so bad there... I'm not going to the softer setting, I just try to get thru the bad patches and steer towards the smoothest parts as much as I can.

Lynn

Charlotte944

Izzy:

Can you snap a picture of the upper strut mount? Then I can compare your struts to the Konis I have in my 951.

Also, if the struts have a Koni part number you can check Koni's web site for details.

Here is a link that may help: http://www.koni-na.com/adjustment.cfm

Izzy

I'll get that pic when I get back home today. For me, driving through the city every morning is a nightmare, every little bump and it feels like the tires come crashing back down making my sunroof squeak and rattle under every bump (gears are busted and it doesn't sit tight on the roof), the hatch squeaks and rattles which also doesn't sit firmly, delaminiation going on, and a strut squeak in the front, they all just drive me insane. Theres almost no cushion to the ride, as I said before it feels like its using steel bars in place of any shock absorber. You can feel EVERYTHING. It just sounds like my shocks need some adjusting, and I'd be stupid to replace them with new Konis?

Its possible the brainless PO could have set them on full stiff? I could stuff Oprah and Michael Moore into the passenger seat and still have great track handling

Eyal 951

doesn't sound stiff enough for me.
Let me know if you want to go through with the trade. I'll of course need to know what konis they are first, so I'd like a pic of the strut mount and whatnot.
Eyal

Manning

How do you know they are not the part number on the receipt? If you had new inserts installed in your strut housings the only way you would be able to tell what part number they are is to remove the assembly from your car and take the inserts back out of the housings. I suspect the number you are reading is the Porsche part number for the housing.

Also, if you are riding on Koni Sports set to full stiff and are still on stock springs you will have what many consider to be a harsh ride because you are over damping the light springs.

ehall

Eyal, from my own experience, if the strut insert leaks out it oil, it will become a brutally jarring ride. Ofcourse being used to that ride, I find my Escort Cups GREAT for the street. My old struts/springs made the ride just freaking kidney busting.

Izzy

The actual shocks in the car are Front Koni Sport Gas Strut Assembly M474 944 343 031 11 and 944 343 032 11 one piece, no insert. They charged for remanufacturing the strut housings and new inserts, which was well over $700 total and theres only the Koni one piece struts on the car. Do these sound like Konis? or do they sound like they're Konis that are just improperly adjusted and a smoother ride is possible?

The DareDevil

Koni Yellows all around, and I love it

Manning

Pictures will help here, so take some and post them up.

If your car is a later car, which based on those part numbers it is, then I think the hacksaw method has to be employed to install new inserts as shown here:

http://www.tech-session.com/kb/index...x_v2&id=69&c=4


Look familiar?

ELLSSUU

LOL, most are trying to put Koni's on their car and Izzy's trying to get rid of 'em.

For what it's worth, my Koni's are set on 3/4 stiff and feel very nice to me. One of the single best non-appearance upgrades I made to my car.

Izzy

not! I'm trying to pinpoint the cause of my rough riding suspension. Heres the package that came stock on my car: http://www.944online.com/cgi-local/A...spension-944s2 I do have reason to believe the rears are still the originals after 200k miles.