951 koni shocks on a 968 problem
03-21-2008, 09:05 PM
#1
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951 koni shocks on a 968 problem
I bought a pair of Koni red 951 shocks - rears - for my 968. The part numbers for all the stock shocks indicated interchangeability of shocks for all late offset cars so I went for it.
I compared the konis to the stock sachs shocks and they are identical in length, and the thickness of the two mounts. When I put the koni in, the top went it, and then the bottom was positioned about 1/4" away from the trailing arm. I didn't want to pull it and cause anything to bend, so I just put in a thick washer. Is it OK to use a washer? Is this a common problem? Should I just take the washer out and have the bolt pull the shock in all the way?
I did try a search here and the 951 and 968 forums. Thanks all.
I compared the konis to the stock sachs shocks and they are identical in length, and the thickness of the two mounts. When I put the koni in, the top went it, and then the bottom was positioned about 1/4" away from the trailing arm. I didn't want to pull it and cause anything to bend, so I just put in a thick washer. Is it OK to use a washer? Is this a common problem? Should I just take the washer out and have the bolt pull the shock in all the way?
I did try a search here and the 951 and 968 forums. Thanks all.
Last edited by FRporscheman; 03-22-2008 at 02:56 AM.
03-22-2008, 12:25 PM
#3
How thick is the washer? I would not put anything thicker then 5mm as the length of the bolt is not long enough and it will not screw into the trailing arm enough to hold the shock properly. I notice this on my car too but it shows the problem on one side only. The other side is OK. I recently swapped my rear coil overs to standard shock as one of the coil over started to leak (which incidentally was the one on the side that had the problem). So I am assuming that this may be an issue. Although the geometry of the trailing arm and shock should change once the car sits.
03-22-2008, 02:36 PM
#4
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The washer I used was about 4-5mm. I took the washers out before putting the car back down - I also figured the suspension might settle and "fix" the "problem". Another thought I had was that the rubber in the upper and lower mounts could probably flex enough to account for a ~ 1 degree deflection.
I drove it about 20-30 miles last night and nothing broke...
I drove it about 20-30 miles last night and nothing broke...
03-22-2008, 09:01 PM
#5
Agree the rubber can accommodate some degree of deflection, but anymore deflection, and most of the deflection will flex the shock piston. I believe in my case this is what caused the premature shock failure (only lasted 30K). The question is why would the shock mounts be misaligned in the first place.