AndyK

I may do the ball joints too...Assuming they are the originals, they are due. It would suck to have to get ANOTHER alignment.

I am in the middle of cleaning the car's paint with 3m Glaze, and after lunch break, I'll wax with my Blitz Wax. THEN bring the car to my mechanic (who is in the shop today), to get his opinion on the strange creaking I am hearing.

Best case: New Koni's will stop the noise and perk up my suspension! Worst case: "Hey Andy, there's oil dripping from your main seal..."!

GrantC

FYI, I don't believe Bilsteins are available for our 944S2's, since we have the sealed front struts. I had 110k on the original Sachs and 6 months ago replaced with Koni yellows from Paragon. I had the same decision as you and went with what I thought was the higher-quality shock, accepting the fact that they would be a somewhat stiffer. Had to do their procedure for cutting open the sealed struts and sliding the inserts in (it's on Paragon's website in the tech section) - wasn't that difficult, just take your time.

My route to work includes smooth roads, potholes, and expansion-joints. I started out 1/4 turn off soft, and now am at full soft (I can definitely tell a difference). On a smooth road the car rides very well. On a rough road the Koni's are noticeable stiffer than the Sachs. Koni Yellows are awesome shocks, but are stiff - no bones about it. I also did a DE at 1/4 turn off soft and the car was great for me (most people would probably go stiffer than that at the track, but I find an very stiff car to be tougher to drive). So I do like the adjustability.

So depends on what you want to do with the car. I want a tight, smooth, fast car to drive to work and take to an occasional DE. The Koni's on full soft are working out very well for me, although I wish full-soft was a bit softer... If I had to do it again I would still get the Koni's. If you are extremely sensitive to a stiff suspension, however, I would suggests sticking with the Sachs.

Good luck!

AndyK

My mechanic confirmed that the Koni's are a little stiffer. Thing is, he said after 100k, the Sachs are VERY soft. So going from dead Sachs, to brand new Konis is a major change in feel. He also said he will order the already adapted struts from Paragon because it would be cheaper than having him cut and finish my old struts himself. He IS a major perfectionist...

phantom309

I have 16" 7's and 8's, the Konis and an 18mm rear sway bar. Like everyone else has said, it's stiffer than stock, but not too bad. With this setup and the stock 15" wheels the car is very tail happy. The fatter tires on the back really help keep it planted.

I installed the Konis myself, and the conversion isn't hard at all. I marked the camber bolts with a scribe and the alignment was dead on when I got it back together.

One thing you should know about the Koni conversion. After a few thousand miles you may need to re-tighten the bolt on the bottom of the strut - the one that holds the cartridge in. As you drive the cartridge settles into the strut and backs that bolt out - one of mine was so loose the thing was clunking when I hit a bump.

AndyK

Why did Koni stop making the whole strut? Seems silly to have to use an old casing, and modify it, just to change the struts!?

pete944

I think it's pretty much the standard answer to any business question.
Money.
There isn't really a huge market for a part that is unique to 944's. The same insert may fit a million other applications but the casing is 944 only.

phantom309

But it's a lot cheaper than having to buy a whole new strut ***'y, even if you could find one.
Really, the conversion is easy to do - a sawzall will cut through the casing in about a minute, takes about 2 minutes to drill the hole in the bottom of the strut. Nothing to it. I used the how-to on Paragon website. I also painted mine to match the rears. When I was done they looked factory, for about 15 minutes work per strut, total.

AndyK

Update:
As I mentioned before, Eurotire quoted me a resonable $835 for Koni Yellow's, cut, installed, and 4-wheel aligned. When I asked my mechanic for
a quote, he said he couldn't cut the old struts for less than the $110 Skip charges, and that it's a major PITA to do, etc. So I said call Paragon, check their prices with the already-built struts, and give me a price for the job. He comes back with $1300!? WTF?
My catch 22 situation: My car probably needs either wheel bearings, or ball joints along with the shocks. Eurotire would have to order those parts, it would be a major production. My mechanic has these parts in stock. But, if I just use him to fix the ball joints/wheel bearings, he has to do an expensive alignment, which I would have to do AGAIN if I get the shocks done away from him. My mind is spinning....nothing is easy!? What would you do?

pete944

I'd do it myself (except for the alignment). I'd rather take a beating than pay a mechanic.
Sorry, but you asked.

Dan87951

Do the work yourself. It really isn't all that hard. Purchase the struts and shocks from paragon then bolt them on. I just ordered the Koni yellow struts, the coil over kit, and had skip do the conversion. I think just for the front struts with shipping was like $710. My new front struts were fully assembled ready to bolt on. The rears were around $100 each plus shipping. However the installation was not all that hard, 4 bolts on top for the struts and 2 on the steering knuckle part then slide out the old assembly and slide in the new. The rears were even easier with 2 bolts that on each shock that needed removing. Hope this helps.

Tom R.

andy,
i think the 1300 includes a refundable core charge. check their site.

Skip

835 is fair, 1300 is not - unless they are doing additional work. What about the rears? A shop should charge no more than 2 hours for labor on the cut-n-drill inserts installed to the car complete. Consider that you pay for to/from shipping on a set we convert and it becomes a very attractive idea. Sounds like I'm selling the service we do short, but in fact we provide the service for those who simply don't want the hassle - it is not really cost-effective for most folks willing to do the work themselves. Now, if you asked then to clean, sandblast and paint them, it may be much more. Minimalist approach is to drill the bottom for relief, cut the top, drill the bottom for size, spray off with water, then install the insert. Total time for someone with the right tools and experience is less than one hour. Add another hour for r/r struts to/from car. The books may disagree - this is a real-world quote. It's a very popular option to have us do the conversion - as we can also cut the perches and install the ride-height kit - or, send in the whole strut right off the car with spring and all and we'll send it back ready to bolt in.

FWIW, Koni still produces the entire strut assy for Euro markets. In the US, they chose to provide only the insert... yes, for sake of costs. For the US consumer, this equates to ~$100 per strut in savings. Also, the new insert casing may be mulit-use, but the valving is made specifically for the 944... you are not getting a generic Koni.

Good Luck!

qoncept944

Quick question.. are prices on shocks per shock or per axle?

Tom R.

per shock, fronts about 150, rear about 110 IIRC

AndyK

Skip...no "other" work. His quote was $710 for the parts, $550 labor+alignment. I said I'd think about it! I would think that he forgot to deduct the core exchange from the parts bill...but from your site, the parts should run about $630 pre-assembled. So the $710 must be including shipping. Add your 2 hours labor, and it should come to about $780. Even adding a $200 alignment, that brings it to $980. $1300 is just silly.

I can't do it myself. I dont have the time, the tools, or the will at this point (my wife is fed up with my purchase...she wouldnt understand me tinkering in the garage all day Saturday). I have no problem paying $835 for parts plus installation. But at this point, I don't have an extra $500 to throw away!