spode134

Any input on the performance of
- Koni internally adj.
- Koni externally adj.
- Bilstein
Vs. stock Boge shocks in O.K. condition. Who i,d really like to hear from is someone who has tried both Koni's and Bilsteins.
I know from experience on my ITA class RX-7 racecar the Koni's with the internal adj. have a good usable range between full soft and hard. But it's a lot easier to re and re the shocks on an RX-7. So are the externally adj. Koni's as good? What about Bilsteins for everyday use?
It's kind of cool to be able to play with the clickers to get the car dialed in for different conditions.
If i do go with stiffer shocks has any body tried them with stock springs and then a higher rate set?
I guess what i'm looking for is a firm controlled ride without it being jiggly, the stock Boges control the big hits o.k. but they're kind of bouncy at lower speeds.
Darrin.
85 928s 32v 5-speed
Garnet/blk.

Paul D

Darrin - I posed a similar question to Kim Crumb. I had the factory Bilsteins with mid range stiffness factory springs (18 years old at the time, shocks were starting to leak). I was looking for a all around type setup since the bulk of my driving is pleasure with the occasional Driving Event (extreme pleasure!). He said he tried them all (Boge, Bilstein, and Koni) with different spring combo's. His recomendation to me (based on my driving style) was Konis hands down (I told him I could only afford internally adjustable) for a shock and the Eibach variable rate spring. I've since been to Watkins Glen for 2 Drivers Ed. events and 7,000 mi of regular street driving and really love the setup. Kim suggested I leave the Koni's in their factory soft setting (they have adjustable rebound only). My only regret is not coughing up the money for the externally adjustable Koni's to change settings between track and regular driving. I'm getting ready to change the Koni's to a slightly stiffer rebound. The Eibach's are softer for the first few mm's of travel getting stiffer fast. Small road irregularities are smooth, however crossing railroad tracks is much harsher. If you go with the Konis you will need to transplant the ride height adjusters from your Boges. Bilsteins come with threaded shock bodies. Good Luck!

spode134

Paul,thanks for the response.. usefull info, you are a lucky guy.. watkins glen, my home track is Mission B.C. you'd better have good brakes!
I'm leaning towards the clicker Koni's.. just got to convince the wife......
Darrin.

SHRKBIT

[quote]Originally posted by spode134:
<strong>So are the externally adj. Koni's as good? </strong><hr></blockquote>

Darrin, it appears the externally adjustable Konis are just a modified set of the internally adjustable shocks. You should find the same behavior in both the internally and externally adjustable shocks, assuming they're valved the same.

Sorry, I can't speak to the Bilsteins.

Any plans to make it down to Pacific Raceways (formerly SIR) or Portland? Also, we've got a 928 day at Spokane Raceway Park coming up in April--it's a fun, 928-centric event.

Finally, if you're not on the PacNW928 email list, you might check it out: <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PacNW928/" target="_blank">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PacNW928/</a>

<img src="graemlins/a_smil17.gif" border="0" alt="[blabla]" />

SHRKBIT

oops -- double double post post

Brent 89-GT

I think the only reason to NOT use the ext adj set is cost. They are about $500 more. If you plan to go between street and track the ext adj are the ticket. The progressive springs Kim developed are supposed to be pretty sweet. They are just a touch firmer for the first 10mm of travel, then approach 600lb/in front and 400lb/in rear as they compress. You get a firmed up street ride and a nice track set in one purchase.

SteveG

My car is stock and I've only ridden briefly on Konis. but the change was noticable for the better, not too stiff, but boy is this an area of YMMV! This is a fine point for someone who doesn't track, but I also noticed a change in the sound as the Konis encountered the rough spots. So now I am subconsciously tuning or being tuned to the sound of the shocks as well as the exhaust?? Talk about being alone on the road and one with the machine. So this is another reason to make it to a 928 event. Where else can one test drive various set-ups?? <img src="graemlins/a_smil17.gif" border="0" alt="[blabla]" />

BC

I am currently installing a setup on my wife's 81 auto. Thsi is a daily driver, but I drive it as well quite often, so I want it to be nice and tight.

I bought the bilsteins for the later cars, and got spring plates and adjusters from 929intl. I am not sure if your 85 has the front adjusters or not.

The springs are the real story. They are left over springs from the welmeister set up that automotion used to sell. These are NON-progressive, but a bit less hard than the 2nd stage of the eibachs. Devek told me the rate, but I forgot.

The kicker? 100 dollars for all 4. I suppose that this is a "while supplies last" thing from devek, but the money that I saved here paid for other stuff on the car.

I have no info on ride, as the car is currently on jacks. I have been doing alot of other tsuff with this project.

Ed Ruiz

I've had the progressive springs with the internally adjustable Konis for well over five years. The setup works fine for autrocross, DE, and street driving, even on pot-hole riddled city streets. I set the front shocks to 75% firm and the rears at 50% firm. This setup has worked pretty well for the way I drive.

Externally adjustable shocks would (of course) be better, but at the time - Koni wanted an extra $200/shock for them, so I opted to save the money. I never regreted my decision. YMMV.

Ed Ruiz

For those who asked:

I checked with Kim Crumb before determining the
'start' setting. After testing it for a few months, I decided it was "good enough".

YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary (Your experience,
situation, condition or opinion may be different than mine).