+1 for Koni Racing Division
12-13-2006, 02:00 PM
#1
+1 for Koni Racing Division
In my quest to find the best suspension for my car, I was directed in many ways by many different people to get my suspension right. First was Bilstein Escort Cups...great suspension, but the valving left a lot to be desired. I had considerable bump problems, which could have been dealt with via Bilstein, but that requires a 4 week rebuild everytime I got on the track and had feedback...on top of about $120 everytime ($75 to rebuild, plus parts and shipping). Rears had bushing that were great for a street car, but for what I want out of my car, I would rather have a spherical bearing. On top of that, it takes all of 30 minutes a month to grease the bearing, so its not that unpractical on the street. Sold the suspension to a forum member, and put on M030's front and cup rears. Honestly, this suspension sucks even comming from Escort Cups (which are VERY good, but the non-adjustability killed me). I noticably scrape more, and even hit coil bind on one full braking event... A LOT to be desired.
So in the mean time, I called KW North America, Bilstein (seeing about possibly adjustable units, which ARE available), Koni, etc... All the main players. Paragon had several offerings available, but none that really suited what I wanted. KW had what I wanted, but availability and price were a concern for what you get, and with little to not discounts even with a resellers license, I passed it up. Furthermore, rebuilding has to be done outside of the US, so shipping to Germany would kill me if/when they needed to be rebuilt. Koni Racing has a drop in double adjustable insert, 86111259RACE that is independently double adjustable. This seemed like the solution, but adjustability is very limited in comparison to other Koni offerings, but at $255.99 each, these seemed like a bargain. Matched with 3012's in the rear at $559.20 each, it didn't seem like I could beat the prices. It would be about $2000 after hardware and camber mounts. I already have springs. About 30 minutes before I placed my order, a buddy of mine with a Viper ACR package calls me to tell me he ordered Penskes for his car, yadda yadda yadda...making me jealous of his $4000 Penskes. He asks if I know anyone interested in his Koni 2812's from the ACR package...I say me. Got all the measurements, and whaddayaknow, the front 2812's are identical to what I need, but the fronts are in need of some work. Back to the 8611's, as monoball upper fronts seemed out of the question. So today as I am placing my order for my 8611's, the salesman transfers me to rebuild services where I explain my situation. The 2812's that I was going to use for the front are the right stroke, but monoball uppers. Says he has a solution to make it a stud upper mount to make it work.
So needless to say, I am very excited. Not only do a I get a bada$$ suspension for a fraction of what its worth, its going to only cost me about $120 + shipping per front to get them how I want them. The downside, is talk about stiff. Whenever I post pictures of the installation I will post the dyno's of the shocks. At full soft its slightly softer than the Escort cups 600/180, at full stiff I am able to support over 1000lbs/in springs
. Yay for spring track season.
Wes
P.S. If anyone wants/needs information on how to get a suspension like this, I will gladly set you up. Its what Paragon sells as the 28 series kit, although im not running an inverted front 2817. Its double adjustable independently for rebound and compression, 7-clicks each. Both externally so I don't have to have to disassemble anything.
So in the mean time, I called KW North America, Bilstein (seeing about possibly adjustable units, which ARE available), Koni, etc... All the main players. Paragon had several offerings available, but none that really suited what I wanted. KW had what I wanted, but availability and price were a concern for what you get, and with little to not discounts even with a resellers license, I passed it up. Furthermore, rebuilding has to be done outside of the US, so shipping to Germany would kill me if/when they needed to be rebuilt. Koni Racing has a drop in double adjustable insert, 86111259RACE that is independently double adjustable. This seemed like the solution, but adjustability is very limited in comparison to other Koni offerings, but at $255.99 each, these seemed like a bargain. Matched with 3012's in the rear at $559.20 each, it didn't seem like I could beat the prices. It would be about $2000 after hardware and camber mounts. I already have springs. About 30 minutes before I placed my order, a buddy of mine with a Viper ACR package calls me to tell me he ordered Penskes for his car, yadda yadda yadda...making me jealous of his $4000 Penskes. He asks if I know anyone interested in his Koni 2812's from the ACR package...I say me. Got all the measurements, and whaddayaknow, the front 2812's are identical to what I need, but the fronts are in need of some work. Back to the 8611's, as monoball upper fronts seemed out of the question. So today as I am placing my order for my 8611's, the salesman transfers me to rebuild services where I explain my situation. The 2812's that I was going to use for the front are the right stroke, but monoball uppers. Says he has a solution to make it a stud upper mount to make it work.
So needless to say, I am very excited. Not only do a I get a bada$$ suspension for a fraction of what its worth, its going to only cost me about $120 + shipping per front to get them how I want them. The downside, is talk about stiff. Whenever I post pictures of the installation I will post the dyno's of the shocks. At full soft its slightly softer than the Escort cups 600/180, at full stiff I am able to support over 1000lbs/in springs
. Yay for spring track season.Wes
P.S. If anyone wants/needs information on how to get a suspension like this, I will gladly set you up. Its what Paragon sells as the 28 series kit, although im not running an inverted front 2817. Its double adjustable independently for rebound and compression, 7-clicks each. Both externally so I don't have to have to disassemble anything.
12-16-2006, 09:19 PM
#3
Pete,
Unsure of what you are saying? I know for a fact its going to work? I am unsure what you don't understand. All shocks are rebuilt to my valving specs, spring rates are variable (I have several sets of springs), and its already installed on the rear. The car is 2852lbs, 50/50 corner balanced on previous setup. New setup will be redone to insure accuracy. The cars compression and rebound will be dialed in on a private track at the end of this month. Complete setup is Racers Edge rear bushing kit, torsion bar delete, Racers Edge rear 12mm adapter bolt, M030 sway bars, Ground-Control camber/caster plates, and I guess that is all.
If you have any specific questions, you are welcome to ask. Unfortunately, I have used Leda products in the past (E30 M3) and was never impressed. Several owners also PM'ed me privately to inform of the durability of Leda's on 944 series based on a post I made on another forum regarding my Bilsteins...thus I didn't pursue that route. Of all the offerings, Koni offers the best support, durability, and options of any shocks that I was looking at.
Wes
Unsure of what you are saying? I know for a fact its going to work? I am unsure what you don't understand. All shocks are rebuilt to my valving specs, spring rates are variable (I have several sets of springs), and its already installed on the rear. The car is 2852lbs, 50/50 corner balanced on previous setup. New setup will be redone to insure accuracy. The cars compression and rebound will be dialed in on a private track at the end of this month. Complete setup is Racers Edge rear bushing kit, torsion bar delete, Racers Edge rear 12mm adapter bolt, M030 sway bars, Ground-Control camber/caster plates, and I guess that is all.
If you have any specific questions, you are welcome to ask. Unfortunately, I have used Leda products in the past (E30 M3) and was never impressed. Several owners also PM'ed me privately to inform of the durability of Leda's on 944 series based on a post I made on another forum regarding my Bilsteins...thus I didn't pursue that route. Of all the offerings, Koni offers the best support, durability, and options of any shocks that I was looking at.
Wes
12-17-2006, 12:21 AM
#5
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku
Koni Racing (www.koniracing.com), TrueChoice Motorsports (www.truechoicekoniracingservices.com), Pro Parts Inc, etc... all carry the shock for that price. With my discount, it was the price listed above from every vendor. Koni Racing does them to just about any valving, and any dimensions you would like. My Koni 2812's are $1100/each, but other than full custom services, they are the most expensive damper Koni sells. Koni 2817/6, 2812LB, and 2820 are all the same price. The 3012's are also only double adjustable once removing the shock to have it fully extended. My shocks and the 3012's are night and day difference, a mile from the Escorts as well.
Wes
Koni Racing (www.koniracing.com), TrueChoice Motorsports (www.truechoicekoniracingservices.com), Pro Parts Inc, etc... all carry the shock for that price. With my discount, it was the price listed above from every vendor. Koni Racing does them to just about any valving, and any dimensions you would like. My Koni 2812's are $1100/each, but other than full custom services, they are the most expensive damper Koni sells. Koni 2817/6, 2812LB, and 2820 are all the same price. The 3012's are also only double adjustable once removing the shock to have it fully extended. My shocks and the 3012's are night and day difference, a mile from the Escorts as well.
Wes
