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Going to need a new setup.. Recommendations?

B.Brattina

Hard-core CEG'er
Joined
Aug 14, 2004
Messages
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Location
Northville, Michigan
Well, my rear shocks are blown and it's probably about time to replace them along with the fronts just to do it all at once... I am running B&G lowering springs so I won't need anything new there... Any recommendations on a setup? Koni Yellows seemed to be a favorite around here for a while - Forgive me though, my knowledge on shocks/struts is minimal :)
 
I have rode around in both Spax yellow's and Koni's and they are BOTH awesome struts. I had the whole Koni Kit which i LOVE, and have not driven around on the Spax/BAT as much as i did on the Koni Kit. The choice is yours, but get something yellow :D
 
Well, my rear shocks are blown and it's probably about time to replace them along with the fronts just to do it all at once... I am running B&G lowering springs so I won't need anything new there... Any recommendations on a setup? Koni Yellows seemed to be a favorite around here for a while - Forgive me though, my knowledge on shocks/struts is minimal :)

I have the B&G - Koni Yellow combo and love it :)

but get something yellow :D

I painted mine black :p That yellow is ugly.
 
I was gonna paint mine black but I get a lot of curious questions about having Koni Yellows on a Contour that open up discussions about the SVT heritage so I'm leaving them.
 
i have a question how does the following sound

koni rear struts/stock springs and Monroe front struts/stock springs

reason why i ask is because the rear has the sag problem going on and there stock struts
 
To be honest, I'm not sure why you'd want to spend so much money on high-end struts to put on just the rear, on just stock springs, just to fix a problem that is not even necessarily due to struts. If the rear is sagging, you are looking at spring replacement at least, if not struts as well. And if you are doing struts, I would go either inexpensive replacement in pairs, or a full set in performance upgrades. Anything else is a waste of money since you are not getting the full benefit, IMO.
 
Well i do want a complete set up. So to stay within a $500 budget for a whole new suspension back and front. how does this sound.

monroe rear struts/intrax lowering springs and front adjustable koni struts/with??????? what type of springs

keep in my mind i would like to go do a road course within the near future. is it safe for my car to be 1/2 inch - 1 inch higher in the back
 
If you're looking to do any kind of performance driving, you're really shooting yourself in the foot to cheap out on suspension. Just save up a little more money and get proper equipment. Monroes are not performance struts, and they are not designed for any kind of aftermarket lowering spring with an increased rate. Also, unless you are purchasing used from a private seller willing to split up a set, where do you plan on getting aftermarket springs in pairs? I've never seen them sold that way, unless a retailer will accommodate a special request perhaps. And finally, your cost target of $500 for all new suspension is a long shot if buying new, since two Konis alone will cost you almost $300, and that's if you know people, two more cheap struts you are proposing will be another $140ish, spring set plan on another at least $100 if lightly used, and you're already well over your target. That's not including mounts, bearings, bump stops, bellows, or any other parts you might deem necessary, or an alignment which is definitely necessary unless you have the equipment and are up to the task of doing it yourself.
 
sighhhh LOL ok then so might as well go big huh?

i like the looks of the k-sports so hopefully i can save up some more money for those but hey if i fall short of saving up for them i still have the koni set to fall back on. hmm ksport with recaro seats:drool: sound like a winner hop this dream comes true by july
 
I considered KSports but decided against them for several reasons, listed in order of decreasing priority to me.

1. Inconsistency: I'm only going by the dyno plots and real technical, engineering-based comments I've been able to find online (an example of which is linked to in this thread), but the fact that they have questionable quality regardless of the application was enough to raise my concerns to the point of not paying a premium for them.

2. Unavailability of supporting mods: Lower is generally better, but lowest is not best. We don't have the suspension adjustability to make extreme lowering work properly on these vehicles. Specifically, I would want at the very least a roll center adjustment kit and rear camber kit (plus an accurate point measurement method or sus layout data) before I considered dropping over 2" for a handling benefit.

3. Ride: I still plan on street driving this car often, and it already has enough interior trim rattles and impact noise on struts. There are alternative ways to make a car handle well without making the suspension super stiff, and rigid != fast.

4. Price: I paid less for new Konis, B&Gs, a professional fab and welding job on my rear subframe, equipment to perform my own alignment, and misc. supplies than one set of KSports would cost.

I'm not knocking anyone who has and likes KSports by any means; maybe they are good. After all, I did seriously consider them. They just didn't make sense to me in the end from a performance standpoint, without spending an extreme amount of extra money to have them dyno tested before shipping for peace of mind, and then having custom chassis parts made to reap the full benefits.

But enjoy whatever you choose. It's all about what makes you happy with the car anyway.
 
ok thanks for the opinion makes me think hard about it. sounds like koni is the win seeing as i'm still DD the car. but i do want a 2 inch drop all around so i guess i need to research which springs to put with them.
 
Only strut springs I know of that give a 2"+ drop would be Ground Controls or B&G Autobahns, and I don't think the Autobahns are even available anymore. Someone else can chime in if they know otherwise.
 
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