Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Suspension Strut reliability

Well looks like my Koni's are kicking the bucket in my 98 SVT. Its been about 3 years and they are starting to fail pretty bad. I've got Eibach springs in there which were supposed to drop like 1.3" or something but I swear mine went down 2" or more (I can fit only 1 finger on an angle in the front and rear).

Anyway I'm looking for a very reliable strut and I think the Bilsteins should do right? I'm thinking of those struts on some BAT sport springs. The 1" drop shouldnt be very severe to affect strut life. I guess I could always send the Koni's for revalving once they are out.

Anyone have this combo already and can comment on how they like it? I want a firm and very damped ride. My friend has a 2000 BMW 328 with H&R springs and Bilsteins and its perfect

Oops. Just noticed there is a post similar to mine but a slightly different question. Oh well I'll read through that but if anyone has any comments for me, I'd like to hear them to I mean car related comments not like "you posted without reading...you idiot" LOL.

thats odd, supposedly the koni adjustables last forever because you can just stiffen them up when they start to soften

My rears have been getting soft and are starting to squeak on one side, the front on the passenger side has been slowly leaking oil out of the top where you adjust it. Now that side is a bit soft so I've been trying to firm it up by dialing it up a bit. Usually I drive drive with it 25% more firm than soft....

I blame the springs because its really low but this time around I think I want to try something new so I will try the Bilstein / BAT combo. Hopefully the Bilstein struts are better than the BAT ones - doesnt look like the Bilsteins are performance ones. Looks OEM to me. I'm a little scared of Koni at this point.

According to BAT and SP motorsports, the plain BAT kit is a better choice, with the euro struts...they are valved more specifically for the springs and are over all a better fit. They did mention though, that the difference is minimal, but since the bilsteins cost an extra $100, they say it isn't worth it. I on the other hand, might go with the bilsteins anyway in hopes that they will last longer, and keep the car a little higher, even if its only an 1/8 of an inch. Did you think about the spax adjustables at all?

I didnt consider the Spax only because I dont know much about them. The whole adjustable thing scares me now after owning these Konis. Dont get me wrong, they are fine but after the first 1.5 years and say 20,000 miles I felt them getting a bit softer so maybe adjustables are not very good for a car one might drive daily (reliability not up to task of long term use) ?

I've been reading up on this post every now and then so I was wondering if there was any truth to any of this. I wanted to go B&G autobahn springs so I was going to get Konis. Is this just one persons bad luck or are the Konis really not good for over a year or so?

From what i know (which is next to nothing) its just this one person. Joe from SP motorsports told me koni's will never wear out, and they will last longer than any other strut ....so, who knows what is going on

also....i'd check into getting them replaced under warranty...

Ya I figured I'll send them away to have them revalved or what ever they do once they are out of the car. Most things I read say they are reliable but my rears are definitly softer than they were. Basically 1/2 firm now is what soft used to be. I think one rear strut is squeaking because two mechanics said they hear the sqeak come from the driverside rear strut. The front is fine on one side but the other always has a very tiny puddle (not even a puddle...just kinda damp or wet) around the strut mount. If I take a cloth and wipe it, it will pick up the oil stain. Its also that side thats kinda making clunking and clanging noises when I hit a bump but I mean it doesnt totally feel dead. Just a bit softer than the other side.

Maybe I just got unlucky but I still think its my eibach pro springs that are too low. Here take a look at the car on a side profile and tell me that doesnt sit kinda low for what was to be a 1.3" drop.. oh by the way, this is when the springs and shocks were first put in. Its settled another 1/4 to 1/2" from what all my friends say. It is a bit lower now than the pics.

http://powerthings.com/pics/contour1.jpg
http://powerthings.com/pics/contour2.jpg