Setting Koni Adjustable Shockers

[nt8285]

Hey guys, I had my rear Koni shocks adjusted firmer by Eurotechnic earlier when i went there to get new rear lower arms. My car was floating at highspeeds on uneven and wavy roads, so we believed that the shocks were set too soft.

The funny thing was that the guy only adjusted the rears. When I asked about the fronts, he told me to leave them as with the rear firmer and the front softer...it would give better handling.

Anyway, when I brought the car onto MEX highway heading back to KL...I felt the handling and car weird. The front felt too soft while the rear a bit firmer.

So, I tried to DIY and adjusted the fronts. However, it started raining and I am not too sure if i got the settings I want. I seriously have little knowledge abt this.

I would like to ask and check with the rest of the gurus here and know what settings you all use and how do you do it?

With my fronts, I adjusted to the firmest settings and then turned back by '3 and half' full turns. Not too sure, if these are right. Was playing around, then the storm came! Crap!

Anyway, please let me know what are the settings some of you use and what would be best for fast road driving.

Thanks!

[bravosx]

NT, good to meet you at Steven's place just now.

What you are doing to your Koni's are adjusting the rebound rate. The harder you set, the slower the rebound will be. If you go to the max, chances are they would be too stiff as the rebound will be much slower. Set it to a medium and it should be okay.

[nt8285]

Hi Bravosx, it was great meeting you finally!

Thanks for the reply. I read somewhere that from the softest to firmest setting, you would be able to turn '5 and a half' cycles. Thus, I tried putting it at the firmest and turned back '3 and half' cycles. Was using my gut feeling and hope I got the 'medium' setting. Did not really get to play more with the settings as the rain came after that!

Well, hope it turns out well during the run tomorrow. However, I would be a bit careful and go slow...just to get a feel of the car and settings first.

Btw, hope ur wiper is working great now! Managed to test it in the rain earlier?

[bravosx]

Oh yeah Steven did it perfectly!

[velocty]

You should back it to the softest and then turn to your desired setting. I'd say try single full turn then keep turning 1/4 or 1/2 turns till you have them dialled.

[nt8285]

You should back it to the softest and then turn to your desired setting. I'd say try single full turn then keep turning 1/4 or 1/2 turns till you have them dialled.

Aiks! So, I did it the other way around?! Ok! I must try them again and see.

[stevo]

Yea, usually from softer to firm... dial in bit by bit. Different users like different settings. Also, I depends on any other suspension mod you have and alignment settings also. So best to try it yourself and see what you prefer.

Some like the rear stiffer because it will give a oversteery feeling. But that feeling can also be achieved with thicker rear ARB or toe out the front alignment or over pump the rear inflation.

[nahar]

stiffer rear means you have turn your ride to become Pickup truck i.e ford ranger....

why not you set the front stiffer to compensate the rear which has been adjusted.. and try out to feel the difference..

[Redd]

if ur konis arent new, set them to softest, then give them half a turn of the knob and test drive it. here are some of the tests i do:

1. hump test - take it over a hump at decent speeds (but not so fast that it damages the car). at the correct setting, the car should come to rest after 1 oscillation - ie down, up, stop. if it takes more than 1 oscillation then it's too soft.

2. take it over undulating roads - if it feels floaty, stiffen it one notch at a time and retest. if ur stomach feels quesy - like a bit seasick - or the car feels very harsh and doesnt absorb the bumps, then high chance its too stiff.

yellowtaxi is a lot better at this than i am. his ass is more sensitive than mine.

redd

[nt8285]

Thanks for all the tips and response. I will continue playing around with the settings as suggested and will try to find the right setting which I like.

I played around with it again this morning before the Ulu Yam run and I liked the firmness of the front (which i set last night), but the rear felt too soft after that. Tried to adjust the rear, but the knob wont turn like the front. It seemed and was stuck!

So, I adjusted the fronts to be softer and tried it out. I thought it was good after that. However, after pumping petrol and at the Ulu Yam run...they felt too soft again! Haih! I guess, I will find a free day and figure it out! This job seriously requires patience and time!

[sportivo_825]

hey guys

i want to know where the place for setup the rear shock?...mine is koni soft hard...is it can adjust from boothlid or must remove the shock 1st and setup?....

[smallcrab]

Open the bella boot, flip the fabric/carpet that hides the shock towers to adjust it yourself.
No need to remove the shock.

[Redd]

depends on what car. for most cars, the front konis are adjustable from the strut top, no need to remove.

for the 156/147, the rears are also adjustable from the strut top in the boot. for the 147 u may have to move the parcel shelf and subwoofer out of the way, iirc.

for the coop, 155, 146, etc the rear konis need to be removed to be adjusted. they are not accessible from the boot.

redd

[nahar]

depends on what car. for most cars, the front konis are adjustable from the strut top, no need to remove.

for the 156/147, the rears are also adjustable from the strut top in the boot. for the 147 u may have to move the parcel shelf and subwoofer out of the way, iirc.

for the coop, 155, 146, etc the rear konis need to be removed to be adjusted. they are not accessible from the boot.

redd

only 3 setting.... soft, mid, hard

[Redd]

nope, the konis dont have click settings on the adjuster. u can go from zero to 3 turns, iirc, and everything in between.

redd

[nt8285]

Hmm...with the clicks...it might be easier for noobs like me to set! I had been trying to set the fronts by remembering how many turns I have done for each. Still, i think one side is softer than the other. I was running with a GTi this morning and upon hard braking...the front seemed to wobble! Crap! I think something is not set right! Haih! Gotta start and try again!

The rears are a headache! I removed the carpet covers to adjust the rears. The knob wont budge or move either way. It seems stuck!

Btw, I noticed that the firmness of the front shockers affect the steering. When set firmer, the steering also seems to be firmer! Is this true?!