parkyboi

hey guys, i just got my koni yellows, and i was wondering how to install them. if anyone has any information that'd be awesome...thanks!

jct

some thing like this https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20769

BrianxB

follow the spring install link above. Same process.

JSosa

i can tell you one thing about koni shocks.... HARD AS A ROCK!!! but i LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE them. One thing about these shocks, install them with a good set of springs but my setup is starting to bust my b@lls. When you crank the shocks up to the fullest potential your going to have to go to a dentist to get your fillings back in your teeth. Im used to rough suspension, but the street in Puerto Rico have so many potholes, that they are impossible to miss. Sometimes i feel like going back to stock because even on the softest setting these shocks aren't forgiving. They work perfectly, they handle AWSOME!! Let me show you a picture of my xA, doing some racing with koni shocks.




I could of hit it harder on the turns but since its my first circuit racing expereince with my Xa, i was taking it slow. I also do have the progress sway bar and GT Spec chassis brace and the DC sports tower bar, with all this mixed up you get ONE HELL of a ride!!! Very fun and when your doing some spirited driving ont he high ways at 2:00am all you have to do is crank them up 1/2 turn and you will notice the difference. When i raced my xA i had the front on 1/2 turn and the rears on 1 turn and look at it, stable stable stable. But the harder the suspension the less my stock tires held up. All in all great suspension!!

jomo

Just thought I would add some here......I played around with the Koni settings in the rear only with Tein S-techs and this is what I found. I have a stock Tokico front struts so this impacts my observations.

Full soft (normal setting) = nice ride. A reasonable match with the stock front strut. Will allow suspension to move more than stock in a controlled manner.

1/4 stiff (1/2 turn) = sportier ride, but still comfortable. Dampening charateristic between front strut and rear shock starting to show a significant difference. This makes the ride bob a little from front to rear. Still rides pretty nice and better than stock shock.

1/2 stiff (1+ turn) = sporty ride. Dampening is a mismatch with stock front strut. Rear shock is quite firm. This is what I would consider the soft end of the "racing" settings. Comfort level about like stock, but ride bounces (front to rear) due to strut mismatch. If you plan on riding this stiff, get the whole set to have equal dampening front and rear.

3/4 stiff (1.5+ turns) = Likely good for racing. May not need any stiffer. Ride is very stiff and requires a very stiff front strut as well. Very poor match with stock front strut. Feels like a late 90's RX-7 with sport suspension. If I were to take a stab at a good race setting, I could imagine ~3/4 stiff is about right in the rear. This would be a very poor setting for comfort.

Full stiff = never tried.......

If you are looking to race, you will definately need to have the complete set (including struts). I can't imagine needing more dampening than what the Koni has potential to provide. The nice thing is that you can turn the dampening down after the race to a level that is way more comfortable than stock.

JSosa

Those koni's can be back breakers on bumpy roads. I have the full set of konis and only once have i put them at full dampening and only for 5 minutes did it stay that way. It was WAY to rough, insanely rough, pretty horrible and im running stock rims, i cant imagine what that would feel like with 17". But on the track the harder you go the more stable the car gets until tires start giving out. As soon as i get a good set think rims and sticky rubber to mach, ill be setting down decent lap times.

vintage42

i understand the hard rear Tokicos need replacing with Monroe SensaTracs or Konis. But people keep saying that the front Tokicos ride OK. Do Konis on the front make much difference?

jomo

The rear shocks are KYB and yes, they are a rough ride. Too much compression dampening for comfort...

The stock Tokico struts are not great, but certainly are not as nearly as uncomfortable as the KYB rear. I heard that one person changed out the rear shock first (Monroe), and then the front strut later (Monroe). His ride comments were that the rear shock was the majority of the ride improvement.

I don't know if anyone has tried this with Konis. I have heard that the Koni struts are pretty soft in the "full soft" mode. That being the case, you probably cannot get much more "comfort" out of the front suspension than with the Koni.

Note that the Konis shocks (Monroes as well?) are designed specifically for the Echo which have lower stock spring rates. This means that the "soft or normal" end of the Koni shock adjustment will be softer than your typical Koni Yellow.

vintage42

Should the word "than" be "with"?
Are you saying I can get much more comfort out of the front suspension WITH the Koni?
Or that some other shock has more comfort THAN the Koni?

jomo

Yeah...I left out quite a few words...........What I meant to say is that the front Koni is very soft @ full soft. Many people dial up the stiffness.

JSosa

^^^^ Im going to have to disagree, koni are PRETTY ROUGH. Ive used tockico in my other cars and they are very nice but not as hard as what i was looking for. Then my brother installed KYB AGX on his ride and that very smooth and it rides like stock just a little lower. No Koni, is a different story. I dont know if its my springs that are crap (very possible), but these struts are unforgiving, especially on bumpy roads. Since Puerto Rico has such bad streets, im even considering goin back to stock because my front drive train, is really starting to feel the beating from that stiff shocks and bad roads. Everything in my car is coming loose, but i DO DO DO recommened these shocks, i love them, only if the roads were in better condition.

jomo

Firstly, I must admit that I do not have first hand experience with the front struts. My comments were based on another member searching for a smooth ride and finding it.....

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...396&highlight=

I would have figured that the characteristics of the rear shock would have been transfered to the front strut, hence my comments......What I can say in full comfidence is that the rear shock is not a rough ride at normal (full soft). Have you tried it full soft?

One thing about your setup that I would wonder about is the Hotchkis springs. They have a lot of dead coils that will limit the total wheel travel (coils hitting each other). This may be a bad thng with the Koni shocks as the Konis will allow more wheel travel (low compression dampening). Do you bottom a lot? If so, you may want to try a spring with less dead coils.

vintage42

If they can still be soft, that is what I want. I put Konis on my BMW 2002 in 1972, leaving the adjustment on "soft" the way they came, and the ride was perfect. It was not really soft - it was just not harsh while also perfectly controlled. A high quality feel.

DuxwhiteXB

i guess i'll have to post after i get my front and rears on. I just hope that the bach shocks make a big difference in confort because i have 18's with trd springs and fiberglass box in the back and the ride gets pretty bad at times. i am just wondering on how the back should be set up.

JSosa

I did it the same way you did. The rear shocks made the ride ALOT smoother, its beautiful thing, but the front are kind of rough.

You absoluetly right, it is my springs, but i just havent had the time to install the tein's i just recently purchased. The drop is going to be more susbstantial but i guess the stance will be worked out and hopefully the ride will get MUCH better. Soon i will see.

jomo

Just a note.....Looks like verdict is still out on the Koni front struts. Some think it is rough (JSosa w/Hotchkis springs) and some think it is soft (saicow w/Tein H-techs....resulting in my comments). I probably should not have commented on the struts since I have not tried them first hand.

You are right in saying that "soft" is not really the correct descriptiion as the Koni's are not really soft. The harshness is reduced (in the rear) such that they give the impression of being soft. I can assure you that the rear shock is as you describe, a high quality feel.....especially for a low tech rear suspension.

jomo

New rear shocks will help lessen the pain, but don't expect miracles when running 18's. Try the normal setting (full soft). It is the best for comfort and I think the best match for the stock front strut.

VShalla

where did everyone get their konis? im looking for somewhere with a good price on them.

vintage42

This place seems very reasonable:
http://www.ltbmotorsports.com/scion.html

Here's the SL instructions...
Front
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20769
Rear
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=76186

wooish

I'm wondering if the Progress Coilver + Rear Koni would be a good daily driver and autox setup. I'm so torned between getting Tein + All around Koni or Progress Coilover + rear Koni