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Are Koni shocks too stiff for stock springs?


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I have been planning for a while to get Koni Yellows and coil-over springs probly in something like a 275/300 rate. Right now I'm running stock struts with cut stock springs. My car is stripped down and weighed at the divisional autocross last fall at 1998 lbs, but slightly lighter now after a bit more weight reduction. I don't have any other mods. I am planning to keep running in prepared class, but my car is way underprepared at the moment. I had an instructor (at the Evo school) who drove my car last year tell me the first thing I should do is get new struts, but I'm not sure he knew I'd go with such stiff ones. Anyways, the whole project just isn't in my budget right now (stupid bad economy). I'm wondering.... how would it be to run the Konis with the stock (cut) springs? Or are they too stiff for those springs? What are the downsides of running a stiff strut with light springs? For the record, I'm just spent 2 hours searching and didn't really find what I was looking for. It's possible that I just suck at searching though.

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The rebound valving on the Koni 8610s would be too stiff for the stock springs. What would happen is that in a series of bumps or turns the rebound valve would slow the spring rebound (after a bump or corner) to such a degree that you would lose suspension travel. The spring would pack down until you were riding on the bump stops or had a couple seconds of no spring compression so that the shock would let the spring expand back to normal ride height.

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Thanks, now I guess I have to decide on a path to take. I want to buy some of the stuff without having to pick it up all at once. Maybe I should think about just picking up something less expensive and save a few bucks for more upgrades later. But I'd feel like I wasted money on something that wasn't what I ultimately wanted.

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Full disclosure - I sell Tokico stuff.

 

I suggest the following low buck option that will get you a reasonable suspension for autocross work and that you can upgrade later without having to start over:

 

Coil over threaded collars

Adjustable lower spring perches

Upper spring perches (to work with your stock insulators)

Tokico HP shocks (HZ3099 front, HZ3015 rear)

Hypercoil 10 x 2.5 springs (250F 225R)

 

Shorten the struts and install all of the above. You can check my web site for prices or shop around. Later you'll only have to swap out the shocks and springs when you can afford the Konis. You'll also need to get some camber plates.

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I'm concerned that they HPs won't be stiff enough. Your recommending 250/225# springs here, but on your site it says they're good for up to 200# springs. Of course on a light weight car that will never see the street it may be fine. I've just read on here that they don't seem much different from stock.

 

Camber plates will have to wait, I'll just hope some eccentric bushings will get me close enough. But if/when I upgrade will EMI camber plates machined for Tokico shocks still work for Konis or are you suggesting I'd upgrade to the Konis first?

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You said you were on a budget... The HPs will be at their upper limit at those spring rates but it will be OK for a while. Illuminas would be better.

 

The EMI camber plates are not machined for the shock, the shock is machined for the camber plates. The monoball is .625" ID which works fine for most shock except for the Datsun specific BZ and HZ shocks. Those need the upper mounting point on the shaft machined down to .624.

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Your right I did say I was on a budget. I just wanted to make sure they weren't going to fail immediately. If they'll last for a while that's what I wanted to know. I'll take it into account when I make my decision. As for the camber plates, I just read that wrong, looking at it again it makes perfect sense.

 

Thanks for the advice.

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  • 2 weeks later...

OK, at the risk of you get tired of helping me make a decision. I don't want to seem like I'm flip flopping, but I convinced the wife that I should just by the shocks I want and budget be damned.

 

Basically I want to get more info about the Tokico HTS vs the Koni SA. I know you sell both so I'm asking for your opinion on which would be better for me. There isn't much info about them except on this thread: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=125245&highlight=tokico+hts&page=2 and the strut thread where other than you considering putting together a package only few people have asked about the HTSs but never got any replies.

 

I've done more research on spring rates and I'm thinking about 325# front and 350# rear spring. Would the either be better suited for those rates? And is there anything else about these I should consider?

 

Honestly, I'm mainly thinking about the HTS because they will be an easier fit into the 240's strut tubes. I also like the fact that you said they would require less maintenance.

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At those rates you're nearing the upper limit for the Tokico HTS shocks. They will work, with the HTS102s have a little firmer rebound control. These shocks also have a 14mm top mount so they will fir into any camber paltes the runs a somewhat standard 5/8" monoball.

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